Guide Note

Carlton Pearson is a controversial church minister who has been declared a "heretic" by the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops.¹ He is also an author and Gospel singer.

Fast Facts

1. Born: March 19, 1953
2. Birth Place: San Diego, California
3. Attended Oral Roberts University
4. Founded New Dimensions Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma
5. Teaches that everyone will eventually go to Heaven regardless of his or her actions on earth²
6. Won two Stellar Awards and nominated for a Dove Award³
7. Has recording contracts with Warner Brothers, Atlantic Records and Tommy Boy
8. Sold over 775,000 CDs and videos
9. Has appeared on CNN, CBS, Fox News and Larry King Live

1. March 19, 1953: Born
2. 1997: Ordained a bishop
3. 2000: Campaigned for George W. Bush
4. February 2002: Lost bid for mayorship of Tulsa
5. March 2004: Deemed a heretic²
6. August 13, 2006: Profile on Pearson aired on Dateline NBC
7. June 24, 2007: Subject of a story on CNN

• The Gospel of Inclusion: Reaching Beyond Religious Fundamentalism to the True Love of God (2007)