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MoEnzyme
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Carlton Pearson
« on: 2008-12-06 23:32:15 » |
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for the most current wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlton_Pearson
Current wiki as of this posting (check the link above for rich text links):
Quote:Bishop Carlton D'Metrius Pearson, D.D. (born March 19, 1953 in San Diego, California) is an American singer and a minister in the United Church of Christ religious denomination. [1]
Early career
Bishop Pearson attended Oral Roberts University, and was mentored by Oral Roberts. He was licensed and ordained in the Church of God in Christ. [2] Pearson formed his own church, Higher Dimensions, which became one of the largest in the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. During the 1990s it grew to an attendance of over 5,000 and in 1997 Pearson was ordained a bishop. In 2000 he campaigned for George W. Bush and following the presidential inauguration was invited to the White House.
Controversy in ministry and resulting media coverage
“ A person who spends every day getting drunk, will ruin their health, marriage, family and career; they will make their lives a living Hell. But that still falls far short of the chronic alcoholic being condemned by a just God to literally burn in Hell forever and ever.
For others it may very well be that the punishment merited by their sins is greater than what they receive in this life. For those people perhaps there will be some kind of punishment after death, but we believe that it will be remedial and corrective rather than just punishment for punishment's sake. Exactly what that will be and how long it will last we don't know. Will Hell for some people last 10 minutes or 10 million years... we don't know. But this we do know; Hell will not last for eternity; it will not be endless... Don't sin. Be reunited with God now, rather than after you have put yourself (and those you love) through Hell.”
—Bishop Pearson's belief in hell as stated on his website [3]
Then after viewing a television program which depicted the wretched conditions of people dying in Rwanda, and considering the teaching of his church that non-Christians were destined for hell, Pearson felt he had received an epiphany from God, and stated that he doubted the concept of hell as it has been traditionally taught. In February 2002 he lost a primary bid for the mayorship of Tulsa.[4] By then Pearson had begun to call his doctrine—a variation on universal reconciliation—the Gospel of Inclusion, and many in his congregation began to leave.
In March 2004, after hearing Bishop Pearson's argument for inclusion, the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops reached the conclusion that such teaching was heresy. [1] Officially recognised as a heretic, the once very popular Bishop Carlton Pearson rapidly began to lose his influence. [5]
Bishop Pearson's story was the subject of an episode entitled "Heretics" on Chicago Public Radio's This American Life, which aired on December 16, 2005. [6] This was followed by a profile on Dateline NBC on August 13, 2006.[7]
Pearson was the subject of a CNN story on June 24th, 2007 which covered his change to a more inclusive policy (including acceptance of LGBT people into his church) and the resulting negative backlash from the evangelical community. [8]
Current ministry
Bishop Pearson was accepted in the United Church of Christ and is now the founder and senior pastor of New Dimensions Church in Tulsa.
Musical career
Bishop Pearson is also a gospel vocalist who has won two Stellar Awards and was nominated for a Dove Award. [9] |
I'm not presenting this guy as a model Virian in any remotely saintlike way such as Darwin or Hypatia. However I heard a very interesting story on him on NPR and he struck me as a champion of empathy, and a victim of dogmatism. His congregation leaving him seemed to have nothing to do with their personal feelings for or trust of him, but rather that his own religious masters who actively shunned him, disowned him, and put considerable pressure on others under their influence to do the same. Even in the interviews some years later, many of his former flock expressed personal affection for him even as they explained that their beloved-yet-abandoned former friend simply was no longer in-line with their dogma. It seemed pointlessly sad all around. Needless to say his theology has evolved considerably in conviction even as he retains much of his former style. I would be interested to hear what other members in the Church of Virus think of the situation. Personally I think of him as something of a noble heretic. Unlike our saints, he is actually still alive and possibly open to discussion I would hope.
-Mo
PS - I must also admit that the fact that he lives in Walter Watt's neck of the woods makes me curious as to whether he's heard of Mr. Pearson and what his opinion of him is.
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I will fight your gods for food,
Mo Enzyme
(consolidation of handles: Jake Sapiens; memelab; logicnazi; Loki; Every1Hz; and Shadow)
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Fritz
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Re:Carleton Pearson
« Reply #1 on: 2008-12-07 00:18:38 » |
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[Fritz]Interesting and new to me .... additional material from Wiki. Nice to see folks have been noodling away at this for a while, sad we are still struggling with it.
Curious to see what our man in Tulsa 'the big WW' has to say as well
Source: Wiki
Christian universalists in History
See also: List of early Christian universalists
"In the first five or six centuries of Christianity there were six theological schools, of which four (Alexandria, Antioch, Caesarea, and Edessa, or Nisibis) were Universalist; one (Ephesus) accepted conditional mortality (annihilationism); one (Carthage or Rome) taught endless punishment of the wicked”.[1]
There has been a number of prominent and influential Church Fathers and Church leaders throughout Christian history who have held to the belief of Universal Reconciliation in and through Christ Jesus. Though disagreement will arise on the basis of subjectivity of interpretation of their beliefs, many have expressed in writing and witness accounts, the hope of Universal Reconciliation at some time in their religious walk.[9]
Universalist revival
The Reformation era witnessed a rekindled interest in the theological doctrine of Universal Reconciliation. Figures such as Erasmus rekindled interested in the Greek Church Fathers. Historically early advocates of universalism, such as Origen, became more broadly known as new editions of their writings were published. The period between the Reformation and Enlightenment featured extended debates about salvation and hell.[10]
A German Christian, Hans Denck converted to universalism in the sixteenth century. Hans Hut was deeply influenced by Denck and spread the doctrine of universalism. The teaching spread from Germany. Universalism was notably present in England by the seventeenth century. Universalism was brought to the American colonies in the early eighteenth century by the English physician George de Benneville, attracted by Pennsylvania's Quaker tolerance. North American universalism was active and organized. This was seen as a threat by the orthodox, Calvinist Congregationalists of New England such as Jonathan Edwards, who wrote prolifically against universalist teachings and preachers.[11]
Recent developments
Vatican, April 7, 2008, Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion of Vienna in his presentation at the First World Apostolic Congress of Divine Mercy, argued that God's mercy is so great that He does not condemn sinners to everlasting punishment. The Orthodox understanding of hell, Bishop Hilarion said, corresponds roughly to the Catholic notion of purgatory.[12]
On May 17, 2007, the Christian Universalist Association was founded at the historic Universalist National Memorial Church in Washington, D.C.[13] This was a move to distinguish the modern Christian Universalist movement from Unitarian Universalism and to promote ecumenical unity among Christian believers in universal reconciliation.
In 2005 Cardinal Murphy O'Connor, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, reiterated that Universal Salvation was entirely compatible with Catholic teaching [14] and expressed his personal hope for universal salvation.
Bishop Carlton Pearson received notoriety in 2004 when he was officially declared a heretic by the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops. Bishop Pearson, who had attended Oral Roberts University, a conservative Christian teaching institution, formally declared his belief in the doctrine of universal salvation. His church, called New Dimensions, adopted the doctrine.[15]<snip>
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Where there is the necessary technical skill to move mountains, there is no need for the faith that moves mountains -anon-
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Walter Watts
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Re:Carleton Pearson
« Reply #2 on: 2008-12-07 02:27:43 » |
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Yes, Mo and Fritz, I have followed the Bishop Pearson story with some interest over the last few decades.
I think there are many varied paths by which we all arrived at our hopefully reasoned atheist/agnostic positions.
I professed Christian beliefs from the time I was 14 until the time I was 41 years old. I'm 55 now.
I had some time on my hands when living in Anchorage, Alaska in 1994-95 and I basically went into the library and the bookstores and didn't come out until a reasoned position had been formulated in my own mind concerning the reality or fictitiousness of my personal beliefs.
After many books and much reflection I basically threw the baby out with the bathwater.
It has been a wondrous journey of discovery and an exquisite source of freedom for me since this revelation (or dismissal of a "previous" revelation one might say).
As far as Bishop Pearson goes, if he needs to do things in small steps, then who am I to criticize those increments.
At least he's taking steps in the right direction.
He apparently just needs to hang on to the baby a while longer after throwing the bathwater out.
If he pursues the truth concerning man's alleged spiritual nature, and allows a reasoned mind to guide him, I'm optimistic that he'll arrive at the correct conclusions in time.
Let's be patient in these situations and let each person have the time they need to substitute knowledge for a lifetime of variously acquired beliefs.
Now THAT is a freedom of thought I think some of us Virians take for granted on occasion.
Walter
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Walter Watts
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MoEnzyme
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Re:Carlton Pearson
« Reply #3 on: 2008-12-07 14:03:38 » |
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Thanks for that WW,
Everyone's journey is different on this. I was always an on-again/off-again skeptic from the begining. My parents seemed to think it was important to have SOME kind of religious/spiritual church/program; they just couldn't ever finally decide on which one because of their own differing backgrounds. So basically I was raised Unitarian Universalist, which seems a common destination for many people of mixed religious background. Indeed I wouldn't be surprised if over half of all Unitarians got there either directly (their own) or indirectly (a family member's) due to a mixed religious marriage/relationship. Somewhere along the line, my dad managed to steer me into Freemasonry in my young adulthood - and while that tends to be more Judeo/Christian/Muslim, within those bounds its fairly tolerant as well.
Anyway, part of the reason Carlton Pearson caught my attention is that he seemed to arrive at Universalism through an entirely different route than my own. I can see why he doesn't simply shed all his religious baggage, because unlike you, I, and most other people, Mr. Pearson's entire life both professionally and personally revolved around religion and his church.
I found the NPR show where they interviewed him:
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1111 check out the website to listen to the audio. The program notes follow:
304: Heretics
The story of Reverend Carlton Pearson, a renowned evangelical pastor in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who cast aside the idea of Hell, and with it everything he'd worked for over his entire life.
Prologue.
Carlton Pearson's church, Higher Dimensions, was once one of the biggest in the city, drawing crowds of 5,000 people every Sunday. But several years ago, scandal engulfed the reverend. He didn't have an affair. He didn't embezzle lots of money. His sin was something that to a lot of people is far worse: He stopped believing in Hell. (2 minutes)
Act One. Rise.
Reporter Russell Cobb takes us through the remarkable and meteoric rise of Carlton Pearson from a young man to a Pentecostal Bishop: from the moment he first cast the devil out of his 17-year-old girlfriend, to the days when he had a close, personal relationship with Oral Roberts and had appearances on TV and at the White House. Just as Reverend Pearson's career peaked, with more than 5,000 members of his congregation coming every week, he started to think about Hell, wondering if a loving God would really condemn most of the human race to burn and writhe in the fire of Hell for eternity. (30 minutes)
Act Two. Fall.
Once he starts preaching his own revelation, Carlton Pearson's church falls apart. After all, when there's no Hell (as the logic goes), you don't really need to believe in Jesus to be saved from it. What follows are the swift departures of his pastors, and an exodus from his congregation—which quickly dwindled to a few hundred people. Donations drop off too, but just as things start looking bleakest, new kinds of people, curious about his change in beliefs, start showing up on Sunday mornings. (23 minutes)
Postscript: Carlton Pearson renamed his church after the story was produced: It is now called New Dimensions.
http://www.newdimensions.us/
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I will fight your gods for food,
Mo Enzyme
(consolidation of handles: Jake Sapiens; memelab; logicnazi; Loki; Every1Hz; and Shadow)
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Tas6
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Re:Carlton Pearson
« Reply #4 on: 2009-07-02 09:21:34 » |
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I grew up Freewill-Baptist, around the age of 15 I really started to believe in R.W.E. 's Trancendentalism and In Folk-magick that I grew up around. After that I became a Chaosist (IOT), until I finally settled into Asa'tru' at age 20. I was Asa'tru' 19 years, including becoming a Godhi (Priest) (legal, state of Ohio) at age 32. It wasn't until I performed the Abramelin Operation at age 38 (Heathenized with Erce' -the Earthmother as the focal point), that I finally broke away from a theist view point, though admittedly I still see the validity in using heathen models for archetypes/developmental role-models. Most of my adult religious/Mystical career was spent working from the Cyber (to pilot/steer/guide) or Informational paradigm (created by Fr. U.D. and A. Wilson). Cyber paradigm views reality (rocks, people, gods, etc..) as a field(s) of information. Religion, myth and ceremony became a way for me to interact with informational fields for self development.
I respect Mr. Pearson's long climb towards growth as a true individual. After all aren't we all on the same quest for the metaphorical "Philosopher's Stone," in our own individual way...
Virian Mystic  ,
Tas6
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Hermit
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Re:Carlton Pearson
« Reply #5 on: 2009-07-02 09:28:47 » |
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[Tas6] After all aren't we all on the same quest for the metaphorical "Philosopher's Stone," in our own individual way...
[Hermit] I don't think so. In my experience stones, real or metaphorical, merely slow one down. You may discover that if you dispose of them (using them to putt at religious targets can be fun) that progress is swifter and smoother. :-)
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With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. - Steven Weinberg, 1999
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Tas6
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Re:Carlton Pearson
« Reply #6 on: 2009-07-02 10:39:56 » |
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Agreed, not the same but we are all looking for illumination...
If not a Stone how about an Elixer ?
Virian Mystic
Tas6
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MoEnzyme
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Re:Carlton Pearson
« Reply #7 on: 2010-01-29 10:34:40 » |
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Tas6,
Or a divination? Maybe you just need to read the stars. With the right offering in the donation platter, and a little personal information about you and your prospects we at the Church of Virus can arrange a complete astrological reading to help you find the most compatible sexual relationships. And this isn't just any astrology, it's sideral zodiac so you know its accuracy. Even Galileo would have had an orgasm over this kind of precision observation, PBUH. You'll be drinking your perfect lover's elixer sooner than ever.
-Mo
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I will fight your gods for food,
Mo Enzyme
(consolidation of handles: Jake Sapiens; memelab; logicnazi; Loki; Every1Hz; and Shadow)
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Walter Watts
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Re:Carlton Pearson
« Reply #8 on: 2010-01-30 18:31:36 » |
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Quote from: MoEnzyme on 2010-01-29 10:34:40
Tas6,
<snip>
And this isn't just any astrology, it's sidereal zodiac so you know its accuracy.
<snip>
-Mo
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ROFL
Walter
PS
And polar aligned too!
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Walter Watts
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No one gets to see the Wizard! Not nobody! Not no how!
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