BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

martinez_jacquie-00441 Enjoyed movie. Great casting. A must see for everyone. Thank you netwfilx for making this moving. Kept my attention the entire time. Again a must see movie for everyone.

sddavis63 I suspect that most people will evaluate this movie based on their personal belief systems. Fundamentalist Christians will hate it because it portrays a high profile Christian leader moving away from fundamentalism and into a universalist theological perspective. More progressive types will likely rate it higher for that same reason. The theology contained within it (such as Hollywood can really portray theology) is interesting. Certainly, the point gets made that the Bible can be used to defend either a fundamentalist (salvation through Jesus alone) perspective or a universalist (God saves everyone regardless of what they believe) perspective. I'll choose not to wade into the theological debate. Suffice to say that as a pastor I am neither fundamentalist nor universalist; I believe both perspectives (which make determinations about a person's eternal destiny) defy Jesus' instructions not to judge. I believe the gospel is intended to provide assurance in Christ without judgement on those outside Christ. I'll leave it at that.As for the movie itself, it's the story of the faith journey of Carlton Pearson (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor.) A protege of Oral Roberts (Martin Sheen), Pearson was ordained by the Church of God in Christ (a fundamentalist, pentecostal-type denomination) and eventually became pastor of a mega-church of more than 5000 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. But over the course of his ministry there, his theology began to change and he started to struggle with the concept of hell and divine punishment, eventually becoming a believer in universalism (or, universal reconciliation.) That led to a major split in his church and ultimately his being declared a heretic by the t College of African American Pentecostal Bishops.I disagree with where Pearson's theology took him, but I can nevertheless ire his willingness to stand for what he believed in the face of the incredible pressure that was brought to bear on him to recant. It certainly showed how difficult both theologically and personally it would be for a pastor to radically change his or her views. It not only caused problems within the church and had repercussions for Pearson's career, it also ended relationships and turned friends into enemies. It's interesting to trace Pearson's theological journey, but there's no real "excitement" to the story. It's simply biographical. If I were to hazard a guess I would say that the perspective of those who made the movie (it's a Netflix production) is sympathetic to Pearson, although the portrayal of Oral Roberts was, I thought fair and balanced.This will probably be of most interest to those who have a theological interest in universalism. (6/10)

mmasonforever Don't believe the lie, in the Bible it clearly states in John 14:6 Jesus said "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."You simply cannot get to heaven with out a relationship with Jesus Christ. Carlton Pearson has been spreading a false doctrine and Not everyone will go to heaven..Matthew 7:21 "not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."The Bible even warns about false prophets like Carlton... Mark 13:22 For false massiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.I'm sure Carlton is a good man with good intentions, but he is far from the message of Jesus Christ on this one.This whole movie is to stir up a lie and its the reason why it ended up on Netflix.

moherring Well acted, well paced biopic, good music. What happens when an established pastor's thinking takes a radical turn? Balanced portrayal of sincere religious people grappling with different interpretations of what defines faith.