by Michael Gaudiosi

SO MANY CHOICES but there can only be one who will be declared the “winner”. I had to carefully think this over, there were so many heresies spread over 2007, it was a very difficult task to choose only one for this article. But only one stood out in front. This one has it's roots in New Age theology, however it has gained more and more followers in recent years. I am speaking of the “inclusive” Gospel.

This year, the “award” goes to a man who, is well known in mainstream Christianity, and at one time, had been a fire and brimstone preacher. but now with his “Inclusive Gospel/New Age” doctrine, he is doing incredible damage to the Church. This years recipient of “The Number One Damnable Heresy of 2007” goes to Carlton Pearson, pastor of New Dimensions Worship Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Pearson once was a fiery preacher who was not ashamed to preach repentance through the cross of Christ, and damnation for those who do not believe. However, he has taken a completely new direction, and has forsaken the true Gospel for a false one, which is very evident from the following quotes from Pearson himself:

“We may go through hell, but nobody goes to it” (Carlton Pearson - “20/20 Hell the Fear and Fascination” 07/13/07)

“Religion is the accuser of the brethren. That's what the devil is, it's legal systems, religious dogmas that say you're not good enough...you're not God enough” (Carlton Pearson - “20/20 Hell the Fear and Fascination” 07/13/07)

“My hope is that people will learn to love themselves, accept themselves and celebrate themselves, that's pretty dramatic, but I think it'll save the planet” (Carlton Pearson - “20/20 Hell the Fear and Fascination” 07/13/07)

It is very easy to deny a real and literal judgment, this is too unloving. After all, a loving God would never send people to hell because, according to Pearson, we are in hell already on Earth! Then why did Jesus die? Pearson has an answer for this. The following is from his own website www.newdimensions.us:

“The meaning of the cross and resurrection is not only that God loves, but also that He has the power and the will to overcome evil, not just personally as Jesus did, but to do so universally or cosmically, and bring victory out of what could only be described as eternal defeat. To believe that such a God could or would permit a single soul He created, to be destroyed, or even eternally separated from Him is a contradiction in terms. It would also be an inadmissible defeat for God.

Just a common-sense acknowledgment of the Sovereignty of God would make it almost impossible to be reconciled to the thought that God could have created a world and man or mankind if, in fact, He foresaw hell as an eternal destination for any He created in His image and likeness. It would mean that creation is essentially a failure and the earth project a farce. Moreover, a God, who deliberately allows the uninterrupted existence of endless or eternal torments, is not God at all, but more like what we describe as the devil. If the atonement means the reconciliation of God and man or man to God, (and that is the only thing it can mean), then it must end in universal salvation or redemption of humankind.”

SOLA SCRIPTURA – THE SCRIPTURE ALONE!

What Pearson is saying, in a nutshell, is “God would never create a place of torment, so there is no hell nor judgment for sin, and reconciliation of man to God is for everyone. There is no need for conversion or repentance. Regardless of your religion or belief system...you are redeemed!” If this is so, and there is no punishment for sin, and no repentance needed, then God would not be just, nor would He be good because evil remains unpunished. To imply the existence of hell means God had failed in His own creation is blasphemy! Our sin is what separated us from God which brought upon us His eternal wrath. The failure lies with man, not God. This is why Jesus is called the Propitiation for our sins:

Romans 3:25 - Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

1 John 2:2 - And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Webster's Dictionary defines Propitiation as such: The act of appeasing wrath and conciliating the favor of an offended person; the act of making propitious.

Scripture clearly states we have offended God by our sin and calls Jesus our propitiation. This means Jesus Christ alone was able to appease God's wrath that was against us, providing forgiveness for our sin through His blood, which satisfied a thrice holy God's demand for divine justice! However, Pearson's theology denies this. Denying the existence of judgment and hell does not change biblical truth. Sinners must be judged for their sin whether people like this message or not. It's not popular to talk about this, but it does show clearly the love of God in which He provided a way to escape His eternal wrath:

Romans 5:8 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 4:10 - Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Tragically Carlton Pearson has forgotten this. This earns him “The Number One Damnable Heresy of 2007”

Search the Scripture for yourself! SOLA SCRIPTURA! The Scripture ALONE! May the Lord bless you!

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