UPDATE: Lawyer of megachurch pastor’s wife says divorce is on again
Early this morning, Bishop Eddie Long’s wife, Vanessa, announced that she’d filed for divorce from the embattled pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. She said the decision was made “after a great deal of deliberation and prayer.” But it seems the praying didn’t stop after the papers were filed against her husband, who’s been accused by four young men of coercing them into having sex with him. Early this afternoon, she announced that she’d had a change of heart and planned to withdraw the petition, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:
“Upon prayerful reflection, I have reconsidered and plan to withdraw my petition for divorce from my husband, Bishop Eddie L. Long,” she said in an emailed statement bearing the New Birth logo. “I love my husband. I believe in him and admire his strength and courage.”
She went on to blame “years of attacks in the media” for her initial decision to seek a divorce.
Last fall, four young men accused Eddie Long of coercing them into having sex. Their lawsuits were settled in May, then dismissed.
The accusations made against Long by Anthony Flagg, Spencer LeGrande, Jamal Parris and Maurice Robinson alleged that the bishop used his influence, trips, gifts and jobs to coerce them into sexual relations.
Any guesses as to what — besides “prayerful reflection” — might be going on behind the scenes of the latest development in this mega-church scandal?
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