Really a heretic

This dude ROCKS:

There was a segment on one of the cable news shows a while ago about a preacher named Calvin Pearson who used to be one of the up-and-coming people in the evangelical movement...he had been singing in the choir and preaching since he was but a child...he was expected to be the next huge on-air "personality" in that movement. He had a huge church, he had Oral Roberts and his people behind him...but he always had something nagging at the back of his mind. He always questioned why a "loving God" would send certain people to Hell...people who had not heard of Jesus...people who 'backslid' and did not come around before they died, etc. One day, he was watching a tv show about children in Africa and he was horribly saddened. How could God send these people to hell after living such a life of suffering? Then he heard the "voice of the Holy Ghost" who told him..."no one goes to hell...this is hell for these people. When they die, everyone is saved." A weight was lifted off his shoulders...he couldn't wait to tell the congregation...what a marvelous thing! Everyone in the entire world would have salvation, no matter what! But the funny thing was...many people did not want to hear this. They were upset, angry...they began to argue with him...then they began to go above his head to other church leaders. They began to leave in droves. The leaders above him told him that he needed to stop preaching this "evil"...that it was heretical, and he was wrong. It was the Devil telling him this! The preacher didn't stop...he didn't believe this was evil or that the devil was behind it...what could possibly be wrong with telling everyone that they would be saved? It was the best message ever...there would be no more reason to hate, no more reason to fight, no more reason to be suspicious or judgemental of other beliefs! This could not possibly be a bad thing!

So what happened to this preacher? He lost 80% of his church membership. He was removed from his "post" with the Evangelical church and was labeled a "Heretic" for teaching the message of "Inclusionism" (this surprised me...I was not aware that Protestant churches even "defrocked" people for being heretics). He basically became a pariah amongst the movement in which he had spent his whole life.

He's still preaching his new-found "revelation"...to a smaller congregation, and without the backing of a large religious group. But he refuses to give up...he believes what the "holy spirit" has revealed to him is important to get out to as many people as possible. He truly has the courage of his convictions...

With someone like this man being called a heretic, I can only hope that I am worthy to be called one...