Bishop Eddie Long
Bishop Eddie Long teaches, "We don't want to accept that God calls us gods!...But just as soon as you realize that, 'I am a god.' And as revelations reveal, 'I am a king.' He is King of kings. He is God of gods!" (Are Christians little gods?)
Bishop Eddie L. Long also teaches, "You have been saved too long to be broke!...You wanna know why you broke? Cause you're friends are broke and you assemble around that problem...The door was open. Which means you already rich. You decided to live poor! You already healed! You decided to be sick!...God ain't broke!...And it won't, it does not take Him a long time to fill your pockets."
The Bible makes it very clear, God even simplified the matter by placing it all into one easy to understand chapter. God teaches us the following: that we should be content, we should not desire to be rich, the love of money is the root of all evil, that many people have erred from the faith due to a love of money, then it commands us to flee these things, (1 Timothy 6).
"Supposing that gain is godliness; from such withdraw thyself...But godliness with contentment is great gain...And having food and clothes let us be content...But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts...For the love of money is the root of all evil, which, while some have coveted after, they have erred from the faith...But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness," 1 Timothy 6:6-11.
Bishop Eddie Long:
"Jesus wasn't broke, and leaders of churches shouldn't be either. That's what Bishop Eddie Long, who heads Georgia's biggest church, has to say in defense of his grand lifestyle, funded largely by the nonprofit religious charity he started in 1997.
According to tax records, Bishop Eddie Long Ministries, Inc. provided him with more than $3 million in salary and benefits, including a $1.4 million 20-acre home and use of a $350,000 Bentley. Long also received more than $1 million in salary, including $494,000 in 2000...
Long says he represents a "paradigm shift" in the black church, and that any problems people have with his charity stem from people's expectations that pastors should be poor. He said his congregation is inspired by seeing its pastor do well. "I'm not going to apologize for anything."
Note: Dr. J. Vernon McGee has well said, "Whenever you find a minister who is rich, watch out. Folk are not supposed to get rich in the ministry," Commentary on 2 Corinthians 6:8-10, page 117.
"Long and his wife, Vanessa, were two of the charity's four board members. The charity gave a third board member, Terrance Thornton, a $160,000 loan in 1999 to buy a home site across the street from Long's house, tax records show...
As the popularity of televangelism, traveling religious shows and megachurches has skyrocketed, so has the money their leaders can earn. IRS enforcement of compensation rules has been light, and the agency rarely audits nonprofit groups.
In 2002 and 2003, TV evangelist and author Joyce Meyer had compensation packages of up to $900,000 approved by her ministry's board, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Bishop T.D. Jakes, who staged MegaFest in Atlanta this summer, has a $1.7 million mansion in Dallas, according to Time magazine...
"In general, an individual(s) salary and benefits should not be excessive and must be approved by the majority of board of directors who are unpaid and not related to the individual(s)," said IRS spokesman Mark Green in a statement.
Long's benefits went beyond reasonable compensation, said Jeff Krehely, deputy director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, a Washington-based group that promotes accountability in the philanthropic community.
"After reviewing the compensation packages of foundation executives — including those who have been written up in the press as being excessive — I've never seen anything quite like what Long [was] getting, when you include his salary, the house and the car," Krehely said...
The charity took out a $1,160,000 mortgage to purchase the home in March 1998, according to DeKalb County property records. The mortgage was paid off by 2003, records show.
In October 2002, Bishop Eddie Long Ministries notified the IRS that the charity was dissolving and pledged to transfer all of its assets to New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. The house was never transferred.
Instead, a year later, Long signed papers relinquishing the charity's interest in the home, making himself the sole owner. The same day, Christmas Eve 2003, Long took out a $300,000 loan using the house as collateral.
State law in New York requires that a nonprofit religious corporation must get court approval and notify the New York attorney general's office of its intent to transfer real estate to one of its officers. The attorney general's office said it could not find any record of the transaction or of Long's charity getting court approval...
In the past, however, Long has claimed he was the final decision-maker at New Birth. In a 1999 interview, he told the Journal-Constitution how he became the unquestioned leader at his church. After presiding over New Birth's explosive growth, he said he told his congregation that a biblical leader shouldn't have to answer to a board. Long said the board relinquished its authority over him with his congregation's approval.
In his book "Taking Over," Long described the event in more detail. He wrote that after seven years at New Birth, he was frustrated by its deacon board because it was "gripping the purse strings" of the church and "telling the man of God when to jump and how high." He said he received a revelation from God, who encouraged him to get rid of the "ungodly governmental structure" at New Birth.
"That was the day I became pastor," Long wrote. "Up until that time, I was the hired preacher.... "
Some pastors take advantage of a lack of denominational accountability to enrich themselves, said J. Lee Grady, editor of Charisma, a national magazine that covers charismatic churches. Grady said, however, that he didn't know enough about Long's ministry to comment on it specifically...
Any problem people may have with his charity, Long said, was rooted in some people's expectations that pastors should be poor. "I would love to sit with you and walk with you through the Bible to show that Jesus wasn't poor," he said. His congregation is inspired by seeing its pastor do well, Long said. "I'm not going to apologize for anything. ... "
"God ain't broke!...And it won't, it does not take Him a long time to fill your pockets."
(Bishop Eddie Long, Highlights from the "Singles Conference 2004," BET, February 13, 2005)
"You wanna know why you broke? Cause you're friends are broke and you assemble around that problem. You wanna know why you unmarried? Cause your friends ain't married and you assemble around the problem. It's amazing! Cause the situation you wanna get out of is the people that you associate yourself with and then you come in agreement with that misery! So God can't break it because their power of agreement is great! Some of you are sick and you assemble yourself around sick folk and all you do all day is have a sick conversation! And then you come and complain that you ain't never happy! Look at your friends!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Behind Shut Doors," July 25, 2004, BET)
"The door was open. Which means you already rich. You decided to live poor! You already healed! You decided to be sick! You already have your family together but you decided to be in chaos! You already have the things that you have confessed but you decided not to receive it!"
"The Church already has two winds--You're judged and considered righteous and you're wealthy. Which means God in the last 3 1/2 years has opened up abundance of wealth. And if you haven't got it--it's because of what you've been prophesying. And part of the Church is condemning itself because some folk get mad at preachers when they tell you, 'You can have.' (Eddie Long mocking critics of the prosperity gospel) 'That don't sound spiritual!' Well, go on with your broke self! [Laughs]"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "There's Power In Your Word," Part II. Tape from his ministry)
"You have been saved too long to be broke! You've been saved too long! And you don't need another sermon. You need to get up and understand that you are mighty in God. You need to get up and understand that Elohim (gods) stands in the congregation of El (God). You need to get up and understand you are, He sent! And if all you got is $5.00 to give now, give $6.00!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, TBN, Praise-A-Thon, March 29, 2004)
"I don't make poor gods! You know why some of you haven't got a financial breakthrough? It's because, first--You ain't recognized who you are. And you don't recognize as a god you have territory. So God cannot release your wealth because you still don't know you have a territory. But just as soon as you realize that, 'I am a god.' And as revelations reveal, 'I am a king.' He is King of kings. He is God of gods! But you know what? Some of you still, you will go to work and mess this up in a testimony. 'I was at church and Bishop Long said--I ain't say you were gods! God said it! Show them the Scripture."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "You are Mighty," tape from his ministry)
"I need some brothers up in here to straighten up! Increased in stature! Stop slumping your shoulders! I am somebody! When I walk in someplace, somebody knows I don't walk broke! I don't walk broke down! I don't walk jacked up! I am somebody! Say, 'Increase!' I increase in wisdom! In stature and favor. You missed that! You missed that! I said, 'You missed that!' You have just been crowned with a new round of favor! Favor! Favor! Favor! Favor! Favor! Favor! Favor! Favor! Favor!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Highlights from Manpower 2004," T. D. Jake's Show, October 20, 2004)
"If you know God's with you, every man that gets in your way got to favor you! Some of you got turned down before you came here last week. Because somebody said you couldn't have something. There was a mortgage, there was something. I'm here to make an announcement. You take your butt right back and sit there and look at them and say, 'I got favor with God! You better make up your mind and fall in line!'"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Highlights from Manpower 2004," T. D. Jake's Show, October 20, 2004)
"Yes! Yes! [Unintelligible] God! Yes! Ye are gods!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "You are Mighty," tape from his ministry)
"Touch your neighbor and say, 'You are mighty.' See, watch this, look at me--I'm going to try and read this. We don't want to accept that God calls us gods! Because, if you accept being, don't, don't--I'm not starting a cult! I'm reading Scripture. The Almighty sits in the congregation of His reflection--El (God), who is mighty. Watch this, and we can't accept God calling us small g-o-d. Because if we were given that authority that means that we would have to take responsibility."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "You are Mighty," tape from his ministry)
"I know who I am! And, and, and, see, when you know who you are-- wherever you go, as a god, as a king-- you have an entourage. You have security."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "You are Mighty," tape from his ministry)
"You need to understand when folk start talking about stuff and how evil things are. You'll look at them and say, 'But, I ain't going out like that!' Well how come? Because, I'm god! I'm little 'L.' I'm not going out like men. I believe what God said about me! How you going to kill god? That's a good question. How you going to kill god? How you going to kill him? So if you look like Him then you'll talk like Jesus. What did Jesus say? 'Ain't nobody going to take my life. When it's time to go I'll lay it down.' But ain't nobody taking my life."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "You are Mighty," tape from his ministry)
"Tarry here in Jerusalem until the Spirit comes and you shall be my what? Come on, what is it? Say it! Witnesses! Do you know what witnesses means? Translated in the original language says, 'You shall be my duplicates.' See, we miss what evangelism is and what being saved is. And what being gods are. We walk around and be Him! Little Him's."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "You are Mighty," tape from his ministry)
"I don't care if you're on the airplane and it's shaking up and everybody worried. Look around and say, 'Hey baby! This ain't going down cause I don't die like man. This thing shall land safely!' And they ask you, 'Who are you?' I am the light!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "You are Mighty," tape from his ministry)
"Ya'll scared now. Ain't nobody saying amen. Cause you figure I'm going to come up talk about what you did, where you was last night and how you did it! And who was on top!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Behind Shut Doors," July 25, 2004, BET)
"Certain places I don't go! I just can't handle it. I don't watch music videos. I can't handle it! Flick the T.V over there and everybody have a girl five of them in a bathtub. I'm saying Hmm, Hmm, Hmm, Hmm, Hmm, Hmm, Hmm, Hmm, Hmm! Flick this thing boy! Flick it! Flick it! I had to go to TBN. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Then jump in bed with my wife. Now, back that thing up!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "God Is After Himself," Tape from his ministry)
"When a virgin man has intercourse with a virgin woman there is blood that is shed on his penis. Which represents covenant and the redemptive grace of God. You're not hearing me! That is the reason why men you're circumcised that everytime you pull out your male organ if it's going to the wrong direction. God wants you to see before you do it! That you're in covenant and anything that goes against the covenant is antichrist."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "God Is After Himself," Tape from his ministry)
"You wanna know if you are a man or a woman? Present your body [Bishop Long stands in front of the congregation and spreads his legs and puts his left arm to his side]! Look [Bishop Long bends forward and looks at his private parts]! It's either one or two things! One or two things! Just one or two!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Back to Basics," TBN, October 24, 2004)
"We like foreplay with God, but we make sure we have our spiritual contraceptives on! Cause we don't want to conceive nothing."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Praise-A-Thon," TBN, November 2, 2004)
"Let me help you out gentleman, if my wife ever starts bringing home more money than me. I will pick her up on payday and take her straight to the bank and deposit her check in the joint account. And I won't be jealous cause it's still my money. Might even give her a little bit. I wasn't talking about money [Prolonged laughs]."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Back to Basics," TBN, November 14, 2004)
"There are going to be times in your marriage that your spouse ain't going to like what you decide and you can discuss it, and discuss it and discuss it. But still there will be a moment when you got to make a decision and this decision will probably close the promised land temporarily [Laughs]."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Back to Basics," TBN, November 14, 2004)
"We go to church buildings that still have a mortage. Which means the bank owns God's house. Which means that we go and make love to God in a house that Satan owns!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Spring Praise-A-Thon," TBn April 4, 2005)
"God will not anoint perversion! Please hear me! Why would God add anointing which is power to our perversion?"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Spring Praise-A-Thon," TBn April 4, 2005)
Note: See above quotes from Bishop Eddie Long.
"I'm not doing church! You better hear me! I didn't come from America to do church! I'm sick of church! I'm sick of the mess of church! When I come into this house of God I want to see manifestations! And I don't want to see what I saw last week! I want something new and fresh!"
"That connection is declared and because we're like God it has to happen! Declare it! 'We're like God!'"
"All of us together, say it! All of us together, you didn't do that right! Slap somebody, say, 'All of us in this place now together are like God!' [Claps and cheers]"
"Watch this, because when Jesus said, 'I have come to get 'That' which was lost.' It was not those, it was 'that'. We try to make it 'Those', but He said, 'That.' I got to get closer to you. What is 'That'? I'm going to tell you. What was lost with our idenity? It started in Genesis 3. And when God spoke and then the Devil talked to Eve and he said, 'If you do this, He's afraid that you'll be like God.' They were already like God! [Claps] And because they didn't believe what they were already they got robbed of who they were."
"He said, 'Did I not say you are gods?' Son of the living God. I didn't say you were God. Little 'g'. See you're gonna go out here and just mess it up...He said if you don't understand that you're mighty! And Elohim (gods) stands in the congregation of El (God)...But God said if you can believe that you're a king. If you can believe you're my chosen. If Elohim could get you to act like El..."
(Bishop Eddie Long, TBN, Praise-A-Thon, March 29, 2004)
"I am subduing! I have dominion and I walk in royalty! Because, guess what? For all you that think I just preached blasphemy, my bible says, 'He is King of kings.' Which means there has to be some kings. He is, 'Lord of lords.' Which means there has to be some lords. We are an assembly of lords and kings under the King of kings and the Lord of lords! And we're standing with great power and ability! Elohim (gods) stands in the congregation of El (God)."
(Bishop Eddie Long, TBN, Praise-A-Thon, March 29, 2004)
"That's the reason why when you look in the mirror and you ought to say, 'Good morning God.' Now, I ain't talking about your flesh. I ain't talking about you. But inside of you there is a piece of God. And if you don't recognize that you'll call yourself wretched..."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "God Is After Himself," Tape from his ministry)
"My whole objective in life is to be His image, His duplicate, His witness and to show folk what He look like because, before nobody seen Him. Somebody say, 'I want to see God.' Here He is, look at me!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "God Is After Himself," Tape from his ministry)
"If we are the true children of God and the reason why the Holy Spirit had to fall on us, He said that you would be witnesses. When you understand the Greek of that and understand that word means duplicates. That we be duplicates of Him."
(Bishop Eddie Long, TBN, Praise-A-Thon, March 29, 2004)
Note: The Greek word is not duplicates. I looked up the Greek word in Acts 1:8 for witnesses (Martus: 3144) in the Strong's Concordance and it gives this definition: "a witness, a 'martyr,' record, witness."
"When I got through preaching I went back in my office and I didn't even have to have anybody tell me that Sunday, 'Eddie Long you preached!' I went in the mirror and said, 'Boy, you preached! You preached today! I gave myself an offering and called in a pledge cause I didn't have enough in my pocket!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, TBN, Praise-A-Thon, March 29, 2004)
Note: Pride is one sign of many that a false teacher possesses (1 Timothy 6:4; Jude 8-19; 2 Peter 2:10-18).
"Listen to me. I heard God say, 'If you're bold enough to flow with what I'm speaking to you, everything you say I got to back it up!'...You're not just some measly, saved by grace somebody. You are kings and priests!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, Highlights from the "Singles Conference 2004," BET, February 13, 2005)
"When I showed you the video of what happened in New Zealand as they marched many folk thought there was 50,000 folk. Many folk thought there were 100,000 folk because of the way it looked. But it wasn't but 5,000 people. 5,000 people upset a nation. But when television cameras took the pictures it looked like more because angels walk with those who are in authority."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Taking Authority," TBN, November 28, 2004)
"...And then there was a man that God raised up in His belly of vision that could stand before God's assembly and God could come in agreement with Himself and speak things in the congregation of David. I said last night, last year when I was here, that God stands in the congregation of the mighty. I am here to declare to you tonight that we are going to do some praise here for a moment. And then Pastor Parsley is going to come up because whatever he declares he now gives permission to the angels to go before God. And whatever we say has got to happen. We can put stuff down tonight because we have the power to do it. And the Angel of the Lord is leading us."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Dominion Camp Meeting 2004," TBN, July 6, 2004)
"Everything that you have been speaking is coming."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "There's Power In Your Word," Part II. Tape from his ministry)
"It is important that you watch what you say. I don't want to fight your mind tonight--I want you in the spirit."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "There's Power In Your Word," Part II. Tape from his ministry)
"It is so important that you change your vocabulary. Alot of the stuff I found myself in, I spoke it."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "There's Power In Your Word," Part II. Tape from his ministry)
"Do you believe that this situation can change? Then speak to it!...Talk your way out of it. Prophesy your way out of it. Stop looking at what you see and call what you want it to be. You're on fertile ground and whatever you speak got to happen! Whatever you say got to happen!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "There's Power In Your Word," Part I. Tape from his ministry)
"We have power in our mouths. Life and death is in the power of the tongue. And in a moment, touch somebody and say, 'In a moment.' No, I said, 'In a moment,' we are about to change this world. In a moment, there's going to be an opening of your mouth--not like church service! Not like what we used to do! Not like playing! But, we are going to set the atmosphere for this city that will touch this state and nations abroad."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Historic Edition: Silent No More," TBN, April 3, 2005)
"Do you realize that there are folk in church who are all messed up because they got with folk who are messed up and they agreed with their mess up."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Behind Shut Doors," July 25, 2004, BET)
"You gotta hear this! You gotta hear this! Any body that gets an answer as soon as you pray, God doesn't trust you anymore. Because, you can't wait and still be sanctified."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Dominion Camp Meeting 2004," TBN, July 6, 2004)
"Poverty is a spirit and somebody needs a quick deliverance from the spirit of poverty right now in Jesus name. Don't be standing up there like you so grand and ain't no spirit in you. Ain't nothing bothering you, you just holy as, you broke and busted and messed up carrying a spirit of poverty and everytime you get something it's gone!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "God Is After Himself," Tape from his ministry)
"The reason why your here is because you are sick of church. Your sick of hearing folk talk and no action. Your sick of being delivered from stuff several times. Your sick of all this fake and phoney stuff. Your sick of all that flesh glorying, your sick of that. And your sick of being poor, broke, and jacked up!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, Highlights from the "Singles Conference 2004," BET, February 13, 2005)
"Bishop Jakes, my spiritual father, has opened up many doors in ministry and I trust that through all these relationships God is allowing us to speak to the nations through this CD."
"I want to speak something to you. I want to speak this to you. There is a destruction of the spirit of poverty that's hitting the body of Christ. And I pronounce right now over you that the spirit of poverty is destroyed. Not only off of you but your bloodline. Right now! In the mighty name of Jesus. I declare it in the name of Jesus. And if you agree with that you better shout at that!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Manpower 2003," BET Aired June 27, 2004)
"The doctor can X-Ray you and say, 'You got cancer.' And then you go home and God let me see, does Christ have cancer? If Christ don't, I don't have cancer. All I need to do is get a picture of what he looks like. Because, if I can see Him I become like Him."
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Manpower 2003," BET Aired June 27, 2004)
"I command healing in your body and continued prosperity. Again, I thank you partners for the Kingdom for sponsoring and making Taking Authority Possible."
(Bishop Eddie Long, BET Aired June 27, 2004)
"We're in a mature meeting and I don't have to read a scripture first. Can I mess with you and make you mad at me? A scripture introduced me and a scripture came up. Ya'll, You gotta understand that. It is time that the body of Christ comes into the recognition and revelation that you are a scripture. You don't think you went through all that hell being processed that somebody couldn't read God by looking at you? Do you not realize that when you show up God shows up? Do you not realize that your walk and your talk is the living word?"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Dominion Camp Meeting 2004," TBN, July 6, 2004)
"And now God says, 'I want a report! I want to count it! And if I can't count it you're a liar! If I can't count it you're not looking like me! If I can't count it you're not walking in Kingdom Principles!' And maybe, just maybe, maybe the release of the 'Double Portion' is that this station is supposed to get double of what it got from the last reporting (Praise-A-Thon) time. And then as soon as that double hits, the double hits back on you!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, TBN, Praise-A-Thon, March 29, 2004)
"You're not a king if you don't have any spoils! You're not a king if you're not ruling and conquering and having dominion! Where you're taking finances out of the world's system and bringing it into the Kingdom! And the only way that we know that you're having victory is that you step up to the altar and lay down on the altar what you have brought in from your victory. Praise-A-Thon is not a telethon! It is a reporting of the kings of what the have done!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, TBN, Praise-A-Thon, March 29, 2004)
"But New Birth’s pastor, Bishop Eddie Long, who has supported banning gay marriage, was the subject of criticism right here in his own church. Several speakers, including the Rev. Jackson, took aim at a visit that Bishop Long and other Black pastors made to President George. W. Bush at the White House in January.
Bishop Long responded good-naturedly, saying he thought it was important that Black religious leaders gain access to powerful circles. “Just because we went to the house,” he said, “does not mean we had intercourse.” The audience of 5,000 roared its approval."
"Do you realize you got enough anointing in your own hands to lay on yourself! Do you realize you don't need somebody to come to your house and anoint your house! You can anoint it yourself! Do you want to be healed?"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Spring Praise-A-Thon," TBn April 4, 2005)
Note: What does the Bible teach? "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord," James 5:14.
At the 2005 International Gathering Of Champions "All Things Are Ready" Conference August 21-28 in Hackney--London United Kingdom some of the speakers will be: Joyce Meyer, Bishop Eddie Long, Juanita Bynum, Marcus Bishop, Matthew Ashimolowo, and Robb Thompson. (Source: Inside front cover Charisma Magazine July 2005)
"At the 2003 International Gathering of Champions held at Matthew Ashimolowo's Church Kingsway International Christian Centre, the following people were featured speakers: Bishop Eddie Long, and Keith Butler," His website.
