TULSA, OKLAHOMA: Pastor Carlton Pearson, whose life was the inspiration for the Netflix movie ‘Come Sunday’, died following a battle with cancer, on November 19, aged 70.
Pearson’s family posted an update on his Facebook page and informed his followers that the founder of the Higher Dimensions Evangelistic Center megachurch in Oklahoma died on Sunday.
Before his passing, he was in hospice care in Tulsa.
The Facebook obituary also mentioned that he was surrounded by his loved ones before his death.
In the Facebook post, his family members wrote that “one of the most popular and influential preachers in America and around the world, who sacrificed everything for a message of unconditional love and acceptance by God,” Pastor Pearson “died peacefully the night of November 19, 2023, at the age of 70."
The reason for his death has been revealed as cancer.
Who was Pastor Carlton Pearson?
After moving to Tulsa in 1971, Pearson founded his ministry Higher Dimensions, Inc. In 1981, he started Higher Dimensions Evangelistic Center with only 75 people attending the first service.
However, it quickly expanded to include more than 5,000 members.
By the mid-1980s, Pearson also launched a television program, ‘Everything’s Gonna Be All Right’ which increased the pastor’s popularity astronomically.
The obituary also attributed the preacher to “generating tens of millions of dollars to the Tulsa economy” through his annual AZUSA Conference starting in 1988.
He also preached in several metropolises in the USA and beyond.
“He gave counsel to multiple U.S. Presidents, as well as a number of international presidents, kings and other leaders, who were won over by his intelligence, charm, humor and kindness,” wrote his family in the post.
He also became infamous after denying the existence of Hell as he preached in his 'The Gospel of Inclusion'.
His family spoke about the shift in his belief and wrote, “At the height of his popularity, Bishop Pearson had a shift in his theological beliefs, and began to preach that Jesus did not just die for and save Christians, but for all mankind, and that no one goes to hell as we’ve known it.”
However, the shift was not all rosy for him as the shift in belief “caused churches, upon whose stages he once frequented, to close their doors to him, shut down his annual conference and caused his church to dwindle from thousands to only dozens.”
Pearson’s life and his theological beliefs have also been dramatized in the Netflix film ‘Come Sunday’ starring stars like Chiwetel Ejiofor, Danny Glover, LaKeith Stanfield among others.
His family further wrote, “Carlton’s message and example of unconditional love, though it gained him the moniker of “heretic” by some in the Christian church, had a whole new world opened to him as a result.”
Pastor Carlton Pearson’s battle with cancer
Pearson was first diagnosed with cancer in 2001. During that time he successfully defeated the disease.
But in a Facebook post dated October 30, his family informed his followers that the Pastor’s cancer has returned.
They wrote, “Just recently the cancer has returned and has been a significant challenge, especially in the last 120 days.”
They continued, “Since his last post, we wanted you to be among the first to know that as a family we have invited comfort care on our team in this critical time. We have prayerfully and intentionally walked this journey with him as we all face our mortality.”
He was also not taking any visitors during his battle with cancer.
