| Senior Pastor Eddie Lee Long |
|
|---|---|
| Born | May 12, 1953 Huntersville, North Carolina |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | USA |
| Alma mater | North Carolina Central University & International College of Excellence |
| Occupation | Pastor |
| Employer | New Birth Missionary Baptist Church |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Spouse | Vanessa Griffin |
| Children | Eric, Edward, Jared, and Taylor |
| Awards | Trumpet Award |
| Website | |
| www.eddielongnews.com | |
Eddie Lee Long (born May 12, 1953) is a preacher and the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a megachurch in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, near Lithonia. When Long started as pastor for New Birth Church in 1987, there were 300 church members. Since his installation, membership has grown to 25,000.
During this time, Long was the focus of Senate investigations concerning whether he has personally profited from his church's tax exempt status and lawsuits alleging sexual relations with underage male members of his parish. Long has denied wrong doing through his attorneys and has settled the lawsuits out of court.
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Long was born in Huntersville, North Carolina, to Floyd and Hattie Long and graduated from North Mecklenburg High School in 1972. He then attended North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina where Long received a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1977.[1]
Long donated $1 million to North Carolina Central University in 2008 to establish a professorship in his honor. Long said, "I am making (the donation) from my own personal income, which comes from various real estate ventures and also has royalties from his books.[1] Long is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
Long holds a doctorate in "Pastoral Ministry" from the unaccredited International College of Excellence, which is operated by Robb Thompson and not accredited by an organization recognized by either the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or United States Department of Education, the two institutions responsible for recognizing educational accrediting institutions in the United States[2][3] (see Accrediting Commission International).[4]
Long married Dabara S. Houston in 1981 and they were divorced after a brief marriage. The couple gave birth to son Edward Long. Houston said she was the victim of "cruel treatment" and was afraid of Long's "violent and vicious temper," according to Fulton County Superior Court records. She and her son "had to flee [the couple's Fairburn home] in order to ensure their safety". Long vigorously denied the allegations and Houston was awarded custody of the then 2 year old son. Houston later allowed their son to live with Long.[5]
Subsequently Long married Vanessa Griffin Long. She filed for divorce on December 1, 2011 and announced her filing in a statement the next morning.[6] On the same day, a statement issued through New Birth stated that Vanessa Long had rethought her decision and would withdraw her petition, but her attorneys later confirmed that she would continue with the divorce.[6] He is the father of four children, Eric, Edward, Jared and Taylor.
After earning his undergraduate degree, Long worked as a factory sales representative for the Ford Motor Corporation, but was fired after he submitted expense reports that included personal telephone calls.[7][8][9]
After being fired by Ford for financial irregularities, Long moved to Atlanta to study theology and became the pastor of a small Jonesboro, Georgia church.[7] In 1987 he became the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, which at the time had around 300 members. Under Long, membership grew to 25,000.[7]
In 2002, John Blake of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that Long "was consecrated a bishop in 1994 by the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, a relatively new movement within African-American Baptist churches that embraces Pentecostal beliefs."[10] According to the Rev. Dan Vojir's analysis: "Long's title of "Bishop" comes from a break-away Baptist organization founded by - of course - self-appointed "bishops": the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship. He separated from this "heretical" group back in 1998, but has conveniently kept the title." [11]
Long's sermons, writings and teachings emphasize a "chain of command" [12] between certain superiors and subordinates characterized by "respect, submission and obedience."[12] Long sees the first link in the chain as being a man choosing to be respectful, submissive and obedient to God. A woman chooses to be respectful, submissive and obedient to her father or husband. To live otherwise is to be outside of the divinely established order, and will result in the loss of spiritual and natural benefits.[12]
The congregation of New Birth may be considered part of the Bapticostal movement.[13]
In 2006, Long was chosen by the family of Martin Luther King, Jr. to host and officiate the funeral for Mrs. Coretta Scott King, wife of the late civil rights pioneer.[14] The event was attended by four Presidents (George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter).[15]
Long was a prominent supporter of George W. Bush's faith-based initiatives.[16] His ministry received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Administration of Children & Families.[16] Rev. Timothy McDonald suggested a link between Long's anti-gay activity and the grant saying "If you look at the black pastors who have come out with the faith-based money, they're the same ones who have come out with campaigns on the gay marriage issue."[16]
On December 4, 2011, Long stated that he would be taking a leave of absence from his ministry in an attempt to save his marriage, and that "he needed time to take care of 'some family business.'"[17]
On December 28, 2011, New Birth Christian Academy, founded by Long, announced it was closing due to lack of donations and "sending hundreds of students scrambling to find a new school by next week", in the wake of Long's marital and sexual problems.[18]
On August 28, 2005 the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that during the period between 1997 to 2000, Long received more than $3.07 million worth of compensation and benefits from his eponymous non-profit charity, Bishop Eddie Long Ministries Inc. Long contended that the charity did not solicit donations from members but instead gained its income from royalties, speaking fees and several large donations.[19] In 2007, Senator Chuck Grassley announced an investigation into the tax-exempt status of six ministries under the leadership of Benny Hinn, Paula White, Eddie L. Long, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, and Kenneth Copeland by the United States Senate Committee on Finance.[20] Long did not cooperate with the investigation, including refusing to disclose his salary.[21] Donations to the church dropped significantly following the controversies surrounding Long's salary and church finances.[22]
CNN has said "Long frequently denounces homosexual behavior."[23] Long has ministered "homosexual cure" programs to recruit gays and lesbians for what he called "Sexual Reorientation" conferences and his church offers an ongoing "Out of the Wilderness" ministry to help convert homosexuals into heterosexuals.[24]
In 2004, Long led a march with Bernice King to the grave of her father, Martin Luther King, Jr. The march was a protest against same-sex marriage and in support of a national constitutional amendment to limit marriage rights to couples comprising "one man and one woman."[25][26]
In 2006, Long's appearance at Atlanta's Interdenominational Theological Center's spring graduation stirred up controversy, and led to some students discussing a boycott. Long's invitation prompted Black liberation theologian James Cone—who was scheduled to receive an honorary degree—to boycott the ceremony. Thirty-three graduating seniors sent a letter to the seminary's president "questioning Long's theological and ethical integrity to be their commencement speaker." Many students did not agree with Long's beliefs that God can "deliver" homosexuals and his teachings on prosperity.[27]
A 2007 article in the Southern Poverty Law Center's magazine called him "one of the most virulently homophobic black leaders in the religiously based anti-gay movement."[23]
On September 21 and 22, 2010, Maurice Robinson, Anthony Flagg, and Jamal Parris filed separate lawsuits in DeKalb County Superior Court alleging that Long used his pastoral influence to coerce them into a sexual relationship with him. In June, one of the accusers, Robinson, had been arrested and charged with burglary in connection with a break-in to Long's office. An iPhone, iPad and other items—more than $1,300 worth—were taken from the office, according to the police report.[28][29] On September 24, Spencer LeGrande, a member of a New Birth satellite church in Charlotte, North Carolina, filed a similar suit, making him the fourth man to file a lawsuit claiming sexual misconduct by Long.[30] The plaintiffs state that Long placed the men on the church’s payroll, bought them cars and other gifts, and took them separately on trips to destinations such as Kenya, South Africa, Turks and Caicos Islands, Trinidad, Honduras, New Zealand, and New York City.[30][31][32] The lawsuits stated that Long would "discuss the Holy Scripture to justify and support the sexual activity."[31] Flagg's suit claims that Long presided over a "covenant" ceremony between the two of them; Flagg's attorney said that the ceremony was "essentially a marriage ceremony, with candles, exchange of jewelry, and biblical quotes."[28]
Long denied the allegations through his attorneys and spokesman. In a prepared statement, Long said, "I have devoted my life to helping others and these false allegations hurt me deeply.[...]But my faith is strong and the truth will emerge. All I ask for is your patience as we continue to categorically deny each and every one of these ugly charges."[33][34][35]
Roland Martin, a commentator for TV One, was scheduled to interview Long during a segment on the Tom Joyner Morning Show to discuss the two lawsuits. However, the lawsuit filed by Parris on September 22 prompted Long's legal team to cancel the Martin interview as well as a planned news conference;[23] Long's attorney spoke to Martin on behalf of his client on Joyner's show instead.[36]
On September 26, Long spoke to the New Birth congregation but he did not address the issue directly. Long spoke of painful times and said, "I've been accused. I'm under attack. I want you to know, as I said earlier, I am not a perfect man, but this thing, I'm going to fight."[37] Long's unwillingness to address the accusations by name prompted a group of over 70 people, headed by the pastor of a small church in South Carolina, to hold a protest rally on the steps of the Georgia state Capitol on October 31, 2010, calling for Long's resignation.[38]
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on May 27, 2011, that the lawsuits were settled out-of-court; terms were undisclosed.[39] Later reports indicated that although not a plaintiff, there was a potential fifth accuser who participated in the settlement discussions.[40] On May 30, 2011, an episode of the documentary series Sex Scandals In Religion[41] aired on Canadian television network VisionTV. It took an investigative look at the allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior by Long with young men in his care.