Many of my favorite bloggers are commenting on this topic. And much of my own personal Bible study and reflection lately has me grappling with the idea of a literal hell.
Stephen just sent me this link
It is an interesting documentary from NPR's This American Life.
Below is the description of the audio, link noted above.
304: Heretics Aired Dec 5, 2008
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.
Song: "Let the Church Roll On," Mahalia Jackson
4 comments:
Sherry,
Thank you for including the link. My wife and I listened to the whole thing and found it very interesting. I've known of Carlton Pearson for years and was also aware of his change of theolgy. I give him credit that he followed his conviction in that he was willing to give up the security of what he had attained for what he believed.
I think there needs to be a difference between realizing hell has been wrongly used or potrayed to manipulate people and disbelieveing in it all togther. Even the Bible, Carlton acknowledges is full of Bible references of people going to hell. Ultimately his argument rests on "I don't think there should be a hell, hence a loving God wouldn't send people to hell...so there is no hell." Very shaky ground.
Also, the piece tries to portray those who no longer associated with Carlton to be some kind of judges on a witch trial. It seems many people still love him but simply parted ways. You can't be the leader of a stamp collecting club, suddenly announce you don't like collecting stamps anymore and want to collect coins, and then get all "Woes Me" about why stamp collectors aren't coming to your meetings anymore.
Hi Steve,
Thanks so much for the comment.
I appreciate your thoughts.
I want to listen to the show again. After listening to it just once, I didn't come away with
Ultimately his argument rests on "I don't think there should be a hell, hence a loving God wouldn't send people to hell...so there is no hell."
I simply thought he was recounting what he believed to be a conversation with God that pointed to another way of looking at the idea of hell.
I have been thinking of the idea of "going to" hell or "going to" heaven. It seems so simplistic, like "going to" the mall or "going to" the park. But has humans what other way do we have to describe something so indescribable?
Thanks again for reading my blog and for your comments.
Hi Sherry,
Yes, Carlton did discuss the internal conversations he believes he had with God which led him to his change of theology. I have my doubts...but hey, who am I to say when someone else hears God :)
There is a simplistic understanding of hell and heaven in the church I agree. I don't pretend to know what "hell" or "Heaven" are really like. I do know that eternal separation from the source of Life (God) is REALLY, REALLY BAD and that Jesus came because he didn't want that to happen.
People often ask me "will ....(insert sincere Jew, Buddhist, Muslim) burn in hell because they didn't accept Jesus" I respond that I am not in a position to say anyone is going to hell. I let God make those judgements. My answer is that the sacrifice of Jesus alone is what reconciles us to God and nothing else. How far out that sacrifice extends to someone who never receives Jesus is between God and that person. My gut tells me its less than the universalism proclaimed now by Carlton Pearson but more than the classic evangelical alter call :)
Thanks for adding me to your list! I enjoy your blog
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