Recent charges against Oral Roberts University in the press have raised a larger issue concerning the influence the university has around the nation. Fired alleged whistle blowers from the faculty of the school claim they were let go because they exposed dirty laundry.  The claims that Richard and his second wife lived a life of excess at the expense of donor money to the school are nothing new.  Patty, Richard's first wife claimed the same almost three decades ago in her book about the Tulsa school.  She wrote of golf trips her husband took and her mother in law's elaborate shopping sprees using jets to fly them around the nation for such.

Don't look for any decrease in giving from the faithful since Patty's claims caused little impact on the huge amount of money flowing into the programs.  Around $75 million according to some accounts.  The fact that the Roberts used this to qualify for lifestyles of the rich and famous brought little concern from seed faith followers.  These congregants adhere to Oral's view of the Bible that God wants His followers to be wealthy.  Oral has written that Jesus was rich in His day and this justifies the opulence.  Joel Olsteen, pastor of the huge Houston church, was a student at ORU.  Olsteen's wife has gotten the message.  She is now famous for slapping an airline stewardess who didn't clean her first class seat properly.

Graduate Ted Haggard spared no expense to make his now famous contacts with a gay lover in an exclusive hotel.  Haggard was said to have spoken weekly to President Bush. One wonders what theological views Ted held aout taxation of the wealthy?

Patty says that Oral advised Richard to divorce her when she became concerned about fund raising among people living in poverty in the name of helping poor students attend the school.  Meanwhile the Roberts enjoyed the luxury that few Tulsans knew about.  Some suggest that allowing trustee John Hagee, the San Antonio minister to investigate this saga is like asking the fox to guard the hen house.

Hagee,like Richard, is on his second wife abondoning the first for a much younger model.  PBS's own Bill Moyers raised some recent concern about the impact Hagee is having on the nation.  Hagee is pushing the nation to go to war against Iran.

John often announces on TV that President Bush is God's man for President and Christians need to support his foreign policy.  According to PBS, Hagee implied God sent hurricane Katrina to America because we forced Israel to give up occupied territory.  Hagee has raised millions to support efforts to allow Israel to occupy ancient Biblical lands.  He has held rallies in Washington with powerful GOP leaders in attendance at his pro-Israel rallies.

These allegations are wrapped in the original complaint from ORU professors that students were used in political campaigns in Colorado and Tulsa.  The suit claims violations of 501c3 regulations.  The document claims ORU used its tax exempt collections to engage in secular GOP campaigns. Richard is supposed to have used school resources to try to get a candidate elected as mayor of Tulsa.

The issues smells of the influence of the university's most famous graduate, math major David Barton.  Barton is the point man for the Religious Right to correct the nation about the "Myth of the Separaton of Church and state."  Barton advises churches to engage in election activity and suggests that political parties that aren't with him are against free speech in the church.  He leads Black History rallies showing a cartoon with a black man with large lips standing shivering between two white men holding guns to his head telling him who to vote for.  The white men are Democrats and Barton says Blacks should be Republicans baecause Democrats voted against civil rights and anti-lynching laws.

To Barton, Hagee and Richard's followers the use of the church to engage in secular politics is not prohibited, but a Biblical mandate.  If anthing, the disclosure of Richard's activity with the Colorodo GOP will only hasten the frenzy to send more money.

Barton's revision of Black History was so controversial that Lufkin, Texas, a city who had invited him to speak, sent out an apology to all the area churches.  Oral Robert's recent legacy of claiming that God was going to kill him if he didn't raise another million will continue to haunt him.  The money was to be raised for a hosptial.  When the money came in the hospital folded in a short while.  Which might raise some question about revelations Oral gets.  Though Oral's theology of God as a hit man might be the fodder for late night comedians, Hagee's revelations might not be so funny.

Some from the left accused the administration of going to war through the influence of Tim LaHaye-type end of times theories. Most considered the idea that such allegations as the nation following someone's theories about the second coming of Christ as being a basis for foreigh policy too far fetched.

The charges that Richard Robert's wife has cell phone access to several young males on campus might not be as interesting as the other access the university has to seats of power through its graduates and contacts.  After all, Oral always taught the seed theory.  Sowing seeds into government power might bring a harvest the nation doesn't want. One wonders if much attention will even be paid to the investigations. Or will the story fade into the past much like Patty's earlier charges.

Don Wilkey  Jr.Oct. 2007