Eddie Long says he will fight sex allegations

The pastor of an Atlanta megachurch took to the pulpit on Sunday to tell a 10,000-strong congregation of his determination to fight allegations of sexual misconduct.

Bishop Eddie Long, an outspoken critic of homosexuality, stands accused of coercing four young men in his congregation into having sex with him.

Lawsuits were filed last week by Maurice Robinson, Anthony Flagg, Jamal Parris and Spencer LeGrande. They were allegedly 17 and 18-years-old when Long lavished expensive gifts on them and forced them into sex in his office at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia or sometimes during long trips away.

Although the men were over the age of consent at the time, the lawsuits relate to “pastoral abuse” and claim that church staff and members of the church are also complicit because they covered up Long’s actions.

Long was cheered by his congregation as he appeared to address them during the Sunday morning service, his first public appearance since the allegations emerged.

He echoed much of the written statements he and his attorney released yesterday, in which he refuted the allegations.

Long stopped short of denying the claims, instead telling his congregation that he would fight them in a court of law.

He likened himself to David taking on Goliath: “There is a giant in front of me. And I’m going to fight and fight vigorously. And I’ve got five rocks and I haven’t thrown one yet.”

Long went on to say that he was not perfect but that he would fight the claims “very vigorously”.

He added: “I am not the man being portrayed on the television. That’s not me. That’s not me.”

He said he had taken the advice of his attorney to refrain from addressing the accusations directly at this point in time.