whatsup?: Whatsup With Eddie Long?

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Manipulation and Spiritual Molestation
http://imspeakingtruth.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/manipulation-and-spiritual-molestation/

September 29, 2010 UPDATE

October 5, 2010 UPDATE

Please note, this blog is dedicated to exposing false gospels while presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ uncompromised. My goal is to present the true Gospel in such a way that the counterfeiters appear painfully obvious. This is not a blog dedicated to the downfall of Eddie Long, and I look forward to not dedicating so much time in feeding his ego - he just happens to be the wolf-de-jour lately.

That said, when my wife and I joined Club New Birth in 1996, the “theme” for the year was “Putting The House In Order”. This theme was in reference to Eddie Long’s sweeping power grab around 1994-1995. Eddie had been leading New Birth since 1987, and he grew tired of seeking approval from the Deacon Board – after all, he had been the pastor for 7 years…he shouldn’t have to answer to anyone.

Eddie summarily dismissed the entire Deacon’s Board and removed all structure of accountable from CNB - making himself the Chief – and appointed a “board” of minions to rubberstamp his proclamations. More than twenty years later, this board is still rubber stamping Eddie’s narcissistic cravings (even after exposure in a scathing Atlanta Journal-Constitution article from 2005 detailing Eddie’s lucrative earnings from his “non-profit” organization). Eddie revised the church’s constitution making clear that he was/is the Head Negro In Charge.

I clearly remember how Eddie bragged from the pulpit and preened about taking “control away from the Deacon Board” – under the guise of making leadership more transparent. What he did, however, was establish a fiefdom where all power emanated and rested with him and his hand-picked “amorbearers” and hangers-on. Certainly a Deacon Board should not control church operations, but the bible does specifically call for church polity (or government).

Christ is the Head of the Church (Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18 and more…). The Church is to be free from external authority and control (again, Titus 1:5), but two offices were clearly established to help maintain order: Elders (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; 1 Timothy 5:17 and more…) and Deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13; Acts 6).
In fact, if Club New Birth had any polity, they would deal with Eddie’s alleged sex scandal according to scripture (emphasis added):
1 Timothy 5:19-21 (New American Standard Bible)

¹⁹Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.
²⁰Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.
²¹I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.

So according to scripture – you know, the bible…that “thing” that Eddie’s club is supposed to use to govern spiritual matters – Eddie should be protesting his innocence FROM A PEW IN HIS CLUB – NOT FROM THE PULPIT! But what do you expect from an oligarchical pimpistry?

Eddie’s power grab is old history – I saw some of this firsthand. After reading my community newspaper today recently, however, I was surprised to learn that Eddie revised Club New Birth’s articles of incorporation with the Georgia Secretary of State in 1997 – declaring that the church was now a corporation whose purpose is “to receive and maintain real or personal property”:

No say for New Birth members

Talk this week about whether Bishop Eddie Long might step down from New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in the wake of the gay sex scandal that has dominated the airwaves, raises a single question.
If it came to that, who can make Long leave his church?
According to New Birth’s restated articles of incorporation, filed with the Georgia Secretary of State on April 14, 1997 – none of its 25,000 members.
In fact, according to those articles, New Birth, the corporation, has no members, and its purpose is “to receive and maintain real or personal property.”
None of its 11 Articles of Incorporation indicate anything about it being a church or propagating Christianity.

That is in stark contrast to the church – Travelers Rest Baptist – that it succeeded in 1984.

As a point of history for all you non-Dekalb County (GA) residents, Travelers Rest became New Birth in 1984 after some members left to follow Ken Samuels, the then pastor (Samuels now leads the gay-leaning Victory Church in Stone Mountain, GA). New Birth hired Eddie in 1987, and the rest is history…

Not much surprises me about Eddie Long anymore – including that dead racoon he now let’s ride atop his skull – yet this revelation blew me away. The article goes on to say:

Article 9 of the restated articles states:
“The purposes for which the corporation is organized are to receive and maintain real or personal property, or both” and “to use and apply the whole or part of income for charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational purposes” related to the corporation’s nonprofit status.
Article 6 reads:
“The Corporation hereby elects to have no members.
“Any action which would require a vote of members shall require only a vote of members of the Board of Directors, and no meeting or vote of members shall be required for this Corporation, any provision of the Articles of Incorporation of this Corporation or the Bylaws to the contrary withstanding.
“All rights which otherwise would vest in the members shall vest in the Directors.”

Conversely, other churches in the area include specific language regarding their purpose:

The Ray of Hope Christian Church has members, and no CEO. In its June 24, 1988, incorporation, it states that it is a “non-profit religious organization” formed to “proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Church in faithful response to God’s Will and purposes as revealed; to seek in all persons a faith and commitment to Jesus Christ, to serve the community of which it is a part; and to bring the Gospel message to bear upon society….and in all ways to seek to make known the love of God.”

So we already knew that Eddie Long is NOT a real bishop in accordance with 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, but at least we can confirm that he is officially a CEO – and Club New Birth is nothing more than a company (that enjoys tax exempt status, by the way). Incidentally, this company is artfully skilled at developing managers to spread Eddie’s false gospel in satelite churches, essentially making Eddie a franchise owner-operator. This revelation completely aligns with an article in this weekends Atlanta Journal-Constitution explaining Eddie’s “branding power” and how the sheeple at CNB are more faithful to Eddie than they are to God:
Bishop Eddie Long | Brand pastor built fosters fierce member loyalty

ATLANTA — A billboard near an Atlanta highway reads, “Love Like Him, Live Like Him, Lead Like Him.” The motto refers to Jesus Christ, but the smiling face next to it is that of Bishop Eddie Long.

Long built a humble suburban Atlanta congregation into a giant TV ministry on the strength of his charisma and his interpretation of the Gospels, including the magnetic idea that the faithful will be rewarded with wealth. It’s a doctrine the architect and leader of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church embodies with his own luxury lifestyle, including a private jet, jewels, a luxury automobile and a mansion.

“It’s like the ‘in’ church to be associated with,” said Terry Belton of Charlotte, N.C., who has attended the New Birth church there with his wife. “You feel like you’re going to prosper by being associated with that church. A lot of people go there because of him. We went … because of him.”

Oh, it get’s better (or worse):

“Eddie Long is the embodiment of their way of life, the pathway to their salvation,” said branding expert Goldie Taylor, who lived for years in the neighborhood where New Birth is located and has watched the church’s phenomenal growth.
“If something happens to negatively impact the power of the brand that is Bishop Eddie Long, you have to ask yourself, where will New Birth be?” Taylor said. “If they can’t believe in him, what can they believe in?”

Now call me stupid – but I thought the point of attending church was to express your belief in God and worship with other believers…oh wait, I forgot – Eddie told the State of Georgia that CNB IS NOT a church…forget what I just wrote. I always knew that Eddie was a master marketer, so the fact that he leads a “corporation” makes more sense to me now.
Now, slowly read this tidbit from Carlton “The Heretic” Pearson – I told you, Pearson and Long run in the same circles (literally and figuratively):

“He’s top of the line, one of the best at it,” said Bishop Carlton Pearson, a friend of Long’s for 20 years. “He’s a tall, muscular, well-spoken, handsome black man with power and influence and authority. It’s very intoxicating, both for him, and for those who drink from that same spiked fountain.”

I’m trying to suppress my inner 3rd grader, otherwise I could crack jokes about Pearson’s attraction to Eddie…I’ll just leave his quote with you for a moment…
Alas, the sheeple of CNB will more than likely stand by their embattled CEO, as dutiful representatives of a company are apt to do:

Whatever comes of the lawsuits, members of New Birth may be inclined to stand by their leader because of how he transformed their church, which Spelman College professor William Jelani Cobb called “the spiritual equivalent of Yankee Stadium.”
“To say that you’re a member of New Birth has a certain cachet,” Cobb said. “When you see the plain size of the grounds and the campus, if you’re one that believes in this idea of God’s elect, that’s the most compelling argument that they must be teaching a valid gospel.”

So sheer stadium size is an indication that Eddie Long and wolves of his ilk are “teaching a valid gospel”? No, it’s validation that Eddie and his ilk are speaking what the tickling ears want to hear.

Thank God through His Son Jesus Christ that He is exposing this wolf (and other wolves) as true enemies of the Gospel of Christ. I ask that you prayer for the people of CNB and that the Lord remove their delusion long enough for them to flee this “corporation”.

--- end ---

December 8, 2010 UPDATE

If it walks like a gay bishop, and talks like a gay bishop…

Published December 8, 2010

…then it must be a gay bishop.

Eddie Long (the “bishop” pictured above with “Ms. Sophia”, a well-known transvestite here in Atlanta) is apparently ready to mediate with his accusers and provide them with a financial settlement to make this whole sexual coercion and abuse story go away.

I’m not a lawyer, but I don’t think that people seek mediation to settle a case that alleges heinous activity if THEY ARE NOT GUILTY IN SOME WAY.

I wouldn’t even agree to settle a fender-bender if I wasn’t guilty. If someone accused me of inappropriate sexual contact with boys/young men I “mentored”, then I would demand a jury trial and vigorously depose my accusers to defend my honesty.

I mean, if you’re innocent, wouldn’t YOU fight to clear your good name?

And what happened to “I feel like David against Goliath…I’ve got 5 rocks, and I haven’t thrown 1 yet!”? Did I miss something in 1 Samuel 17 - or did David enter into mediation with Goliath?
In his most recent article for Huffington Post, syndicated columnist Morris O’Kelly wrote:

Mediation of sexual allegation grievances is tantamount to an admission of “some” guilt, “some” form of ministerial misconduct. Innocent folk don’t make deals if the claims against them are baseless and untrue. Mediation for the accused is a forfeiture of the right to ever claim innocence, and readers should be absolutely clear on this point.
Did you hear that?
That was the sound of Long publicly admitting to some degree of guilt when he agreed to mediation. The public wanted Long to thoroughly address the allegations. Well, there you have it. He said it all, you just had to have been paying attention to hear it.

In New Birth’s response to the lawsuit (the accusers sued Long and the church), the church’s attorneys seem to corroborate Kelly’s assertion (and my personal belief) of Long’s guilt. The church “understands that Bishop Long often shared hotel rooms with members of the congregation while traveling,” but would not confirm or deny the allegations made by the accusers.

So…umm…a man who lives in a $1M home, drives a $400,000 Maybach (as well as a Rolls Royce) and owns his own private plane shares rooms with congregants on long trips?

For what…to save money?

Yup – that thud you just heard was the sound of common sense falling to the floor.

Unfortunately, again, none of this matters to the sheeple who worship Eddie Long (and those like him). As I said before, Eddie could do the “Dougie” (Google it) on the way to the pulpit holding hands with his male lover and blowing air kisses while snapping his fingers in “Z” formation – and these people would still stand in line to hear him butcher the Word of God with impunity.

Keep praying for Eddie’s repentance, and the will of the Lord being done at Club New Birth.

Source: http://imspeakingtruth.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/eddie-long-mediation/

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Whatsup With Eddie Long?

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