Georgia Bishop Vows to Fight Sexual Allegations

Bishop Eddie Long will not go quietly in the good night. The famed pastor of a Georgia megachurch accused of bribing four men into sexual relationships addressed thousands at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Sunday, and though he did not deny the allegations, vowed to fight them tooth and nail. “I've been accused; I'm under attack,” said Long, reading from an iPad. “I want you to know, as I said earlier, I am not a perfect man, but this thing I'm going to fight.” Long, wearing a cream-colored suit, spoke about pain, and then compared himself to David in the biblical underdog story of David and Goliath. “I want you to know one other thing, I feel like David against Goliath,” said Long. “But I got five rocks, and I haven't thrown one yet.” Long, a married father of four, had previously denied the allegations through his lawyer, but Sunday’s service marked his first public comments on the controversy. Long’s New Birth church boasts 25,000 members—including celebrities and athletes—and a $50 million cathedral. He has been accused by four men of luring them with gifts, then convincing them to engage in sexual relationships.