By now we've all heard about the salacious allegations against Bishop Eddie Long. He is still innocent until proven guilty I'd like to first state. However, he's not presenting a strong case for his own credibility. The victims allege sexual coercion, gifts and trips by the leader of a 25,000 member church that's worth $50 million. He should have strongly, quickly and on camera made his innocence known. And his statement before his church family on Sunday wasn't too compelling and was very carefully crafted. He seems to see himself as a media victim and the target of a witch hunt.
Now here's why I wasn't too shocked and why the bishop will not be stepping down now or any time soon. He is a black Baptist preacher and the leader of a 25,000 member mega church. He's a millionaire and enjoys the adulation and damn near worship of thousands of people. In our community, he's what many would describe as a rock star. The black community has a long church tradition and it's still a revered institution politically, economically and morally. But black preachers enjoy a great deal of power and prestige from one of the few free black institutions in this country. We see people all the time fall into pastor worship instead of God worship. I've often wondered if it's because he may be one of the few sober-minded men that people (mostly women) see on a regular basis in a position of leadership. They forget that he's flesh too. We all need to remember this before we put our pastors and spiritual leaders on a pedestal.
Let me expound a little further on how I feel many of our pastors are treated like rock stars. Rock stars have groupies. We've all seen them in church on Sundays. The women (and men) who dress a little too provocative and smile and just have to shake pastor's hand at the end of service. They're there on the spot to fill his water glass, take care of his mail, move his car, whatever. They seem to feed off of his every gesture and want nothing more than to catch some of his glow. Then there's the accountability issue. Rock stars are only really accountable to their fans. In this case the fans are the church members, and Bishop Eddie Long will only have to appease them and he'll probably still preach from the pulpit on Sunday mornings. Then there's the money. He lives a very comfortable, one could even say a plush life (i.e. The Bentley) that he openly flaunts. How would a man leave all that behind easily? And of course there's the position he holds in the community. He is respected and not just tolerated like most black men in America are. He had former US presidents attend his church as he funeralized our beloved, Coretta Scott King. That's no small thing. How does a black man leave all that prestige, respect, independence and money behind? He doesn't. At least not easily or without a serious fight. The white minister, Tim Haggard, who was outted last year amid his scandal eventually stepped down not long after it hit the news. I don't think we'll see this happen with Bishop Long because as a black man with that kind of power he won't walk away that easily. Only time will tell how this all plays out legally and with his flock, but I'm betting he ain't going no where anytime soon.
No matter your religious affiliation lets pray for healing and real talk on the issues surrounding this sad mess and how we can move forward as a community. The bible, the church, homosexuality, redemption, political correctness, young men without fathers in their lives, are all topics that need to be explored around this scandal. What kinds of checks and balances should be in place for pastors who abuse their power and how to get them the help they need. Many pastors listen to and counsel church members all the time and may not have the requisite training to do this heavy psychological work. And who do they talk to when they're burdens are too heavy and they need to process all that stuff? One of the saddest things in all of this is how so many people will criticize the church and discount all the good it does. There are a lot of people who see the church as a refuge, a place to share and fellowship and source of strength. I pray that faith isn't lost in some of the flaws, the charismatic personalities and the work yet to be done.
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