Oral Roberts and the Rise of the Prosperity Gospel (Library of Religious Biography (LRB))

Having grown up in the '60s and '70s, my strong feelings about Oral Roberts began on a small, black and white television set at our shore house where his was the only show that we could get. In my younger years, I laughed at the "actors" who weren't convincing. As I got a bit older, I believed that it wasn't acting, and that Roberts's followers were being duped.So, what attracted me to this book? It was "The Rise of the Prosperity Gospel" aspect that I felt would answer a lot of questions on what happened to bring our country to the point that it is now, and where we are headed. Religion is an important component of American culture, and there's so much more to learn about it.I liked the author's creative journalistic writing style. He had enough of a detachment from his subject that I was never quite sure how he felt about him, which was a refreshing change from books with a strong agenda. The book is honest and allows readers to decide for themselves what really happened and the motivation behind it.My biggest takeaway? Roberts was a man on a mission. And while he was driven to succeed, he wasn't the evil con man that I thought he was. His success was a result of a combination of divine inspiration and being driven by his personal demons. Not quite sure if I'll ever shake the latter from my perception of him.

Wonderfully written with insightful analysis, this book explores the tremendous changes to American history throughout the 20th century through the lens of one of its most important figures. Here, Roberts comes alive as the author not only taps into Roberts' speeches, but his letters, newspapers, and even student newspapers from ORU. Deeply researched and thought provoking, the book also manages to be incredibly accessible and could be read by someone who has never heard of Roberts. For those who grew up in Roberts' world, you'll definitely want to read this! This would work great as a summer read, book study, or even in a college or high school history course.

As a Tulsa native, I am certainly aware of Oral Roberts and his impact on the city. That being said, this book contained many bipgraphical details and statistics I had not known before. The book is well-researched and detailed and perhaps most importantly, unbiased. Roberts was a complicated man and left a complex legacy behind. I think the book is a thorough and fair assessment of Roberts as an influential figure in American history. The book does not delve into the rise of the prosperity gospel as much as the title would imply, but that is its only shortcoming. I still think it warrants a five-star review. I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in Roberts and the forces that helped birth megachurches in America.

Pastor Roberts started out strong - with his ministry and forming an eponymous university - though ultimately fell pretty hard to Earth by the 1980s. His message was quite simple in the Pentecostal style of seed-faith in order to lead one's life and achieve spiritual and material success. There's nothing erudite in Roberts' message and style, and plenty to critique. Let's face it, anyone who claims that God speaks to them would be considered smoking something illegal, in a psychological crisis, or prevaricating. As the author notes in the epilogue "he was eventually corrupted by power." Yet ORU continues as an ongoing concern. Hopefully this one seed will bloom and flourish.

Great read about a complex man. The author doesn't shy away from showing every side of Roberts, but he holds back on inserting personal criticism along the way, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions. The book wraps up with Oral's fascinating but misguided attempt to establish the notorious "City of Faith." Not knowing much about that history, I couldn't put the book down. There's not much secondary literature on Oral Roberts, so Root has made a needed contribution to the field. No doubt, this will be the definitive biography for some time to come.