Fresh off the settlement of a sexual misconduct scandal, Bishop Eddie Long appears to have gained an endorsement of sorts from a fellow well-known megachurch pastor.
Pastor Creflo Dollar of World Changers Church International in College Park gave a lengthy sermon Sunday about redemption and forgiveness. Then he spent several minutes talking about a fellow, unnamed pastor who had a “wreck.”
In a video of the sermon posted on YouTube -- viewed more than 34,000 times -- and also on the church’s website, Dollar appears to tell members of Long’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to return to the Lithonia church. He doesn’t identify Long or New Birth by name. He says the preacher in question is his “friend” and a “brother in the Lord.”
In the sermon, Dollar said: “I don’t know what it is with the church. When you have a wreck you expect for God to forgive you and everyone else. Don’t let the preacher have a wreck, now. Then you become self righteous and you become judgmental and you’re gonna leave the preacher for his wreck when you done had more wrecks. That preacher’s still anointed to do what he was called to do. He just had a wreck. The blood will take care of his issue just like it will take care of yours.”
Dollar said he can’t believe congregants would leave a preacher because he had a “wreck” instead of praying for him. He urged those who came to World Changers from the other church to go back.
And “if you’re from that church . . .and you trying to join here, I don’t want you to join here,” Dollar said. “You need to go and join where you supposed to be. I don’t want you here. That is my friend that is my brother in the Lord.”
Long was accused by four young men of coercing them into sexual relations. Long denied the accusations. The case went into mediation and was settled last month. Terms are confidential.
A spokeswoman for Dollar didn’t comment Wednesday. The YouTube video was taken down Wednesday afternoon. Many commenters had said they believed Dollar was speaking about Long.
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