Posted
1:17 PM
by Gene
Roberts taking leave of absenceWe regret having not paid attention to this story when it first broke several weeks ago; indeed we wonder why the news hacks aren't paying attention. The founder of Oral Roberts University had a smell long before Jim Bakkers and Jimmy Swaggarts turned it into Eau de Pepe le Pew. His most famous accomplishment was "seeing" a 900-foot Jesus, which enabled him to build perhaps the greatest misuse of life savings in the history of televangelism: the City of Faith, which today languishes as a half-occupied (if that) quasi-hospital, his depleted cash pile having relinquished it long ago. (He was almost equally famous for threatening to kill himself if his suckers didn't pony up more cash.) Before that he started a university whose architecture resembles a cross between a bad futuristic horror-movie carnival and an equally bad dream of the Jetsons'; its most famous (possibly sole) accomplishment to date is getting into the second round of the professional college basketball championships. That scandal surrounds the university and the fundraiser's son is no surprise. How honest can any outfit be that always wants your money?