The Death of Oral Roberts and Dimming of American Pentecostalism

Politics Daily ^ | December 16, 2009 | David Gibson

[Zakeet]

Pentecostals have always been the red-headed stepchildren of American Christianity -- holy rollers who were known for speaking in tongues or laughing wildly and even barking like dogs while seized by religious ecstasy, or producing miracle healings on command and handling venomous snakes without fear.

All of that was made possible, of course, by calling on the Holy Spirit -- yet was too embarrassing for sober-sided mainline Protestants and even hellfire Southern Baptists, and incomprehensible to the point of batty for Roman Catholics and other high-church folks.

Or at least it was until Oral Roberts came along.

Roberts, who died Tuesday at 91, was a force in American religious history, a pioneer in mass media evangelism and a mentor -- either directly or by his influence -- to a generation of preachers and politicians who continue to shape American culture and global Christianity. He was second only in popularity and visibility to Billy Graham.

[Snip]

"I think he planted the seeds publicly of what became the charismatic renewal after 1960 because the American public first saw Pentecostalism in their living rooms through his televised tent crusades," Vinson Synan, a historian of Pentecostalism at Pat Robertson's Regent University told Charisma magazine. Jack Hayford, former president of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, agreed: "If God had not, in His sovereign will, raised up the ministry of Oral Roberts, the entire charismatic movement might not have occurred."

At his death, however, Roberts also left behind significant questions about the future of Pentecostalism and spirit-filled Christianity.

Even during the latter years of his turbulent career, Oral Roberts came to be known for the kind of spiritual showmanship and financial brinkmanship that gave Pentecostalism the reputation he'd once helped it overcome.

[Quix]

INDEED.

IIRC, Yong Yi Cho’s total congregational attendance at all the sister and overflow rooms and buildings is well over one million.

[paulist]

Not meant to be an attack, just a warning to streetpreacher and anyone else reading. I have agreed with many of your posts, until I started reading the dialogue between you and “jeremiah”. False prophets and those who follow them are dangerous to the flock.

[Quix]

VERY EXCELLENT POINTS.

WELL PUT.

THANKS.

[Quix]

A lot of truth in that.

Probably toooo much truth in that.

In the New Testament, Holy Spirit created controversy and irritated the starchy and prissy wherever He showed up.

[Red Boots]

IIRC, Yong Yi Cho’s total congregational attendance at all the sister and overflow rooms and buildings is well over one million.

Yes- but the important thing is do they bark like dogs and cluck like chickens? /sarcasm

Never heard any of the TV guys do that either, or even speak in tongues, but hey.

I wonder if this article ( appearing as it does in a political publication) is just an opening smear against Sarah Palin’s early years in an AG church.

Thanks for your nice defense.

[Red Boots]

However, the laughter, is, to me, obviously from The Lord.

I have experienced the laughter myself. It came out of nowhere and I don't believe it was from me.I had never heard of it as a manifestation of the Spirit until much later when I read about it and realized what had happened. I was alone at the time so it didn't happen as a result of other people doing it, or of trying to be seen- I had never seen it nor heard of it before. I don't speak in tongues either. That's my experience of it for whatever it's worth.

It was a very healing and beautiful experience, so I do believe it came from God.

[Quix]

Thanks.

You are quite welcome.

Could be about Sarah . . . though they don’t seem to need any excuses to do such . . . it’s like breathing for some—including some rabid-foaming-at-the-fingers clique’s hereon. I’m surprised the foam hasn’t shorted out a number of their keyboards.

[Quix]

INDEED.

I think I’ve had the ‘holy chuckles’ but not the robust outrageously intense guffaws as some do.

One fellow is quite commonly struck with such and it’s beautiful . . . he’s a very humble, non assuming sort of helpful fellow . . . not at all given to show.

We have a gracious standard in our congregation . . . dancing, flags, laughter, crying . . . and the service just goes on . . . if such things are obviously what THE LORD is focusing on delivering at the time, then that’s the service—i.e. FOCUSING ON THE LORD AND WHATEVER HE’S DOING in whatever kind of worship fits the individual.

If the service is going on and it’s an isolated individual here and there, no biggy, the service goes on.

Very gracious and freeing without being chaos. Love it.

[Quix]

I’d love to see some of the prissy starchy ones hereon

be in a service and get struck with laughter and rolling in the floor for several hours at a time. That would shake some starch out of them!

Rarely does Holy Spirit descend so powerfully on a person without a genuine invitation TO COME—HOLY SPIRIT—HOWEVER YOU WANT TO! . . . though. Probably rules that out!

[Quix]

And you could simply be wrong about Jedediah.

[Red Boots]

We have a gracious standard in our congregation . . . dancing, flags, laughter, crying . . . and the service just goes on . . . if such things are obviously what THE LORD is focusing on delivering at the time, then that’s the service—i.e. FOCUSING ON THE LORD AND WHATEVER HE’S DOING in whatever kind of worship fits the individual.

That's quite beautiful. And you are right about the Holy Spirit not fitting into a box. He is uncontainable,as the song says. That's why the Irish monks of the 5 th century called the spiritual path chasing the wild goose.

[Quix]

Love it.

Hadn’t heard that one.

Thanks.

[opus86]

Interesting...I didn't know how much Pentecostalism reached into the affluent communities; my assumption was it didn't happen prior to the charismatic movement of the 60s.

My parents' families came from the rural southeast...They ranged from dirt poor (preachers) to middle-class (farmers, small business owners), and that was the background of most of their church membership. While I wouldn't say any of them were necessarily uneducated or of a low IQ, they were simple, God-fearing believers. They relied on the spiritual gifts to evangelize and basically help them survive (I could tell you some stories).

[Quix]

I think the rural South and Bible belt congregations conferred on the Pentecostal movement that set of assumptions—that they were all a bunch of hayseeds of questionable critical thinking skills, education, wealth etc.

To some significant degree, that’s never been the real truth. The Pentecostal movement touched all strata from the beginning.

Certainly the Charismatic movement broadened it wholesale.

[malkee]

Well, I guess you could argue they've been around since the time of St. Paul. I meant in the current incarnation. Started at Duquesne University in 1967. See here.

[SySnootles]

You’ve got to ask yourself; if faith healers are legit, why do any of them die? And why do they hold crusades that often charge attendees (where “testimonials” can be pre-screened) instead of just going to hospitals and nursing homes and curing the patients?