Ex-Megachurch Pentecostal Minister Who Says There's No Hell to Reportedly Be Played by Jeffrey Wright in Biopic
Carlton Pearson, a former Pentecostal minister turned all-inclusive gospel preacher, is having a movie made based on his life that will showcase how he shifted his perspective from teaching the scripture's truth to preaching that hell does not exist.
The film "Come Sunday" is currently in its early stages of development. However, once in theaters, audiences will get a glimpse into the world of evangelists, including that of Oral Roberts, whom Pearson considers a mentor.
"This (movie) has been a long time in the works …Oral will always be my loving father and mentor and contrary to popular opinion, he finally understood me as best he could, being nearly 90 at our last lengthy conversation," Pearson wrote in a recent Facebook status. "He taught us to go into every man's (person's) world and preach the gospel. The Gospel of Inclusion and expanded consciousness I preach is my way of doing exactly that."
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Person says the idea for the film came from an interview he did with a Chicago radio station in 2005 while he was undergoing the "worst ministerial experience" of his life.
Prior to making headlines for his new age gospel perspective, Pearson led Higher Dimensions Family Church in Tulsa, Okla., which grew to 6,000 members during a time when he preached the fundamentals of Christianity.
After his shift in view on hell, he became labeled a heretic by evangelical Christians, which caused his congregation to decline to only a few hundred as he began to preach that people do not have to repent of their sins in order to receive salvation.
The film, produced by Endgame Entertainment, will include that part of Pearson's life as well as how he lost everything and was left to rebuild his church and family in the midst of finding his own personal faith.
Actor Jeffrey Wright, who appeared in "Casino Royale" and "Quantum of Solace," is currently in talks to take on the starring role of Pearson, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Actor and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, Robert Redford, will reportedly play Roberts.
According to his website, Pearson attended the Oral Roberts University in Tulsa Oklahoma, where he majored in Biblical Literature/English Bible and minored in Theology/Historical Studies. He also served for 15 years on its Board of Regents, and two years as Associate Evangelist of The Oral Roberts Association.
His close tie with the former evangelist known to have been a pioneer of TV evangelism will also be a focal point in the film.
