Revered by millions who heard his message of God's healing power, ridiculed by others for tying his own mortality to a fundraising need, Oral Roberts was a towering figure in 20th century American Christianity.
Roberts, who died Tuesday at 91, was largely out of the public's consciousness in recent years. His most visible legacy predated his death by 45-plus years: his namesake university in Tulsa, Okla., the first Pentecostal university in the world, built by a man who never finished college.
Roberts also is credited with being at the forefront of taking the Christian message to television, helping make Pentecostal Christianity mainstream, bringing greater acceptance of divine healing and laying the foundation for the oft-criticized "prosperity gospel."
SOURCE: The Associated Press
Eric Gorski
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