Filed under: News
Bishop Arnold's revelation to his congregation led to the church's Board of Elders accepting his letter of resignation swiftly and issuing a statement:
"It is with a heavy heard that we accept the resignation of our pastor. Under his leadership, we have experienced tremendous growth, both spiritually and numerically. We love and deeply appreciate all that he has done for us through God's enablement these past 21 years. In our efforts to curtail speculation and gossip, the Board of Elders made the decision to be more specific about what led to Bishop Arnold's resignation. But out of respect and sensitivity to the families and all that are involved, we will not release any more information other than this. We prayerfully hope that the public will show the same respect and be considerate of the feelings of family members and our church during this difficult time."
The resignation of Bishop Steven Arnold obviously reminds us of the sex scandal of another prominent bishop down in Atlanta by the name of Eddie Long. There's one obvious difference in the two scandals: One pastor was accused of sleeping with a woman and the other with a man. I can't help but wonder if there's a difference in how the scandals are perceived by members of the church. I've seen quite a few cases where pastoral promiscuity is the hidden secret in the church, but being a gay pastor would be simply unacceptable. Also, there's the difference that Bishop Long is known throughout the world, where Bishop Stevens isn't quite as well-known. Neither of these men are small fries, however, as Bishop Stevens had his sermons broadcast on television.
One must give Stevens respect for admitting to his congregation that he's done something wrong and stepping away from the pulpit gracefully. Now, one can't say what pressures might have led him to do this, but I can't imagine that pressure being much greater than that being laid upon Bishop Eddie Long. Long's insistence upon fighting the allegations and using the support of his followers to challenge this sex scandal either says that he is an innocent man being framed or that he is far more devious, manipulative and sinister than anyone could have ever imagined. A true man of God would not lie to millions of people in order to save face. I hope this is not the real Eddie Long.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.