Benny Hinn talks about Jimmy Swaggart-1980's

Bishop Eddie Long Addresses His Congregation and Media (Part 3)

Bishop Eddie Long Addresses His Congregation and Media (Part 2)

Bishop Eddie Long Addresses His Congregation and Media

Bishop TD Jakes Comments on Bishop Eddie Long....

Bishop Eddie Long.....

CNN interview......!

Sex abuse scandal pastor Eddie Long leaves megachurch after wife files for divorce

Bishop Eddie Long, who was accused last year of coercing four young men into sexual relationships, is taking a leave of absence from his role as the leader of a Georgia megachurch after his second wife filed for divorce.
In an unusual chain of events, the bishop’s wife Vanessa initially filed the divorce papers Thursday and made a public announcement saying so Friday morning; she then announced that she withdrew the request hours later, only to have her lawyer announce that she was in fact going through with the divorce Saturday.
As a result, Mr Long announced Sunday that he was going to temporarily step back from his duties at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

'Stepping up': Bishop Eddie Long announced that he was taking a leave of absence from his church duties to deal with family issues after his wife filed for divorce

‘I am still your pastor. You’ll still receive my direction. You’ve given me some weeks to take care of some family business,’ he said during Sunday morning’s service.
‘If you go out there, the news said I stepped down,’ Mr Long continued.
‘I haven't stepped down, I've actually stepped up.’
Mr Long rose to fame when he took over the megachurch New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia.

Happier times: Vanessa and Eddie Long were married in 1990 but Vanessa filed for divorce on Thursday though she did not give any specific reason

When he joined the church in 1987, the congregation had only about 300 members. The megachurch now boasts 25,000 members.
Mr Long married Vanessa, his second wife, in 1990 and have three children together. Mr Long has another son from his first marriage which ended in divorce. In those court filings, Mr Long accused his first wife Dabara Houston of having a ‘violent and vicious temper’.

In her divorce papers, Vanessa wrote that the marriage was ‘irretrievably broken’ with ‘no hope of reconciliation of the parties’.
Mr Long’s public statement differs, however, hinting that there was hope for a positive outcome.
‘Vanessa and I are working together in seeking God's will in our current circumstances,’ he said in a statement.

Scandal: Shortly after four young men accused Long of coercing them into sex, these cell photos of Long in workout gear were made public

Vanessa asked for privacy- something that she has not had since Mr Long was accused of inappropriate sexual incidents.
‘It is my sincere hope that this matter can be resolved expeditiously, harmoniously, and fairly,’ she said.
In September of last year, four teenage boys filed lawsuits against Mr Long, saying that he coerced them into having sexual relations with him.
All of the boys were 17 and 18 years old, and because the age of consent in Georgia is 16, police did not pursue a criminal investigation into the issue.

Investigated: Mr Long has been the subject of both Senate investigations and local lawsuits

The boys said that the Bishop would take them on long trips to New York, New Zealand, and  South Africa, and would buy them cars as gifts.
The accusers said that he would convince them that the sexual activity was acceptable by using Biblical quotes.
That message stands in direct opposition to Mr Long’s public persona, as he is known for his strong stance against gay rights. He has lead a number of sexual reorientation camps in the past in an effort to ‘convert’  homosexuals.
Though there were only four publicly named plaintiffs in the sexual impropriety lawsuits, the Bishop made an undisclosed out-of-court settlement with five individuals this May.
He has continued to deny the validity of the claims, though he did reveal some details of his relationships with the boys that seemed unusual and unnerving.
Mr Long said in the four separate documents that he often encouraged his New Birth Missionary Church members to call him 'daddy' and that some even called him 'grandaddy,' but that the term was a sign of respect.

Supporters: Bishop Long lead the funeral service of Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow Coretta Scott King, a ceremony attended by four presidents including George W. Bush

In September lawyer Craig Gillen defended photos Long sent some of the men from his cell phone, showing the pastor in fitted workout clothing, calling him 'a health advocate, he’s a weight lifter'.
He added: 'He’s a fella, who’s gonna go to work and he’s gonna have on a muscle shirt.'
The sex scandal was not Mr Long’s first run-in with the court of public opinion.
In 2007, Mr Long was investigated by the Senate to see if he had made financial gains as a result of his church’s tax-exempt status. Local paper
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution claimed that he received more than $3million from his charity.
The investigation is ongoing.

TBN Founder Paul Crouch Dies at Age 79 After Chronic Heart Problems

(Photo: Facebook/TBN Trinity Broadcasting Network)

Jan Crouch is shown with Paul Crouch, other Crouch family members and TBN guests.

Paul Franklin Crouch, co-founder of Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), is dead at age 79, reported his grandson Brandon Crouch on Saturday.

"Today, my grandfather, #PaulCrouchSr went home to be with Jesus in heaven. Thank you for your prayers…" Brandon Crouch tweeted.
TBN's official Facebook page later released the announcement about Crouch's death: "Dr Paul F Crouch passed into the presence of the Lord on November 30, 2013. We are grateful for the life of this amazing servant of God. Please pray for the Crouch family during this time. #paulcrouch #tbn"
Crouch was born March 30, 1934 in St. Joseph, Mo., and is the son of Assemblies of God missionaries. His father died when he was seven-years-old, and he was raised by his mother and grandparents. He has a degree in theology from Central Bible Institute and Seminary in Springfield, Mo., and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., among other honorary doctorates.
He met his wife, Janice Bethany Crouch, in 1957 and they married in Missouri. They have two sons: Paul Crouch Jr. and Matthew Crouch.
Crouch Sr., co-founder along with his wife, Jan, of the world's largest Christian-owned cable station, had been treated for chronic heart problems for over a decade and had received a pacemaker in 2012, TBN revealed earlier this year.

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Crouch was hospitalized on Oct. 22 in Dallas, Texas, and returned home to California in early November. On Nov. 5, TBN released a statement by TBN attorney and spokesman Colby May that said doctors had taken Crouch off the ventilator and he was breathing on his own.
Two years earlier in September 2011, Crouch was also hospitalized for congestive heart failure. It was during this time that Crouch allegedly wrote a letter identifying that he wanted his son Matthew Crouch to take over the position of president of TBN. Then Paul Crouch Jr., who was presumed the heir of TBN, suddenly announced in October 2011 that he would leave TBN to pursue other ministry opportunities.
In recent years, the Crouch and TBN have been embroiled in family lawsuits, with their granddaughter Brittany Koper, former director of finance and human resources, filing a lawsuit saying that the family was distributing more than $50 million for luxury goods, such as jets, estates, and vehicles, to company directors. When Koper refused to keep quiet about the illegal money use, she was fired and allegedly threatened with physical and lethal violence. Her uncle, Joseph McVeigh, who never worked for TBN, filed another lawsuit against TBN at the Orange County Superior Court in early 2012, saying that TBN was maliciously targeting him as part of a "campaign of retaliation" against Koper.
With TBN officially announcing Crouch Sr.'s death on its Facebook page, within less than 20 minutes of the posting there were more than 450 comments, pledging to pray for the Crouch family and offering condolences.
"My prayers are with Jan and everyone in the family. So sad b/c I thought he was doing better. Now he is doing MUCH better. He opened his eyes to see Jesus! WOW!" posted someone identified as Kathy Boulter.
While someone identified as Apostle Doreen Thornton wrote, "Dr. Paul Crouch is loved and will be missed, he was an amazing obedient servant that gave God all that he had, and I am sure great is his reward. God bless the Crouch family you are in my prayers."
And a Jefferson Elicerio Viloria posted, "I really admired this guy..he had his critics, though, although not perfect, and who is, i regard him as a true man of God. I will miss him because i always enjoyed his enthusiasm on TV....God bless the Crouch family."