New Birth Missionary Baptist Church: Bishop Eddie Long Addresses His Congregation

I woke up early to go to the website for the New Birth Missionary Baptist church. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew that Bishop Eddie Long would be convincing. Every bit of his charisma and experience would be needed to manage the complex set of allegations against him for sexually abusing some of his members.

I'll lay out some notable quotes by Bishop Eddie Long this morning and let you judge much of it for yourself. What I can say, though, is that Bishop Long seemed to say a great deal without saying much:

"I'll be here next week."



Perhaps that means that he's not going to resign. I look forward to seeing if he is going to be preaching next Sunday.

"[This is] probably the most difficult time in my entire life. I want to talk to you for a moment about how to handle painful and difficult situations."

He seemed to want to make this into a teachable moment for his congregation, but he didn't spend a great deal of time teaching, since his address was only about 15 to 20 minutes long.

"We will not allow the present pain to cause us to abandon our righteous commitment and stand."

This sounded like he was going to lay down some bad news for the congregation. Perhaps he's asking the church to stand with him during this difficult time, which they seemed ready and willing to do.

"There have been allegations and attacks made on me. I have never in my life portrayed myself as a perfect man. But I am NOT the man that's being portrayed on the television. That's not me."

This statement was incredibly vague, implying that he may or may not be guilty of the allegations against him. To say that you are not the man being portrayed in the media doesn't mean you're innocent. It simply means that you may be slightly different from the way the accusers are describing you. Nearly any guilty or innocent person can make this statement.

"By the counsel of my lawyers, they have advised me not to try this case in the media. I will not try this case in the media. It will be tried in the court of justice."

This statement was expected. Again, it says nothing about guilt or innocence.

"I've been accused, I'm under attack....but this thing, I'm gonna fight."

This statement means that the situation is far from over. I expect an interesting battle behind the scenes as attorneys squabble over the amount of the settlement. I would be surprised to see this get as far as a jury trial, especially if other accusers continue to step forward. This may open up a Tiger Woods -like can of worms for Bishop Eddie Long in the event that he actually has engaged in wrong-doing.

"I feel like David against Goliath. But I'll tell you what, I've got five rocks and I haven't thrown one yet."

As you can see, Bishop Eddie Long has made it clear that he's going to fight the charges. He does not, however, go in to any detail about his guilt or innocence. So while he must be given credit for addressing his congregation, he cannot be given credit for being innocent of the charges against him. Perhaps the court of law can help us to sort these things out.