Megachurch pastor who rejected hell and championed LGBTQI+ rights dies at 70

20 November 2023 , 19:52

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Bishop Carlton Pearson has died aged 70 (Image: AP)

A once-prominent evangelical bishop who rejected hell and championed LGBTQI+ rights has died.

Bishop Carlton Pearson, the once-prominent founder of Higher Dimensions Family Church turned controversial figure in evangelical circles, has passed away at the age of 70. Pearson, who gained international recognition for his charismatic preaching and frequent appearances on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, died on Sunday night in hospice care in Tulsa due to cancer, according to his agent, Will Bogle.

In the early years of his ministry, Pearson was considered a rising star within the Pentecostal preaching circuit. In 1981, he founded Higher Dimensions Family Church in Tulsa, which later became New Dimensions Church, boasting a membership of about 6,000 by the turn of the century.

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Bishop Carlton Pearson attends the special screening of the Netflix film Come Sunday (Getty Images for Netflix)

However, Pearson's theological shift towards what he termed "the gospel of inclusion," a form of universalism rejecting the concept of hell, sparked a drastic decline in his church's membership. The Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops Congress declared his teachings heretical in 2004, leading to his resignation from the board of regents of Oral Roberts University and a rift with his mentor, evangelist Oral Roberts.

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Bishop Clifford Leon Frazier, chairman of the joint college’s doctrinal commission, wrote, according to Religion News Service: "Because of our concern for the many people that could be influenced to adopt this heresy and in so doing put at risk the eternal destiny of their souls, we are compelled to declare Bishop Carlton Pearson a heretic."

Pearson faced controversy for rejecting hell and supporting LGBTQI+ rights in his teachings (Getty Images)

The Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops declared his views heretical in 2004 (AP)

Despite facing criticism and being branded a heretic by evangelical leaders, Pearson continued to advocate for social justice causes. In 2007, he joined hundreds of clergy members in urging Congress to pass hate crime and job discrimination measures for the LGBTQI+ community. Pearson eventually became a United Church of Christ minister and affiliated with All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa.

His life story was the subject of a 2018 Netflix movie, "Come Sunday," based on a detailed episode of public radio's "This American Life." Pearson also made an unsuccessful bid for Tulsa mayor in 2002, attributing his defeat to public reaction to his controversial teachings.

Despite challenges, he continued advocating for social justice, and his story inspired a Netflix movie (Getty Images for Netflix)

In August, Pearson disclosed that he had been battling cancer for two decades. Despite the controversies surrounding his theological beliefs, some remember him as a caring individual who was unafraid to challenge traditional views within the evangelical community. Pearson is survived by his mother, a son, a daughter, and his former wife.

Vassia Barba