Comments on: Update: Richard Roberts responds to ORU scandal

By: Andrew Strong

Andrew Strong — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:36:25 +0000

Rita, grow up, quote the actual chapter and verse, and recognize that the Roberts have judged from the moment this lawsuit came out. Unless you can’t comprehend their statements, you can’t possibly say that they are in a “prayerful” attitude when responding, or that they are completely righteous in this instance. Am I judging? I am pointing out what they have said. read the rest of my posts on this matter here; go find the oct. 1 Fox News article and their response within that article. it’s villifying, inflammatory, defaming, and disrespectful of FORMER EMPLOYEES, one tenured. I’m alumni, I’m upset, and I’m not alone; speaking with my professors, they confirmed that most alumni give limited gifts to specific departments. that alone tells you, or should tell you, that the general temperature of those who have LIVED ORU don’t want to support the general university with their funds. wonder why that would be… and please don’t come back with a baseless statement about “friends” you know that have a better perspective. I got my BS there (literally) and I was in leadership 2 out of 4 yrs. do some research, and have an opinion that takes more than a speed-dial to the prayer tower.

By: Darrel

Darrel — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:52:44 +0000

I am a pastor of a church in Texas. I work 2 jobs, 1 at night to support myself and my wife and kids. everything that comes into the church goes towards ministry. we minister to alot of addicts, prostitutes, gays and lesbians and poor people. we do not take offerings or have a time where we pass a plate. we have a plate at the front of the church if people want to give. we believe God for everything we have. that being said the bible clearly states that in the last days they would make merchandise of the Gospel, and would creep into silly peoples houses and take from them. How? through the Television. the number 1 thing I face as a pastor is people that have been hurt by prosperity preachers. that is why we do not take up a collection because we want people to know we are not after their money
unfortunately the bible says that through greed that men and women who once were faithful would fall from the faith. the damage that alot of these TV preacers have done is amazing which I have seen first hand. they have taken the truths of Gods covenant and perverted them for private gain,. to where now you almost cannot preach the message because of the abuses….!!!!!
the healing revivals of Orals time had many great men and women of God but was brought to an end for this very reason, because the gift of God was being perverted by people for profit.
Does God Prosper? yes, but he sends the rain on the just and the unjust. his covenant with us is a contract of blessing, healing, forgiveness and eternal salvation. there are no quick gimicks to these things but come to pass as you walk them out by faith. you cannot buy a miracle from God because Jesus already bought it for us. God is not after your money he is after your soul. he is the giver not the taker.
there are many people who cannot be reached with the message of Gods salvation because of the perversion of that message and the damage done by these preachers. it were better they had never been on television.
the thing that is lacking is the heart of God for people. if someone is gay or lesbian that is no greater sin then someone who eats to much. Gods love cannot fail and we have been seeing gays come in and be saved when alot of churches wouldn’t let them in the door. i have never had to say one thing about their lifestyle but simply tell them of what God has done for them by Jesus Christ and they all except it 100 percent. and then God changes them as he sees fit. its not my job to change people its Gods job. he said fish for men, not clean the fish.
the thing lacking in the church is love. love for God, his word, His Spirit, and love for people. without love then this becomes a religion, a philosophy, a business!!! love would motivate you to work 2 jobs to gain their trust just so you can reach more people with the message. love would motivate you to help a girl who gets pregnant and not kick them to the curb like an animal, love would reach out to the gay and lesbian, drunkard and drug addict. love would make you where everything you had and are comes from God and is His for the asking at anytime!
bottom line is I don’t need a mansion or drive a mercedes to be prosperous. prosperity is finding the will of God for my life and doing it. when I am in His will i am prosperous!

By: John Davis

John Davis — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:00:48 +0000

And how does God bring it to the light, if he must do so absent any human involvement? It says not to judge them, but you are to judge their fruit and use discernment. We are not suppose to give and support every ministry out there and not question whether they are doing God or their own will. Supporting ministries without holding them accountable is wasting God’s money and helping to perpertrate frauds. God says that the church and people claiming they are called of God into ministry are to be accountable. That is why a church must have elders. Richard Roberts claims in a recorded tape that he “has the deck stacked” and anyone that doesn’t go along with him, he removes. Defend this ministry all that you want. They bible spoke of those that would be misled. It is people that are so timid and afraid to speak up, in fear of offending God, that allows people to remain in ministry that should not be. Remember the crook Robert Tilton?

By: Rita

Rita — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 01:27:38 +0000

Mr John,
You are forgetting the scripture judge not unless you want to be judged in the same way…
only God has the right to judge…and IF the person(s) are doing wrong it won’t be brought to the Light by people opinionated and can only slam by their OPINIONS

By: John Davis

John Davis — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 01:55:21 +0000

Rita, according to your rationale, then it would be impossible for God to shed light upon those that are making a mockery of Him, or are doing evil; for whenever God does so, narrow-minded people, such as yourself, will just claim, “Oh, its the Devil attacking this Godly man.” Exactly how does God reveal a wolf in a sheep’s clothing or let anyone know they are being deceived by the devil? God help the ignorant that can’t see a foot in front of themselves, or put together a rationale thought.

By: Rita

Rita — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 17:06:25 +0000

I have always heard…if a christian is getting attacked they must be doing something right and the devil is attacking trying to stop them from the ministry…

By: tazebell

tazebell — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 04:19:44 +0000

Right on about LR hairstyles! Every time I would see her I wondered how she thought her hair looked combed, let alone style. All squished up and much like a rat’s nest. And she needs all the “relaxed fit” clothing like Chico’s sells since she really has put on a lot of middle-age weight. Nothing personal here, just an impression of how she looks on TV.

By: RC

RC — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:43:55 +0000

I personally don’t see anything wrong with Lindsay’s hair style or her clothes. They are being judged for things that are none of our business…she agrees with her husband and that is admirable when she shakes her head…it shows the people out there judging where she stands… I think she’s sincere.

By: dmj

dmj — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:16:48 +0000

Why would Lindsey spend that much money on clothes, and never think about a decent hairdresser?? I mean for years I would tune in to the T.V. show they appear on, and say to myself… She has got to be crazy, or something !!! Why dosn’t somebody tell her to do somthing to that messy rats nest of a hairdo? I mean really, am I the only one that has noticed the oddity of her appearance? Oh yes and the constant head bobbing of agreement to everything hubby says. That too has always irked my senses for their sincerity and sanity.

By: John Davis

John Davis — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 01:07:03 +0000

FRAUD? As a former employee of the ministry in the 80s, I witnessed FRAUD on a first-hand experience. After that experience and a decade attending Victory Christian Center, Bible College and believing the false message of “name-it / claim-it” and “believe and receive prosperity” I eventually got tired of living the life of a hypocrite and became shamed of Christians and their abandonment of the true meaning of the Bible. I later became agnostic as a result of it all. Back to the FRAUD. God allegedly told Oral to build the City of Faith. If God told him to build it, why did it fail? Does anything fail that God is truly behind? While the City of Faith was struggling and right before Oral announced God was going to kill him if he didn’t raise $8M dollars (Wow, how terrible it must be to have that much pressure placed upon you by your God!), FRAUD was being committed at the hospital. Richard had just launched his show and it was being used, in part, to promote the City of Faith. Richard would go and interview people at the City of Faith, claiming they had come from all around the world to seek treatment at a Godly hospital. FRAUD! On a regular basis, hospital and university staff would be asked to leave their office and go to the clinic/hospital and lie about who they were, where they were from and pretend to be sick–pretend to be a patient! Now, how Biblical is it, and how much morals and ethics do you have, when you are willing to get on TV and purposely orchastrate a fraud upon others, in order to inspire them to give money and/or come to Tulsa to get medical treatment? I refused to be apart of the scam and forever believe that God allowed it to close because it was being used in a fraudulent manner. It is worth noting that the 2.2M sq. ft facility still loses money each year and has never been profitable for the ministry. Perhaps God cursed it after the scam. Lastly, I was on the elevator one night, at the City of Faith, leaving work very late. Oral and Richard both got onto the elevator and I overhood a disturbing conversation. Oral stated to Richard, “We have to come up with a new project. People won’t give money unless they have something they can see it going to.” This was while they were struggling to keep the City of Faith open in 1983. Makes you wonder, was the City of Faith just a project that Oral devised, and because it was not God inspired, it failed? I can only say that what I have read about students being kicked out for not paying bills and being pregnant is true. The ministry built the homes in the “compound” that the family live in for Free, and purchased the multi-million dollar home (today’s value) that Oral calls his California home. The ministry owns its own jet. They drive lavish cars and have rediculous salaries and spiffs. I don’t think God likes being mocked, and perhaps He is finally allowing the truth to come out about these self-appointed and self-annointed people that live off of the donations of poor, elderly and middle-class individuals and students that borrow money to attend an over-priced university that leaves them scarred and victims when they graduate–if they make it that far. May the truth set them Free–or their lies set the Ministry free of them.