Charismatic Christianity (also known as Spirit-filled Christianity) is an umbrella term that describes a form of Christianity that emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts and modern day miracles. "Charismatic Christian" and "renewalist" are sometimes used to describe Christians who practice this version of Christianity. It is often categorized into three separate groups (though there is much overlap): Pentecostalism, the Charismatic Movement, and neocharismatic movements. In 2000, Pentecostals and charismatic Christians numbered at least 500 million, a quarter of the world's 2 billion Christians.

Etymology[link]

The term "charismatic" derives from the Greek word χάρισμα ("gift," itself derived from χάρις, "grace" or "favor"). This is the same origin for the word charismata, another term for spiritual gifts.^{[citation needed]}

Beliefs[link]

Charismatic Christianity is diverse, and it is not defined by acceptance of any particular doctrines, practices, or denominational structures. Rather, renewalists share a spirituality characterized by a worldview where miracles, signs and wonders, and other supernatural occurrences are expected to be present in the lives of believers.^[1] This includes the presence of spiritual gifts, such as prophecy and healing. While similar in many respects, renewalists do differ in important ways. These differences have led to Charismatic Christianity being categorized into three main groups: Pentecostalism, the charismatic movement, and neo-charismatic movements.^[2]

Pentecostals[link]

Pentecostals are those Christians who identify with the beliefs and practices of classical Pentecostal denominations, such as the Assemblies of God or the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee). Classical Pentecostalism grew out of the holiness movement and developed a distinct identity at the start of the 20th century. At a time when most denominations affirmed cessationism (the belief that spiritual gifts had ceased), Pentecostals held that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were being restored to the Christian church.^[3] The distinctive doctrine of Pentecostalism is that there is a second work of grace after conversion, which Pentecostals call the baptism in the Holy Spirit, that is evidenced by glossolalia ("speaking in tongues").^[4]

Charismatic Movement[link]

While early Pentecostals were often marginalized within the larger Christian community, Pentecostal beliefs began penetrating the mainline Protestant denominations from 1960 onward and the Catholic Church from 1967.^[5] This adoption of Pentecostal beliefs by those in the historic churches became known as the charismatic movement. Charismatics are defined as Christians who share with Pentecostals an emphasis on the gifts of the Spirit but who remain a part of a mainline church. Also, charismatics are more likely than Pentecostals to believe that glossolalia is not a necessary evidence of Spirit baptism.^[4]

Neo-charismatics[link]

New churches and denominations emerged alongside the Charismatic Movement from the late 1950s onwards that are termed neo-charismatic. Being neither Pentecostal nor part of the charismatic movement, they share with these groups a common emphasis on the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, miracles, and Pentecostal experiences.^[6] The Vineyard Movement and the British New Church Movement are examples of such groups.

Statistics[link]

In 2000, there were an estimated 523 million people (27.7 percent of all Christians) identifying with Charismatic Christianity. Of these, 65 million were Pentecostals, 175 million were a part of the charismatic movement, and 295 million were neo-charismatics.^[7] This means that charismatics are the second largest branch of Christianity after the Roman Catholic Church (though the 120 million Catholic Charismatics do not consider themselves separate from Roman Catholicism).^[8]

As of 2008, according to Barna surveys, one out of every four Protestant churches in the United States (23%) is a charismatic congregation. A slight majority of all "born-again" Christians (51%) are charismatic. Nearly half of all adults who attend a Protestant church (46%) are charismatic.^[9]

See also[link]

• Aglow International
• Cessationism versus Continuationism
• Charismatic Adventism
• Continuationism - the Christian view that spiritual gifts have not ceased and are intended for the present-day church (contrast with cessationism)
• Direct revelation
• Faith healing
• Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International
• Latter Rain (1880s movement)
• Latter Rain (post-World War II movement)
• Laying on of hands
• Montanism - a late 2nd-century, heterodox Christian movement which emphasized sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit
• Renewal theologians
• Slain in the Spirit
• Word of knowledge
• Word of wisdom
• Xenoglossy

References[link]

Further reading[link]

Encyclopedic:

• Burgess, Stanley M., ed. and Eduard M. van der Maas, assoc. ed., The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, revised and expanded edition (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002); publisher's page
• Burgess, Stanley M., ed. Encyclopedia of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity (Routledge, 2006); publisher's page

Supportive:

• Deere, Jack. Surprised by the Power of the Spirit
• Grudem, Wayne. The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today
• Maria Stethatos. The Voice of a Priest Crying in the Wilderness

Critical:

• MacArthur, John. Charismatic Chaos
• Hanegraaff, Hank. Counterfeit Revival
• Gardiner, George E. Corinthian Catastrophe
• Warfield, B. B. Counterfeit Miracles
• Gaffin, Richard B. Perspectives on Pentecost
• O. Palmer Robertson Final Word A response to Wayne Grudem
• Michael De Semlyen All Roads Lead To Rome Dorchester House Publications (March 1993)
• Davis, R., True to His Ways: Purity & Safety in Christian Spiritual Practice (ACW Press, Ozark, AL, 2006), ISBN 1-932124-61-6.

Neutral:

• Grudem, Wayne (editor). Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?

Literature:

• Coelho, Paulo. By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

External links[link]

Academic study:

• The European Research Network on Global Pentecostalism (GloPent) is an initiative by three leading European Universities in Pentecostal studies networking academic research on Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.
• PentecoStudies: Online Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements published under the auspices of GloPent

Granville "Oral" Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009^[2][3]) was an American Methodist-Pentecostal televangelist and a Christian charismatic. He founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University.

As one of the most well-known and controversial religious leaders of the 20th century, Roberts' ministries reached millions of followers worldwide spanning a period of over six decades.^[4] His healing ministry and bringing American Pentecostalism into the mainstream had the most impact,^[5] but he also pioneered TV evangelism and laid the foundations of the prosperity gospel^[4] and abundant life teachings.^[6]

Early life[link]

Roberts was born in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, the fifth and youngest child of the Reverend Ellis Melvin Roberts and Claudius Priscilla Roberts (née Irwin) (d. 1974).^[7] According to an interview on Larry King Live, Irwin was of Cherokee descent.^[8] Roberts was a card-carrying member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.^[9] Roberts began life in poverty and nearly died of tuberculosis at age 17.^[10] After finishing high school, Roberts studied for two years each at Oklahoma Baptist University and Phillips University. In 1938 he married a preacher's daughter, Evelyn Lutman Fahnestock.^[11]

Roberts became a traveling faith healer after ending his college studies without a degree. According to a TIME Magazine profile of 1972, Roberts originally made a name for himself with a large mobile tent "that sat 3,000 on metal folding chairs" where "he shouted at petitioners who did not respond to his healing."^[12]

Ministry and university[link]

1947 came as a turning point. Up until that time Roberts had struggled as a part-time preacher in Oklahoma. But at the age of 29 Roberts claims he picked up his Bible and it fell open at the Third Epistle of John where verse two read: "I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." Roberts decided immediately that it was all right to be rich. The next day he said he bought a Buick and God appeared, he said, telling him to heal the sick.^[13]

Roberts resigned his pastoral ministry with the Pentecostal Holiness Church to found Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (OREA).^[1] He conducted evangelistic and faith healing crusades across America and around the world. Thousands of sick people would wait in line to stand before Oral Roberts so he could pray for them. He appeared as a guest speaker for hundreds of national and international meetings and conventions. Through the years, he conducted more than 300 crusades on six continents, and personally laid hands in prayer on more than 2 million people.^[10][14][15] He also ran direct mail campaigns of seed-faith, which appealed to poor Americans, often from ethnic minorities. At its peak in the early 1980s, Roberts was the leader of a $120 million-a-year organization employing 2,300 people. This spanned not only a university but also a medical school and hospital as well as buildings on 50 acres (200,000 m²) south of Tulsa valued at $500 million.^[4][13] Another part of the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, the Abundant Life Prayer Group (ALPG), was founded in 1958.^[1]

The Praying Hands, on the ORU campus in Tulsa, Oklahoma

In 1963, he founded Oral Roberts University (ORU)^[1] in Tulsa, Oklahoma, stating he was obeying a command from God. The university was chartered during 1963 and received its first students in 1965. Students were required to sign an honor code pledging not to drink, smoke, or engage in premarital sexual activities. The Prayer Tower, opened in 1967, is located at the center of the campus.

Roberts was a pioneer televangelist, and attracted a vast viewership. He began broadcasting by radio in 1947,^[16][17] and began broadcasting his revivals by television in 1954.^[4] His television ministry continued with The Abundant Life program reaching 80% of the United States by 1957, and quarterly Prime Time Specials from 1969 through 1980. In 1996, he founded Golden Eagle Broadcasting.^[1]

On 17 March 1968, Roberts and his wife were received as members of the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Dr. Finis Crutchfield, then pastor. The United Methodist Church offered more leniency in doctrinal and moral issues than the Pentecostalism. This granted Roberts some leeway, as it was expected that the strictness of the Pentecostal tradition may have impeded his rise in popularity.^[18] Before Roberts' switch to Methodism, Crutchfield arranged a meeting between Roberts and Bishop William Angie Smith, at which the Bishop told Roberts, "We need you, but we need the Holy Spirit more than we need you and we've got to have the Holy Spirit in the Methodist Church." ^[19] Roberts became an elder in the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church. From 1968 through 1987, Roberts was a member of the United Methodist Church’s ministry.^[20][21]

Roberts had a vast impact on the Protestant community. According to one authority, in conservative Protestant culture, his ministry had a worldwide impact second only to Billy Graham.^[3][22][23] His divine healing ministry called for prayer to heal the whole person — body, mind and spirit.^[24] Many labeled him a faith healer, but he rejected this with the comment: "God heals — I don't."^[3][5] He played a major role in bringing American Pentecostal Christianity into the mainstream.^[25] Even though Roberts was often associated with the prosperity gospel and the faith movement because of his close doctrinal and personal ties with Word-Faith teachers, his abundant life teachings did not fully identify him with that movement.^[26]

In 1977, Roberts claimed to have had a vision from a 900-foot-tall Jesus who told him to build City of Faith Medical and Research Center, and the hospital would be a success.^[27][28][29] In 1980, Roberts said he had a vision which encouraged him to continue the construction of his City of Faith Medical and Research Center in Oklahoma, which opened in 1981. At the time, it was among the largest health facilities of its kind in the world and was intended to merge prayer and medicine in the healing process. The City of Faith operated for only eight years before closing in late 1989, but the importance of treating the whole person – spirit, mind, and body – was conveyed to many medical professionals.^[30][31] The Orthopedic Hospital of Oklahoma still operates on its premises. In 1983 Roberts said Jesus had appeared to him in person and commissioned him to find a cure for cancer.^[32][33]

Roberts' fundraising was controversial. In January 1987, during a fundraising drive, Roberts announced to a television audience that unless he raised $8 million by that March, God would "call him home." ^[34][35] Some were fearful that he was referring to suicide, given the impassioned pleas and tears that accompanied his statement. He raised $9.1 million.^[36] Later that year, he announced that God had raised the dead through Roberts' ministry.^[37] Some of Roberts' fundraising letters were written by Gene Ewing, who headed a business writing donation letters for other evangelicals such as Don Stewart and Robert Tilton.^[38]

Roberts maintained his love of finery and one obituary claimed that even when times become hard, "he continued to wear his Italian silk suits, diamond rings and gold bracelets – airbrushed out by his staff on publicity pictures".^[13][20]

The CityPlex office complex, originally built as Oral Roberts' City of Faith Medical and Research Center in Tulsa.

He stirred up controversy when Time reported in 1987 that his son Richard Roberts claimed that he had seen his father raise a child from the dead.^[35] That year, the Bloom County comic strip recast its character Bill the Cat as a satirized televangelist, "Fundamentally Oral Bill." In 1987 Time stated that he was "re-emphasizing faith healing and [is] reaching for his old-time constituency."^[35] However, his income continued to decrease (from $88 million in 1980 to $55 million in 1986, according to the Tulsa Tribune) and his largely vacant City of Faith Medical Center continued to lose money.^[35]

Harry McNevin said that in 1988 the ORU Board of Regents "rubber-stamped" the "use of millions in endowment money to buy a Beverly Hills property so that Oral Roberts could have a West Coast office and house".^[39] In addition, he said a country club membership was purchased for the Roberts' home. The lavish expenses led to McNevin's resignation from the Board.

Wikinews has related news: Former Oral Roberts University Regent member speaks out

His organizations were also affected by scandals involving other televangelists^[3] and the City of Faith hospital was forced to close in 1989 after losing money. Roberts was forced to respond with the sale of his holiday homes in Palm Springs^[which?] and Beverly Hills as well as three of his Mercedes cars.^[13]

Oral Roberts' son Richard Roberts resigned from the presidency of ORU on November 23, 2007 after being named as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging improper use of university funds for political and personal purposes, and improper use of university resources.^[40][41] The university was given a donation of $8 million by entrepreneur Mart Green, and although the lawsuit was still in process,^[42] the school submitted to an outside audit, and with a good report an additional $62 million was given by Green.^[43][44] Oral Roberts continued in his role as ORU chancellor, helping in the leadership of ORU along with Billy Joe Daugherty, who was named as the executive regent to assume administrative responsibilities of the Office of the President by the ORU Board of Regents.^[45] Oral Roberts continued as the ORU chancellor until his death,^[1] but in 2009 eleven months before his death, handed over the leadership of ORU to its incoming president, Mark Rutland.^[46]

Even though Roberts' prosperous lifestyle, unorthodox fund-raising techniques, and the expanse of his organizations raised criticism and controversy, there was no credible evidence of malfeasance while he was in charge,^[4] he did not have sex-and-money scandals like some other televangelists,^[5] and he was not named among the six prosperity teachers in the financial investigations launched by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) in 2007.^[47] The Oklahoma Senate adopted a resolution honoring the life of Oral Roberts, and he accepted this honor in 2009 at the age of 91, seven months before his death.^[48] The Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters (OAB) elected Roberts to the OAB Hall of Fame one month before his death.^[17][49]

Personal life[link]

Roberts was married to Evelyn Lutman Fahnestock (April 22, 1917 - May 4, 2005) for 66 years from December 25, 1938 until her death from a fall at the age of 88.^[11][50][51] Their daughter Rebecca Nash died in an airplane crash on February 11, 1977 with her husband, businessman Marshall Nash.^[52][53] Their elder son, Ronald Roberts, committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart on 10 June 1982, five months after receiving a court order to undergo counseling at a drug treatment center and six months after coming out as gay.^[54][55][56] The other two Roberts children are son Richard, an evangelist and former president of Oral Roberts University (ORU), and daughter Roberta Potts, an attorney. Roberts' gay grandson, Randy Roberts Potts, talked about his uncle Ronald Roberts,^[55][56] and wrote an article discussing growing up gay in the Oral Roberts family.^[57]

Oral Roberts died on December 15, 2009^[58][59] at the age of 91. He had been "semi-retired" and living in Newport Beach, California.^[60]

According to a 1987 article in the New York Review of Books by Martin Gardner, the "most accurate and best documented biography is Oral Roberts: An American Life, an objective study by David Edwin Harrell Jr., a historian at Auburn University. Two out-of-print books take a more critical stance: James Morris' The Preachers (St. Martin's Press, 1973) and Jerry Sholes' Give Me That Prime-Time Religion (Hawthorn, 1979)."^[61]

See also[link]

• Healing Revival
• Charismatic Christianity
• List of television evangelists

References[link]

Further reading[link]

About Roberts

• The Faith Healers, by James Randi, Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1987. ISBN 0-87975-369-2
• Oral Roberts: An American Life, by David Edwin Harrell, Jr., Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-15844-3

By Roberts

• The Call: An autobiography. by Oral Roberts, Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, 1972.
• Expect a miracle: my life and ministry. by Oral Roberts, Nashville : T. Nelson, 1995. ISBN 0-7852-7752-8
• Oral Roberts' life story, as told by himself. by Oral Roberts, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1952.

External links[link]

Find more about Oral Roberts on Wikipedia's sister projects:
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• Oral Roberts at Find-a-Grave
• Webcast of Chancellor Oral Roberts' Memorial Service
• Oral Roberts Ministries
• Oral Roberts University
• Oral Roberts: The Man. The Mission. The Ministry., online archive at Tulsa World
• Life With Oral Roberts slideshow by Life magazine
• Voices of Oklahoma interview with Oral Roberts. First person interview conducted with Oral Roberts on August 11, 2009. Last interview before his death. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.
• UM Portal: Q&A: Evangelist Roberts was comfortable with Methodism