Silence And Shame In The Black Church

By: L. Lamar Wilson

I empathize with Eddie Long's accusers.

In August, two of them, Spencer LaGrande and Jamal Parris, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the alleged wounds of what they call exploitation by the man they knew as "bishop" and "Daddy" are still fresh.

"I'm fighting not to pull the trigger," Parris said, days after receiving probation for drug and gun possession charges. "I'd love to take pills and never wake up."

"The truth should've set [us] free," he added, paraphrasing John 8:32. "I thought I could cover the pain up. I thought I could move, start over and everything would go away. I was terribly wrong. I'm living a lifestyle meant to crash."

Those summer interviews with the newspaper and two Atlanta TV stations, during which LaGrande and Parris reaffirmed accusations of sexual coercion by the mega-church pastor when they were teens, have jeopardized nearly $1 million of a settlement they and fellow litigants have been paid by Long (who has denied the allegations and settled the lawsuit for "closure"). Moreover, they have lost their legal team because of Long and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church's request for a new arbitration hearing.

I worry most about Anthony Flagg and Maurice Robinson, also part of the settlement, who must remain silent.

I know this silence and shame well. CONTINUE....

Related articles

• Man at center of Eddie Long probe speaks out (thegrio.com)
• Bishop Eddie Long Reaches Settlement in Sexual Coercion Lawsuit (newsfeed.time.com)
• Is the Contemporary Black Church a Sanction of Sexual Abusers (politicore.wordpress.com)

Long Accuser: Trysts Occurred On Church Grounds

By: Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — One of four men accusing megachurch Bishop Eddie Long of coercing them into inappropriate sexual relationships said in a TV interview that aired Wednesday that he and the pastor would have encounters before and after worship services on church grounds.

Jamal Parris, 22, told Fox TV affiliate WAGA that they engaged in sexual acts at Long's home, in his car and his office at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in surburban Atlanta, similar to claims he made in his lawsuit last week.

CONTINUE....

Ga. Megachurch Pastor Denies Abuse Allegations

Bishop Eddie Long, the pastor of a Georgia megachurch, says that he will fight allegations that he lured young men into sexual relationships and that he is not the man being portrayed in the media.

Georgia Pastor Eddie Long Spent A Generation Building His Megachurch

By ERRIN HAINES
Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA (AP) -- Bishop Eddie Long built his congregation into a megachurch empire, telling his followers God wanted them to be wealthy and delivering fiery sermons with a secular swagger. But that empire hangs in the balance amid accusations he had sexual relationships with three young men.

On Sunday mornings, Long is usually draped in regal robes and dripping with diamonds and platinum - the kind of material rewards he often says are in God's plan for those listening. He hangs with celebrities like rapper T.I. and donates money to charities and candidates. Even the county sheriff is among his followers.

Long spent more than 20 years building all that up. And his 25,000 followers aren't about to let it all come tumbling down after the three men filed lawsuits claiming the bishop abused his spiritual authority.

CONTINUE....

Bishop Eddie Long Sued By Two Men For Sexual Coercion

(CNN) -- Two Georgia men have filed a lawsuit claiming that prominent Atlanta, Georgia, pastor Eddie Long coerced them into sex.

The suits, filed Tuesday in DeKalb County, Georgia, allege that Long used his position as a spiritual authority and bishop to coerce young male members and employees of his New Birth Missionary Baptist Church into sex.

"Defendant Long has a pattern and practice of singling out a select group of young male church members and using his authority as Bishop over them to ultimately bring them to a point of engaging in a sexual relationship," the suits allege.

Long is considered one of the nation's top black preachers. His church has more 25,000 members, according to the suit, and was the site of Coretta Scott King's 2006 funeral, attended by then-President George W. Bush and three previous presidents. King was the widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The pastor took one plaintiff, Anthony Flagg, 21, on overnight trips to a half-dozen American cities in recent years, Flagg's suit alleges.

CONTINUE....