Eddie “The Monster”

The pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Bishop Eddie Long, was recently accused of compelling sexual activities with four young men attending his church. Allegedly, the four men were at the age of consent during the periods of molestation. So what is everyone getting so worked up about? Well, for one, he’s a pastor and he should not be having sex with anyone other than his beloved wife. Two, and most importantly, it contradicts his “beliefs” and teachings that homosexuality is a mortal sin. He even participated in a march to support the ban on gay marriages in Atlanta.

On Sunday, September 26, Bishop Long faced the New Birth congregation, and the media for the first time after accusations were made. All he could say after being absent from church for a month (there were guest speakers to substitute for Bishop Long before the accusations went public) was that “[he’s] not a perfect man” and that he is denying the charges. With this response, he failed to fulfill the curiosity of his audience, and left plenty of room for the media to inflict their artistic assumptions in the minds of society.

After service on Sunday, Bishop Eddie Long allegedly banned the media from entering his church, and refused to speak with anyone else unless he was in a courtroom. By blocking the media and avoiding the situation, Bishop Long is openhandedly signing his name on the molester list. Think about it. What do you think when you come home to find your puppy sitting quietly under the table with his tail in between his legs? That he’s done something wrong, and doesn’t want you to find out. How about when you ask for report cards and your child mentions everything else, but the location of the report card? You’re probably thinking that if the report was any good they would just hand it over. But when they stall you have every reason to believe that the letters on that card are located between “C” and “G” in the alphabet.

The point that I am making is that deception and avoidance stem from a guilty conscience. If he is innocent, then he should say it and charge the young men for slander. But by avoiding this situation, he is diminishing his credibility, trust, and respect.