Anti-Gay, Bishop Eddie Long Forced to Downsize Extravagant Service

The downward spiral of the economy forces a prominent anti-gay mega-church to downsize its extravagant Easter Sunday services. For the first time in over a decade, Bishop Eddie’s L. Long’s $250,000 Easter service will not be held at the Georgia Dome this year, reports Sandra Rose.

The New Birth Missionary Baptist Church was forced to scale back its Easter services after seeing its membership (and tithes) decline by 20%. Since 1993, the mega-church held its Easter services at the Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta, attracting crowds of up to 40,000 that included celebrities such as T.I. and Patti LaBelle. But this year’s Easter service will move back to the 10,000 seat sanctuary in suburban Atlanta.

Bishop Long, who routinely preaches his sermons dressed in expensive tailored suits and dripping in diamonds, acknowledges that his members are no longer receptive to his "prosperity" message since many of them have lost their jobs and homes.

Reportedly the recession has hit the Lithonia, GA mega-church rather hard and the 25,000 member congregation is "down to nearly half that." Pity. That means significantly fewer donations for Long to use to buy diamonds and Rolls Royces.

Long is among the most vocal critics of gay rights and same-sex marriage in the black church. In December 2004, a month after voters approved an amendment to the Georgia state Constitution that banned gay marriage, Long led a 25,000 person march against gay rights and marriage equality.

Julian Bond, the chair of the NAACP and a strong supporter of gay rights, refused to attend the funeral of Coretta Scott King that was held at New Birth MB Church. "I knew her attitude toward gay and lesbian rights. And I just couldn't imagine that she'd want to be in that church with a minister who was a raving homophobe. And I couldn't see myself in my church either."

Recession Forces Eddie Long to Cut Back [SR]

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Comments

[ATL Kid]

OH CRY ME A RIVER!
This prosperity pimp is the EPITOME of bs. I wonder is he still buying those tight lycra shirts to wear around town and "preach" to the trade?

[Barry S]

That money should be spent on a food pantry or helping members pay their mortgages, now that would be incredible if the great bishop could do something like that. Will he? I don't think so...

[Crown Heights Affair]

what a shame
the great eddie long...excuse me, BISHOP eddie long, has to have a regular church service in his church

[Aaron P]

***Bishop Long, who routinely preaches his sermons dressed in expensive tailored suits and dripping in diamonds, acknowledges that his members are no longer receptive to his "prosperity" message since many of them have lost their jobs and homes.

And that, my good friends, is the biggest problem with the black church. It is still too steeped in Sunday Go to Meeting clothes and fancy cars. HELP PEOPLE!! Stop trying to PUT PEOPLE DOWN!!

[libhomo]

I wonder what Long and other militant fundamentalists would do if they ever found out that Easter is a pagan holiday in the honor of the goddess Ester.

[alicia banks]

ditto

i love julian!

i loathe this bootleg preacher fool...

if el spent as much time accounting as he does gaybashing...this would be no issue

peace
ab

[isis]

I love Julian Bond! I love the way he talks and the things he stands for! So tired of Eddie Long, Donnie "McTurncoat" and all those people whom seem to need to be so verbal in there anti-gay agendas! Don't they know by know that preaching so much hate is not the Christian way. Whatever your personal views are, you as a Christian are to be welcoming and respectful. These anti-gay preachers are not doing Gods work! Their messages are doing more harm than Good! So sad that they have these HUGE audiences to spew their invective on!

[Shane Moseley]

Thank you ISIS and thank you ALICIA!
If we are going to talk religion, let's talk about some real Christian love here!

These black megachurch preachers are more concerned with money, limousines and fancy houses their improving society. And they are so preoccupied with homosexuality it is very questionable. Especially this so called "Bishop" who dresses like the trade of Christmas past in his muscle shirts and what not.

[isis]

LMAO! LMAO! LMAO! LMAO! LMAO! LMAO! @ "The Trade of Christmas Past"!!

The Award for post of the day goes to......

SHANE MOSELEY!!!

That made my day!! Thanks for that!

[Clever]

rofl @ shane

isis is right. you nailed it with that one, shane. and you ain't never lied, the bishop dressed like old skool trade from the 80s.

humph

[Luther]

I guess his 'members' realized that those tithes were funding the lavish lifestyle of a hypocrite and the only one who is living a life of prosperity is said hypocrite, who really needs a good haircut.

And just who ordains these so called 'bishops?'

[Charles T]

Eddie Long, Creflo Dollar and Thomas Weeks are cut from the same vulgar, hypocritical cloth. They preach prosperity by taking your dollars to condemn gays and lesbians. And the shame is that there many gays in Eddie Long's church, or will go to his Easter service, because that is where the ATL bourgeois black folks want to be seen.Shame!

[Nate]

Sorrry but occassionally wearing a lycra shirt does not make you gay

[TheRevKev]

Thank you Lord.

Now, Easter will be HOLY again instead of HOMIE! Him and his muscle-tees and purple suits!

Maybe, now this is just a theory here, so stay in prayer with me family, he will actually have to PREACH ABOUT JESUS and his life and ministry and not just how he can hook you up!

WOW...a $250,000 service? REALLY? For Jesus? For Easter, the season when they beat Jesus and he bore all our sins...A QUARTER MILLION DOLLAR SERVICE? How about next year HE GIVE THAT MONEY TO THE FAMILIES IN NEED AND DO WHAT JESUS WOULD HAVE DONE!

Lord, if Jesus were here today, there would be some table-turning and butt-kicking going on in that temple!

Bless it!

[GRANT]

--->Maybe, now this is just a theory here, so stay in prayer with me family, he will actually have to PREACH ABOUT JESUS and his life and ministry and not just how he can hook you up!

Thank you Reverend!
You'd better preach pastor!

Eddie Long needs to preach about Jesus and the Good News ... not damning everyone who isn't stylin and profilin, and leading his homophobic crusade through the streets of Atlanta!

[Ravenback]

I find these churches and their ministers who rake in obscene amounts of money every year to be quite disgusting. It truly sickens me to the point of vomiting. All the poor souls, especially Black, who are suffering need this money more than these hucksters do. Feed the homeless, clothe the naked, educate the ignorant, work to lower black infant mortality rates, and help to steer our young away from drugs, gangs, and incarceration. These are noble deeds to concentrate on. I would mention AIDS outreach, but I suppose that isn't up his alley. Or maybe it is. I just see some of these churches as mild versions of the Rev. Jim Jones and his followers.

[Ten in My Timbz]

"Sorrry but occassionally wearing a lycra shirt does not make you gay"

No, but ALWAYS wearing lycra "muscle shirts" (popularized by gay men with, umm, muscles) and thosse purple and peach church suits do make you go wonder. Plus the bishop's obsession with gay folk ... all that makes me go hmmmm.

[FREELEO]

love julian bond!

eddie long-money and rev clear flo of dollars should both be ashamed. i'm not crazy about that youngest king daughter either. she should have done a little more reading about her father and mother before becoming an associate pastor at a homophobic church.

[Bryan Summers]

Oh and I will say Bishop still needs to retire the muscle shirts and the black hair dye a hot mess.

And I find it very difficult to take someone with an S Curl very seriously.

[Antwan]

these churches are called mega churches for a reason. because they are bonafide businesses. high dollar/high profit businesses. and sadly most of the time… 9 times outta 10 they are NOT in the business of spirituality. and like i said MOST. not all are like that. but the majority are.

what can you expect when the pastor and their wives carry the heck on like a CEO of a business?

[Kevjack]

Where do I begin?

First, Bishop Long says he has to change his message because of the recession. But that can only mean he wasn't preaching the gospel before. If you're teaching and preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ you *never* need to change your message. This just shows you how much foolishness people will put up with.

Second, these megachurches are reaping what they sowed. They told people that it was about material things. When the material things left, so did those members.

Third, a lot of these megachurches are living on borrowed time because they expanded way too fast in the past few years. Membership is down and people are returning to bible based churches that teach the gospel and Christian love. And many gay members have moved to welcoming congregations like The Vision Church in Atlanta.

Fourth, God don't like ugly. Never did.

[Justin]

What Luther said. Who consecrated this man a bishop?

Rev Kev, are there bishops in the Missionary Baptist Church?

[Kevjack]

justin,

I can answer your question. In most mainline Baptist denominations there is no such thing as a Bishop. In fact, Baptist generally decline any religious titles such as Elder, Bishop, Prelate, and all of that. This is because Baptist hold that all have the priesthood and hat all are on equal footing. This is why Baptisst call their own pastors and dispose of them as they please.

Bishop Long belongs to a new denomination called Full Gospel Baptist. They started in the 1990s, and most member churches are faurly large. I would call them a megachurch denomination. They claim the title of Baptist but also want all of the titles of Methodism and Pentacostalist denominations. In many ways, this is oxymoronic because as Baptist they should reject these titles. Their titles, I believe, are at distinct odds with key tenets of the Baptist faith.

But guess what? They found that their members loved this and loved the title that their pastor had. It's funny when you think about it.

[Brent]

Pimpin getting a little harder for this closeted self hatin bigoted preacher.

[TRUTH AND ACTION]

Now I do have problems with these mega preachers you driving a fancy car but are you feeding and clothing the needy and you have a private jet but do you help people for Thankgiving and Christmas.