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When it comes to leaders of mega churches, I take the same view that Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart did in the Court’s 1964 opinion on obscenity. I can’t define greed for you, but I know it when I see it.

Bishop/Pastor/Spiritual Daddy Eddie Long of New Birth Ministries in Lithonia, Georgia has been in the news everyday since four young men have stepped forward accusing the married, muscle-bound 57-year-old of coercing them into performing sexual acts with him when they were teenagers.  Sexual abuse at the hands of church leaders is unfortunately not unheard of, but even with those suspicious bathroom pictures, right now nobody besides Long and those boys knows for sure whether the allegations are true.

But one thing about Long that has also come to light (again) as a result of this scandal is something that doesn’t seem to require much investigation or a tearful confession to understand.  The man lives a pretty fly lifestyle.

I don’t believe that pastors need to necessarily take a vow of poverty in order to rightfully lead a congregation. They should be able to provide a comfortable living for themselves and their families. But aren’t some things just a bit much?  A Bentley, a private jet, a lavish home, unlimited access to muscle shirts and S-Curl hair pieces? All of that is on top of a hefty salary.  According to a 2005 profile of Eddie Long by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Long took in over $3 million in salary from one of the church’s charities between 1997 and 2000.

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