Oral Roberts claims to have had many conversations with the Almighty during his long run as a television evangelist and college president. God, he said, told him to do great things that involved raising large amounts of money, some of which came from people who could spare only $5.

One might wonder if during one of their fireside chats, God ever suggested that Mr. Roberts might need to have a heart-to-heart with the Apostle Paul. If he did, the preacher who rose from tent revivals to a mansion in Beverly Hills probably got an earful.

Paul might have demanded to know why Mr. Roberts and his family needed such big houses, jet planes, sports cars, enough clothes to stock a department store and South Seas vacations.

Paraphrasing Matthew Chapter 25, Verse 35, father Oral and son Richard might have countered with “they were strangers and we took them in.”

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