Reports: Eddie Long is close to settlement in sexual misconduct lawsuit

Reports are coming out that Eddie Long, pastor of the megachurch New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, is close to settling a case with four young men who filed a lawsuit last year claiming that he coerced them into sexual relationships.

This comes months after Long made a huge announcement in front of his congregation that he intends to fight charges:

Judge Johnny Panos said lengthy negotiations might soon bring the civil lawsuit involving New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Bishop Eddie Long to a close. Long has denied the allegations.
Panos said Friday that lawyers for both sides began meeting Monday and have spent a total of more than 60 hours in face-to-face negotiations.

The irony of this entire thing is, of course, the fact that Long is known for speaking out publicly against lgbt equality, especially marriage equality. According to blogger Rod2.0Beta:

In addition to being one of the nation's most prominent pastors, Long is also among the most vocal critics of gay rights and same-sex marriage in the Black church. In December 2004, one month after voters approved an amendment to the Georgia state Constitution that banned gay marriage, Long led a 25,000 person march against gay rights and marriage equality.

And according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Long has also been very vocal in expressing his anti-gay opinions:

"Men can look attractive when they are dirty," writes Bishop Eddie Long in his 1997 book I Don't Want Delilah, I Need You! "We see sweating, dirty, hardworking men on television all the time and we say to one another, 'There's a macho guy.'"

Despite this affinity for sweaty, macho men, Long is one of the most virulently homophobic black leaders in the religiously based anti-gay movement. His book, subtitled What a Woman Needs to Know, What a Man Needs to Understand, appeared in the midst of a roaring growth period for Long's New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga., near Atlanta. During the mid-'90s, it swelled to over 18,000 congregation members, men and women who worship in a multimillion-dollar complex that's the size of most major universities, spread out on 240 acres of land.

Much of what appears in I Don't Want Delilah was espoused in the videotaped "Back to the Future” sermon Long gave when his church was still small.

"It is the most unattractive thing I have ever seen, when I see women wearing uniforms that men would wear, and women fighting to get in the military!" Long shouted to his congregation then. "The woman gets perverted to turn towards woman … and everybody knows it's dangerous to enter an exit! And everybody knows, lady, if you go to the store and buy these devices [marital aids], it's Memorex! It ain't real!"

Even if there is a settlement, this will no doubt leave a huge stigma that will no doubt follow Long for the rest of his ministerial career.

Whatever the case may be, there is one good thing about this entire hot mess. I seriously DOUBT that Long will be saying stuff like the following for a loooooong time:




Related post:

Eddie Long scandal - Chronology of what has happened and where we are now