Predators on the pulpit – Part 1: “Covering the nakedness”

Early 2008, the news came as a shock for most of us when Senator John Edwards publicly owned up to fathering baby Frances Hunter. After many months of denial, Sen. Edwards finally admitted having an affair with Rielle Hunter, a staff member of his campaign team to the White House. The confession didn’t come after some deep introspection on his part but rather after the media uncovered and exposed the lies the world were previously told.

When Hunter became pregnant, Sen. Edwards persuaded a loyal close associate, Andrew Young, to claim he was the father. Shortly afterwards, Young put his own life on hold and went into hiding with his wife, their three children – and Hunter.

Let’s imagine for a moment Young was a spiritual son of Sen. Edwards, according to the lexicon used by the current church mainstream, that stupid stunt would have been lauded and justified as an act of “covering the nakedness” of his “dad”.

As a matter of fact, blind loyalty is what’s expected from spiritual sons and daughters. When a spiritual son happens to witness his dad in a sinful act, he needs to treat the incident as a divine test of his own loyalty and must promptly cover dad’s nakedness. As the teaching goes, the most Holy God is able to overlook outright lies of spiritual sons and the deception of their dads if they are committed in an attempt to cover a spiritual dad’s nakedness.

If you think this is some farfetched fiction or perhaps a figment of my imagination, keep on reading.

I’m writing this article in the wake of Bishop Eddie Long alleged sexual scandal. Bishop Long pastors a 25,000 membership church and is considered to be a spiritual father to many spiritual sons. So far, four of his close sons have sued him for coercing them into sexual acts. As the lawsuits hit the courts, CNN announced them on breaking news and media frenzy ensued.

Not only the lawsuits describe in graphic details the sexual claims, they also state that the leadership of the New Birth church knew about the Bishop’s alleged double life but covered his nakedness. On the onset of disease, a medical doctor can predict the stages of symptoms. Likewise, some of us who have been there, seen that and got the T-shirt knew exactly what would happen next.

I came across the spiritual jargon of covering one’s father nakedness in my last church. Renowned ministers endorsed it and proofed texted it with scriptures. When those of us who rebelled later found out that the pastor has been having affairs, we were astounded to hear that his immoral life was just an open secret to his spiritual sons. The matter was treated as a gossip or spiritual warfare to the rest of the church, as mere allegations to the outside world or just as propaganda blamed on us, the defectors.

Of course, the pastor denied our reports, turned to his church for sympathy and reacted by teaching to his devotees a crash course on loyalty. Those who covered his nakedness were promoted in ministry. Some faithful sons have now their own churches, teaching, I’m sure, the principle of “covering the nakedness”.

Bishop Long hired attorneys who released on his behalf a statement of denial. Last Sunday, the bishop convened his loyal parishioners and announced to his compassionate audience that he was at the center of a spiritual warfare. The bishop likened himself to David with only five stones against the giant Goliath. But who exactly is Goliath in this story?

The “Goliaths” are four males in their early twenties who are accusing bishop “David” of coercing them into sex when they were in their teens. They are still referring to the bishop as daddy, although one of them on a recent TV interview portrays him as a monster and a predator.

Conversely, David in this case is the owner of a multi-million dollars church empire, lives in a mansion and drives a convertible Bentley in his leisure time, wears bling-bling and tailored suits, flies private jet, has an entourage of bodyguards and assistants and entertains politicians and celebrities. Compared to David, the “Goliaths” really look like grasshoppers waiting to be crushed under the huge foot of a giant.

Christians have called for prayers for the bishop, 20 pastors in the Atlanta area will be gathering every Tuesdays to pray for the bishop. Bishop “David” is on the pole position while the “Goliaths” are running for cover. Only the media still mentions the Goliaths by name. For the bishop and the rest of the church, they represent a disgrace that shouldn’t be even called by name. They are rebels, Judases, ungrateful sons, disloyal and cursed.

Bishop Long is not just a father to spiritual sons; he also has spiritual fathers. It has been reported that he was a spiritual son to the late Bishop Earl Paulk, alongside with Bishops Ted Haggard and Carlton Pearson, to name just a few. Bishop Paulk had himself a sex scandal of his own when a court ordered DNA test proved that he was not as reported the uncle of his senior pastor, Donnie Earl Paulk, but rather his biological father. Bishop Paulk had in fact fathered Donnie with his sister-in-law. Curiously, most megachurches bishops have opted to keep a low media profile in the Long saga, at the exception of Ted Haggard. In 2009, Haggard also admitted of a relationship with a male prostitute and of using drugs.

One can only wonder how much nakedness of his father bishop Long and the other spiritual sons had to witness and cover.

Whatever the outcome of the pending court case, I applaud the courage of the “Goliaths” against the giant mighty “David”. Goliath’s head will be cut off. The church will sing about David’s prowess and his audacity to confront the giant. Sin will prevail. The loyal spiritual sons will perpetuate the legend and will become anointed predators on their own rights. And the Holy God will absolve them of any wrong doing for the sake of “covering the nakedness” of their dads. Halleluiah!

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. - Blaise Pascal