He was branded a heretic by mainstream Christian leadership. His megachurch lost most of its congregation, which once numbered over 6,000. Even though he once was considered the heir apparent to Oral Roberts, his church buses were banned from the Oral Roberts University (ORU) Campus. A fourth generation minister, he was shunned by his own family. “They turned against me,” he says, “and even accused my wife (who is from New Orleans) of casting some sort of spell on me. My family thought I’d truly lost my way.”
You could say he’s been to Hell and back.
You could say that, if it weren’t for the fact that Carlton Pearson stopped believing in Hell several years ago. In fact, it was this surprising revelation that signaled the beginning of his so-called “downward” spiral from an Evangelical Charismatic Pentecostal mega star to shamed outcast.
Why has this charismatic preacher who was once the spiritual advisor to President George Bush and a member of the board of trustees of ORU suffered so much ridicule and loss? Because he said to hell with Hell and began preaching a gospel of inclusion, proclaiming that all people, including Muslims, gays and atheists go to Heaven. Boldly rejecting the church’s doctrine that promotes a loving God who sentences billions of people to an eternal Hell for not becoming Christian, he said, instead, that God loves beyond borders and Hell isn’t a place - it’s a matter of perception.
Pearson’s frank and controversial take on a number of subjects has earned him appearances on television programs such as CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, NBC Nightline, 20/20 and many others. His bestselling book, The Gospel of Inclusion, details his “heretical” views. A second book, God is Not a Christian, is due out in March.
Spend an evening with one of the most articulate, dynamic and controversial spiritual leaders of our time, the heir apparent to a new way of thinking.
© 2010 BellaSpark