Oral Roberts has had a profound effect on many of the Faith teachers, including Jerry Savelle and Charles Capps. He also actively supports other leaders in the Faith Movement such as Kenneth Hagin. His son, Richard Roberts, supports the Faith Movement even more so, perhaps a result of his sitting under the tutelage of Kenneth Copeland.
Oral Roberts accepts the title of "...the senior apostle to the body of Christ in our day" and claims that he can "minister God's miracle power" to anyone. His famous "seed-faith" principle is a combination of elements of humanistic psychology, "positive confession" based on divine "laws," and a "gospel" stressing prosperity. Roberts teaches that Jesus Himself revealed His "seed-faith" principle to him. He claims this is "God's way of doing things through His Son Jesus Christ ... and then through His followers, for the meeting of all our needs ..." He teaches that the first principle of "seed-faith" is that God is our Source of total supply. His second principle is giving, e.g., money. Giving is "the seed of faith itself" and this "seed" can then be directed by the giver to perform miracles. His third principle is to expect a miracle. Why? Because this is "God's way of doing things...[and it is] based on eternal laws...laws so exact and perfect they always work for you."
Here is an illustration. In January of 1985 Oral Roberts sent out a letter informing his supporters that they could send for his "33 Predictions for You in 1985." These predictions were allegedly based on Roberts' exercising his "gift of prophesy" for them. The recipients of his letter were instructed to expect "creative miracles" and money. The reader was urged to send a "seed-faith gift" which would help him get a "hundredfold return." But there was a catch. Roberts said, "If you neglect to pay attention to what He [God] is especially saying to you, then Satan will take advantage and hit you with bad things and you will wish that 1985 had never come." Now, what could you have concluded from these statements if you didn't want to send any seed-faith money?
Even Roberts' former daughter-in-law, Patti Roberts, questions her involvement in Roberts' ministry. Besides guilt over the excessive wealth the Roberts enjoyed, she noted, "The seed-faith" theology "bothered me a great deal because I saw that, when taken to extremes, it reduced God to a sugar daddy. If you wanted His blessings and His love, you paid Him off. Over and over again we heard Oral say, 'Give out of your need.' I began to question the motivation that kind of giving implied. Were we giving to God out of our love and gratitude to Him or were we bartering with Him? ...I believed we were appealing to their sense of greed or desperation...[thus] I have a very difficult time distinguishing between the selling of indulgences and the concept of seed-faith..." Patti Roberts felt her father-in-law had become a manipulative fund-raiser. She also had a problem with his priorities -- the principles of seed-faith were given in every TV show, yet the gospel itself was rarely offered.
Our problem with the Roberts' seed-faith principles is that the conversations that Oral Roberts had with Jesus are suspect. If Jesus actually intended these vital principles for all believers, then why didn't He put them in the New Testament instead of waiting 2000 years?
Jesus supposedly told Roberts the following four things. First, "I have come to remind men of this eternal law of sowing and reaping, or of giving and receiving." Second, Roberts claimed "Jesus" told him that his principle of seed-faith was the deeper meaning of Matthew 17:20 ("If you have faith as a mustard seed..."). Third, Jesus included Galations 6:7 ("Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap") as part of these principles. Fourth, He explained that "Saint Paul stated the New Testament or New Covenant is based on seed faith."
But think about this. Could Jesus have said such things? And is this really what Paul meant? Paul didn't even mention seed-faith, let alone say that the New Testament is based on it. According to the writer of Hebrews, the New Covenant is based on the Person and work of Christ (Hebrews 9:15), not on a principle of seed-faith giving to produce miracles for those who give.
Also, the Jesus that spoke to Roberts was even mistaken about the "deeper meanings" in Scripture. The true meaning of Matthew 17:20 and Galations 6:7 is not Oral Roberts' "seed-faith" interpretation, as any good commentary will show. The same can be said about the false interpretation of Galations 6:9 stated by Roberts' "Jesus." "Let us not lose heart in doing good" is simply not a reference to seed-faith.
"Jesus" made other errors. He supposedly told Roberts that when the Bible records His statement, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (found in Acts 20:35), that His actual words do not convey His true meaning. Jesus revealed to Roberts that, "I meant it is more PRODUCTIVE to give than to receive." But does Oral Roberts expect us to believe that Jesus Himself has completely changed the emphasis of His original meaning from the joy of giving to the utility of giving? The biblical Jesus said, "Freely you received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8, emphasis added). Would the Jesus Christ of the Scripture, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and who "never changes" (Hebrews 1:12; 13:8; Malachi 3:6), ever alter the meaning of His own words? If so, how many other verses would require Jesus to give us new interpretations to make them accurate? What does this do to the inspiration of the Bible? Finally, would Jesus ever teach a lie to Oral Roberts? The fact is that the Greek word blessed (macarion) means "blessed," "fortunate," or "happy" -- it does not mean "productive."
To lead men to expect an automatic financial return of a hundredfold simply because they gave their money is to corrupt the very purpose and nature of giving; it leads to selfishness, not godliness. Yet, Roberts not only believes in the hundredfold return but that a person cannot give their finances to God cheerfully in tithing unless they also know they will get a greater return back. Unfortunately, however, God is impotent to release "His miracle supply" until you permit Him to do so by following Roberts' guidance.
Even though Jesus taught that we were not to worry about our life, the problems of tomorrow, or the needs we now have (Matthew 6:25), Roberts teaches, "The most urgent problem facing you is HOW TO GET YOUR NEED MET WHILE YOU LIVE ON THIS EARTH..." because "needs exist to be met."
He proceeds to promise people that they can literally have a supernatural miracle every day of their lives. For example, "Is there a Bible formula for success and prosperity?...[To] get yourself in position to EXPECT A MIRACLE?...Yes..." This is why Oral and Richard Roberts write:
...You can expect a miracle...each and every day you live on this earth!...I witness to you today that God has already written your name on miracles...and there's one marked "today" and "tomorrow" and "every day" for the rest of your life...I heard God speak..."You tell your friends and Partners to expect a new miracle every day."
But, of course, if all this were true, why did Roberts' medical center go bankrupt? And why did he repeatedly have to make appeals to his ministry partners for funding even to the extent of threatening God's judgment and death upon him if he didn't raise the money? Why do his appeal letters continue to have to ask for money? Consider his September 1992 letter advertising his new book on getting God to say "Yes" after He has already said "No."
Indeed, this book, How Your Faith Works When God Says No, claims the following: "The truths in this new book come by fresh revelation straight from the throne room of God.."
Because Roberts believed, "I'm anointed to help you MORE THAN EVER" he enclosed special "spiritual" stamps (individually labelled with believers' needs) in his support letter to assist his partners in sending him more money "very soon." Otherwise, without this money he just can't do anything he is supposed to be doing for God.
(From The Facts on the Faith Movement by John Ankerberg & John Weldon)
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