Death Threats Against Promoters Won't Deter Rally Plans

Death Threats Against Promoters Won't Deter Rally Plans

Bishop Eddie Long is being asked to step down from his position in the church. A rally to be held next week at the Georgia State Capitol is hoping to accomplish this. 

The rally will take place on October 31st and is being lead by Bishop Walker from the True Light Pentecostal Church. Bishop Walker will be joined by Reuben Armstrong, the controversial talk show host and best selling

 author.

These two gentlemen are concerned for the welfare of the young boys in Bishop Eddie Long's church. Long, who has recently had sexual abuse charges filed against him by four young men, who were teenagers at the time thesexual abuse allegedly took place. 

Both Walker and Armstrong have received death threats over the past couple of weeks for promoting this rally. Bishop Walker appears to have gotten the brunt of these threats. The threats have warned him about showing up for this rally and are threatening violence if Walker continues on with this rally. Bishop Walker told me yesterday during our interview that people have targeted him with such horrendous threats, that he has gone to the FBI for help.

Reuben Armstrong has also been getting death threats for his part in promoting this rally. People have been very adamant about trying to get this rally from not taking place. No one has taken credit for these threats, they have all been anonymous to both Walker and Armstrong.

Reuben Armstrong wrote a best selling book in 2006 called, "Snakes in the Pulpit." This book came out four years before the young men brought these allegations towards Bishop Long. Armstrong's book was written after two youth pastors had reached out to Armstrong for help. They described the sexual abuse of the young men in Long's church, New Birth Ministries. 

The stories about the sexual abuse of teenage boys was very similar to the charges being levied against Bishop Long today. Armstrong was met with accusations that he was just starting rumors, and no one took these allegations seriously at the time the book was published. Maybe they should have. 

When I asked Bishop Walker if he has any fears about doing this rally, he replied, " I am 78 years old, what do I have to fear? "I have been preaching the words of the Bible for most of my life and I am not about to stop now." 

When I asked Bishop Walker how his wife feels about this rally in light of all the death threats he said that "his wife has had a stroke a few years ago, so he tries to keep the news of the threats to himself." He is "concerned how this would affect his wife's health."

Reuben Armstrong is going through with this rally no matter how many threats he gets, he replied, "I feel God spoke to me to do this and I am going through with this."

Armstrong feels that this came to him by way of the youth pastors four years ago and it is something he is compelled to follow through on. The "abuse of these young boys needs to stop," said Armstrong.

Even as the news of the rally gets nation wide media coverage, Bishop Long has still not come out and definitively denied these charges. According to the website The Grio, he has vaguely addressed the charges and when he has, it has been from his church's pulpit and in front of his congregation.

Words such as "I am not the man the media makes me out to be," and "I am not a perfect man," appear to be the closest Bishop Long has come to a denial of these charges, according to The Grio.

Bishop Long refuses to step down from his post in the church, even with the allegations putting such a negative light on New Birth Missionaries. According to AJC, Long tells his congregation "he will not leave." 

Along with the rally, members of Long's own church, The New Birth Missionary Church, are circulating a petition asking that Long step down from his post. They would like him to leave his position at least until the allegations are dealt with. 

According to the San Diego County News, the petition will be handed to Long and the board of directors for his church toward s the middle of November. This apparently has not made a difference to Long because he is there, front and center each week for Sunday Services.

References:
Interview with Bishop H. Walker
Interview with Reuben Armstrong
AJC
The Grio
San Diego County News