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)

With Weakened Economy, Churches Seeing Harder Times

By: Tom Breen


CHARLESTON, W.Va. - On a recent Sunday, the Rev. Richard Mahan scrapped a sermon on forgiveness. He felt compelled instead to address the economic turmoil battering the nation.

"Everybody's facing hard times," he told worshippers at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Charleston. "If you're not, you're going to."

Include churches in that dismal forecast.

With the economy in crisis, congregations around the country are cutting expenses at the very moment many members need help with food, heating bills and gasoline.

Some members of the clergy say their fundraising has remained steady despite the economic downturn, but how long that will last is unclear. Some are postponing building plans and delaying new programs just in case.

Among the congregations faring best are those with a strong tradition of tithing - the biblical mandate to give at least 10 percent of one's income to the church.

At Stevens Creek Community Church in Augusta, Ga., which practices tithing, "you would never know that things are taking a nosedive in terms of the economy," said Dave Willis, a pastor.

"It's part of the DNA here, so we have seen some consistency even in rough times," said Willis, whose church draws an average of 1,300 worshippers each Sunday.

With Weakened Economy, Churches Seeing Harder Times....