Just a few days ago, Bishop Eddie Long, the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Church in Atlanta, reached an out of court settlement with the four young men who accused him of sexual misconduct last year.
And everyone has been quiet about the details of the settlement. The accusers and their attorney are not talking. The current and past members of the church aren't talking, and naturally, the Bishop isn't talking either.
While we don't know the details of the of the settlement, we can be sure that the Bishop, in exchange for the accusers' silence, offered them a sizable chunk of money. We can also assume that the accusers accepted the money.
Now, when the scandal first made headlines last year, Long vehemently denied the allegations of sexual misconduct and said that he would vigorously defend his integrity and reputation both in and out of court. He went on the offensive, and characterized his detractors as haters and those bend on doing the devil's work to destroy his tthriving ministry.
For their part, the accusers' and their attorney said that they would be able to establish a pattern of sexual misconduct by the Bishop that spanned several years. Neither acutually side actually did what they said they wanted to do.
And now its come to this--an out of court settlement in a bitter case that leaves all of the parties, including the pew of Long's church, silent. Now, I understand that there are times when it is more efficient to settle litigation before a costly trial and I also understand that nondisclosure agreements are rather common in civil litigation and settlements.
However, this is a pretty sad ending for a charismatic minister who had the proverbial wind at his back, and the people who loved him. It is perhaps an even more sad ending of an opportunity for a community struggling with how and whether to embrace homosexuality, to talk about the issue within the context of faith and spirituality.
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