Bishop Eddie L. Long was put on blast from the pulpit of Bishop Paul Morton, who said the scandal-ridden pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church needs to publicly repent for his transgressions.
Morton, who mentored Long into the position of bishop in the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, said he felt obligated to speak out because Long refuses to return any of his calls. Long’s religious empire in suburban Atlanta was rocked to its core when he was sued by four young men who accused Long of coercing them into homosexual activities. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
“If you have repented, show me some signs. Show me some humility,” Morton said according to Black World TV. “You can’t just come back and tell me nothing. Tell me something. Those who have stood with you, tell us something.”
Morton says that all have fallen short of the glory of God, but when you do commit a sin, you must come forward and offer some sort of explanation and mea culpa.
Referring to Luke 17: 3-4, Morton quotes: “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother trespass against you, rebuke him.”
Thus, Morton rebuked the embattled bishop. “I’m rebuking him today. He doesn’t return any of my calls no more. I’m rebuking him,” Morton told the church before reading further. “And if he repents, forgive him,” Morton says, then adds this caveat. “I cannot forgive somebody that does not repent.”
Morton implores Long to trust God with the consequences of his alleged actions.
“If the settlement has already been made [and] they can’t sue you again, you can apologize,” Morton continues. “I know there is a gag order, but you have to face the consequences. Some people are going to stay with you, and some people are going to leave you. But you gotta leave that up to God. Those are the consequences of the sins that we do.”
Morton admonishes Long to cease worrying about what the public is going to think if he does offer a sincere apology, knowing that God can change his circumstances miraculously. “God can turn your situation around and give you a second chance. Just repent,” Morton thundered on.
Apologizing to God for our sins is not enough, Morton says. “God says, if you do it before all, you gotta rebuke them before all. You gotta repent.”
–terry shropshire
