Carl Thomas dot net

Michael Jackson and Oral Roberts

Michael Jackson dropped Thriller right before my 12th birthday.  I grew up on R&B and remember Off the Wall before that.  When Thriller was big, it was really big.  The singles played everywhere.  Folks wore parachute pants, wanted that stupid looking zipper jacket and allowed the jeri curl to not be mocked for several more years.

Yeah, we gave him a pass in the Beat It video when he tried to look hard because the song was so tight.  Remember when he did that moonwalk then spun to his toes on that tribute to Barry Gordy?  He did that so well that to this day people think he invented the moonwalk (he didn’t).

Mikey started to believe his own videos and put out his next album Bad.  Gangsta rap jacked the heart of the young urban crowd by this time and he was trying to get a piece.  The video from the title track was a little strange.  Did Michael Jackson think someone would be intimidated by him?  The background singers sing, “Bad, bad.  Really really bad.”  It’s enough to make you laugh.

By this time Eazy-E, Public Enemy, 2 Live Crew were rockin the 12″ Cerwin Vegas in the back of my Rabbit.  Paid in Full by Eric B and Rakim, BAD by LL Cool J, Rhyme Pays by Ice T, Criminal Minded by Boogie Down Productions were all in heavy rotation in my tape deck.

And there was Michael Jackson lookin angry but weird.

When he died recently the world swooned.  They talked of his philanthropy, his sales records, his talents, his fame.  They glossed over the drug abuse, the sex abuse charges, his obsession with plastic surgery, and his narcissism.  For the moment, they wanted to remember the good in the man’s tragic life.  In a massive celebrity show, his funeral was broadcast the world over so folks could pour their hearts out in gratitude.   I even saw an interview with rappers of that earlier era giving props to MJJ.

Fast forward to the death of Oral Roberts.  The man spent more than six decades in full time Gospel ministry.  Traveled the world telling people that Jesus Christ was the way to the Father.  He let folks know that God is a good God, that He is a healing God, and that He did not want people live a life of misery.  He built a ministry and a university to honor God.

In 1952 Oral announced God told him he could win a million souls in the next 36 months.  He did it in 30.  And he was just getting started.  That was the life he lived.  I can’t imagine what it was like to be a part of his ministry organization in its heyday.  The man was blazing a trail.  He stretched out his arm to heal so many people that he wore out his rotator cuff and had to have it repaired in his later years.   People would come from far and wide to see God perform miracles through the hands of His servant.

Last night I watched a synopsis of his memorial service on his son Richard’s tv show.  I gotta tell you, it was amazing.  Time and again the speakers would say that Oral was not perfect.  They made reference to the problems detractors had with his theology and they kept coming back to the fact that Oral Roberts did what he thought God would have him do.

Why did they have to keep bringing up the negatives?  Because Christians can’t imagine someone they don’t fully agree with getting any love from the world.  Every single article I have read gives a quote from a Christian minister detailing their offense as if the New York Times or Washington Post was interested in doctrinal purity.  No, they are interested in seeing Christians slandering other Christians so they can help them secure their trip to hell.

Wake up church.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:43-45