The moral failings of the church, which is supposed to be the centerpiece of morality and helping shape the lives of the broken-hearted and steer tomorrow’s leaders on a clear path to meaningful development in our communities is nothing short of religious hypocrisy of the highest order.
What is happening to the church today is almost like a 21 century religious inquisition, where the church is now being forced to confront its own hypocrisy and unacceptable behaviors that evidence shows have been condoned for a long time.
In fact, from the revelations that have come out from the mighty, all powerful Roman Catholic Church, it appeared as if there was a clearly crafted method to shield pedophile priests from any potential exposure for their shameful behavior. Some of these priests were transferred to other churches once word got out that they abused and manipulated their youngest congregation members. Some victims have been left with permanent emotional scars. Whenever the leadership of the church is confronted they plead ignorance to a litany of abuse of church power and influence.
For example, the former Catholic archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Bernard Law, was forced to resign in the midst of a scandal for his failure to defrock John Geoghan, a priest in his archdiocese who was accused of abusing more than 100 minors from 1962 to 1995. Instead of disciplining Cardinal Law, the Vatican, the world’s most wealthy and influential religious government, invited Law to occupy a prestigious position at the Vatican as well as a nice apartment in the basilica he now calls home, thousands of miles away from the sex abuse victims.
Is that how those who helped create an atmosphere where children are sexually abused get rewarded?
Last week in London, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, received an unusual greeting. Thousands of people took to the streets to protest the sexual abuse of minors in the church. The Pope, who has been dancing around the issue for a long time and playing religious semantics, was forced to apologize in a way he had not done before.
“I express my deep sorrow to the innocent victims of these unspeakable crimes. I also acknowledge with you the shame and humiliation that all of us have suffered because of these sins,” Pope Benedict said during a mass in London.
The same week that Pope Benedict was in London begging for forgive ness, the Black church was also hit with a massive scandal focused on alleged abuse at the mega New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta where the flamboyant Bishop Eddie Long sits as the leader of a 25,000-member congregation.
Long is facing four lawsuits alleging he abused young Black men who were part of a select group of young men he personally handpicked to provide spiritual guidance for.
The plaintiffs appear to have some damaging evidence, such as receipts, W-2 forms, photos Long is believed to have sent to them — showing him in unusual outfits — among other items.
Aside from the fact that this latest sex scandal is rocking one of the most prominent Black churches in the country, it is also significant because this same church was the venue in 2006 of the historic funeral of Coretta Scott King, widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Four U.S. presidents attended that funeral, catapulting Long’s religious and financial empire to greater heights.
The twist to this unfolding story in Atlanta that is the talk in Black churches across the nation is that Long has been a leading anti-gay advocate, leading marches in Atlanta against the gay community.
Now he stands accused.
The Black church has always played down issues pertaining to homosexuality, just as it does with the AIDS crisis.
In fact, a visit to Black pulpits on Sunday mornings will reveal nothing but a diatribe of conservative theology that inherently opposes gays and lesbians.
Is the Black church finally coming to terms with an issue that has been swept under the carpet for so long?
Is this an inquisition moment for the Black church that has long paraded itself as the epitome of social justice representation?
But at the center of these allegations of sexual misconduct lies the abuse of absolute power, whether it is the Roman Catholic Church, the Black church or the Evangelical church where Ted Haggard, a once outspoken gay critic, fell after it was revealed that he paid a man named Mike Jones for sex for three years.
The fact is that these churches have no means of accountability. The pastor is the representation of an absolute monarchy. The poor, middle class, rich and everyone in between are steadfastly giving their offerings and paying their tithes every Sunday.
What do they get in return for these contributions from their hard-earned incomes?
Who do these preachers answer to?
Who holds the feet of these cassock-wearing men and women to the fire?
When they are elevated to some sort of God-like status, the ministers more often than not feel that they are above reproach and any sense of recourse.
This arrogance of power by some church leaders, which is contrary to what the Bible says about humility, is driving many people away from the church.
That is why today more and more young people are becoming skeptical of the church and its leaders, particularly since the exposure of the pedophiles.
If the world’s most recognizable and authoritative church leader, Pope Benedict, has to wait so long before expressing a strong remorse about the painful sex abuse of children in the Roman Catholic Church, what do we expect from some of our local minsters?
Apparently, the church as an institution enjoys a level of clout and confidence no other kind of institution in the world has. It has succeeded in capturing the hearts and minds of many even if some of the leaders engage in deceptive practices.
Members can easily forgive and move on. But I wonder how you could ask the victims of sex abuse or their parents to move on without significant recompense?
Since the Bishop Long sex scandal came to light, I’ve maintained that he has the right to the assumption of innocence unless proven guilty.
Yet Long bragged all week about his plans to send a message that he was not guilty of the allegations against him. But on Sunday from his pulpit, Long neither denied nor accepted responsibility of the sex charges. Instead, he threw his congregation members red meat by comparing himself to David in the Bible facing Goliath. He cried out that he is under attack and his members stood up in unison to affirm support for their pastor.
The irony of the David analogy is that Long, who now feels under siege by four powerless young men wanting to tell their story to the nation, once told the press after reports came out that he was using his church charity to make millions, that he talks with Tony Blair, former British prime minister and the White House.
That was Long’s way of showing the media how connected he was inside the corridors of power. His answer to questions about the use of a non-profit to make millions for himself instead of helping the needy and spread the gos
pel, was to tell the media that he is one of those preachers who can place a call to the White House or reach out to a former British prime minister.
His spiderweb of connections to power shows how many in Long’s position often feel that they can get away with anything without consequence. They forget the Biblical admonition that we reap what we sow.
Those who feel wronged by the powerful always walk away without gain. They are often branded as opportunists set out to destroy “good people” even when there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Gay and lesbian issues are here to stay whether we like it or not. The Black church should be ready to deal with it now rather than face it later in the form of explosive scandals. The Bible says, “Judge not lest you be judged” and “There is one Lawgiver who is able to save and destroy. Who are you to condemn another?”
While Bishop Eddie Long is appealing to his congregation to maintain their support, we can only hope that no other similar scandal hits the church before the Long trial, if the case proceeds.
Victims of sexual abuse in church should continue to step forward and speak out. Sweeping the truth under the rug may appear to help some people for the moment, but in the long run it is detrimental to all parties involved — and to the church itself.
I am afraid the church is in danger of becoming expendable.
Senior editor Bankole Thompson is the author of the upcoming book “Obama and Black Loyalty,” volume one of a trilogy on President Obama to be launched Oct. 22, 10 a.m., during a national symposium in the Wayne State University Law School