God asks Richard Roberts to resign from Oral Roberts University

The ex-president of Oral Roberts University did not want to resign as head of the scandal-plagued evangelical school, but he did as God willed.

Photo: God asks Richard Roberts to resign from Oral Roberts University

Richard Roberts told students in the university's chapel that God told him on Thanksgiving Day that he should resign the next day.

Roberts said he resisted the idea, and that "every ounce of my flesh said 'no,"' but he prayed over the decision with his wife, Lindsay Roberts, and his father, Oral Roberts, and decided to step down.

A lawsuit accuses Roberts of lavish spending at a time when the university faced more than $50 million (33.9 million EUR) in debt. On Tuesday, the founder of a Christian office and education supply store chain pledged $70 million (47.47 million EUR) to help the university.

Roberts has previously said that God told him to deny the allegations. The week the lawsuit was filed, Richard Roberts said that God told: "We live in a litigious society. Anyone can get mad and file a lawsuit against another person whether they have a legitimate case or not. This lawsuit ... is about intimidation, blackmail and extortion."