A 22-year old North Carolina man has filed a lawsuit against the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church pastor, accusing the charismatic Long of prostituting his faith in order to feed his sexual cravings at the man’s expense. Three other men filed the same suit earlier in the week, all saying Long leveraged his considerable influence and position as spiritual leader of Georgia’s largest congregation to seduce the then-teenagers into homosexual affairs.
Spencer LeGrande is a member of New Birth Charlotte, a North Carolina satellite of Long’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia. LeGrande claims that in 2005 Long told him he would be his “dad” and took him on a trip to Kenya where Long gave him a sleeping pill and where the two engaged in sexual activity, the Associated Press reports. Long told LeGrande that “engaging in a sexual relationship was a healthy component of his spiritual life,” according to the lawsuit.
Long has vehemently and categorically denied all allegations from all four accusers. He spoke about the allegations today in a conference call with parishioners.
“We will arise through this situation, and go forward, and we are moving forward,” Long said, according to media reports. “I have never dealt with anything like this before. I have been under attack before, but everything else has been different levels and different challenges.”
Bishop Long said he is anxious to respond publicly to these extremely inflammatory accusations but has been counseled to abstain from media interviews by his legal team. He did, however, promise to address the allegations Sunday during his regular church service.
–terry shropshire
