NPR - Associated Press November 1, 2010
Megachurch Pastor Denies Abuse Allegations
The megachurch pastor accused of luring four young men into sexual relationships categorically denied the allegations for the first time in a court filing Monday, saying he was only a mentor to the men who filed civil lawsuits against him.
Bishop Eddie Long has for weeks vowed he would fight the lawsuits in court, and promised in church sermons he would not let the legal troubles prevent him from doing its work. While his attorney has denied the allegations on his behalf, Long had not refuted them publicly until he filed his legal response. He said in the filing that each of the "claims of sexual misconduct are not true."
The men, who were 17 and 18 at the time, say Long abused his spiritual authority to lure them into trysts with cars, jewelry and cash. Their attorney B.J. Bernstein said she doesn't have much physical evidence backing up the complaints, but that she plans to subpoena records from Long that will show he traveled with the young men to New Zealand and elsewhere.
Bernstein declined to comment because she had not yet received the response.
Long, though, said in the four separate documents that he often encouraged his New Birth Missionary Church members to call him "daddy" and that some even called him "grandaddy," but that the term was a sign of respect.
The bishop also said in the documents that he has long shared rooms with some of his church members, and that his parishioners often hug him. And while he admitted to giving the plaintiffs gifts, he said he often provided many members of his church with financial assistance.
Long became one of the nation's most powerful church leaders over the past two decades, transforming a suburban Atlanta congregation of 150 into a powerhouse of 25,000 members that includes high-profile athletes, entertainers and politicians.
The bishop is a father of four who has been an outspoken opponent of gay marriage and his church has counseled gay members to become straight. But the TV preacher's empire was threatened in September when the four men filed the lawsuits.
Two of the young men say he targeted them after they enrolled in the church's LongFellows Youth Academy, a program that taught teens about sexual, physical and financial discipline. The other two — one of whom attended a satellite church in Charlotte, N.C. — have made similar claims.
Local and state authorities have declined to investigate because Georgia's age of consent is 16. And Long, for his part, has promised in church sermons that he would not let his legal troubles prevent him or his church from doing its work.
"I feel like David against Goliath," he said in a sermon in September. "But I got five rocks, and I haven't thrown one yet."
This article was found at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130986735
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Posts
Wife of televangelist Eddie Long files for divorce as Long’s career crumbles.
ReplyDeletefrom the blog Assassin Actual at:
http://freethoughtblogs.com/assassin/2011/12/03/death-of-a-salesman/
You know, in the grand scheme of things there are not a lot of televangelists in the world. But boy oh boy do they always seem to get into trouble, perhaps disproportionately so. I don’t know if that is true, but someone should do a study. I guess it’s the trifecta of fame, sex, and power. The great tri-force of greed caught another man of god while I was gone and the fallout is settling. Eddie Long, you were a bad boy.
Not only is Long allegedly among the ranks of dirty molesters of children as demonstrated when he recently settled “a lawsuit filed by four young men who accused him of pressuring them into sexual relationships while they were teenagers and members of Long’s congregation at New Life Missionary Church in Lithonia, Georgia.” Which is both really freaking sad and even worse, these types of actions are almost what we expect from pastor these days.
But wait, there is more. Mr. Long was also pushing a Ponzi scheme. In his sermons he urged his flock to invest with his personal friend, Ephren Taylor Jr. The problem was that Ephren investment scheme, which promised a 20% return on all investments, turned out to be too good to be true. Long’s followers were led to believe that god itself had sanctified the investment and many lost their entire life savings to the fraud. What makes me think Mr. Long is guilty is an apparent pattern of dishonesty. Long settled out of court in the molestation case in order to prevent the details from getting aired before a judge and he continues to defend Mr. Taylor months after the Ponzi scheme story broke and subsequent investigation revealed the dishonest financial practice.
While many of Mr. Long’s defrauded followers continue their spiritual relationship with him, his wife has decided to cut all ties and file for divorce. That decision is probably good for her and this whole incident is yet another reminder that power corrupts and in the end, you reap what you sow.
(Sources: CNN Belief Blog, The Root)