Eddie Long Trial Will Hit Light Switch at New Birth

There will be subpoenas for phone records, emails, financial records. Are you ready for this, New Birth? You had better be. The light switch is about to be flipped.
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So maybe now, finally, Bishop Eddie Long will get to hurl the rest of his five rocks he supposedly has at the ready. The first rock of mediation missed the mark, or so it seems. Given the breakdown of settlement talks of the four sexual coercion lawsuits confronting Long, a fall trial looms on the horizon. If you think Bishop Long is celebrating and comfortable with the idea of exposing himself (no pun intended), his ministry and the questionable intersection of both to public scrutiny, you'd be wrong.

There will be subpoenas for phone records, emails, financial records. You can also bet on testimonies from current and former employees, current and ex-wife (of the bishop), providing texture, color and hue as to why the good bishop thought it prudent to lavish gifts and spend the night in the room with various minors.

Who knows what bombshells they will drop?

Who is to say there isn't a Monica Lewinsky-esque incriminating piece of evidence looming on the horizon? Take that however you wish. Expect the unexpected in trials.

Are you ready for this, New Birth? You had better be. The light switch is about to be flipped.

As they say, sometimes when you turn on the lights, not only do the roaches scurry ... you realize you have rats, too.

The lights are about to be turned on at New Birth ministries.

Are you ready for this, New Birth?

Who knows what this protracted legal battle will unearth? Are New Birth members ready for the eventuality of court documents being posted online, complete with graphic testimonies of the four accusers?

The court of law will address the issue of culpability. The court of public opinion addresses the issues of believability. Two different standards of proof.

Court of law (civil): Preponderance of evidence.
Court of public opinion: Who offers the lesser amount of BS.

The court of law will determine whether Long used his power and influence to seduce adolescent boys into sexual acts. The court of public opinion will determine whether who is more believable and sincere. The court of public opinion will decide whether the sex happened at all, irrespective of the supposed inducements. Long could have engaged in the sexual acts and still be found not liable of the charges.

Just "beating the charges" will not be enough to save Bishop Eddie Long or grant him the victory in the court of public opinion.

Think Michael Jackson or R. Kelly. Of course, don't forget O.J. All beat the charges but received life sentences in the court of public opinion.

Long, if he is to save face must beat the charges AND be found without spot or wrinkle in the process. Given the fine-tooth subpoena comb on the horizon, not to mention the many unflattering and likely graphic testimonies from his accusers on the way, it will be a tremendous uphill battle.

In the court of public opinion, Long needs to be able to prove that EVERYTHING in which he has been accused is untrue. Everybody must be seen as the liars spouting complete untruths -- except him.

Not just some or them, or most of it.

All of them, all of it.

Every bit of it.

It's a tall order.

One sex act with one adolescent on one occasion convicts him in the court of public opinion. It calls into question the authenticity of his foundation, his ministry, his marriage and the possibility of other victims who then may not have come forward over the years. It would be irrelevant in the court of public opinion whether he would have seduced the boy(s) in question with power and influence, only that it occurred at all.

Every allegation by every accuser, must be proven untrue.

Are you ready, New Birth? Mo'Kelly is. Turn on the lights.

The court of public opinion is eager to hear Long's explanation on how and why spending the nights with minors should not be received in the questionable light it presently and rightfully is.

The court of public opinion will gladly listen to Bishop Long's testimony on the supposed normality of a married "heterosexual" bishop sending baby-oiled and Under Armour bathroom mirror pics to other men, under the guise of Christian fellowship.

The revelation of ONE sex act, with ONE adolescent male on ONE occasion is all it takes for this married, anti-homosexual preacher to lose it all.

One.

If Long loses the case or is forced to admit having engaged in a homosexual act, one wonders how his remaining congregation will look back upon his initial sermon of defiance; chastising the media (Mo'Kelly included) for how he has been portrayed.

It would be a bitter pill for any "New Birther" to swallow. The person who has baptized their children, performed their wedding nuptials, et al. would have been living a lie. There's room for forgiveness for everyone, but pimping the Lord and prostituting the congregation to help sell the lie is just not meant to be taken lightly.

This is the reality confronting Eddie Long and New Birth, if he loses or even if he prevails in the case.

Turn on the lights.

Bishop Eddie Long needs to hit a bases-clearing home run to save his ministry, his livelihood and ultimate legacy. This will be possible only if he is truly without spot or wrinkle. If he is, he has nothing to worry about and his accusers will be summarily exposed and defeated.

If ... if ... Long is without spot or wrinkle.

The lights are about to be turned on at New Birth. And, depending on what we find, it may end up turning the out the lights too, once and for all.

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