PROMINENT GEORGIA PASTOR--BISHOP EDDIE LONG-- ACCUSED OF SEXUAL COERCION BY 2 YOUNG MEN...

Eddie Long, pastor at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in DeKalb County, Georgia, has been accused of sexual coercion.

Wow, wow AND wow! This is an explosive story, if we must say so ourselves. Bishop Eddie Long of Georgia's New Birth Missionary Baptist Church has been accused via lawsuit of coercing two young male church members and employees into sexual relationships (using scripture, no less) in exchange for lavish gifts, money, and trips. {***Update] A third party has filed suit against Pastor Long. SMH. Pop the Trunk for details. WARNING: Explicit...

Via CNN:

"Defendant Long has a pattern and practice of singling out a select group of young male church members and using his authority as Bishop over them to ultimately bring them to a point of engaging in a sexual relationship," the suits allege.

Long is considered one of the nation's top black preachers.

The pastor took one plaintiff, Anthony Flagg, 21, on overnight trips to a half-dozen American cities in recent years, Flagg's suit alleges.
"Long shared a bedroom and engaged in intimate sexual contact with plaintiff Flagg including kissing, massaging, masturbating of plaintiff Flagg by defendant Long and oral sexual contact," the suit says.

Long took the other plaintiff, Maurice Murray Robinson, 20, to Auckland, New Zealand, in October 2008 for his 19th birthday and engaged in oral sex with him, Robinson's suit alleges.
"Following the New Zealand Trip, Defendant Long regularly engaged in sexual touching, and other sexual acts with Plaintiff Robinson," Robinson's suit alleges.

Long spokesman Art Franklin said Tuesday that "we categorically deny the allegations."
"It is very unfortunate that someone has taken this course of action," he said. "Our law firm will be able to respond once attorneys have had an opportunity to review the lawsuit."
Both plaintiffs said the pastor, his church and church employees gave them cash and lavish gifts that ranged from cars to college tuition.

The suits also said that Long framed the sexual relationships as religious in nature.
"Defendant Long would use Holy Scripture to discuss and justify the intimate relationship between himself and Plaintiff Robinson," Robinson's suit alleges.

The suits are seeking unspecified amounts of punitive damages from Long on various counts, ranging from negligence to breach of fiduciary duty.

SMH at this entire situation. We would hope that these allegations aren't true but...er um, well, time will tell. Either way, just the thought is ugly and disgusting. People, please get it together!