Granville "Oral" Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009)[2][3] was an American 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. 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 According to a TIME Magazine profile of 1972, Roberts originally made a name for himself with a large mobile tent "that sat 3,000 on metal folding chairs" where "he shouted at petitioners who did not respond to his healing. (Wikipedia)
Photo measures 10.25 x 8 in.
