The story of a preacher who stopped believing in hell

MegaDude

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.

Listen to his story on NPR for free here; click on "full episode."

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1273

bob1999

It's interesting that people only believe to be saved from hell.

I don't think they were true believers to start with.

Also interesting, how can a person (who believes that the bible is the word of God) not believe in hell?

I'm not going to argue who all might be going there but Rev. 20:10 says that the devil will be "thrown into the lake of fire.....and will be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

That sounds like there will be a hell, at least for the devil.

Peace Philippians 4:7

changeling

Good for Pearson!

Bob, don't you find it ironic that you defend the existence of a place of eternal torture (though imaginary), and sign your post: "Peace"?

Nathan Natas

Bob1999, I think it is called a METAPHOR.

Or are you a Biblical Literalist that believes Hell is LITERALLY a "lake of fire"?

Once you admit that a LITERAL meaning is unlikely, you open the door to a wide range of possibilities. It *might* be a metaphor for being eternally separated from God (boo-hoo, how sad that would be), or it *might* be a simple control mechanism to keep the peons in line, as in "obey the PRIEST or you will burn in Hell!".

By the way, if persons are eternally tormented in Hell, then they are immortal, aren't they? They might not be HAPPY per se, but they're immortal; otherwise they wouldn't be conscious of suffering for all eternity.

tenyearsafter

I think the majority of Christians believe Hell is eternal seperation from God and that the torment is being conscious of that seperation. The more fundamental believe in a literal burning place such as the Lake of Fire...