Bishop Eddie Long: Church of the Down-Low?
Claims to fame: Rabidly anti-gay activist; Christian televangelist; senior pastor, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a Lithonia, Georgia, megachurch of more than 25,000 members; “Prosperity Gospel” preacher; remarried divorcé (thus, an adulterer); accused sex-for-gifts rapist of young men
Video after the jump.
Moral apex #1: Openly hatin’ on the gays. In 2007, Brentin Mock penned a profile of Long for the Southern Poverty Law Center:
Despite [his] affinity for sweaty, macho men, Long is one of the most virulently homophobic black leaders in the religiously based anti-gay movement. …“It is the most unattractive thing I have ever seen, when I see women wearing uniforms that men would wear, and women fighting to get in the military!” Long shouted to his congregation… “The woman gets perverted to turn towards woman … and everybody knows it’s dangerous to enter an exit! And everybody knows, lady, if you go to the store and buy these devices [marital aids], it’s Memorex! It ain’t real!”
The audience, seated in a congested sanctuary, erupts in laughter. But what Long says next is no joke.
“God says you deserve death!” …
In 2004, Long and his followers vigorously supported a proposed amendment to the Georgia state constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Civil rights activists cringed as Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, Bernice, handed a torch to Long, whom she has referred to as her “new father,” as they marched side by side to her biological father’s gravesite in a demonstration held “to protect the institution of marriage.” …
When Bernice’s mother Coretta Scott King died last year, her memorial service was held at Long’s church. Harry Belafonte, the actor, refused to attend. Julian Bond, chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, protested the funeral as well.
“I knew her [Coretta Scott King's] attitude toward gay and lesbian rights,” Bond told AOL Black Voices. “I just couldn’t imagine that she’d want to be in that church with a minister who was a raving homophobe.”
In addition to Long’s works, the bookstore in the front lobby of New Birth carries only the books of other high-profile white and black homophobes from the Christian Right. …
Last year, Long extended an invitation to gays and lesbians looking for a “cure” to attend a “Sexual Orientation and Reorientation” conference at New Birth. The event consisted mostly of “ex-gay” ministers like the Rev. D. L. Foster and former gangsta rapper Samantha Coleman preaching that people can be “delivered” from the “unwanted desires” of homosexuality. …
New Birth also offers an ongoing ministry called “Out of the Wilderness” that claims to help gays and lesbians “convert” to heterosexuality. …
“Homosexuality and lesbianism are spiritual abortions,” Long says. “Homosexuality is a manifestation of the fallen man.”
“In 2006, Long’s appearance at Atlanta’s Interdenominational Theological Center’s 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.” (Wikipedia)
“Good for the students,” wrote Keith Boykin. “Bishop Eddie Long needs to be challenged. You can’t pimp the black community in the name of God and expect never to be criticized.”
Moral apex #2: Secretly lovin’ on the gays? On September 21, 2010, two men filed suit against Long, claiming he “coerced them into having sex with him in exchange for lavish trips, cars and cash,” reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The plaintiffs, Anthony Flagg, 21, and Maurice Robinson, 20, began having inappropriate relations with Long at the age of 16, which is the legal age of consent in Georgia, said their attorney B.J. Bernstein. The men are seeking a trial by jury and unspecified damages.”
The paper adds: “The men’s attorney called Long a ’sexual predator’ and said she is now talking to other potential victims.”
Notes Joe Jervis: “The two men claim that whenever they attempted to initiate relationships with young women, Long would intervene and attempt to end things.”
You can read Maurice Robinson’s lawsuit and Anthony Flagg’s.
Anything else? Yep, money questions: “On August 28, 2005, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution printed a front page spread accusing Long of mishandling funds that were funneled through a charity started by Long. The article reports that from 1997-2000, the non-profit charity, Bishop Eddie Long Ministries Inc., provided him with at least $3.07 million in salary, benefits and the use of property. Long contended that the charity did not solicit donations from members but instead gained its income from royalties, speaking fees and several large donations.” (Wikipedia)
Memorable observation:
He is a celebrity preacher in the black church world and a star in the evangelical world as well. His church is one of the largest in the country.In the pulpit, Long seamlessly blends muscle and ministry.
He wears tight shirts that display his weight-lifter arms. He writes books such as “Gladiator, the Strength of a Man,” that teaches men how to be warriors for God. He says he has a special calling to reach out to men. …
His public statements about gays and lesbians have helped reinforce homophobia in the black church, says Shayne Lee, a sociologist and author of “Holy Mavericks: Evangelical Innovators and the Spiritual Marketplace.”
“The homophobic atmosphere he helped perpetuate,” Lee said, could “come back to possibly harm him.” …
Lee … says he expects [Long] to mount a fierce counterattack.
“He’ll demonize the accusers,” Lee said, “and couch it in terms of how the enemy Satan is trying to hurt the ministry.”
— “Accused pastor crusaded against homosexuals“
CNN, September 22, 2010
Suggested Bible reading for Mr. Long:
Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.— Jeremiah 23:24
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