I
was recently watching / listening to Carlton Pearson video. I say watching and listening because with him
it is very important to hear every word he says so they might be examined
according to Scripture. As I watched/listened
to the video I actually became angry.
Pearson was spouting off so much nonsense until it literally angered me to the point that I started debating with him via my computer screen. He is quoting Albert Einstein,
misinterpreting Hebrews 6 saying that the writer was somehow urging his readers
to a “higher consciousness” and making up words like “metacostal”…whatever that
means!
His blatant disrespect for God, Scripture,
Jesus and everything else that Christianity stands for was appalling. As you can hear in the video he refers to the
Bible as old, outdated and he thinks that the whole idea of Christianity is
obsolete. He uses these arguments to
clear the way for his new thought metaphysical doctrine. Pearson has been a charlatan for a long time
and his entire transformation is seemingly based on an emotional attachment to
his grandparents. His grandparents
passed away and I don't know if they were saved, and he did not know if they
were saved according to an NBC interview [Is Hell Real?]. That led him to adopt the mentality/doctrine
of universalism which says that everyone goes to heaven regardless of whether
or not they are Christian or have confessed Jesus Christ as their Savior. That
alone speaks volumes about a man who was in the faith for many years and
preached the gospel for many years. Did
one event cause them to doubt everything that he knew? Did he really know anything at all?
As
the video played, I heard him say something quite shocking. In an almost condescending manner he compared
Joel Olsteen’s preaching to that of Jesus. I had to listen to that again because it was
just so unbelievable. His comparison of
Osteen and Jesus Christ really holds no water whatsoever. His reasoning for the comparison where stated
in the video that Joel Osteen does not use much scripture , he preaches in “beatitudes”
similar to the sermon on the mount and that he preaches more like Jesus that
many preachers today. Seemingly Pearson has
a problem with preaching Jesus vs preaching like Jesus. I contend that a preacher must do both, he
must preach Jesus because Jesus is the heart of the gospel! Paul says plainly that when I came to you I
resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified [1 Cor 2:2]. He says again in another place that he only
preaches Jesus Christ and Him crucified [1 Cor 1:23]. A casual search of the BibleHub website lists
at least 10 scriptures written by the apostles where they “preach Christ” [Preach Christ Links].
Not only must we preach Jesus for there is
no other Savior or source of salvation, we must also preach like Jesus.
What I mean by that is that our sermons
need to be direct, truthful, and insightful, loving and honest enough to call
sin what it is!
To
say that Osteen preaches like Jesus is an insult to Jesus! Osteen calls for us to live our best life
now, Jesus warns us that in this world we will have tribulation and also to
take up our cross and follow him. Osteen
teaches health wealth and prosperity Jesus taught foxes have holes birds have
nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head! Osteen teaches mansions cars and positive
thinking but Jesus teaches unless a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom
of God. For Pearson to say that Jesus
did not use much scripture is a bold face lie. Jesus began his ministry in the
fourth chapter of Luke reading from the scroll of Isaiah. He quoted the prophets often. “Rightly did the Isaiah prophesy of you
hypocrites, “This people honors Me with their lips but their heart is far away
from Me.” The Sermon on the Mount was
based on the Scripture. Whenever Jesus says “You have heard it said” he is
quoting interpretations of scripture!
Whenever he says “but I tell you the truth” he is giving the true
meaning of that scripture! He instructed
the religious leaders that if anyone would be quiet upon His entrance to
Jerusalem, “the rocks would cry out”. He
also instructed them from the Psalms that out of the mouths of babes “You have
prepared praise for yourself…” [Matthew 21:16; Psalm 8:2]]. How can Pearson say
that Jesus did not use much scripture when he argued from the Scriptures weekly in the Synagogue?
Either
Pearson has forgotten the Jesus of the Bible or he is deliberately seeking to
blot the true Jesus in favor of the Jesus of his own imagination. Many have a
view of Jesus that is totally incorrect because it is based on what they feel
and not what Scripture says. I would even venture to say that Joel Osteen knows
less about Jesus then a baby. I have
never once heard him preach repentance, I have never once heard him preach
about the coming judgment of Jesus Christ, I have never once heard him preach
about being born again, I have never once heard him preach that Jesus is the
Way the Truth and the Life, I have never heard him once refer to Jesus as the Savior
of the world, I have never heard him once call Jesus Lord, I have never heard
him once ask anyone in the congregation to submit their lives to Jesus Christ.
What I have heard on multiple occasions are silly stories about people who do
not exist, about events that have not happened and scenarios that is so far-fetched
that he doesn't even believe them.
Jesus
is more than just a figment of our imagination or some historical figure. He is
God, he is the second person of the Trinity, he is the Son of God who came to us
to show us what God was like. He is the
Son of God who came to us to fulfill the prophecy in Leviticus 26:12, “'I will also walk among you and be your God,
and you shall be My people.” Pearson and the other false teachers of his
ilk are sadly mistaken and I pray that God will open their eyes before it is
too late. Whenever we start looking for
something sexier or better or more exciting than Jesus the devil will use that
as a trap and he will present you with something sexier or better or more
contemporary- man has a way that seems right but in the end it leads to death. In the end, it is all rubbish.
I would
only say to Pearson you wish that Jesus preached like Osteen! If that was the case, there would be far less
consequences for sin, no discipline for the disciples of Jesus Christ and no judgment
for the wicked! Many seek a kinder
gentler Jesus and honestly he is kind and gentle to those who are humble in
spirit and lowly in heart. He is kind
and gentle to those who come to him not trying to fit him into a box but are
willing to allow him to be Lord of their life.
Grace and peace to you my brothers and sisters.