Eddie Long
Encyclopedia
Eddie Lee Long is a controversial preacher and the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
, a megachurch
in unincorporated
DeKalb County
, Georgia
, United States
, near Lithonia
. When Long started as pastor for New Birth Church in 1987, there were 300 church members. Since his installation, membership has reportedly grown to 25,000.
During this time, Long has become the focus of Senate investigations concerning whether he has personally profited from his church's tax exempt status and lawsuits alleging homosexual misconduct with underage male members of his parish. Long has denied wrong doing through his attorneys and has settled the lawsuits out of court.
, to Floyd and Hattie Long and graduated from North Mecklenburg High School in 1972.
Long married Dabara S. Houston in 1981 and they were divorced after a brief marriage. The couple gave birth to son Edward Long. Houston said she was the victim of "cruel treatment" and was afraid of Long's "violent and vicious temper," according to Fulton County Superior Court records. She and her son "had to flee [the couple's Fairburn home] in order to ensure their safety". Long vigorously denied the allegations and Houston was awarded custody of the then 2 year old son.
Long is the husband of Vanessa Griffin Long and the father of four children, Eric, Edward, Jared and Taylor. Edward Long is New Birth's youth director for junior and senior high ministries.
. He then attended North Carolina Central University
in Durham, North Carolina
where Long received a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1977.
Long donated $1 million to North Carolina Central University in 2008 which will be used to establish a professorship in his honor. Long has been under investigation by US Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), along with five other televangelists' ministries, to determine if the ministers are personally profiting from the religious empires they control that are exempt from US taxes. Long stated he was not worried that his million-dollar gift would bring Grassley's magnifying glass back to him. "I am not doing anything wrong and I'm helping my school" Long said. "I am making (the donation) from my own personal income." Long has said that he has had various real estate ventures and also has royalties from his books. Long is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi
fraternity.
Though the degree is unrecognized, Long states that he holds a doctorate
in "Pastoral Ministry" from the unaccredited International College of Excellence, a Bible college accredited by an organization that is not recognized by either the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
or United States Department of Education
, the two institutions responsible for recognizing educational accrediting institutions in the United States (see Accrediting Commission International
).
After being fired by Ford for financial irregularities, Long moved to Atlanta to study theology and became the pastor of a small Jonesboro, GA church. In 1987 he became the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, which at the time had around 300 members. Under Long, membership grew to 25,000.
In 2002, John Blake of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that Long "was consecrated a bishop in 1994 by the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship
, a relatively new movement within African-American Baptist churches that embraces Pentecostal beliefs." According to the Rev. Dan Vojir's analysis: "Long's title of "Bishop" comes from a break-away Baptist organization founded by - of course - self-appointed "bishops": the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship. He separated from this "heretical" group back in 1998, but has conveniently kept the title."
In 2006, Long was chosen by the family of Martin Luther King, Jr.
to host and officiate the funeral for Mrs. Coretta Scott King
, wife of the late civil rights pioneer. The event was attended by four Presidents
(George H. W. Bush
, Bill Clinton
, George W. Bush
and Jimmy Carter
).
Long was a prominent supporter of George W. Bush's faith-based initiatives. His ministry received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Administration of Children & Families. Rev. Timothy McDonald suggested a link between Long's anti-gay activity and the grant saying "If you look at the black pastors who have come out with the faith-based money, they're the same ones who have come out with campaigns on the gay marriage issue."
The congregation of New Birth may be considered part of the Bapticostal movement
. Long says that he has experienced speaking in tongues.
Chuck Grassley
announced an investigation into the tax-exempt status of six ministries under the leadership of Benny Hinn
, Paula White
, Eddie L. Long, Joyce Meyer
, Creflo Dollar
, and Kenneth Copeland
by the United States Senate Committee on Finance
.
has said "Long frequently denounces homosexual behavior." Long has ministered “homosexual cure” programs to recruit gays and lesbians for what he called “Sexual Reorientation” conferences and his church offers an ongoing “Out of the Wilderness” ministry to help convert homosexuals into heterosexuals.
In 2004, Long led a march with Bernice King
to the grave of her father, Martin Luther King, Jr. The march was a protest against same-sex marriage
and in support of a national constitutional amendment
to limit marriage rights to couples comprising "one man and one woman."
In 2006, Long's appearance at Atlanta's Interdenominational Theological Center
's spring graduation stirred up controversy, and led to some students discussing a boycott. Long's invitation prompted Black liberation theologian
James Cone
—who was scheduled to receive an honorary degree—to boycott the ceremony. Thirty-three graduating seniors sent a letter to the seminary's president "questioning Long's theological and ethical integrity to be their commencement speaker." Many students did not agree with Long's beliefs that God can "deliver" homosexuals and his teachings on prosperity
.
A 2007 article in the Southern Poverty Law Center
's magazine called him "one of the most virulently homophobic
black leaders in the religiously based anti-gay movement."
s in DeKalb County Superior Court
alleging that Long used his pastoral influence to coerce them into a sexual relationship with him. In June, one of the accusers, Robinson, had been arrested and charged with burglary in connection with a break-in to Long's office. An iPhone, iPad and other items—more than $1,300 worth—were taken from the office, according to the police report. On September 24, Spencer LeGrande, a member of a New Birth satellite church in Charlotte, North Carolina
, filed a similar suit, making him the fourth man to file a lawsuit claiming sexual misconduct by Long.
The plaintiffs state that Long placed the men on the church’s payroll, bought them cars and other gifts, and took them separately on trips to destinations such as Kenya
, South Africa
, Turks and Caicos Islands
, Trinidad
, Honduras
, New Zealand
, and New York City
. The lawsuits stated that Long would "discuss the Holy Scripture
to justify and support the sexual activity." Flagg's suit claims that Long presided over a "covenant
" ceremony between the two of them; Flagg's attorney said that the ceremony was "essentially a marriage ceremony, with candles, exchange of jewelry, and biblical quotes."
Long denied the allegations through his attorneys and spokesman. In a prepared statement, Long said, "I have devoted my life to helping others and these false allegations hurt me deeply.[...]But my faith is strong and the truth will emerge. All I ask for is your patience as we continue to categorically deny each and every one of these ugly charges."
Roland Martin
, a commentator for TV One, was scheduled to interview Long during a segment on the Tom Joyner Morning Show
to discuss the two lawsuits. However, the lawsuit filed by Parris on September 22 prompted Long's legal team to cancel the Martin interview as well as a planned news conference; Long's attorney spoke to Martin on behalf of his client on Joyner's show instead.
On September 26, Long spoke to the New Birth congregation but he did not address the issue directly. Long spoke of painful times and said, "I've been accused. I'm under attack. I want you to know, as I said earlier, I am not a perfect man, but this thing, I'm going to fight." Long's unwillingness to address the accusations by name prompted a group of over 70 people, headed by the pastor of a small church in South Carolina, to hold a protest rally on the steps of the Georgia state Capitol on 31 October 2010, calling for Long's resignation.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on 27 May 2011 that the lawsuits were settled out-of-court; terms were undisclosed. Later reports indicated that although not a plaintiff, there was a potential fifth accuser who participated in the settlement discussions.
On 30 May 2011, an episode of the documentary series Sex Scandals In Religion aired on Canadian television network VisionTV. It took an investigative look at the allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior by Long with young men in his care.
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is a megachurch run by senior pastor Bishop Eddie Long in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, near Lithonia. When Long started as pastor for New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in 1987, there were just 300 church members...
, a megachurch
Megachurch
A megachurch is a church having 2,000 or more in average weekend attendance. The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to that data, approximately 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000...
in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
DeKalb County
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, near Lithonia
Lithonia, Georgia
Lithonia is a suburban town in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, incorporated as a city. Lithonia's population was 1,924 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
. When Long started as pastor for New Birth Church in 1987, there were 300 church members. Since his installation, membership has reportedly grown to 25,000.
During this time, Long has become the focus of Senate investigations concerning whether he has personally profited from his church's tax exempt status and lawsuits alleging homosexual misconduct with underage male members of his parish. Long has denied wrong doing through his attorneys and has settled the lawsuits out of court.
Personal life
Long was born in Huntersville, North CarolinaHuntersville, North Carolina
Huntersville is a large town in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties, North Carolina, United States. The population was 46,773 at the 2010 census, which makes Huntersville the 19th largest city in North Carolina. It is located about 12 miles north of uptown Charlotte. It is thought that the town...
, to Floyd and Hattie Long and graduated from North Mecklenburg High School in 1972.
Long married Dabara S. Houston in 1981 and they were divorced after a brief marriage. The couple gave birth to son Edward Long. Houston said she was the victim of "cruel treatment" and was afraid of Long's "violent and vicious temper," according to Fulton County Superior Court records. She and her son "had to flee [the couple's Fairburn home] in order to ensure their safety". Long vigorously denied the allegations and Houston was awarded custody of the then 2 year old son.
Long is the husband of Vanessa Griffin Long and the father of four children, Eric, Edward, Jared and Taylor. Edward Long is New Birth's youth director for junior and senior high ministries.
Education
Long graduated from North Mecklenburg High SchoolNorth Mecklenburg High School
North Mecklenburg High School is a high school in Huntersville, North Carolina. The school was founded in 1951 as an all-white school. It integrated in the 1960s. With over 3000 students, it was the largest school population-wise in North Carolina during the 2005-2006 school year. The current...
. He then attended North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University is a public historically black university in the University of North Carolina system, located in Durham, North Carolina, offering programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional and doctoral levels....
in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
where Long received a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1977.
Long donated $1 million to North Carolina Central University in 2008 which will be used to establish a professorship in his honor. Long has been under investigation by US Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), along with five other televangelists' ministries, to determine if the ministers are personally profiting from the religious empires they control that are exempt from US taxes. Long stated he was not worried that his million-dollar gift would bring Grassley's magnifying glass back to him. "I am not doing anything wrong and I'm helping my school" Long said. "I am making (the donation) from my own personal income." Long has said that he has had various real estate ventures and also has royalties from his books. Long is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
fraternity.
Though the degree is unrecognized, Long states that he holds a doctorate
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in "Pastoral Ministry" from the unaccredited International College of Excellence, a Bible college accredited by an organization that is not recognized by either the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
Council for Higher Education Accreditation
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation in order to certify the quality of higher education...
or United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the two institutions responsible for recognizing educational accrediting institutions in the United States (see Accrediting Commission International
Accrediting Commission International
Accrediting Commission International , also known as Accrediting Commission International for Schools, Colleges, and Theological Seminaries, possibly associated with International Accrediting Commission , also known as International Accrediting Commission for Schools, Colleges and Theological...
).
Career
After earning his undergraduate degree, Long worked as a factory sales representative for the Ford Motor Corporation, but was fired after he submitted expense reports that included personal telephone calls.After being fired by Ford for financial irregularities, Long moved to Atlanta to study theology and became the pastor of a small Jonesboro, GA church. In 1987 he became the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, which at the time had around 300 members. Under Long, membership grew to 25,000.
In 2002, John Blake of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that Long "was consecrated a bishop in 1994 by the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship
Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship
The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, International is a fellowship of churches and individuals representing various denominations or organizations that accepts the operation of spiritual gifts in the church today, in reaction to the teachings of many Baptist bodies.-External links:* -...
, a relatively new movement within African-American Baptist churches that embraces Pentecostal beliefs." According to the Rev. Dan Vojir's analysis: "Long's title of "Bishop" comes from a break-away Baptist organization founded by - of course - self-appointed "bishops": the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship. He separated from this "heretical" group back in 1998, but has conveniently kept the title."
In 2006, Long was chosen by the family of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
to host and officiate the funeral for Mrs. Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader. The widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King helped lead the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.Mrs...
, wife of the late civil rights pioneer. The event was attended by four Presidents
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
(George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
, Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
).
Long was a prominent supporter of George W. Bush's faith-based initiatives. His ministry received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Administration of Children & Families. Rev. Timothy McDonald suggested a link between Long's anti-gay activity and the grant saying "If you look at the black pastors who have come out with the faith-based money, they're the same ones who have come out with campaigns on the gay marriage issue."
Theology
Long's sermons, writings and teachings emphasize a "chain of command" between certain superiors and subordinates characterized by "respect, submission and obedience." Long sees the first link in the chain as being a man choosing to be respectful, submissive and obedient to God. A woman chooses to be respectful, submissive and obedient to her father or husband. To live otherwise is to be outside of the divinely established order, and will result in the loss of spiritual and natural benefits.The congregation of New Birth may be considered part of the Bapticostal movement
Bapticostal movement
The Bapticostal movement is a movement in some Baptist churches towards adopting certain elements of the charismatic movement. The word Bapticostal is a portmanteau of Baptist and Pentecostal. The term has been used in a limited manner to describe a worship style of high-tempo Contemporary...
. Long says that he has experienced speaking in tongues.
Salary and Senate investigation
On August 28, 2005 the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that during the period between 1997 to 2000, Long received more than $3.07 million worth of compensation and benefits from his eponymous non-profit charity, Bishop Eddie Long Ministries Inc. Long contended that the charity did not solicit donations from members but instead gained its income from royalties, speaking fees and several large donations. In 2007, SenatorUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Chuck Grassley
Chuck Grassley
Charles Ernest "Chuck" Grassley is the senior United States Senator from Iowa . A member of Republican Party, he previously served in the served in the United States House of Representatives and the Iowa state legislature...
announced an investigation into the tax-exempt status of six ministries under the leadership of Benny Hinn
Benny Hinn
Toufik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn הין; born December 3, 1952) is a televangelist, best known for his regular "Miracle Crusades" – revival meeting/faith healing summits that are usually held in large stadiums in major cities, which are later broadcast worldwide on his television program, This Is Your...
, Paula White
Paula White
Paula Michelle White is a Christian author, speaker, and church leader. She is co-founder of Without Walls International Church; a large, influential, non-denominational, charismatic church with two locations in Florida...
, Eddie L. Long, Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer is a Charismatic Christian author and speaker. Meyer and her husband Dave have four grown children, and live outside St. Louis, Missouri. Her ministry is headquartered in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri.-Early life:Meyer was born Pauline Joyce Hutchison in south St. Louis in...
, Creflo Dollar
Creflo Dollar
Creflo Augustus Dollar, Jr. is an American Word of Faith teacher, pastor, and the founder of the non-denominational World Changers Church International based in Fulton County, Georgia. Creflo Dollar Ministerial Association , Creflo Dollar Ministries, and Arrow Records...
, and Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland is an American author, public speaker, and televangelist. He is the founder of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, which preaches a “prosperity gospel”: "Prosperity gospel assures followers that the more they give including in the form of tithes to the church, the more they will receive...
by the United States Senate Committee on Finance
United States Senate Committee on Finance
The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance is a standing committee of the United States Senate. The Committee concerns itself with matters relating to taxation and other revenue measures generally, and those relating to the insular possessions; bonded debt of the United States; customs, collection...
.
Teaching regarding sexual orientation
CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
has said "Long frequently denounces homosexual behavior." Long has ministered “homosexual cure” programs to recruit gays and lesbians for what he called “Sexual Reorientation” conferences and his church offers an ongoing “Out of the Wilderness” ministry to help convert homosexuals into heterosexuals.
In 2004, Long led a march with Bernice King
Bernice King
Bernice Albertine King is the second daughter and youngest child of civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and Coretta Scott King. Her older siblings are Martin Luther King III, Dexter Scott King, and the late Yolanda Denise King. Bernice is the only King child to become a minister...
to the grave of her father, Martin Luther King, Jr. The march was a protest against same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
and in support of a national constitutional amendment
Federal Marriage Amendment
The Federal Marriage Amendment H.J. Res. 56 was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have limited marriage in the United States to unions of one man and one woman...
to limit marriage rights to couples comprising "one man and one woman."
In 2006, Long's appearance at Atlanta's Interdenominational Theological Center
Interdenominational Theological Center
The Interdenominational Theological Center is a consortium of denominational seminaries located in Atlanta, Georgia. Today ITC educates and nurtures women and men who commit to and practice a liberating and transforming spirituality; academic discipline; religious, gender, and cultural diversity;...
's spring graduation stirred up controversy, and led to some students discussing a boycott. Long's invitation prompted Black liberation theologian
Black liberation theology
Black liberation theology, sometimes shortened to black theology, is a relatively new theological perspective found in some Christian churches in the United States. It maintains that African Americans must be liberated from multiple forms of bondage — political, social, economic, and religious...
James Cone
James Hal Cone
James Hal Cone is an advocate of Black liberation theology, a theology grounded in the experience of African Americans, and related to other Christian liberation theologies. In 1969, his book Black Theology and Black Power provided a new way to articulate the distinctiveness of theology in the...
—who was scheduled to receive an honorary degree—to boycott the ceremony. Thirty-three graduating seniors sent a letter to the seminary's president "questioning Long's theological and ethical integrity to be their commencement speaker." Many students did not agree with Long's beliefs that God can "deliver" homosexuals and his teachings on prosperity
Prosperity theology
Prosperity theology or gospel is a Christian religious belief whose proponents claim the Bible teaches that financial blessing is the will of God for Christians. Most teachers of prosperity theology maintain that a combination of faith, positive speech, and donations to Christian ministries will...
.
A 2007 article in the Southern Poverty Law Center
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...
's magazine called him "one of the most virulently homophobic
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
black leaders in the religiously based anti-gay movement."
Allegations of sexual impropriety and lawsuits
On September 21 and 22, 2010, Maurice Robinson, Anthony Flagg, and Jamal Parris filed separate lawsuitLawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
s in DeKalb County Superior Court
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
alleging that Long used his pastoral influence to coerce them into a sexual relationship with him. In June, one of the accusers, Robinson, had been arrested and charged with burglary in connection with a break-in to Long's office. An iPhone, iPad and other items—more than $1,300 worth—were taken from the office, according to the police report. On September 24, Spencer LeGrande, a member of a New Birth satellite church in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, filed a similar suit, making him the fourth man to file a lawsuit claiming sexual misconduct by Long.
The plaintiffs state that Long placed the men on the church’s payroll, bought them cars and other gifts, and took them separately on trips to destinations such as Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Turks and Caicos Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.The Turks and...
, Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The lawsuits stated that Long would "discuss the Holy Scripture
Religious text
Religious texts, also known as scripture, scriptures, holy writ, or holy books, are the texts which various religious traditions consider to be sacred, or of central importance to their religious tradition...
to justify and support the sexual activity." Flagg's suit claims that Long presided over a "covenant
Covenant (biblical)
A biblical covenant is an agreement found in the Bible between God and His people in which God makes specific promises and demands. It is the customary word used to translate the Hebrew word berith. It it is used in the Tanakh 286 times . All Abrahamic religions consider the Biblical covenant...
" ceremony between the two of them; Flagg's attorney said that the ceremony was "essentially a marriage ceremony, with candles, exchange of jewelry, and biblical quotes."
Long denied the allegations through his attorneys and spokesman. In a prepared statement, Long said, "I have devoted my life to helping others and these false allegations hurt me deeply.[...]But my faith is strong and the truth will emerge. All I ask for is your patience as we continue to categorically deny each and every one of these ugly charges."
Roland Martin
Roland S. Martin
Roland Sebastian Martin is an American journalist and syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate and author of Speak, Brother! A Black Man's View of America, Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith and The First: President Barack Obama's Road to the White House as originally...
, a commentator for TV One, was scheduled to interview Long during a segment on the Tom Joyner Morning Show
Tom Joyner Morning Show
The Tom Joyner Morning Show is a nationally-syndicated program, featuring host Tom Joyner and a team of comedians and commentators reporting and discussing the latest news and sports of the day, playing popular R&B songs from the 1970s through the 1990s as well as contemporary R&B hits, and an...
to discuss the two lawsuits. However, the lawsuit filed by Parris on September 22 prompted Long's legal team to cancel the Martin interview as well as a planned news conference; Long's attorney spoke to Martin on behalf of his client on Joyner's show instead.
On September 26, Long spoke to the New Birth congregation but he did not address the issue directly. Long spoke of painful times and said, "I've been accused. I'm under attack. I want you to know, as I said earlier, I am not a perfect man, but this thing, I'm going to fight." Long's unwillingness to address the accusations by name prompted a group of over 70 people, headed by the pastor of a small church in South Carolina, to hold a protest rally on the steps of the Georgia state Capitol on 31 October 2010, calling for Long's resignation.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on 27 May 2011 that the lawsuits were settled out-of-court; terms were undisclosed. Later reports indicated that although not a plaintiff, there was a potential fifth accuser who participated in the settlement discussions.
On 30 May 2011, an episode of the documentary series Sex Scandals In Religion aired on Canadian television network VisionTV. It took an investigative look at the allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior by Long with young men in his care.
Books
- I Don't Want Delilah, I Need You
- Power of a Wise Woman; What a Man Wants, What a Woman Needs
- Called to Conquer
- Taking Over
- It's Your Time!
- Gladiator: The Strength of a Man
- The Blessing in Giving
- Deliver Me From Adam
External links
- New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
- NPR.com coverage of Senate Megachurch Investigation
- Bishop Eddie Long and The End of the Super Preacher
- Bishop Eddie Long through the years, a picture gallery
- Video Interview of Eddie L. Long on 700 Club, by Pat Robertson
- Video Bishop Long Statement about civil allegations, Atlanta Journal Constitution Video Feed