Bishop Eddie Long (PICTURES): "This is Spiritual Warfare," Says Pastor of Sex Scandal
ATLANTA (CBS/AP) Bishop Eddie Long did not directly deny allegations of sexual misconduct when he addressed members of his congregation for the third time since four men filed lawsuits against the Atlanta megachurch pastor.
Instead, Long told listeners Tuesday that "This is spiritual warfare," reports an Atlanta area news station WBSTV.
The outspoken, anti-gay activist has been the center of much scrutiny since four men accused Long of using his "spiritual authority" to manipulate them into sexual relationships, claiming he coerced them into sexual relationships when they were teenage members of his church.
Jamal Parris, one of the four men who filed a lawsuit against Long, told a TV interviewer outside a convenience store in Colorado Tuesday that the pastor "manipulated us from childhood."
"I loved him and I'm always going to have love for the things he taught us, but how he left us hurt worse than anything I ever felt in my life," said Parris referring to himself and the three other alleged victims. "This man turned his back on us when he had no more need for us. That's not a father, that's a predator," he said according to Fox affiliate WAGA.
Craig Gillen, Long's attorney, criticized his client's accusers and their lawyer, B.J. Bernstein, on Wednesday for "attempting to try their lawsuits in the media," reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
"There are rules on how civil litigation is to take place and how counsel should conduct themselves, we intend to follow those rules," said Craig Gillen said in a statement in reference to Parris' a televised interview.
Despite the alarming allegations, churchgoers of Long's nearly 30,000-member congregation have showered him in support; some have evened called the men's allegations lies.
Parris along with Maurice Robinson, Anthony Flagg and Spencer LeGrande, who are all now their 20s, claim to have had sexual relationships with Long when they were 17 and 18, according to the lawsuits. However, as the age of consent in Georgia is 16, Long will apparently not face criminal charges.
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