Filed under: News
One piece of evidence after another has emerged to show that Bishop Long could very likely have a second life that involves sexual interaction with young men. Quite a few men have approached the plaintiff's attorney, BJ Bernstein, telling their own stories about having sex with Bishop Long. After speaking to others who are closely familiar with the situation, I have personally concluded that something very serious could be going on.
What is most surprising, however, is that according to a recent AOL Black Voices poll, only 49 percent of respondents believe that Bishop Eddie Long is gay. In response to the question, "Do you think Bishop Long is homosexual?" forty-nine percent of the respondents said "yes." Another 28 percent said "who cares?" and 23 percent said "no."
So, the results can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. On one hand, we could argue that the 28 percent who don't care actually believe he is gay. We can also say that the survey is undermined by the fact that it was released before all four lawsuits had been filed (only three were filed when the survey was created).
Another way to look at the survey might be to conclude that African Americans are in denial about the prevalence of homosexuality in the black church. It might also be the case that we put our pastors on such a high pedestal that we forget that they are human and flawed like everyone else. Pastor worship seems to be as prominent as the worship of the higher power when it comes to some megachurches and logic can go out the window when we are in the presence of a charismatic figure who has positioned himself as our savior on earth. As a result, the churches become mighty, multi-million dollar institutions and pastors become untouchable spiritual leaders with access to everything in the church including money, sex and everything in between. There's a thin line between a strong religious institution and a cult. If free ideas are suppressed and people are not allowed to question the message they are given, then there may be a greater focus on controlling human beings than empowering them.
The poll had 15,700 respondents as of September 25. I fully expect that perhaps the numbers might change as information is released about the scandal. I certainly hope, at the very least, that this is not a case of black folks choosing to pull the wool over our eyes. There are certainly gay people within the church and many of them are pastors. It's time for the black church to have a serious conversation about homosexuality.
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.