(Former) Bishop Carlton Pearson

I watched a program last night about former Bishop Carlton Pearson. He used to be the darling of the Pentecostal evangelical movement. He was best friends with Oral Roberts and quickly became bishop in his denomination, the Church of God in Christ, the largest african-american pentecostal denomination in the U.S. In his hey-day, his church had 10,000+ members and taking in $60,000/week in offerings.

In 2000, he had an epiphany while watching t.v. He saw images of young children in Africa, who were dying of malnutrition, and, because they were apparently muslim, or at least non-Christian, his belief was that they were going to hell. But on that day, he could not accept it, and asked God, "why did you make these kids to send them to hell?" And God answered, "Is that you what you think we're doing?"

After that, he decided to explore the scriptures about hell more carefully in the original languages, and decided that hell as he had always been taught, did not exist. He also stopped believing in biblical inerrancy. He began to preach what he called the Gospel of Inclusion, based on his belief that if Christ came to redeem the world on the cross, he either really did that, or he didn't. And he decided that he did.

This didn't go over very well. He lost his flock, was condemned by his best friends, including Oral Roberts, called a heretic, was defrocked and eventually excommunicated from his denomination and barred from the facility he helped create.

That was in 2001. Over the next few years, he began getting calls to preach the inclusion message to AIDS victims, homeless people, and others who were rejected. Later, he was offered space in the afternoon at the local episcopal cathedral. He's on the way back.

I appreciate all that Carlton has gone through. He has gone through a kind of hell because he was willing to stick to his convictions no matter the loss.

My one criticism is that he seems to be overly focused on slick presentation. The front of his new website says, "the friendliest, trendiest, most radically inclusive worship experience!" and "don't miss out on the newest shift in religious sensibility!" with Carlton still wearing his violet bishop's clergy shirt and his trendy glasses. He still calls himself a bishop, even though he is not (he is now ordained in the United Church of Christ, but so far as I know, is not a bishop in that denomination).