Eddie Long (other)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Eddie Lee Long (May 12, 1953 – January 15, 2017) was an American
pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
who served as the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a megachurch in unincorporated
DeKalb County, Georgia DeKalb County (, , ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 764,382, making it Georgia's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat is Decatur. DeKalb County is inclu ...
, from 1987 until his death in 2017. When Long started as pastor for New Birth Church, there were 300 church members, which grew to 25,000. During this time, Long was a subject of a Senate investigation, concerning whether he personally profited from his church's tax-exempt status, which eventually ended without a finding of wrongdoing. Also, civil lawsuits were filed against him alleging sexual abuse of underage male members of his parish. Long denied wrongdoing through his attorneys, and privately settled the lawsuits out of court for undisclosed amounts.


Early life and education

Long was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 12, 1953, the son of the Rev. Floyd M. Long Jr. and Hattie Long. He attended
North Carolina Central University North Carolina Central University (NCCU or NC Central) is a public historically black university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by James E. Shepard in affiliation with the Chautauqua movement in 1909, it was supported by private funds from b ...
in
Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...
, where he received a bachelor's degree in
Business Administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...
in 1977. Long then worked as a factory sales representative for the
Ford Motor Corporation Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobile ...
. He was fired after he submitted expense reports that included personal telephone calls. Long claimed to hold a
doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
in "Pastoral Ministry" from the unaccredited International College of Excellence, which is not recognized by either the
Council for Higher Education Accreditation The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for academic quality through accreditation in order t ...
or
United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
, the two institutions responsible for recognizing educational accrediting institutions in the United States


Ministry

Following his dismissal from Ford, he moved to Atlanta to study theology and became the pastor of a small
Cedartown, Georgia Cedartown is a city and the county seat of Polk County, Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 10,190. Cedartown is the principal city of and is included in the Cedartown, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is i ...
church. 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. The church may be considered part of the
Bapticostal movement The Bapticostal movement is a movement in some Baptist churches towards adopting certain elements of the charismatic movement. The word ''Bapticostal'' is a combination of ''Baptist'' and ''Pentecostal''. The term has been used in a limited manne ...
. In 1994, Long was given the title "bishop" in the
Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship (FGBCF) or Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International (FGBCFI) is a predominantly African-American Charismatic Baptist denomination established by Bishop Paul Sylvester Morton, a former National ...
, a group of black Baptist churches that embraced
charismatic Charisma () is a personal quality of presence or charm that compels its subjects. Scholars in sociology, political science, psychology, and management reserve the term for a type of leadership seen as extraordinary; in these fields, the term "ch ...
practices. Long's sermons, writings and teachings emphasize a "chain of command" between certain superiors and subordinates characterized by "respect, submission and obedience". Long saw 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. Long was considered a preacher of the prosperity gospel who taught that his followers would be blessed with material wealth. In 2008, he ended its partnership with the
Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship (FGBCF) or Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International (FGBCFI) is a predominantly African-American Charismatic Baptist denomination established by Bishop Paul Sylvester Morton, a former National ...
.


Career events

In 2006, Long was chosen by the family of Martin Luther King Jr. to host and officiate the funeral of Coretta Scott King, wife of the late
civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...
pioneer. The event was attended by four Presidents,
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
,
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
,
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
and
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
. Long was a prominent supporter of George W. Bush's
faith-based initiatives The White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, formerly the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) is an office within the White House Office that is part of the Executive Office of the President ...
. His ministry received a million dollar grant from the U.S. Administration for Children & Families. 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." On January 31, 2012, a video was released depicting a ceremony at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church wherein
Messianic Jewish Messianic Judaism ( he, or , ) is a modernist and syncretic movement of Protestant Christianity that incorporates some elements of Judaism and other Jewish traditions into evangelicalism. It emerged in the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier ...
preacher Ralph Messer presented a Torah scroll to Long, wrapped him in it, and symbolically elevated him to a position of spiritual kingship before a cheering congregation. Some Jewish leaders objected and characterized the ceremony as disrespectful to the Jewish faith and traditions. In 2008, Long donated $1 million to his alma mater, North Carolina Central University, to establish a professorship in his name, saying "I am making (the donation) from my own personal income," which comes from various real estate ventures and royalties from his books.


Personal life

Long married Dabara S. Houston in 1981. They were divorced in 1985. The couple have a 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 allegedly "had to flee the couple's Fairburn home in order to ensure their safety". Long vigorously denied the allegations and in 1985 Houston was awarded custody of the then 2-year-old son. Long married Vanessa Griffin in 1990. After he was accused of sexually molesting young fatherless boys in the church, she filed for divorce in December 2011. On the same day New Birth's public relations firm claimed that she had rethought her decision and would withdraw her petition: "Upon further prayerful reflection Vanessa Long is withdrawing the divorce petition." However Griffin's attorneys later confirmed that she would continue with the divorce. In response, 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.'" Later that month, 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 the following week", in the wake of Long's marital and sexual problems. On February 17, 2012, one of Long's lawyers, Lawrence Cooper, confirmed to the ''Atlanta-Journal-Constitution'' that Vanessa Long had asked that the divorce petition be dismissed. Cooper declined to say if the Longs were reunited. In an emailed response to the AJC, Vanessa's lawyers declined to comment. On September 5, 2012, during the Heart to Heart Women's Ministry Conference at New Birth, Vanessa Long stated that while she struggled with the decision to divorce Long following those accusations of sexual misconduct with male minors, she chose to return to her marriage and to the New Birth family so she could share her experience and offer guidance for others.


Controversies


Salary and Senate investigation

In 2005, ''
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...
'' reported that between 1997 and 2000, Long received more than $3.07 million worth of
compensation and benefits Compensation and benefits (C&B) is a sub-discipline of human resources, focused on employee compensation and benefits policy-making. While compensation and benefits are tangible, there are intangible rewards such as recognition, work-life and de ...
from his 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. In 2007 a three-year investigation by the United States Senate Committee on Finance into the tax-exempt status of six ministries, including Long's, concluded that there were no definitive findings of wrongdoing. Donations to the church dropped significantly following the investigation of Long's salary and church finances.


Teaching regarding sexual orientation

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
had stated that "Long frequently denounces homosexual behavior." Long had ministered "homosexual cure" programs to recruit homosexuals for what he called "Sexual Reorientation" conferences and his church offers an ongoing "Out of the Wilderness" ministry to
convert Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...
homosexuals to heterosexuality. In 2004, Long led a march with
Bernice King Bernice Albertine King (born March 28, 1963) is an American lawyer, minister, and the youngest child of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. She was five years old when her father was assassinated. In her adolesc ...
to the grave of her father, Martin Luther King, Jr. The march was a protest against
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
and in support of a national constitutional amendment to limit marriage rights to couples comprising "one man and one woman." In 2006, Long's appearance at
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
's
Interdenominational Theological Center The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is a consortium of five predominantly African-American denominational Christian seminaries in Atlanta, Georgia, operating together as a professional graduate school of theology. It is the largest f ...
's spring graduation led to Black theologian
James Cone James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...
—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 Prosperity is the flourishing, thriving, good fortune and successful social status. Prosperity often produces profuse wealth including other factors which can be profusely wealthy in all degrees, such as happiness and health. Competing notion ...
. A 2007 article in the
Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white su ...
's magazine called him "one of the most virulently homophobic black leaders in the religiously based anti–gay movement."


Allegations of sexual impropriety and lawsuits

In September 2010, Maurice Robinson, Anthony Flagg, Jamal Parris and Spencer LeGrande filed separate
lawsuit - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
s alleging that Long used his pastoral influence to coerce them into sexual relationships with him. The plaintiffs state that Long placed the men on the church's payroll, bought them cars and other gifts, including overseas trips. The lawsuits stated that Long would "discuss the
Holy Scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...
to justify and support the sexual activity." 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." 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." Long's unwillingness to address the accusations directly 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. In May 2011, that the lawsuits were settled out of court. The terms were undisclosed. Later on, media outlets indicated that Centino Kemp was the fifth accuser who also settled. On May 30, 2011, an episode of the documentary series ''Sex Scandals In Religion'' 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.


Weight loss and death

In August 2016, Long received major attention on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
when he posted a video on
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
of himself showing his drastic weight loss. In the video, he said he was eating "raw vegetables" instead of a "slave menu" and that he was not on any medications. In September 2016, Long issued a statement saying he was "recovering" from an unspecified illness and that the illness was "unrelated" to his diet. Long died on January 15, 2017, at the age of 63. The church issued a statement describing the cause of death as an "aggressive form of cancer".


Books

* ''Your Vision Is Too Small'' * ''I Don't Want Delilah, I Need You!: What a Woman Needs to Know and what a Man Needs to Understand'' * ''What a Man Wants, What a Woman Needs: The Secret to Successful, Fulfilling Relationships'' * ''The Power of a Wise Woman'' * ''Called to Conquer: A Daily Devotional to Energize and Encourage You in Word and Spirit'' * ''Taking Over'' * ''The Church: Living Without Love'' * ''Gladiator: The Strength of a Man'' * ''The Blessing in Giving'' * ''Deliver Me From Adam'' * ''60 Seconds to Greatness: Seize the Moment and Plan for Success'' with
Cecil Murphey Cecil "Cec" Murphey (born January 28, 1933) is an American writer, whose books are in categories such as nonfiction, biography, caregiving, memoir, fiction, and inspirational. He has best sellers to his credit, most notably ''90 Minutes in Heaven'' ...


References


External links


New Birth Missionary Baptist Church


a picture gallery {{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Eddie 1953 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Protestant religious leaders 21st-century Protestant religious leaders 20th-century American bishops 21st-century American bishops American television evangelists Baptists from North Carolina African-American Christian clergy Prosperity theologians Baptist writers Writers from Charlotte, North Carolina North Carolina Central University alumni Fort Valley State University Interdenominational Theological Center alumni Religious mass media in the United States Sexual abuse scandals in Baptist Christianity Deaths from cancer in Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century Baptists 20th-century American clergy 21st-century Baptist ministers from the United States 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people Black conservatism in the United States