Editor’s Note: On November 19, Bishop Carlton Pearson died in hospice care after a battle with cancer. Pearson was an influential pastor and the founder of a former Oklahoma megachurch, yet lost much of his audience after espousing “the gospel of inclusion,” which rejects the notion of hell and fully affirms members of the LGBTQ+ community. A celebration of his life was held yesterday in Atlanta.
____
Meeting Carlton Pearson marked a pivotal moment in my journey from a classical Pentecostal preacher’s kid to someone who embraced a broader understanding of faith.
Raised to view the Bible as the infallible “Holy Bible,” distinct and unquestionable, my early years were steeped in a tradition that held the word of good preaching be nearly sacrosanct. Yet, as I matured spiritually, the distinction between hermeneutics—the interpretation of sacred texts—and homiletics—the art of preaching—became increasingly blurred, revealing a conflation that would challenge my foundational beliefs.
Carlton Pearson emerged as a formidable figure in the religious landscape, an international beacon of evangelical Christianity and a celebrated product of The Church of God in Christ, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee—just like myself.
His renown was undisputed, as was his eloquence, which echoed through the conference halls where we first met. He was the epitome of the inspiring orator, yet it was his intellect that captivated me most.
On that transformative night in the early 1990s, Carlton’s words resonated with an intellectual vibrancy seldom heard from the pulpits I knew. He wielded wit, language and a keen awareness of current events to demonstrate the Bible’s relevance beyond its ancient text.
In his discourse, he bridged the temporal divide, illustrating the enduring human quest to unravel life’s great mysteries—a quest shared by philosophers and scientists, marked by a faith that embraced questions rather than dogmatic certainty.
Carlton’s journey mirrored that of Saul of Tarsus, who, before becoming Paul the Apostle, zealously upheld the law. Saul’s profound epiphany on the road to Damascus revealed the limitations of his convictions, a truth that would redefine his understanding of faith.
Similarly, Carlton experienced a radical transformation, one that led him to champion the Gospel of Inclusion. This message, rooted in the belief that divine love and salvation are boundless, was controversial yet compelling, threatening the established norms of evangelical Christianity with its message of universal acceptance.
Carlton did not change his name but, like Paul, transformed his approach, aligning his practice and fellowship with his evolved beliefs. His audacious stance drew criticism and accusations akin to those faced by Jesus, deemed heretical by the religious authorities of his time.
But in his courage, Carlton illustrated the expansiveness of the divine, challenging the notion that God’s revelations were confined to the past.
In Carlton Pearson, I saw a preacher who valued understanding life as much as preaching about it. His willingness to adapt and learn stood in stark contrast to a religious culture that often resisted change. This openness to divine expansion echoes the call to praise God in the firmament of His power—an acknowledgment of the limitless scope of the divine.
As I reflect on the thirty years since that encounter, I am struck by the enduring relevance of Carlton’s insights. He dared to suggest our understanding of God could and should evolve, that our spiritual ancestors might have grasped only a fraction of the vastness of the divine narrative.
Through his life and teachings, he invited us to consider a God not confined by dogma but infinitely involved in the unfolding journey of humanity.
In honoring Carlton Pearson, we not only remember a man who changed the course of his life in search of greater truth but also celebrate the living legacy of his teachings. May his insights continue to grow in their firmaments and may his memory be a beacon for those who seek to expand their understanding of the divine.
Marquis Hunt, an extraordinary author and unconventional intellectual, bridges the realms of spirituality and emotional intelligence, transcending academia to illuminate innovative pathways to global awareness and newfound relevance. His multidimensional talents in music, philosophy, and strategic discourse infuse his work, inviting audiences to explore profound perspectives on life, love, and the human experience.
