Richard Roberts of Oral Roberts University says that God does not want him to admit that he is bilking his congregation.

Twenty years ago, televangelist Oral Roberts said he was reading a spy novel when God appeared to him and told him to raise $8 million for Roberts' university, or else he would be "called home."

Now, his son, Oral Roberts University President Richard Roberts, says God is speaking again, telling him to deny lurid allegations in a lawsuit that threatens to engulf this 44-year-old Bible Belt college in scandal.

Richard Roberts is accused of illegal involvement in a local political campaign and lavish spending at donors' expense, including numerous home remodeling projects, use of the university jet for his daughter's senior trip to the Bahamas, and a red Mercedes convertible and a Lexus SUV for his wife, Lindsay.

She is accused of dropping tens of thousands of dollars on clothes, awarding nonacademic scholarships to friends of her children and sending scores of text messages on university-issued cell phones to people described in the lawsuit as "underage males."

What a shocker! More hypocrisy from the religious right.

I am always amazed by how readily people will allow themselves to be taken advantage of so long as the scam artist evokes the name of God.

Just another reason to not allow faith to blind you to rational thought.

P.S. Here is a little more on Mrs Roberts text messaging predilection: Mrs. Roberts - who is a member of the board of regents and is referred to as ORU's "first lady" on the university's Web site - frequently had cell-phone bills of more than $800 per month, with hundreds of text messages sent between 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. to "underage males who had been provided phones at university expense."

Well I did not give this part of the story the kind of coverage that it clearly deserves. We can all ponder what Mrs. Roberts needs to discuss with these young men in the wee hours of the morning, but I would be willing to bet any amount of money that it is not Christianity.