The Blogosphere is abuzz with opinions this week about the developing scandal at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has all the makings of a good soap opera: money, sex, privilege, politics, and religion.

Evangelist Oral Roberts started Oral Roberts University in 1963. ORU calls itself a "charismatic university, founded in the fires of evangelism" and says its mission is "to educate the whole person in spirit, mind, and body." It stresses Christian distinctives. ORU is also noted for its architecture. The campus has about 5,300 students.

President Richard Roberts, his wife Lindsey, and their daughter are at the center of the controversy. An Associated Press article carried by USA Today says that President Roberts has become involved in local political activity that would put ORU's status with the Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit institution at risk. The university's first lady stands accused of arranging non-academic scholarships for the children of friends. She has also allegedly been involved in "sending scores of text messages on university-issued cellphones" to individuals described in a lawsuit as "underage males," according to the USA Today piece.




The list of accusations go on and include putting the cost of remodelling the Robert's residence off on the university and using the university's private jet to send their daughter to the Bahamas on a senior trip.

The current public tizzy is being fueled by a lawsuit brought by three former faculty members. They claim that "they were let go after bringing an internal document containing allegations of misconduct by the Roberts family to the attention of the board of regents," blogger Richard Bartholomew says. President Roberts responds that they are suing to get back at him because they were fired and that God has told him to deny their "lurid" accusations...

The Blogosphere opinions run the gamut from cynicism to sanctified indignation, but more were on the cynical side:

• Well, as it turns out, yet another fundamentalist organization (Oral Roberts University) has been exposed as a cynical front for good, old-fashioned profiteering and (underage?) sexploits. - from an Anonymous blogger.
• There must be a bad connection on the hotline between Oral Roberts University President Richard Roberts and the Man Upstairs. Somehow Roberts, who is also chief executive of the socially conservative college, got the idea that donations to shape young fundie minds of tomorrow were supposed to go into his bank account. - from Pam Spaulding.
• Interesting times here. The tragedy is the damage to the organization in the eyes of the public no matter what happens in court. - from Phil Cooke, who goes on to say that this crisis could strengthen the university's board, and that that would be good.