Well, God told me he was going to die when He gave to me the message to give the bishop. I hope he made his peace with God before he went. I'm not surre since they're still lying talkin' bout he had cancer. The bishop died of complications from aids. I've seen enough people die from it to know it when I see it. But he's gone now and hopefully his church can continue on. God bless his family.
Controversial megachurch pastor Eddie Long dies at 63
Megachurch pastor Bishop Eddie Long dead 01:09
Story highlights
- Long died after a battle with cancer, according to his suburban Atlanta church
- At its peak New Birth Missionary Baptist Church had about 25,000 members
(CNN)Bishop
Eddie Long, the controversial leader of one of the nation's largest
megachurches, has died, according to the suburban Atlanta church he
presided over. He was 63.
Long
died after a battle with an aggressive form of cancer, according to a
statement by the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.
Long
was a national figure and one of the most innovative and polarizing
pastors in the contemporary church. He was also a paradox.
He was a preacher who led an infamous march against same-sex marriage
and denounced homosexuality, but he also settled a lawsuit by four
young men who said he pressured them into sexual relationships.
He
was a man who wore tight muscle shirts and radiated self-confidence but
used to throw up before sermons because he was so nervous.
He was a man who gave away cars and paid the college tuition of needy people, but he also was investigated by Congress after a charity he created had provided him with a million-dollar home and a Bentley luxury car.
"When
he spoke, black people all over the country listened to him," said
Shayne Lee, a sociologist who studies the black Pentecostal church. "He
was part of the repackaging of Christianity for post-civil rights
African-Americans."
Long's wife, who stood by him through his rise and fall from national fame, released a statement.
"Although
his transition leaves a void for those of us who loved him dearly, we
can celebrate and be happy for him, knowing he's at peace," Vanessa Long
said.
Rise and fall
At
its peak New Birth Missionary Baptist Church had about 25,000 members.
The church was such a glamorous Sunday stop it became dubbed "Club New
Birth."
But to limit Long's impact to the black church understates his influence.
He
spoke before Congress, visited President Clinton in the White House and
became a popular figure in white Pentecostal circles. His church hosted
Coretta Scott King's funeral service in 2006.
President George Bush hugs Bishop Eddie Long during Coretta Scott King's 2006 funeral.
Though
Long dressed like a middle-aged hip-hop star, he once said the figure
who led him to his greatest religious awakening was Jimmy Swaggart, the
charismatic white pastor.
But it
was Long's ministry to young men that first marked his rise. At a time
when the traditional church had trouble attracting young men, Long
called himself a "spiritual daddy" to wayward teenagers. He played
basketball and lifted weights with his male ministers.
Long's
relationship with his own father, though, was far from ideal. His
father, Floyd Long, was a stern Baptist minister who was known as "the
cussing preacher" because of his pugnaciousness. Long said in one
interview that his father was distant and didn't attend his football
games or even his high school and seminary graduation.
"My daddy pulled back when it came to touching you and saying, 'I love you,' '' Long said. "I needed that so badly."
Bishop Eddie Long's fall from grace (2011) 03:06
It was Long's relationship to men, though, that virtually destroyed his ministry. In 2010, he and his church reached an out-of-court settlement in a lawsuit filed
by four young men who accused him of pressuring them into sexual
relationships while they were members of his congregation. The terms of
the settlement were not disclosed.
Long, who preached passionately against homosexuality for years, denied the allegations.
In
2011, Vanessa Long filed for divorce. Shortly afterward, Long told his
followers he was taking some time off to work on his marriage.
"I
do want you to know that this is, for me and my family, especially with
me, one of the most difficult times and things I've had to face, and
only because my strength, other than God, is in Miss Vanessa," he said
at the time.
"And I want you to
rest assured that I love her and she loves me. ... In all the things
that I've ever had to deal with and being pastor, my rock has been to be
able to come home to a virtuous woman who always had peace in my
house... We're going (to) work it out." he said.
More controversy
The couple later reconciled, but Long's ministry never recovered from the accusations. Membership at New Birth plummeted.
"It was a fall from grace," Lee, the sociologist, told CNN. "He had a national reach. He lost that reach with that scandal."
2010: Eddie Long responds to allegations 03:42
The lawsuit was not the first time that public controversy swirled
around Long. In 2005, the Atlanta Journal Constitution revealed that a
charity Long had created to help the needy had made him its biggest
beneficiary.
The charity's
compensation to Long included a $1.4 million, six-bedroom, nine-bath
home on 20 acres and more than $1 million in salary. Long defended the
charity at the time.
"We're not just a church, we're an international corporation," Long said at the time.
"We're not just a bumbling bunch of preachers who can't talk and all
we're doing is baptizing babies. I deal with the White House. I deal
with Tony Blair. I deal with presidents around this world. I pastor a
multimillion-dollar congregation.
"You've
got to put me on a different scale than the little black preacher
sitting over there that's supposed to be just getting by because the
people are suffering."
Despite his public setbacks, Long retained a loyal following to the end.
In recent months, rumors swirled about Long's health after he lost a dramatic amount of weight
and appeared frail in public. But even as his once-stocky frame
withered, he continued to go before his church to ask for prayers and to
claim victory.
On New Year's Eve at his church, an emaciated Long addressed his congregation, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
"God
ain't through with me and sometimes you need to see the skinny Eddie
and the big Eddie and all that," he said, his once-powerful voice
reduced to a raspy whisper. "It ain't got nothing to do with physical
appearance, it's what in your heart ... You are a Scripture ... I want
to see you struggle, I want to see you fight the devil and get victory."
Long is survived by his wife, four children and three grandchildren, the church said.
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