Former megachurch pastor Carlton Pearson, who received backlash for denouncing the existence of Hell, has died at 70.
The news of Pearson’s death was announced on Monday by his family in a Facebook post. His cause of death was also revealed.
“We are saddened to inform you that Bishop Carlton D’Metrius Pearson, one of the most popular and influential preachers in America and around the world, who sacrificed everything for a message of unconditional love and acceptance by God, died peacefully the night of November 19, 2023, at the age of 70, after a brief battle with cancer that had returned after first defeating it 20 years ago. He was surrounded by his family,” the statement reads.
His family also acknowledged Pearson’s rejection of the Biblical definition of Hell that those who reject Jesus Christ will receive “eternal punishment.” As a result, he was deemed a “heretic” by Christians.
The statement continues:
“At the height of his popularity, Bishop Pearson had a shift in his theological beliefs, and began to preach that Jesus did not just die for and save Christians, but for all mankind, and that no one goes to hell as we’ve known it. This became known as ‘The Gospel of Inclusion,’ a form of Christian theology known as universalism. This shift in belief caused churches, upon whose stages he once frequented, to close their doors to him, shut down his annual conference and caused his church to dwindle from thousands to only dozens.”
“The Pearson family would like to thank everyone for their prayers and continued support. They ask for and appreciate privacy during this challenging time. Services are pending,” the statement concluded.
According to the Christian Research Institute, Pearson founded the Higher Dimensions Evangelistic Center in 1981 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The church started with 75 members which eventually grew to over 5,000.
However, in 2008, Pearson lost hundreds of members when he began teaching “the gospel of inclusion,” which promoted a form of universalism, the belief that “all people eventually end up in heaven,” per Got Questions. His church then became All Souls Unitarian Church, according to NBC News.
In 2018, Pearson preached a sermon titled “To Hell With Hell” at All Souls Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Speaking to the congregation, he stated, “The concept of eternal doom or damnation in a literal or even imagined customized torture chamber and or Lake of Fire and brimstone is the most obscene, repugnant, caustic, and emotionally costly religious ideology of the ancient and modern theological construct.”
The same year, Netflix released a film titled “Come Sunday” about his spiritual awakening and excommunication.
