Oral Roberts And The Rise Of The Prosperity Gospel

In 1946, God gave Oral Roberts a new Buick. And this just one of many miracles the young, broke preacher learned to expect, as Oral Roberts would go on to build an evangelistic ministry worth millions of dollars, a medical complex, and a university. How do we interpret the life of a man who seemed to combine rampant consumerist excess with a sincere devotion to the gospel? Seeking to answer this question, Jonathan Root weaves together accounts of Oral Roberts’s life in a balanced and engaging narrative. This fresh biography covers Roberts’s early life during the Great Depression in Oklahoma, his family’s financial struggles during his early career as a Pentecostal preacher, his healing ministry’s explosive growth in popularity via the new media of radio and television, and his empire’s eventual collapse. Root pays special attention to how Roberts introduced the “prosperity gospel” to American Protestants with his affirmation that God intends his followers to be both spiritually and physically fulfilled. Root’s engaging narration looks to primary sources on Roberts’s life as well as the mythologized stories he told years later. The man who emerges is both deeply flawed and entirely earnest in his devotion to Christ. Oral Roberts and the Rise of the Prosperity Gospel will be an absorbing read for all those interested in American religious history and one of its most colorful figures.

First published in 1952, this is the autobiography of Oral Roberts, founder and chancellor of the Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and recognized as one of the outstanding personalities of his generation. He was the author of more than one hundred books and founder of the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, which sponsors weekly and daily television programs. “This story will touch the heart strings of every reader. Once you have begun it you will have to finish it. It won’t let you alone. It will tug at your heart for many days to come. I envy you for I would like to have again the chance of reading it for the first time.”—Lee Braxton, Mayor, Whiteville, North Carolina

Oral Roberts was one of the two giants of the American Charismatic movement—also known as the Healing Revival—the Christian revival movement that began in 1946 and last throughout the 1950s. One of the most recognized preachers worldwide, Oral Roberts’ preaching and healing ministries reached masses, and the common people loved his passion and compassion and his outstanding ability to make clear the gospel of Jesus Christ. The 4th Man was Oral Roberts’ most loved and requested sermon from the tent crusade days. Through this sermon, Roberts shares how Jesus—revealed in every book of the Bible—will stand by you in the fiery furnaces of life. The 4th Man, and Other Famous Sermons, which was first published in 1951, contains five of Roberts’ best-known sermons preached from the Revival Platform: The 4th Man; Samson and Delilah—Battle of Champions; Why I believe Jesus is Coming Soon and What His Coming Will Mean to You and Me, A Reed or a Rock—Which?; and Demon Possession.

As the epicenter of Christianity has shifted towards Africa in recent decades, Pentecostalism has emerged as a particularly vibrant presence on the continent. This collection of essays offers a groundbreaking study of the complex links between politics and African Pentecostalism. Situated at the intersection between the political, the postcolonial, and global neoliberal capitalism, contributors examine the roots of the Pentecostal movement’s extraordinary growth; how Pentecostalism intervenes in key social and political issues, such as citizenship, party politics, development challenges, and identity; and conversely, how politics in Africa modulate the Pentecostal movement. Pentecostalism and Politics in Africa offers a wide-ranging picture of a central dimension of postcolonial African life, opening up new directions for future research.

Whether it be over politics, religion, or types of flooring in their houses, the younger generations seem to always end up falling short of the older generation's standards. Perhaps deservedly so, the younger generations are keenly aware of the criticisms they receive from their elders, especially when it comes to the Church and Christianity. Join Dustin as he navigates through the religious and cultural foundations in which the younger generations were reared, and search for clues as to why the younger generations always seem to get stuck with the brunt of the blame for the current state of the Modern Church. Who is truly at fault? Did these younger generations get dealt a bad hand? Or are they just selfishly abusing and carelessly handling what was given to them? Insincere, Irrelevant, Invalid seeks to shed light on what has happened to these younger generations and help readers understand exactly why there is such a rapidly growing schism between the Modern Church and the younger generations, while properly defining what Church is, who it is for, man's role, and why we Worship.

If you don’t know Tina Turner’s spirituality, you don’t know Tina. When Tina Turner reclaimed her throne as the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the 1980s, she attributed her comeback to one thing: the wisdom and power she found in Buddhism. Her spiritual transformation is often overshadowed by the rags-to-riches arc of her life story. But in this groundbreaking biography, Ralph H. Craig III traces Tina’s journey from the Black Baptist church to Buddhism and situates her at the vanguard of large-scale movements in religion and pop culture. Paying special attention to the diverse metaphysical beliefs that shaped her spiritual life, Craig untangles Tina’s Soka Gakkai Buddhist foundation; her incorporation of New Age ideas popularized in ’60s counterculture; and her upbringing in a Black Baptist congregation, alongside the influences of her grandmothers’ disciplinary and mystical sensibilities. Through critical engagement with Tina’s personal life and public brand, Craig sheds light on how popular culture has been used as a vehicle for authentic religious teaching. Scholars and fans alike will find Dancing in My Dreams as enlightening as the iconic singer herself.

The prosperity movement has influenced millions of people in North America, Asia, Europe, South America, and Africa through Pentecostal, Charismatic and nondenominational preachers in some of the largest churches in the world. CNN, ABC, and Time magazine have examined the preachers and churches in this popular and controversial movement. Scholars and church leaders have studied it for more than two decades, producing dozens of books and articles on it. Considering the widespread popularity of the prosperity movement and the attention it is given by its critics, Brogdon asks, "Is prosperity preaching the new Pentecostal message?" In order to answer this question, one has to examine the prosperity movement as a Pentecostal movement instead of a Word of Faith movement that is a revised form of New Thought metaphysics and Science of Mind. Brogdon provides an introduction to the prosperity movement as a Pentecostal movement. He asks important questions in the study of the prosperity movement, such as who popularized prosperity teaching, Oral Roberts or Ken Hagin? Do all Pentecostals agree with the prosperity doctrine? Is prosperity teaching good news to the poor? Has prosperity replaced the emphasis on the Holy Spirit? The answers may surprise you.