Eddie Long: homophobe, narcissist, con artist
WASHINGTON — There has never been much to admire about the ministry of Eddie Long, who presides over the much-hyped New Birth Missionary Baptist mega-church in Lithonia, Ga. He is a homophobe, a narcissist and a con artist — a man much more devoted to his own wellbeing than that of his congregants or his larger community. He has misused his pulpit in ways large and small, including a self-aggrandizing abuse of the title “bishop,” a rank that doesn’t officially exist among Baptists.
Given Long’s extremely flexible ethics over the years, it’s no surprise that he chose to engage in hush-hush negotiations aimed at settling the sexual misconduct allegations brought against him by four young men. If the civil cases are settled — a settlement is reportedly close — they will likely require non-disclosure agreements by all parties. Long would then continue to insist that he did nothing wrong.
But he has already lost his halo — his fancy-suited, private-jet-flying, bling-wearing persuasiveness that coaxed millions of dollars out of his parishioners over the years so he and his wife could live large. He will no longer be able to draw big crowds to his anti-gay rants without eliciting snickers and snide remarks.
His credibility has been severely strained, and a secret settlement would simply ratchet up the unease that many among his parishioners must already be feeling. Wouldn’t a man of the cloth who has been falsely accused of coercing young men into having sex with him insist on a public trial to clear his name? Didn’t Long say last year that he would “fight and fight vigorously?”
He has been accused of the worst sort of exploitation. Three of the young men say the relationships started when they were teen-agers and members of a church ministry called the “LongFellows Youth Academy.” (Did I mention Long’s narcissism?) His accusers say the minister treated them to overseas trips and/or fancy gifts in exchange for sexual favors.
Church finances have already suffered in the wake of the lawsuits. The church has laid off employees and cut salaries, according to a message posted on a church Web site in March.
Of course, there are many members who insist they don’t believe the accusers. When a popular minister is charged with wrongdoing, he can always count on the unquestioning support of some. But many members will find that the spell has been broken; Long’s aura of invincibility has faded; his air of authority, once so powerful, is greatly diminished.
And that’s a very good thing.
There is now a well-established pattern of closeted gay ministers in conservative circles, men who turned their fears and unease about their sexuality outward, preaching fiery sermons that condemn homosexuality as an “abomination.” Those ministers have thrived for years in churches large and small before their deceits were uncovered. They have served congregations black, white and mixed.
But nowhere have those closeted gays — and their bigoted but straight brethren — done more harm than in the black church, where homophobia drives gays into the closet and fuels covert sexual activity. That, in turn, allows HIV/AIDS to thrive.
Nearly half the Americans living with HIV/AIDS are black, though black Americans account for less than 13 percent of the population. In the face of that staggering epidemic, too many black churches have been complicit, fostering a “down-low” culture by encouraging denial, fear and shame among gay parishioners.
Long has been in the front ranks of the homophobes. In 2004, he led thousands to march in support of a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
It’s unlikely he’d be able to draw such crowds to march under his banner again. And that, too, is a very good thing.
- Cynthia Tucker
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295 comments Add your comment
Kamchak
April 27th, 2011
11:43 am
Name-jacker at 9:31.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The profession of shaman has many advantages. It offers high status with a safe livelihood free of work in the dreary, sweaty sense. In most societies it offers legal privileges and immunities not granted to other men. But it is hard to see how a man who has been given a mandate from on High to spread tidings of joy to all mankind can be seriously interested in taking up a collection to pay his salary; it causes one to suspect that the shaman is on the moral level of any other con man.
But it’s lovely work if you can stomach it.
Robert A. Heinlein
Dude
April 27th, 2011
11:43 am
DannyX, That could be applied to anything. Here, read this:
Gently grab the shaft, insert in your mouth and move it in and out vigoursly until a foam is reached”
Not porn, instructions for brushing your teeth! LOL
Danny boy, bottom line is you’re going to see what you want to see in order to attempt to justify your own actions whatever they may be. But after all is done, we will all hae to answer to the creator and his judgements. You should visit here. ww.needgod.com
Have a good one!
Tech Man
April 27th, 2011
11:47 am
DebbieDoRight
April 27th, 2011
8:47 am
Larry Craig, Bob Allen, Glen Murphy, Jr ministers? What church?
Tech Man
April 27th, 2011
11:52 am
Help! I am trying to understand the following paragraph:
—–
But nowhere have those closeted gays — and their bigoted but straight brethren — done more harm than in the black church, where homophobia drives gays into the closet and fuels covert sexual activity. That, in turn, allows HIV/AIDS to thrive.
—–
What does discrete or open have to do with the practice of safe sex? How am I missing whatever point CT is trying to make?
Dude
April 27th, 2011
11:53 am
The only point CT is trying to make is if You’re against her you’re bad. If you’re for her, you’re acceptable.
Tech Man
April 27th, 2011
11:54 am
sean smith
April 27th, 2011
8:23 am
Don’t those working for non-profits pay taxes on their earnings?
Tech Man
April 27th, 2011
11:58 am
Carlosgvv
April 27th, 2011
8:47 am
It is God and if you are Christian, Jesus Christ, you are responding to. The deliverer of the word is human and all humans sin.
Tech Man
April 27th, 2011
12:05 pm
Keep Up the Good Fight!
April 27th, 2011
8:18 am
Franklin Graham and his organizations, Samaritan’s Purse and Billy Graham Evangelistic Association pander to white people.
Give me a break. Providing millions in worldwide relief and spreading the message of Jesus Christ is pandering?
Tech Man
April 27th, 2011
12:06 pm
Keep Up the Good Fight!
April 27th, 2011
8:18 am
Trump, Murdoch ministers?
Tech Man
April 27th, 2011
12:09 pm
DBH
April 27th, 2011
8:50 am
Yes, yes, and yes!
DebbieDoRight
April 27th, 2011
12:16 pm
Larry Craig, Bob Allen, Glen Murphy, Jr ministers? What church?
Didn’t say they were; used them (and the attached video) to debunk the posters claim of (a) only black and (b) only blacks are “hypocritical”.
DannyX
April 27th, 2011
12:17 pm
“is fancy-suited, private-jet-flying, bling-wearing persuasiveness that coaxed millions of dollars”
Wealth envy? Is that what Jesus suffered from?
What a revision! Must be from a Buckhead church or North Point mega church where the poor have been instructed to sell all their belongings and give the money to a rich man.
In this revision Jesus stuck up for the rich and not the poor. Its called trickle down Christianity.
Tech Man
April 27th, 2011
12:17 pm
Call it like it is
April 27th, 2011
8:56 am
You are upset that the minister has a secretary? Has a company (church provided) car?
DannyX
April 27th, 2011
12:21 pm
“Providing millions in worldwide relief and spreading the message of Jesus Christ is pandering?”
Matthew 6/1 to 6/4
Tech Man
April 27th, 2011
12:21 pm
DebbieDoRight
April 27th, 2011
12:16 pm
About every person in the world is hypocritical about one thing or another.
DebbieDoRight
April 27th, 2011
12:21 pm
Tech Guy is this name more appropriate?
Paulk.
Just wondering………
DebbieDoRight
April 27th, 2011
12:23 pm
About every person in the world is hypocritical about one thing or another.
Of course. But a religious leader, a “shepherd” if you will who has “sheep” following him/her; should be held to a higher standard.
That’s just like saying “everyone steals from time to time”. Well, would you feel happy if your accountant followed that same line of thought?
Jack
April 27th, 2011
12:26 pm
I just love when these loud mouthed self proclaimed hypocrites are busted for the very thing they were spouting against. DebbieDoRight @ April 27th, 2011 8:47 am listed a slew of the ones busted for gay activities while they were so outspoken against it. Cynthia, I normally don’t agree with what you write in your column but in this case you were dead on right. Why tho people in that church continue to send him money is beyond me. If you want to send me some my way, I’ll pray for you too while holding the prayer cloth that I got from the TV preacher last month. $20 each prayer sounds good. In fact if you send a $100 love offering I’ll toss in a few for free. Churches need to lose that tax exempt status that makes all of us pay more because we have to make up the difference. They should be taxed like any other business, especially since they are usually nothing but political action committees pushing their agenda on every one else.
guy
April 27th, 2011
12:26 pm
In most cases in life in general,there is the caught and the uncaught.People fell for Hitler’s promises and his lies so it’s been going on since the beginning of time.
Payback is hell,isn’t it?
Tech Man
April 27th, 2011
12:26 pm
DannyX
April 27th, 2011
12:21 pm
Wrong! I have never known Franklin or his father to use their charitable giving for self promotion as what Matthew 6/1-6/4 discusses.
Tech Man
April 27th, 2011
12:28 pm
DebbieDoRight
April 27th, 2011
12:23 pm
My point exactly. That is why I asked about Murphy, Craig…. They are not ministers.
DannyX
April 27th, 2011
12:30 pm
“Wrong! I have never known Franklin or his father to use their charitable giving for self promotion as what Matthew 6/1-6/4 discusses.”
You did. You made it the issue. You made the spectacle. You sinned.
Tech Man
April 27th, 2011
12:30 pm
DannyX
April 27th, 2011
12:17 pm
When did Stanley instruct the poor to sell all their belongings and give the money to a rich man?
Kat
April 27th, 2011
12:33 pm
My mother always said, notice what the preacher raves against the most. Whatever he is most passionately vocal against is the very thing he is most tempted by.
Tech Man
April 27th, 2011
12:35 pm
Lynn
April 27th, 2011
10:25 am
Don’t forget to tax unions and political donations.
YourPoliticalAnimal
April 27th, 2011
12:35 pm
His wife must be wondering, ” Why wasn’t I enough?” . . .
Good Grief
April 27th, 2011
12:46 pm
DannyX – Not to start kicking a dead horse again, but are you familiar with any toher parts of the Bible beside Matthew 6? The other day you and I had a discussion on Galloway’s blog and you kept quoting Matthew 6. I believe at one point you actually stated that Matthew 6 was the only commandment that Jesus ever gave. I was just curious if that was the only part of the Bible you knew…
Good Grief
April 27th, 2011
12:47 pm
*other
Sorry for the typo.
Kamchak
April 27th, 2011
12:50 pm
The only point CT is trying to make is if You’re against her you’re bad. If you’re for her, you’re acceptable.
And here we have the perfect example of talk-radio programming.
Talk-radio doesn’t have to tell you what to think.
They merely indoctrinate you in how to think in binary fashion.
Sunshine
April 27th, 2011
12:51 pm
I guess he will be changing his name to Eddie Short in the future.
Alatsea
April 27th, 2011
12:55 pm
CT, you sound jealous of the “bishops” possessions, As for bilking $$$$ from his followers just shows the weakness and small mindedness his parishioners, same on them for being fooled by a modern day snake oil salesman!
Tech Man
April 27th, 2011
12:59 pm
DebbieDoRight
April 27th, 2011
12:21 pm
Yep!
Really last word
April 27th, 2011
2:01 pm
Beware of those who call themselves “Reverend” and “Bishop” . . . they aren’t always what they portray themselves to be! They are deceivers!
Really last word
April 27th, 2011
2:01 pm
Don’t mean all of them . . . but, often it doesn’t take much to figure out which ones!
C Food
April 27th, 2011
2:10 pm
“CT, you sound jealous of the “bishops” possessions, As for bilking $$$$ from his followers just shows the weakness and small mindedness his parishioners, same on them for being fooled by a modern day snake oil salesman!”
She is jealous! Jealous that all of her favorite liberal posters here don’t have a squat to scrape together to financially support her and her delusions. CT just shows the weakness and small mindedness her rabid posters, shame on them for being fooled by a modern day snake oil saleswoman!
Aquagirl
April 27th, 2011
2:14 pm
I am totally bookmarking this column by CT. Next time someone starts whining “why don’t you ever mention what black people are doing?!?!” they should be required to insert this next to the foot in their mouth.
Renee
April 27th, 2011
2:14 pm
The AJC and Cynthia Tucker should be sued for slander and defamation of character.
Miz New Yawk
April 27th, 2011
2:59 pm
Can anyone tell me what Mrs.Long has to say about this? Has she defended him or kept quiet?
JoeATL
April 27th, 2011
3:01 pm
Way to go Cynthia! Thank you for writing this piece!
buck@gon
April 27th, 2011
3:15 pm
“But nowhere have those closeted gays — and their bigoted but straight brethren — done more harm than in the black church, where homophobia drives gays into the closet and fuels covert sexual activity. That, in turn, allows HIV/AIDS to thrive.
Nearly half the Americans living with HIV/AIDS are black, though black Americans account for less than 13 percent of the population. In the face of that staggering epidemic, too many black churches have been complicit, fostering a “down-low” culture by encouraging denial, fear and shame among gay parishioners.”
Cynthia,
I don’t have many facts in front of me, but the ones I do have lead me to believe that you are overstating (as usual) the problem of refusal to recognize and properly deal with homosexuality. In a group of people wherein two in three black children are born illegitimately, or without a father entirely, and wherein many children are born WITH AIDS, I’m guessing that the issue isn’t just homosexuality, bigotry and closeted repression among the religious.
Good luck telling that to your dippy liberal friends.
Who the hell am I kidding? You won’t listen, anyway, will you?
willie lynch
April 27th, 2011
3:21 pm
I personally don’t find anything redeeming in Eddie Long, Freeflow Dollar, Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Franklin Graham…I could go on for a while.
People can believe what they want and follow whom they please. But the devotion to men who claim a position closer to your creator than you should raise the critical question, who say’s you are anymore God’s agent than I am? Critical thinking: the only reason blue is so, is because we accept it as such. These men are who they are because you accept them as such. Why would I turn my understanding of the written word over to another when I am perfectly capable of discerning and comprehending what I’ve read?
That aside, those who claim these faith’s and follow these men, is it not in your instruction to persevere? Are you not instructed to be long
suffering? Are you told to stay away from judgement? If this man provided you with spiritual sustenance why leave him in his hour of tribulation?
He is only a man, flawed and fallible if he was good for your walk yesterday he should be good today. The test is not only his, it’s yours.
Kamchak
April 27th, 2011
3:27 pm
…if he was good for your walk yesterday he should be good today.
People are beginning to come to the realization that they were not good for the walk yesterday.
Ray Malloy
April 27th, 2011
3:33 pm
Awesome job Cynthia!!!! I wish I’d taken a pic of the Bishop and the cute young man seen dining with him at Mi Cocina Mexican Restaurant in Plano Tx a few months ago.I guess the Bishop thought he was getting away from his own tribe at The Shops Of Legacy….He Didn’t!!!! He was seen ha ha ha….
Come on out, Eddie.
April 27th, 2011
3:36 pm
On this one, I agree with you, CT. As I wrote to a friend the other day, “The big mighty [Bishop] is accused of stuff, it comes out in the public; he stands before the congregation and the press and says,”This thing…I’m gonna fight!” And then after the public display, he wishes to settle this PRIVATELY behind closed doors with mediation…terms never to be revealed…!!!? Oh No. C’mon on out with it, dude! Coward. Guilty coward.
If you’re so innocent, Eddie Long, why you hiding…? And those New Birth folks are so blinded by this man, some of them will say that he “just wanted to get this behind him so he can get on with his ministry, his work for the Lord. These guys just wanted money and bishop is so upright, he complied because he’s got the lord’s work to do,” etc.
One of my BEST friends–a VERY smart guy–who goes to NB told me, “Bishop is just under attack.” Puh-lease.
My concern, as I wrote to someone in the young men’s camp, is, with mediation, the young men can’t say anything; but Long, from his pulpit, can fashion his sermons to make it sound like he was victorious (similar to what he did Easter Sunday!) and the guys won’t be able to say anything. That’s not fair.
Yes, I want a public trial, no settlement. If not a trial, then SOME way, for the sake of those men, I want this closeted fraud to come out, have to admit his guilt, and apologize to the Christian faith. Yet there are those blind folks at NB who will still think that this guy doesn’t even have to make a poop.
YourPoliticalAnimal
April 27th, 2011
3:41 pm
I just held my breath for several hours waiting for Cynthia Tucker or one of her acolytes to find in the Bible where our Lord Jesus or one of his holy apostles and prophets showed approval for homosexual relationships, including marriage . . . I’m about to turn blue . . . my point is, let us stop trying to make God’s will fit our own worldly passions and prejudices . . . If the Bible doesn’t say it’s a sin, don’t proclaim it to be a sin . . . if the Bible says it’s a sin . . . it’s a sin, no matter what any journalist, politician, Reverend, or anybody else says . . . for example, the Bible doesn’t say that drinking is a sin . . . but it does warn about abusing wine and “strong drink.” But many Christians, in their zeal, have proclaimed it as a sin . . . this is the same thing that Jesus’s enemies, the Pharisees, did . . they added to God’s word and thus corrupted their lives and those of those under their influence (Matthew ch. 23) . . . but homosexuality is called “vile,” and “abormination, ” and “wicked” . . . and Christians should stop apologizing for what the Book has said . . . if a gay person wants to be saved, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will indeed be saved, but don’t think that the Lord has to approve of your vile lifestyle, because he doesn’t . . . just as he doesn’t have to approve of the vile lifestyles of heterosexuals . . . “be not deceived, God is not mocked . . . we shall reap what we sow . . . “
Kamchak
April 27th, 2011
3:46 pm
. . . my point is, let us stop trying to make God’s will fit our own worldly passions and prejudices . . .
[...]
. . . if a gay person wants to be saved, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will indeed be saved, but don’t think that the Lord has to approve of your vile lifestyle…
Glass house, meet stone.
willie lynch
April 27th, 2011
3:53 pm
Kamchak
April 27th, 2011
3:27 pm
People are beginning to come to the realization that they were not good for the walk yesterday.
————–
I have to disagree. There have been people who have turned their lives around under the ministry of some men. These gains are not lost in that persons life simply because the veneer has been removed from their beloved minister.
My point is if you follow your word, leaving the church because of this seems to be a flimsy reason.
Luv God
April 27th, 2011
4:05 pm
I am involved in executive compensation for a large company in GA. Believe me they have nothing on the top religious leaders of our day. For one, they get heavily taxed on their salaries and perks while preachers like Eddie Long get their’s tax free. Please correct me if I am wrong. We talk about tax breaks for millionaires, but many of America’s wealthiest people give generously and setup foudations to give even more. Think Oprah and Bill Gates. The Chairman of the company where I work established a scholarship fund for his employees after he had his first grandchild. I see more of an example of giving among secular leaders than many mega-church leaders who seem to be more and more about me, me, me. Check out the tale of Samuel’s corrupt sons in the Bible for a good example of a priesthood who put their desires about those of the people of God.
Luv God
April 27th, 2011
4:06 pm
Enter your comments here
Luv God
April 27th, 2011
4:07 pm
Sorry. It is Eli’s sons, not Samuel’s.