Posted on 09/22/2010 4:36:37 PM PDT by rightwingintelligentsia
LITHONIA, Ga. (CBS/WGCL) Two Georgia men have accused Bishop Eddie Long, the outspoken pastor of an Atlanta-area megachurch and anti-gay activist, of abusing his position by coercing them into sexual relationships when they were adolescent members of his congregation, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The men, now 20 and 21, claimed Long misused his spiritual authority by seducing them with lavish gifts such as cars, money, clothes, international trips, jewelry and access to celebrities when they were 17-and 18-year-old members of the pastor's New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga., reports CBS affiliate WGCL.
Lawyers for the men say they filed the lawsuit in DeKalb County Court Tuesday, which states, "defendant Long has utilized his spiritual authority to coerce certain young male members ... into engaging in sexual acts and relationships for his own personal sexual gratification."
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
It was reporting on tonights 11 o’clock news that Long gave $5,000 to Roy Barnes (D-GA) governor campaign. The funeral service of Coretta King (MLK’s wife) was at Long’s church. I gather that was where the Bush hug came from.
What I don’t understand is why this is so prevalent in the Black churches. I have friends in Chicago who say the same thing, that prominent Black ministers are into these teen boys and have them around all the time. Can someone in the African-American Church please comment about this phenomenon. I don’t know if it has anything to do with so-called “Black Liberation Theology” that Glenn Beck talks about, but it seems more than a coincidence.
bump
More and more embarrassing... so-called “conservatives” and leaders in our churches leading the opposite lives they preach.
When will this stop?
This has NOTHING to do with “liberation” of any sort. It has everything to do with the fact that very few black teens have a father in their homes or their lives. Their mothers frequently see the preacher as an ideal man and characterize him that way to their sons. Not surprisingly, men “on the down low” see the ministry as a great opportunity to fulfill all their dreams, from fancy cars to pretty boyfriends.
The Atlanta paper has printed the text of the lawsuits. One after another of these boys talks about how bad it was to grow up without a father and how eager they were for Eddie Long to take that role in their lives. Not surprisingly, Bishop Long even had a secret ceremony where he promised to protect them as a father would a son.
Of course, the leftists who claim fathers do not matter are thoroughly horrified by all of this. Not by the plight of these (and millions more) young men but by the fact that Eddie Long was an opponent of “gay rights.” BLAH!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.