Anyone here seen the movie Come Sunday about Carlton Pearson, a noted black Charismatic preacher?

[bobbieinok]

He is an alum of ORU, and his mentor was Oral Roberts. Oral's son Richard called Carlton his 'black brother.' He was a nationally known Pentecostal preacher and leader. (He took part in the memorial service for the victims of the OKC Bombing at which Billy Graham gave the sermon.)

Gradually he became convinced that a loving God would not condemn people to eternal torture in Hell and began to believe and preach Universalism, the idea that ALL people are saved.

He lost his friends, his church, became a non-person at ORU.

I've heard him preach several times and attended his church Higher Dimensions twice. Quite a compelling preacher.

The movie is a Netflix movie.

[DO I KNOW YOU]

1. Yes, I Saw It.

I didn't know much about the pastor. Seems like I was the only one. I know someone who knew him personally that heard that "the church" gave his wife a hard time and she was very unhappy while he was associated with ORU.

I am not a fan of Oral Roberts and I wonder what drew Carlton to him in the first place. I couldn't tell from the movie if Carlton was a conservative or not, but I am glad he broke free.

[bobbieinok]

2. Pearson entered ORU as a Freshman, a boy who had had a very hard life

He was illegitimate and his family was quite poor. He's a singer, and while a student he started the ORU Gospel Choir. (In the 90s ORU's student body was about 20% black.)

Regarding his wife - from what I heard many single black women wanted to marry him. I heard that one Sunday a woman in a wedding dress appeared at the back of the church. She walked down the aisle toward Carlton, who was standing at the altar. She proclaimed to the congregation that God had told her she was to marry Pearson. (Many Pentecostals believe they get personal messages from God.)

Pesrson was greatly admired by ORU students. The fact that he was illegitimate, born to a very poor mother, was used by Oral and Richrd in sermons against abortion - 'She trusted God and kept the baby. And see what a spokesman for God he is!'

[LuvNewcastle]

3. I saw it and liked it.

If I were a Christian, that's what my philosophy would be as well. It's basically the opposite of Calvinism. It's easy to understand why Evangelical preachers wouldn't like the idea that Jesus died for everybody. If enough people started believing that, those preachers might have to get real jobs to support themselves.