Televangelist Eddie Long is 'Going to Fight' Sex Allegations
22 replies, posted
[quote]Baptist televangelist Eddie Long said Sunday he will fight allegations that he coerced young male church members into having sex with him.
"I am not the man that has been portrayed on television," he told his congregation.
Speaking publicly about the accusations for the first time, Long did not address the specific allegations contained in four lawsuits filed against him earlier this week.
"I've been accused, I'm under attack," he said, lowering his head and softening his voice behind the pulpit at the New Birth Baptist Church in suburban Atlanta.
"I want you to know, as I said earlier, that I am not a perfect man. But this thing, I'm going to fight," he said. "I feel like David against Goliath, but I've got five rocks and I haven't thrown one yet."
With that, the 57-year-old pastor put down his microphone and walked off stage, receiving deafening applause from the thousands who had come to hear him.
The lawsuits accuse Long of using his power and influence within the 25,000-member church to lure young male church members into sexual relationships. The suits allege that the relationships, which began when the men were in their teens, lasted over many months. [url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/09/24/georgia.pastor.lawsuit/index.html?hpt=T1]READ DETAILS ABOUT THE SUITS[/url]
Long took the young men -- all of them teens at the time -- on trips, including to Kenya, according to the suits. Long allegedly paid for their hotel rooms, and gave the young men gifts, including a car, cash and jewelry -- all in exchange for sexual favors such as massaging, masturbation and oral sex.
The accusations were particularly controversial because Long, who is married, has preached passionately against homosexuality over the years.
In 2004, he led a march to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s grave in Atlanta in support of defining marriage as being between a man and a woman. He once declared that his church had created a ministry that "delivered" people from homosexuality. He has a national presence, has been invited to the White House, runs a popular television ministry, and oversees a worship campus that includes a school.
In the parking lot after the 8 a.m. service Sunday, congregants politely declined to comment to reporters. Three parishioners simply said, "Innocent," and ducked into their cars.
On Saturday, New Birth members voiced support. "I stand behind the bishop because of the leader that he is. He is a true leader. The word that he gives is so rich, it is so life-changing," church member Gary Foster Jr. told CNN.
Gabrielle Richards, who has attended New Birth for nearly eight years, said she has seen no evidence that Long is a sexual predator.
A former New Birth employee, Kevin Bond, said he hopes the allegations are not true. "The evidence ... all of that is very troubling to many of us in the gospel community, the Christian community," said Bond.
Long gave 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. sermons on Sunday. They were essentially the same. Eliciting chuckles from the audience, Long began both by joking, "I gotta talk to my family" of worshippers before addressing what other "folk" -- meaning media -- were there to hear.
Both sermons focused on "understanding painful situations."
He quoted Isaiah: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."
Long encouraged congregants to think about natural disasters -- tornadoes and floods. He specifically named Hurricane Katrina and other "painful situations."
"Bishop Eddie Long will have painful situations," he said.
Shouts of affirmation came from the audience.
"We will walk through this painful situation," he continued.
Then, the bishop quoted the 23rd Psalm.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death ..."
Worshippers were on their feet.
He urged them to stay committed to being "prayerful," then briefly reminded them that it's nearly election time in Georgia, that it was important to vote and be involved.
He then went back to speaking about himself. "Some people think I'm lost," he said. It is those people, he said, who "will have an opportunity to come down to the altar."
New Birth will continue to worship and thrive, he said.
"We ain't gonna stop it," he said.
More cheers. The camera panned to the pastor's wife Vanessa Long. She smiled.
Each sermon ran approximately 20 minutes.
Between sermons, Long spoke briefly to reporters. "I want this to be dealt in the court of justice and not by public opinion," he said. "I will say that I am going to fight, fight very vigorously against these charges."[/quote]
[url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/09/26/georgia.pastor.sex.charges/index.html?hpt=T1]Source[/url]
I thought it was a given that preachers molested children :downs:
Those dern homogays are corrupting our pastors
Have you heard some of his sermons? He claims the Bible is God's semen.
What is with all these pastors? Is it really so hard not to rape children?
[QUOTE=Splurgy_A;25072611]Have you heard some of his sermons? He claims the Bible is God's semen.[/QUOTE]
so if we jam a bible in some woman's vagina we'll get the second coming of jesus?
[QUOTE=Lambeth;25072758]so if we jam a bible in some woman's vagina we'll get the second coming of jesus?[/QUOTE]
:golfclap:
[QUOTE=Splurgy_A;25072611]Have you heard some of his sermons? He claims the Bible is God's semen.[/QUOTE]
I would have assumed a different bodily fluid.
[QUOTE=Splurgy_A;25072611]Have you heard some of his sermons? He claims the Bible is God's semen.[/QUOTE]
I am going to rip a bible up and throw it a public square and yell "BE RELIEVED FOR THOU ART COVERED IN THE SPOOGE OF THE ALMIGHTY"
[QUOTE=Xen Tricks;25072680]What is with all these pastors? Is it really so hard not to rape children?[/QUOTE]
Most don't, you just hear about the ones that fuck up. That applies to everything really.
Eddie Long. :smug:
[QUOTE=Swilly;25076468]Most don't, you just hear about the ones that fuck up. That applies to everything really.[/QUOTE]
yeah im always hearing about doctors and professors raping children]
that shit happens all the time i mean just a while ago one raped two hundred deaf children
oh wait
[QUOTE=Mr. Scorpio;25076502]yeah im always hearing about doctors and professors raping children]
that shit happens all the time i mean just a while ago one raped two hundred deaf children
oh wait[/QUOTE]
Way to take my words out of context. You win a gold star.
[QUOTE=Swilly;25076468]Most don't, you just hear about the ones that fuck up. That applies to everything really.[/QUOTE]
The problem with paedophile priests has more to do with the fact that the Vatican allows it to continue happening
[QUOTE=Swilly;25076530]Way to take my words out of context. You win a gold star.[/QUOTE]
He didn't take your words out of context.
I believe doctors and professors do indeed fall into the realm of "everything".
[QUOTE=Lambeth;25072758]so if we jam a bible in some woman's vagina we'll get the second coming of jesus?[/QUOTE]
no better yet jam it into a man
[QUOTE=thisispain;25078475]no better yet jam it into a man[/QUOTE]
I think we just wrote passion of the christ 2. Get working on it Mel Gibson.
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;25077158]The problem with paedophile priests has more to do with the fact that the Vatican allows it to continue happening[/QUOTE]
This guy is a Basptist Pastor, not a Catholic Priest.
[QUOTE=Jessesmith1;25076501]Eddie Long. :smug:[/QUOTE]
Sounds like a porn star name.
That's right, I tripped and fell on his erect penis!
[QUOTE=hypno-toad;25081636]That's right, I tripped and fell on his erect penis![/QUOTE]
And I kept slipping while I was getting up, until he couldn't control it anymore and accidentally bricked in my mouth.
[editline]10:09PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;25077158]The problem with paedophile priests has more to do with the fact that the Vatican allows it to continue happening[/QUOTE]
No, there's nothing the Vatican could do to deter sexually frustrated priests, other than do the one thing that would make sense.
Abolish the stupid fucking dogma that accompanies religion.
But making sense is strictly forbidden when it comes to religion these days.
[quote]I stand behind the bishop because of the leader that he is. He is a true leader[/quote]
ALL HAIL GREAT LEADER :downs:
For a minute I thought the title said "Sex Alligators". I was all like :wtf:
I hope he realizes nobody cares. I mean, it's not like he has ANY honor or respect to defend. He's a televangelist for crying outloud. I can forgive religious nuts when they're sincere, but people who do it as a commercial business are just sickening.
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