I have received much feed back from christian friends from other parts of the nation that were shocked by the claims of Pearson over the weekend on the national news. This seems to fall into line with his heretical view of salvation. Below is one response I received from a gentleman through the School of Biblical Evangelism. Lord willing I will have my own response to this issue later.
Is Hell Reasonable? - A Question to Carlton Pearson...
"For the first time in my life I've not only felt saved, but safe," Carlton Pearson in explaining why he believes there is no Hell.
Reverend Carlton Pearson, an Episcopalian preacher of a church in downtown Tulsa Oklahoma called “New Dimensions”, has rejected the doctrine of Hell: “So, really, the way we've been taught is that God is worse than Hitler, he doesn't forgive billions of people… He doesn't forgive, and not only doesn't forgive them but tortures them forever? That's, obscene, absurd, and vicious. It's vulgar to say a loving God, who not only loved the world, but gave his only son…For the first time in my life I've not only felt saved, but safe…" This Episcopal Bishop is saying God told him not to teach that God will send sinners to Hell unless they repent? So now God is fickle and changes His mind? Are you, Mr. Pearson, saying that Hell is not reasonable? How about you? Is Hell reasonable? Rather than chew this bone over again I will turn to men who have already answered this question and done so very well. Maybe Carlton should have read this before he started teaching heresy…
Ray Comfort, from Hell’s Best Kept Secret: “So I say, “So if God judges you by this standard [the Ten Commandments] on the day of judgment, are you going to be innocent or guilty?” He says, “Guilty.” I say, “Well, do you think you’ll go to heaven or hell?” And the usual answer is, “Heaven.” A product of the modern gospel. I say, “Why do you feel like that? Is it because you think God is good and he’ll overlook your sins?” He says, “Yeah, that’s it. He’ll overlook my sins.” “Yeah, well, try that in a court of law. You’ve committed rape, murder, drug pushing—very serious crimes. The judge says, ‘You’re guilty. All the evidence is here. Have you anything to say before I pass sentence?’ And you say, ‘Yes, Judge. I’d like to say I believe you’re a good man and you’ll overlook my crimes.’ The judge would probably say, ‘You’re right about one thing. I am a good man, and because of my goodness, I’m going to see that justice is done. Because of my goodness, I’m going to see that you’re punished.’” And the very thing sinners are hoping will save them on the day of judgment, the goodness of God, will be the very thing that will condemn them. Because if God is good, He must by nature punish murderers, rapists, thieves, liars, fornicators, and blasphemers. God is going to punish sin wherever it’s found. So with this knowledge, he’s now able to understand. He now has light that his sin is primarily vertical: that he has “sinned against heaven” (Luke 15:21). That he has violated God’s law and that He has angered God and the wrath of God abides upon Him (John 3:36). He can now see that He is “weighed in the balance” of eternal justice and “found wanting” (Dan. 5:27). He now understands the need for a sacrifice. “Christ redeemed from the curse of the law being made a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13). “God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). We broke the law; he paid the fine. It’s as simple as that. And if a man will repent, if a woman will repent and put their faith in Jesus, God will remit their sins so that on the day of judgment, when their court case comes up, God can say, “Your case is dismissed through lack of evidence.” “Christ redeemed from the curse of the law being made a curse for us.” And, therefore, exercise repentance towards God, faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21), put his hand to the plough and not look back because he’s fit for the kingdom (Luke 9:62). That word fit means “ready for use”. The soil of his heart has been turned that he might receive the engrafted word which is able to save his soul (Jam. 1:21). “ As Ray explained, when you see, by the Law of God, that you are a violator of that Law, like all mankind is, then you see clearly you are not a “good person” but are indeed as God defines: “desperately wicked.”
God says there is none good, not even one. All have fallen short; every one of us only takes care of #1. Mr. Pearson has missed the mark. You, Christian, ensure you don’t do the same. Hit what you are aiming for, shoot for the conscience of the Lost that they may know they are an enemy of God through their wickedness. Let the Law of God do its work that they may see how reasonable their punishment is and how gracious God has been to provide a Savior. If Carlton allows the Law to do its work in his own heart he will see clearly he deserves Hell just as I would, just as you would. Yet (let’s all read it together): For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.” (John 3:16-21, WEB) To have that everlasting life you must first agree with God that you are who He says you are: That you are a liar, a thief, a murderer and a blasphemer; That you have dishonored your parents; Not put God first above all things, including yourself; That you have desired what you did not need, did not desire what God wanted; That all that sin you have ever committed has made you an enemy of God. Hell is your reasonable reward; Only God can save you – and God WANTS to save you, but you must choose. I see the Episcopalian denomination is, as Christianity always is, having a battle over what is true. Only those who love the truth will agree with God unquestioningly, for… He who does the truth comes to the light.
Patrick Burwell Evangelist@OnlyJesusSaves.com President/Founder, OnlyJesusSaves.com
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Monday, July 9, 2007
Saturday Night at Bricktown
Jinger, the girls, Samuel and I went to Bricktown in Oklahoma City late saturday night with the Determan family. John Determan has become very convicted about sharing his faith with others. His daughter along with Rebekah, Leah, and Susanna really enjoy passing out tracts to people. So we all went out. When we arrived we met with Derek Woods, the local leader for the Great News Network, (GNN, see http://www.thegreatnewsokc.com/ ) an evangelism training organization. With him was Zak King a local "seed sower". He recently moved to the area from Nashville, TN. They had set up a flip chart (download available free at http://www.livingwaters.com)/) for allowing people to take an IQ test in an attempt to draw a crowd. It just asks simple trivia questions before swinging to the Ten Commandments and how we have sinned towards God (an example is available at http://www.needgod.com/ ).
After Zak spoke to several people and ran them through the Law and Gospel it was my turn to do some open air. I was able to engage approximately seven different small groups during my time on the box. Of the people that I was able to speak to during this open air opportunity the most memorable was a guy that was very angry. He was a good heckler and was used of the Lord to attract several other people to the debate we began to have. He began by asking who created God. Once spending some time answering this question for him he went on to say that the Bible was just written by a bunch of people and was not accurate. Zak and I then answered this objection. He then asked about where the races came from. I informed him that there was only one race, the human race, and he agreed. The gentleman then began to rant about God changing his mind on judgement day. I continued laying the weight of the Law upon him before he began objecting stating the God was a murderer. Zak then asked him what it was in his life that was holding him back and creating these "excuses" not to believe. At that moment he screamed several curse words at us and left very angrily. Later John and I saw him break dancing in another area of Bricktown. Pray for that young man.
I was also able to open air to three Hispanic teenagers concentrating on one of them named Juan. After walking through the Law and asking if they thought they would go to heaven or hell, Juan said heaven, because he had been baptized. I then spent much time speaking to them about the reality of God’s grace and that no amount of works or allegiance to any church could save them. When I quoted Paul, "By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." His mouth dropped. I then made reference to the mass and told him that Christ does not die every week for our sins, but that "Christ had once suffered for sins. The just for the unjust." You could tell that God was working in their hearts as I spoke of his grace and forgiveness. I continued speaking with them for some time before giving them some literature and a gospel of John. They said that they had never read the Bible, but had grown up going to mass every week. I pray that the Lord would continue to work in their hearts. Having had many conversations with numerous different hispanics over the last several weeks is proof to me that there is a pre-reformation population in our midst. Most of this population have never read a Bible for themselves. They need the word of God.
We got to hand out about 350 tracts including several Forth of July tracts after a fireworks display at the end of the Oklahoma City Redhawks game. Pray that the Lord would continue to use the written word (tracts) to bring others into His kingdom.
Pray for those that we were able to preach the gospel to. Pray that the Lord would work on their hearts.
Thanks for taking the time to read this first of what will be, Lord willing, many evangelism outings. Oh how I love to be his instrument and to partake in what he has called all Christians to do. Pray that the fire of his word will be set upon our lips that we might boldly proclaim His setting of the captives free.
-Aaron
After Zak spoke to several people and ran them through the Law and Gospel it was my turn to do some open air. I was able to engage approximately seven different small groups during my time on the box. Of the people that I was able to speak to during this open air opportunity the most memorable was a guy that was very angry. He was a good heckler and was used of the Lord to attract several other people to the debate we began to have. He began by asking who created God. Once spending some time answering this question for him he went on to say that the Bible was just written by a bunch of people and was not accurate. Zak and I then answered this objection. He then asked about where the races came from. I informed him that there was only one race, the human race, and he agreed. The gentleman then began to rant about God changing his mind on judgement day. I continued laying the weight of the Law upon him before he began objecting stating the God was a murderer. Zak then asked him what it was in his life that was holding him back and creating these "excuses" not to believe. At that moment he screamed several curse words at us and left very angrily. Later John and I saw him break dancing in another area of Bricktown. Pray for that young man.
I was also able to open air to three Hispanic teenagers concentrating on one of them named Juan. After walking through the Law and asking if they thought they would go to heaven or hell, Juan said heaven, because he had been baptized. I then spent much time speaking to them about the reality of God’s grace and that no amount of works or allegiance to any church could save them. When I quoted Paul, "By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." His mouth dropped. I then made reference to the mass and told him that Christ does not die every week for our sins, but that "Christ had once suffered for sins. The just for the unjust." You could tell that God was working in their hearts as I spoke of his grace and forgiveness. I continued speaking with them for some time before giving them some literature and a gospel of John. They said that they had never read the Bible, but had grown up going to mass every week. I pray that the Lord would continue to work in their hearts. Having had many conversations with numerous different hispanics over the last several weeks is proof to me that there is a pre-reformation population in our midst. Most of this population have never read a Bible for themselves. They need the word of God.
We got to hand out about 350 tracts including several Forth of July tracts after a fireworks display at the end of the Oklahoma City Redhawks game. Pray that the Lord would continue to use the written word (tracts) to bring others into His kingdom.
Pray for those that we were able to preach the gospel to. Pray that the Lord would work on their hearts.
Thanks for taking the time to read this first of what will be, Lord willing, many evangelism outings. Oh how I love to be his instrument and to partake in what he has called all Christians to do. Pray that the fire of his word will be set upon our lips that we might boldly proclaim His setting of the captives free.
-Aaron
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