LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE SERIES #118. Come Sunday (film, 2018)

Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.

 

#118. Come Sunday (film, 2018)

This biopic is based on a true story of Evangelist Carlton Pearson. He faces a painful reckoning when his rejection of Hell's existence shakes the very foundation of his faith community. Once a respected preacher, he becomes an outcast, abandoned by the traditional church and people he devoted his life to. Caught between his conscience and the faith that once defined him, Pearson must find the courage to stand by his convictions, even at the cost of losing the world he once knew.

 

(Carlton Pearson said): “You speak the word of God in this church that God loves us all."

ð     In this line, Pearson wants to emphasize God’s unconditional love is not selective or gravitating towards special group of people in this world. Yet the more he speaks of divine compassion, the more isolated he becomes. The congregation he once led, along with his fellow preachers and mentors, turn against him, leaving him to face the heartbreaking possibility of losing everything he has devoted his life to. At the heart of his struggle lies a profound question: Can a God defined by unconditional love truly be a God of eternal damnation?

 

(Henry, the co-founder of megachurch and close friend of Bishop Pearson, said): “You want proof? It wasn't God's voice you heard. Half our congregation walking out, that was it.”

ð    After witnessing the unimaginable suffering of the Rwandan genocide, Bishop Pearson begins questioning how a God defined by unconditional love could condemn millions of people to eternal damnation simply because they never knew Christ. His Gospel of Inclusion challenges generations of traditional religious teaching, but the consequences are devastating. His congregation begins to walk away, colleagues turn against him, and even those he once trusted become his critics. Henry, the close friend and cofounder of the church, confronts Pearson to face the human cost of his revelation: what if the voice he believes is leading him toward a greater understanding of God's love is also leading him away from everyone he has ever known?

 

(a former church member Keisha encounters Bishop’s wife, Gina at the grocery store and suddenly grabs Gina's hand and prays):

"Dear God, in the name of Jesus, awaken my dear sister from the spirit of deception, and rebuke the demons that have vexed her mind and overtaken her body."

ð     This scene sums up the painful social rejection faced by Bishop Carlton Pearson's family after he embraces his Gospel of Inclusion. Branded a heretic for challenging the traditional doctrine of Hell, Pearson loses the support of his own church community. But the fallout reaches beyond the pulpit, deeply affecting his wife, Gina. When a former church member confronts Gina with an unsolicited, theatrical prayer, believing she must be rescued from her husband's supposed spiritual deception, an act presented as religious concern becomes public humiliation and intimidation. Gina is treated not as a person with her own beliefs and feelings, but as someone who needs saving.

 

 

(Bishop Pearson said): “I'm not rewriting anything, I'm just rereading it."

ð    This is the scene of a service at Higher Dimensions Evangelistic Center where Bishop Pearson shocks his congregation by proclaiming his belief in divine inclusion—the idea that Christ's sacrifice has already reconciled all humanity to God, making eternal damnation incompatible with divine love. When an elder accuses him of rewriting the Bible, Pearson responds that he is simply rereading scripture through a lens of unconditional love. Pearson believes he is rediscovering the inclusive spirit of the Gospel, while his religious community sees his interpretation as a dangerous departure from established doctrine.

 

 

** Jean’s Small Thoughts:

First, let me make it clear that I am not an atheist. At the same time, I would not describe myself as someone who follows religious leaders blindly or accepts interpretations of the Bible without question. Whenever I encounter preachers who distort God's words to manipulate their congregations or serve their own interests, I cannot help but feel deeply disturbed and disheartened.

I realize that my reflections on traditional Christianity may make some believers uncomfortable. Nevertheless, I believe faith should invite thoughtful reflection rather than unquestioning obedience. In that respect, I find myself understanding and identifying with Bishop Carlton Pearson's spiritual awakening to a certain extent. His journey raises an important question: Are we seeking to understand the true meaning of God's love, or simply accepting what religious institutions have taught us to believe?

This film shows a painful battle of Bishop Pearson between personal conviction and institutional faith. That is, what makes Pearson's journey so deeply moving is the painful conflict between faith, conscience, and belonging. As he embraces his Gospel of Inclusion, he begins to question how a loving God could condemn those who never knew Him to eternal suffering. The unsettling question is “When faith demands that we choose between unquestioning obedience and the compassion of our own conscience, what does it truly mean to believe?” As asserted by Bishop Pearson, we might need to reflect not only on the nature of Heaven and Hell, but also on the human need for belonging, the courage to question established beliefs, and the loneliness that sometimes accompanies spiritual transformation.

The scene of grocery market encounter with a former church member reveals the emotional toll of religious intolerance—not only on those who challenge established doctrines, but also on the families caught in the crossfire. It shows how fear disguised as faith and judgment disguised as compassion can turn ordinary encounters into deeply painful experiences of exclusion. I find myself returning to the role of the church, its spiritual leaders, and the communities built around them. There is an unsettling contradiction in how some of the most welcoming religious communities can become deeply exclusionary toward those whose beliefs differ from their own.

Watching James Talarico's political rise in Texas has also prompted me to reflect on what it truly means to interpret God's words. Although his theology differs considerably from Bishop Carlton Pearson's universalist beliefs, Talarico represents a progressive yet distinctly Christian approach to Presbyterian faith. I appreciate his emphasis on inclusivity, gender-conscious language, and broader interpretations of scripture. Naturally, his approach may draw criticism from more traditional Christian circles. Yet his effort to widen the doors of the church while remaining grounded in core Christian teachings raises an important question such as ‘Must faith remain confined to inherited interpretations, or can it grow alongside an evolving society without losing its spiritual foundations?’

I believe this question and the self-reflection it invites are not about dividing people along religious lines, but about embracing our shared humanity and making room for everyone, regardless of their faith or beliefs.