http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_ironies_of_bishop_long_20100927/The Ironies of Bishop Long
Posted on Sep 27, 2010
By Eugene Robinson
One of the small ironies of the Bishop Eddie Long scandal is the preacher’s self-pitying complaint, in a Sunday sermon vetted by his lawyers, that he feels “like David against Goliath.”
Really? Let’s see, on one side we have one of the most prominent and influential clerics in the country, the pastor of a suburban Atlanta megachurch that claims 25,000 members. On the other, we have four young men who claim in lawsuits that Long abused his clerical authority to lure and coerce them into having sex with him. Unlike the bishop, as far as I know, none of the accusers is driven around in a Bentley. Or is constantly attended by a retinue of aides and bodyguards. Or cultivates and maintains first-name relationships with famous politicians, athletes and entertainers.
I’m pretty sure the preacher has that whole David-Goliath thing backward.
A much bigger irony, of course, is that Long has been a vehement crusader against same-sex marriage—and against homosexuality in general. And the biggest irony of all is that his very public travails may force the African-American church to finally confront its long history of homophobic hypocrisy.
snip//
I’m guessing that maybe Long has some questions of identity to grapple with. He might choose to seek and confront the answers, or he might not. But meanwhile, African-American preachers and worshipers across the nation are watching—and, one hopes, learning.
“That is not me,” Long said. But what if it is?
Nothing he learns about himself can negate all the good works he has done in his ministry—all the people whose lives he has changed with a message of faith and hope. Maybe he could forgive himself. Then maybe he could forgive all the gays and lesbians he so coldly condemns.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
