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| Bishop Eddie got some seven figures in Faith Based Intiative $$$ from this ex pres. |
I like to keep up with the Bishop Eddie Long story to remind myself that clerical racketeering and sexual abuse is not limited to certain personality disordered Roman Catholic clergy. The same can be said of all the various True Believers who insist on maintaining their blindness and deafness in the face of mountains of evidence which have long since convinced many of us to stop enabling our own fleecing.
I posted on Bishop Long when the allegations surfaced last year which accused him of sexual dalliances with teen age males in his Congregation. He subsequently settled with five victims for an undisclosed amount of money--rumored to be in the 25 million range- plus the proverbial gag orders. For Jesus' representatives like Bishop Eddie, silence is more golden than gold.
There have always been accusations of financial impropriety around his ministry including allegations of running a Ponzi scheme with another friend. A scheme which Bishop Eddie pushed from the pulpit of New Life Ministries, and then just lately, the news of the on again, off again, on again divorce from his second wife. Anyway, according to beleaguered Bishop Eddie, he just needs a break from the evil media and some time to spend fixing his family problems. The following is from the website pimppreacher.com, which is affiliated with The Church Folk Revolution.
Eddie Long took the stage at 8:00 AM. Everyone surrounded the pulpit and he continuously wiped away tears. He told us over 5 times that him and Vanessa still love each other. He said, about New Birth: "We are a family. She is your mother, and I am your father." (Except, mother still wants to divorce the father.)
He talked about the impact the allegations have had on his family for years, including long before this last year. He said the greatest thing the church can do is continue to show up, and continue to give money. We don't need to listen to the media. (Or to those father has abused with in 'the family'.)
He compares his situation with the Israeli battles where Moses had to keep his hands raised and Aaron would hold up his arms when Moses was tired. He said the battle has lasted longer than originally thought, and he needs us to hold up his arms.
Eddie Long said he needs to take time away to take care of his family and we shouldn't worry. He always puts good people in front of us. He said to still believe in all the prophecies of 2011 and that he already had all of 2012's lesson plans laid out.
The attacks from the media were taking a toll. There are things he'd like to say but can't because he's been advised not to, but he said the divorce has nothing to do with infidelity or the allegations. He said he is not Superman and he doesn't want to be compared to him. He then said he would pray for our families, and he wanted us to pray for his.
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In reading other commentary on Bishop Long's 'sabbatical' I was literally sickened by all the people claiming they would pray for dear old Bishop Eddie, but who somehow didn't feel the need to pray for any of Bishop Eddie's victims. It never ceases to amaze me just how well these 'men of god' can play the victim card and how the media never reports facts, just attacks them and 'takes a toll'. So off into the sunset of reparitive family therapy goes Bishop Eddie all the while singing the collection plate blues, and lest any of his flock forget him, he has already laid out the entire homiletic for 2012. Good Oh.
The good thing about all this was the time I spent reading the exposes of the various other Eddie Longs on the Church Folk Revolution and pimppreacher websites. It was a good reminder that Catholic flocks aren't the only ones being fleeced by their shepherds. The only difference between Bishop Eddie and some of our least and dimmest is Eddie is new clerical wealth and ours are old old clerical wealth. The hope lies in the fact that some of the flock these prosperity frauds have used and abused are now beginning to organize to stop the abuse and greed--especially in the African American Church. Here's part of a flyer given out at Bishop Eddie's last hurrah and tear fest:
......Politicians and preachers have a long - too long - uninterrupted record of doing nothing to advance the welfare of the masses of the Black community. The people must now rise up to 'occupy the pulpits' the tithe money bank accounts and the portfolios of the clergy class. And use the land, real estate and financial resources of the Black Church (multiplied- billions) to assume full responsibility for the social, economic, financial and spiritual redemption of the total African American Community. Sermons and 'salvation-for-a fee have not, can not, and will not SAVE the black community....
If there is a moral to Bishop Eddie's story it lies in the fact Christians of all persuasion are beginning to understand we can't bring in the Kingdom of God on Earth by making unaccountable kings out of narcissists masquerading as God's self anointed representatives. We just make those self anointed representatives hellaciously rich at our expense.
Sad to say, Colleen, the first thing that came to my mind when I read about Eddie Long's decision and then read your article is Herman Cain--another con man, in my estimation. Rather than drop out of the race altogether, Cain is simply suspending his campaign. Which means the money will keep rolling in and he has perfect liberty to do whatever he wishes with it, I understand.
ReplyDeleteWe have developed a culture, it seems, in which people spouting the name of God are given way too much leeway to rake in money and not account for what they do with it (and Cain did invoke God's name several times in his speech about suspending his campaign).
And this behavior mirrors the behavior of the men at the very top of the economic ladder, who bring in enormous sums of money without seeming to feel any responsibility at all to serve the common good with their wealth--and so it becomes hard to blame smaller fish like Cain or Long for their infractions, when they're only doing what the super-rich are doing.
Speaking of Cain, one comment on the Long story, I think it might have been on Religion Dispatches, stated that the media are attacking three of Atlanta's finest Christian men: Long, Cain, and Gingrich. Hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteI actually have no problem judging Long or any other opportunist who uses God and guilt to fleece sheep for money. Given the same opportunities as the super rich, they would act no differently, and less ethically than some I could name.
The really positive thing I take from Long's story is that Black Church Community is starting to see the Light about some of their biggest and brightest 'pastors'. Now if we could only get more Catholics to see the same about some of ours.
It is happening right now Colleen, Some Catholics in Belgium, Austria and Australia are seeing the light about our poor leadership.. There are many independent churches in So. America that sprung up as Ratzinger began to condemn the poor to non changing poverty by condemning the Liberation Theology of the great So. American Theologians. The results in that part of the world seem to be more independent churches and more democratic processes.
ReplyDeleteFifteen years ago in my area of California there was only one independent catholic church now there are at least 10 not counting the original Old Catholic Churches and Protestant churches. Several of the Bishops in these Churches were consecrated by ether old Catholic Bishops or Orthodox Bishops. I wonder were the next 20 years will take the structure of the RCC. Certainly it will not lead to a revival of power in this church unless it changes the way the leaders are chosen. Even Africans are now standing up to the lack of integrity coming from Rome. The pieces of this once great Church shattered by its leadership are everywhere. How will they be put together again?? dennis
The prophet Isaiah has it covered:
ReplyDeleteAh, you who drag iniquity along with cords of falsehood, who drag sin along as with cart ropes, who say, "Let him make haste, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the plan of the Holy One of Israel hasten to fulfillment, that we may know it!" Ah, you who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Ah, you who are wise in your own eyes, and shrewd in your own sight! Ah, you who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant at mixing drink, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of their rights!
Dave, some prophecies just don't seem to ever need updating, and this is one of them.
ReplyDeleteDennis, I trust humanity will be inspired to figure out a way to put the pieces back together again. I'm also sure the pieces are going to describe a completely different picture. The very one we could have seen if the original Christian movement hadn't been utterly co opted by Constantine for Imperial purposes.