The Jetsons go to Bible College

The campus of Oral Roberts University* in Tulsa, Oklahoma is an icon of religious architecture, but not necessarily in the sense of St. Peter's in Rome or the Mezquita of Cordoba. Today, after work, I drove over and snapped several photographs of the grounds and buildings. Be warned: it is a relic of the Space Age -- the age when architects spaced out, apparently. Founded in 1963 by televangelist and "faith-healer" Oral Roberts, most of its buildings were built in the late 1960s and 1970s, a period which James Lileks refers to as the "brass age of American design." It's a veritable feast of bizarre construction overrife with religious symbolism.

The first building one encounters entering the campus is the Christ Chapel. "It was constructed in a drape-like fashion to symbolize Oral Roberts' tent revivals."

"Its walls represent the Christian's shield of faith, and the pointed arches supporting the structure indicate hands joined in prayer."

Inside, it looks vintage '60s, like the UN General Assembly hall.

Except here, we're told to expect miracles.

Notice the cool ceiling design -- look for this motif later.

"You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold... instead, you shall make them shuffle by it on the stairs."
Next to the chapel is the Howard Auditorium. Its roof structure represents "the wholeness of man." Now, I realize that geodesic domes encompass space highly efficiently. But there's a reason that we don't see many more these days. When efficiency means ugliness, the aesthetic overcomes the pragmatic.

These dormitories each have three wings, symbolizing "the triune nature of both God and man." (Tripartite might be a better word in relation to man, but only if you believe that in the first place.) Notice any familiar patterns?

Are residents supposed to feel like inmates?

These dorm towers look like an Israeli high-rise, which is appropriate since their floor plans are meant to suggest the Star of David.

This dorm, of fairly recent construction, indicates that ORU is going for more of a Hampton Inn aesthetic. But do not fear: its three floors still symbolize the "triune nature of both God and man."

These two buildings back to back, the John D. Messick Learning Resource Center and the Marajen Chinigo Graduate Center, comprise the academic center of campus. I suppose since wisdom is meant to reside here, that explains why the colonnade is meant to evoke Solomon's Temple. That and the gold.

This eternal flame sits in the center of a triangular fountain which pours into a larger triangular fountain, symbolizing the triune nature of God pouring itself into the triune nature of man. The flame and water symbolize God's Spirit. This afternoon, the water wasn't running and the fountain was empty. Coincidence?

The skylight in the porch of the temple is an abstracted dove.

This lounge made me think I was in the lair of a James Bond villain, Roger Moore vintage. With a white cat.

And this mirrored passageway is like something out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

In the center of campus is the Prayer Tower. The top is an observation deck, where one can get a view all over campus. The fixtures on the observation deck are meant to evoke a crown of thorns.

The Mabee Center is the campus arena and event center. What would an ORU building be without a ring of gold?


There are a few grace notes on campus, however. One of them is the campus itself. It's beautifully landscaped, with lush lawns and lots of trees and flowers.

The baseball stadium takes the interesting themes in the campus design and applies them quite well.

As you can see, the planned student center, while still futuristic-looking, avoids the gaudiness and wierd shapes of the older buildings. There is a noticeable, and welcome, lacking in gold.

Moving across 81st Street, we find the Cityplex Towers. Opened in 1981, they were known as the City of Faith. According to the 1981 ORU yearbook, Oral Roberts claimed to have a dream of a hospital which would open the "trickle" of the God's healing power to become a "flowing river." (Because God can't do it on his own.) He claimed to have a vision of a 900-foot-tall Jesus, who told him to build a hospital and medical school to combine medicine and faith-healing. So, Roberts built three skyscrapers on dirt-cheap South Tulsa real estate. That's right: 110 vertical stories of Class A way out in the 'burbs.

In 1983, Roberts claimed that a cure for cancer would come from ORU and City of Faith. In the late 1980s, he gained further notoriety for seeking to raise a lot of money to fund the hospital in a short amount of time, or God would take him "home." When the money didn't come in fully, God apparently offered him an extension. In the end, City of Faith closed in 1989, never having broken even, nor even fully occupied its buildings. The complex was sold.

At any rate, there's a whole lot of gold here. You can see ORU reflected in the glass.

The lobby: what the heck is this, an Egyptian temple? I feel like I'm in a scene from The Mummy Returns.

Christian architecture is hard to do right. Symbolism is important; everything should speak of God's glory. But symbolism doesn't have to be so obvious that it beats us over the head. We must pay tribute to our heritage and traditions, and not divorce them entirely in favor of something completely of the future. Balance is key here. And finally, we should take traditional aesthetics into account. Human experience over millennia has settled on patterns which are pleasing to the eye; those are not generally on display at ORU. Please add your own comments to this post. Let's discuss.

*I want to be very careful to mention that my critique of ORU here is for its architecture. I do not mean to impugn the students and faculty of the university. I mean only to comment on the design of its buildings. I do not mean to attack the character of the university or its people.