I just clicked over to the New Birth Baptist church website and it’s down. That’s not surprising given the allegations against the senior minister – Bishop Eddie Long, which are big news in Georgia and the US.
The well known prosperity preacher with a congregation of 25 thousand has been a accused by three men associated with the church of coercing them into having sex with him.
The lawsuits allege coercion, negligence and fraud. The married father of four is actively anti-gay. Pictures have surfaced online of Long posing in a mirror in muscle shirts. The pictures were sent to one of the men who have filed suit against him.
Long plans to hold a news conference tomorrow morning, his spokespeople have called the civil suits ‘shakedowns.’ The church and a church school are also named in court documents as defendants.
Update: Long cancelled a radio show appearance and press conference Thursday citing the advice of his lawyers. He plans to address the allegations in his church on Sunday.
Update 2: 4th man files a civil suit
And why did I leave Christianity? That only leaves about two of my mentors who haven’t faced a law suit or fallen into what Dick Deweert would term, “Moral Failure”.
I suspect it will only be a matter of time until they’re exposed as well.
I’m glad I followed my own moral and spiritual convictions… no telling who I might be defrauding or sleeping with had I not.
I think this is bigger than ‘moral failure.’ Or sexual scandal. This is also financial.
Wittenburg Door put up a clip on Long. If we don’t laugh we’ll cry.
http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/eddie-long-sperm
come out of her my people,lest you SHARE in her SINS….
Rev.18:4,5
Even though I never watched this guy (had no idea who he even was), it’s yet another reason why I have turned off almost all Christian TV anymore (even though I initially got saved as a result of watching it). I used to look up to these people as godly Christian examples of honor but no longer trust them. Hard to take them seriously when they’re living as lavishly as the heathen in Hellywood and their morality no better.
The greed, lavish lifestyles, hypocrisy (”do as I say but not as I do”), ego inflation, being exalted to Christian celebrity status (the veneration being no different than the kind rock stars and Hollywood celebrities receive), heretical word of faith doctrine (”name it and claim it” heresy)…..the lack of formal education and teaching / preaching credentials, the phony doctorates, their best selling books–many of which were ghostwritten by other people, yet the tv evangelist takes all the credit, praise and majority of the money.
When will the insanity stop? When people stop sending them money and start brushing up on their God given discernment. That’s when.
Here’s a tip. Try Googling / Google Video–ing and You Tube–ing— your favourite TV evangelist and see what comes up. If the coast is clear (no scandals, heretical teachings, moral failures, lavish lifestyles, previous lawsuits, previous marriages and kids produced thereby), then go ahead and continue to watch but until then…turn the channel lest you be taken in by their charismania. Be prepared to be disappointed.
I’ve learned to keep my eyes focused on Christ not man. That way, when yet another well known evangelist falls from grace, it can no longer affect me. It just makes me breathe a sigh of relief that I wasn’t apart of their flock in the first place.
Good advice, Jackie. However, you need some discernment with researching a would-be TV preacher; some people are quick to reach for the heresy flag (garden-variety Pentecostals can get tarred even if they don’t buy into some of the really heterodox stuff) and good pastors can occasionally get falsely sued.
The interesting thing in this case is that you have a Baptist pastor who has bought into a Prosperity Gospel mindset. Normally that’s a Pentecostal/charismatic view, but you can get flavors of it in Baptist circles; The Prayer of Jabez guy is a Baptist as well.
Mark: What kind of Baptist is Eddie Long? (ie: Southern, Independent)?
Bene, maybe this will help explain: http://www.cephasministry.com/baptists_bapticostals.html
THE CHURCH HAS NO DISCERNMENT !!! It seems they are zombies on drugs incapable of thinking normally. WHY ON EARTH would anyone follow this guy? They don’t live in reality. I’m SO glad I’m done with all this chariswitchcraft mess. The Lord is reducing those FAKE movements to ZERO, out of the face of the earth. So many have been deceived even sincere people. THE GREAT APOSTASY !!!
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Tim caught that he has some Pentecostal roots; I confirmed that with a quick Google. That might explain the prosperity gospel angle.
Hey ALL of the original church was/IS “pentecostal”. You a cessassionist?
Chill there law632 – if cessassionists have something to say let them say it without jumping down their throats because they aren’t you – ok?
lol.
Church – onward! To the 1st century – and beyond! I go to Alliance churches and AB Simpson, the founder, was 100% pentecostal. Now they’re cessationist. As far as I know.
AB Simpson didn’t coin “seek not, forbid not” I think that was Tozer.
http://www.worthychristianlibrary.com/ab-simpson/
The CM&A position is more ‘practise not’ in regards to tongues, but from my experience the rest of the gifts are encouraged.
“from my experience the rest of the gifts are encouraged.”
Especially the gift of “Money”. LOL
Tozer “seek not, forbid not” vs Paul …. 1Co 12:31 Zealously strive after the better gifts. 1Co 14:1 Pursue love, and seek earnestly the spiritual things, and rather that ye may prophecy,
1Co 14:5 and I wish you all to speak with tongues.”
Just sayin’. I know Tozer was anti-cessationist. But how could he not know of the imperative voice (command) ….
I finally found a background on Long’s affiliation which makes sense to me.
From The Big Daddy Weave:
http://www.thebigdaddyweave.com/2010/09/bishop-eddie-long-the-baptist.html
“Long’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church was once affiliated with the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship. FGBCF describes itself as a “muti-cultural” and “multi-denominational” organization.
While Paul Morton was the principal founder of the Full Gospel Fellowship, Long is often referred to as one of the organization’s “Founding Fathers.” The Full Gospel Fellowship was founded in 1994 in an attempt to “bridge the gap” between Baptist and Pentecostal faiths. Charismatic gifts such as tongues were affirmed. Long was consecrated as the third presiding Bishop of the Full Gospel Fellowship in early 1994.
Unlike other Baptist groups, Full Gospel Fellowship does not have a congregational system of governance. Instead, it has an episcopal hierarchy featuring “Tiers of Leadership” including an Executive Council, Bishops Council, Auxillary Bishops, Regional Bishops, State Bishops, State Overseers, General Overseers, and District Overseers. According to one Baptist historian, traditional African-American denominations “objected to [Full Gospel Fellowship's] charismatic theology and opposed their strong episcopal structure as threats to Baptist polity.”
Bishop Long and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church later left the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship as did many of the organization’s “Founding Fathers.” Once a Bishop in a “multi-denominational” and “Baptist” organization with an episcopal hierarchy, Long is now the senior pastor of a church with no denominational affiliation.”