I'm a fan of Ashley Judd and Marisa Tomei (who got her start as "Maggie" on "A Different World"), so naturally, at some point in 2001, I didn't turn the channel when a movie entitled, "Someone Like You" aired, since they appeared on screen. Unless they're of the Jerry McGuire or Bridget Jones variety, I try not to consume hoards of romantic comedies centered on white people. And you know why, including all the intelligent white folks reading... I'm trying to maintain a high level of self-esteem, a somewhat healthy body image and the hope that Mr. Right will show up with a Malcolm X fedora, a Morpheus trench and set of shades and wearing flip flops like "Black Jesus". We shall see...
In any event, "Someone Like You" is, well, this review is so doggone good and gets right to the point, so let's just read it aloud together:
Consider Someone Like You, in which heroine Jane Goodale (Ashley Judd) is summarily dumped just before embarking on a live-in relationship. This so devastates her that she begins compulsively poring over psychological, anthropological, and philosophical tomes, all in an effort to make sense of the inconstant way the male animal conducts himself. Eventually she alights on a possible explanation in the natural world -- the reluctance among bulls to mate with a given cow more than once -- and less-than-scientifically projects this characteristic across great swaths of the mammalian kingdom to conclude that unfaithfulness is inherent to the male gender, regardless of its species.
Her research for this theory, which she dubs the "New Cow" theory, takes for experimental subjects not only Ray (Greg Kinnear), the aforementioned ex-lover, but also Eddie (Hugh Jackman), a womanizing coworker with whom she must move in after her falling out with Ray leaves her homeless. As Eddie brings home one sex partner after another, Jane psychoanalyzes him relentlessly -- culling information for a monthly column she eventually begins writing for a men's magazine, yes, but also trying, by proxy, to distill Ray's actions into an abstract principle. This will let her turn her recent breakup into an inevitable act of nature and she can thereby avoid the unthinkable alternative, the possibility that something in her identity leaves her singularly susceptible to rejection: "If this theory's wrong," she wails to Eddie later in the movie, "men don't leave all women -- they leave me."
The "New Cow" theory was bunk and, ladies and gentlemen, such is the case for the "No Wedding, No Womb" campaign. By the way, if you're thinking of any words that begin with the letter "H" right now, I'm judging you---and me.
As I explained in Part I: Sloganeering and Slacktivism: The No Wedding, No Womb Campaign, organizer, Christelyn Karazin, was so ashamed of her symbol of unprotected, premarital sex---pregnancy---that she bought a cubic zirconia ring and wore it on her wedding finger to protect herself from the ridicule and judgment of strangers. I guess she didn't like it, so she put a ring on it.
Is that a ring you're wearing? Look, Bish, don't judge me!
But without a general understanding of Women’s History and previous attempts at policing women’s expression, in general, and their sexuality, in particular, delineations and reformations of the Victorian-era-derived “Cult of True Womanhood” will continue, in spite of itself. This is why the dichotomy continues and why, even in Black Christian churches, various choirs (hilariously) reformulated Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” and turned it into some type of spiritual hymn (or Deacon remix), curiously wagging the finger (like Mother Wisdom) at single women in the congregation.
What? Y'all think I waited? I'm way too flexible for alla that!
And, yet, if my understanding of the song, “Yes” on the “Dangerously in Love” album is correct, one could easily conclude that Beyonce had sex before and during her premarital relationship with Jay-Z. Perhaps if she spoke more about their (obviously) effective use of birth control, as opposed to pretending as though “Sasha Fierce” only gets down on the dance floor, then “Single Ladies” might be understood in its proper context. But we can’t blame Beyonce’ for other peoples’ misinterpretations of her lyricism and imagery or how she manipulates the confining dichotomy she didn't create. That's probably why this Saturday Night Live skit with Justin Timberlake always leaves me in stitches. But I digress...
Uh uh Oh, oh oh oh oh oh ohhhhh...
I find myself usually alarmed (and then quickly annoyed) whenever I see attempts at moral suasion without any substantive, socio-political analysis or inclusion of social justice or any form of direct action. For example, listing the many statistics which showcase the results of “single parent” and/or “fatherless households” relative to education, crime, poverty, etc., is important but short-sighted, especially when the focus is placed upon people of color---and No Wedding, No Womb, is nothing if not focused upon African American women who have the highest rates of female-headed households in the country.
This is What an Effective Campaign Looks Like *side eyes* NWNW
We all have concern for our families and children in America. But to deny or otherwise diminish the role of the system of white supremacy, the impact of structural inequality, poverty, discrimination against the working poor and to exclude any direct action (or even moral suasion!) against the injustices of ongoing segregation, disinvestment from public education, the school-to-prison pipeline and the prison industrial complex upon people of color, in particular, is wholly irresponsible and ultimately, as Christelyn, participants in “No Wedding, No Womb” and many others have seen, ineffective and irrelevant to the daily realities of our lives---despite seemingly good intentions.
Why would I talk about the system of white supremacy, structural inequality and the relationship between that and the condition of Black families? Because in 1960, many of our families were in tact, not only as nuclear families but extended as well (yes, the African village some wish to deny exists). But something else happened in 1960 and it was the dramatic, climatic rise of an extraordinarily successful campaign that would further ignite the Civil Rights Movement. I'm going to get to that in my next post.
Y'all see all this hate? Whatev, I'm not turning back the clock! I'm not your Auntie!
Suffice it to say, the Conservative backlash to the Civil Rights Movement's successful display that separate was NOT equal, was intended to make Americans think that the reason why equality (measured in equal results) isn't necessary is because there is something inherently wrong with Black people and Black culture. Thus, if the country is "separate", it's because Black people separate themselves from real, hardworking Americans who value education and family.
It's a white supremacist idea, rooted in economic competition, disguised as a "New Cow" theory. And too many people have fallen for it, including too many persons in the Black Church. Mind you, George Bush's Faith-Based Initiative checks helped, didn't they, Eddie?
"You like my cologne? The secret ingredient is holy water. Praise Him!"
Another such person who seems to be entirely ignorant or in deep denial of what's happening here is Christelyn Karazin. But she has many in the Black blogosphere who unconsciously, unknowingly and unfortunately harbor and perpetuate these notions as well. Quite often, they appear as a brigade of intelligent Black women (and they are) whose painful life experiences with Black men and their clear inability to understand or counter the system of white supremacy has led to the "Black men ain't sh*t" messaging of internalized racism. In some ways, they beckon my compassion, as we have all been hurt, but like Ashley Judd's character realized in "Someone Like You", the "New Cow" theory is not the solution to our problems; and neither is internalized oppression. Instead of theories, take a look at the facts from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on parenting, especially non-marital parents (thanks, @saigrundy).
We don’t need a professional, Black, Bristol Palin who feels the need to prescribe an abstinence to which she didn’t subscribe. The fact of the matter is, had Sarah and (ex-patriate promoting) Todd Palin been pragmatic about their daughter’s curiosity and engaged in full sex education and birth control (even with an emphasis on abstinence) as opposed to turning a blind eye to the realities of a teenage life in America while preaching abstinence-only, then we would not have to suffer through seeing her on “Dancing With the Stars” or Levi Johnston’s pitiful run for Mayor or his interview with Lawrence O’Donnell but no, they didn’t spare us, so I won’t spare them.
"Hmmm, how can I get out of this and still shame other women to please my Mom?"
And as much as I might like to, I can’t spare Christelyn; because when she appeared on Michael Dyson’s radio program, she would not even own up to her own campaign. Despite being the organizer, she insists she’s not the leader. Despite focusing upon African American women in her own narrative, she denies that the focus on fatherlessness leans disproportionately towards Black men. And she insists that despite having intense shame about being a single parent, “No Wedding, No Womb” has nothing to do with shaming single mothers today. She even went so far to (hilariously) suggest that she doesn't even really mean "wedding", per se, but to simply be "wedded" to the children. Oh Christelyn... please immediately head over to the stellar Co-Parenting 101 Website and free yourself.
On the NWNW FAQ page (which she tweeted to me), in answering the question, “What gives you the right to do this?”, she responded: I’m a baby mamma’ LISTEN TO MY MISSION: [which was a plug to the theme song] I do this for my daughter, and my daughter’s daughter, and all the children of our future.” I find this more than interesting because a “baby mamma” is actually a woman who has a child and is not married. According to Christelyn, she found a man who happens to be white, they fell in love and he accepted her and her child as a package deal. So, technically speaking, she is NOT a “baby mamma”. But what would make her say such a thing? Being plagued by having been one…
I should note that almost 24 hours after having written a large portion of this post, I asked Christelyn a few questions on Twitter and she never responded. I was extremely respectful to her (see below). My questions were:
Start from the bottom and scroll up. That's how Twitter works.
And she blocked me. I learned shortly thereafter that she had blocked many others who questioned or disagreed with her point of view in any way, shape or form. Way to go Christelyn, excellent campaign strategies you have there…
There is just too much that doesn’t add up and there are tons of other ways to support children, create a more egalitarian society and provide holistic education about safe sex, the realities of parenting and available options for birth control (including abstinence), that can and will continue despite a campaign that cannot sustain the shame upon which it is founded.
I'm amazed at this album cover. It's brilliant!
I love Salt N Pepa's fun, sexy and outspoken feminist imagery, so when “Let’s Talk About Sex” and “Do You Want Me?” debuted on their “Black’s Magic” album, released December 8, 1992, it was perfect for my burgeoning sexuality and, apparently, many others’. “Let’s Talk About Sex” became the anthem for a number of different campaigns more than happy to have a theme song that would allow parents and guardians to more comfortably enter into conversations about sex and reproduction with their children. After all, we couldn’t rely on Grease’s “Reproduction” and the characteristic bass line, “I’ve got your pistol right here” forever.
Let’s talk about sex, baby
Let’s talk about you and me
Let’s talk about all the good things
And the bad things that can be
Let’s talk about sex
Let’s talk about sex!
Notice how we have a great song which invites open conversation and learning without shaming or placing a heavier emphasis upon the female body? You had no idea Salt-N-Pepa were this deep, hunh? On this same album, “Do You Want Me?” provided an anthem that helped me decipher man-speak and manipulation and gave me a phat beat with which to jam as well:
You said it loud / and I heard ya
Never tried to hurt you
Some say I’m old fashioned
I like to take my time and do it slow, you know?
But don’t try to rush it
So, ride it like a horse / and let nature take its course
Get to know each other
Be my friend, no just my lover
Share your thoughts with me
Love my mind, not just my body, baby!
Do you really want me, baby?
Let me know
Cuz if you really want me, I suggest you tell me so
Got no time for playing games, that ain’t even why I came
Cuz I may be / the kinda guy you like
Those lyrics became an anthem. I was not ashamed to say I was old fashioned and I loved how the question was posed to the man, asking "Do You Really Want Me, Baby?" while rejoicing in the phat beat that could make our booties shake but did not require us to give them up.
“No Wedding, No Womb” does actually have a nice theme song (which is why they call this a multimedia campaign) to which I promptly did the snake and began gyrating my pelvis:
So maybe, like other artists, this campaign should stick moreso to its singing than anything else.
We must be ever vigilant so that we do not end up evaluating each other using a standard of measurement created by white supremacist thinking - bell hooks
Jesus Be Solange’s Womb Producing Julez.
Special Shoutout to Saida Grundy @saigrundy for her excellent timeline, @alvinthethird for the bell hooks quote and Twitter's continued elucidation on #NWNW
The multimedia campaign, “No Wedding, No Womb” debuted on my brother’s birthday (Hey Paul!) and while I was in D.C. feeling bad that I had not properly prepared to send my brother a card to make sure it arrived on his actual birthday (My bad, Paul!), a girlfriend asked me if I had heard of the “Movement” and if I knew one of the bloggers participating. I knew nothing of the campaign but I admit the title, alone, made me chuckle.
I started seeing murmurings and the uproar about “No Wedding, No Womb" (NWNW) on Twitter and still did not understand because I did not make the time to do so. I was still reeling from having attended Ron Walter’s funeral, as well as participating as a poet in the Furious Flower Poetry Center’s Tribute to Lucille Clifton, after responding to an invitation from Nikki Giovanni and Dr. Joanne Gabbin.
I really cannot speak for Lucille Clifton but I imagine she would get a chuckle out of “No Wedding, No Womb”, even as she would deride the male or female too irresponsible to properly care for and/or raise his/her own children.
Thus, it was perfect timing for me to see a tweet come across my timeline advertising the discussion of “No Wedding, No Womb” on Michael Eric Dyson’s radio program. The radio interview included Christelyn Karazin, the organizer, and Jamilah Lemieux, who blogs and tweets as "SisterToldja". The exchange was quite telling and I’m glad I waited to hear the information directly from the source because it became clear that Christelyn was confused and generally lacking in self-awareness regarding her own campaign and the motivations therein.
There is a disturbing undercurrent of “No Wedding, No Womb” and Karazin's narrative that self-consciously promotes (and then denies) interracial marriage as a solution to the problem of fatherlessness in the Black community. And, yet, consistently, I have found that Black women who champion interracial marriage (and, let’s face it, it’s largely with White men) turn a near complete and total blind eye to the many White men who leave White women with children out-of-wedlock, who leave their White wives struggling and suffering with children; and who otherwise use or abuse any woman of any ethnicity, from trying to take her money unjustly in a divorce (ask Whoopi Goldberg about that) to conveniently “discovering” their homosexuality post-marriage and family (ask Jim McGreevy’s ex-wife about that) to cheating on them after decades of support and the birth of five children with women from another continent (ask Mark Sanford’s ex-wife about that) and to great extremes such as killing them to prevent paying child support or revealing an ongoing affair (unfortunately, we cannot ask Laci Peterson about that, now can we?). Indeed, the romanticizing of relationships with White men is unrealistic, categorically racist and out-of-control.
Yep. I had four boys and a loving white wife and I still bounced! Hey Sistas!
Whether anyone will admit it or not, “No Wedding, No Womb” implicitly smacks of a consistent theme I have discovered in the Black blogosphere, in particular, which is essentially, “Black men ain’t sh*t”. And, you know, that really does not help anybody.
As she shared in her interview with Dr. Dyson, Christelyn mistakenly believes that her own motives and engagement in an interracial marriage should be excluded from analysis or consideration when discussing, evaluating or critiquing “No Wedding, No Womb”. No way. This campaign is one borne of an intensely personal situation (which she revealed), in that she was a middle-class African American woman in college who, through her own volition chose to:
1. Engage in sex
2. Engage in unprotected sex
3. Engage in a full-term pregnancy --- all of which she did with an African American male who, for reasons unbeknownst to us, chose to engage in unprotected sex and then failed to live up to his responsibilities as a result of making those choices.
Christelyn admits that she was so ashamed of being a single, pregnant woman that she purchased a fake wedding ring and wore it to fend off negativity and criticism from strangers. Of course, that type of effrontery does not work on one’s own friends and family, so at some point, she had to face their judgments alone.
“No Wedding, No Womb” seems to be a full projection of what Christelyn must have feared and, later, endured from her friends and family who had much higher expectations and judgment than Christelyn had of herself at some point in time. Sadly, I can relate, Sistergirl, so I do not stand in judgment of your personal turmoil at that time.
I think I understand where you’re coming from. It appears as though the underlying message to “No Wedding, No Womb” is “Value yourself more to protect yourself at all times and enter into a committed relationship with someone who is committed to you and your eventual offspring”. I get that. I dig that. I support that.
Sadly, a public media campaign entitled, “No Wedding, No Womb” does not do that.
Even Christelyn may admit that she has spent more time than she thought necessary trying to defend and explain “No Wedding, No Womb”, when that is not the sign of a successful campaign. The message should be clear. It should be pointed and it should be understandable and easy to defend. Instead, Christelyn (and some of her supporters) are all over the place with vague, contradictory and sometimes offensive retorts and explanations.
Hey, Baby, pass the hot sauce, please? I'm glad I don't have to explain why...
"No Wedding, No Womb" is not new; and yet I have repeatedly heard Christelyn say that no one is addressing this issue, "no one cares about the kids". Not only is this idea not new, it’s so old, it’s cliché. Even "Black Marriage Day", founded by Nisa Islam Muhammad, is in its eighth year of successful operation with actual solutions, community-building and hands-on results. And, as you can read here, even the federal government has an "African American Healthy Marriage Initiative" while yet another wayward campaign entitled "Marry Your Baby Daddy Day" continues as well. At least "Black Marriage Day" is clear, concise, is not policing sexuality, is inclusive of and empowering for men and does not target the female body.
One cannot help but notice that in all of the aforementioned campaigns, Christelyn's interracial marriage does not apply. Hmmm. Even more, perhaps what inspired “No Wedding, No Womb” was Beyonce’s mega hit, “Single Ladies”, (an anthem which focuses upon a woman's narrative) in which she sings to her jilted ex-lover trying to block on the dance floor:
If you liked it, then you should’ve put on a ring on it!
That, coupled with a video based on Bob Fosse’s choreography, heavily showcasing Beyonce’’s gyrations in her now infamous onesie (otherwise known as a leotard in the dance world) as well as her Michael and Janet Jackson-esque flaunting of a single-handed glove and the aggressively strategic point to the absence of a ring on the ring-finger seems to have been the ticket for Christelyn. Perhaps...
Beyonce’ is a perfect example of the Madonna / Whore dichotomous trap in which women have been wrestling, largely stemming from a Westernized construction of Christianity that seeks to overcome human urges while also chastising (and in some cases, flogging) the self for its seeming inability to control them. Hence, the Victorian era focus upon women being chaste, obedient, submissive and domestic, after a period of wanton displays of sexuality and promiscuity. More often than not, the attempt to control a woman’s sexuality is most often aligned with and maintained by efforts at colonization and nationalism. It has very little to do with morality and much more to do with conquering nations and preventing babies mixed with the blood of “the enemy” (however so defined, given the historic period). Indeed, that's why Victoria had a "secret".
"No Wedding, No Womb" also belies a collective “mothering” and “fathering” tradition in many communities but the African (American) community, in particular, that does not rely on biological parentage. I even saw one blogger laugh at the concept of "It takes an entire village to raise one child", claiming the African American community had abandoned the idea. She apparently had no idea that's why we're still here.
But it’s not my job to try to sort out the campaign. I believe in women valuing their bodies. Indeed, I believe women are goddesses; but “No Wedding, No Womb” is a race game, a shame game and a publicity stunt that should be understood within its proper context.
Many other bloggers on the site make perfect sense, are clear, direct and substantive. But they did not come up with the campaign so it's the equivalent of serving a gourmet dish on a garbage can.
There is no direct action to "No Wedding, No Womb." There is no contextual call for justice or any real attempt at providing solutions beyond a grandiose wagging of a blog & song finger. And this is why Christelyn and far too many of her supporters have have spent more time defending and blocking people online than actually finding peace in this process.
Stay tuned for Part II.
Special shout to the Twitter family going in on the hashtag: #NWNW
According to Sam Reynold's, an astrologer and one of my great Twitter buddies, Eddie Long is experiencing his "Saturn Return". I asked Sam what that meant and if it was along the lines of "what goes around comes around?" and he said "Yes."
Naturally, this led me to the film, "Boomerang", in which Eddie Murphy plays "Marcus", a consummate ladies' man who thinks he's above reproach until "Jacqueline", a character played by Robin Givens, puts it on him and flips the gendered script (i.e. engaging in powerful, skilled, sexual encounters detached from a particular type of needy emotionalism often characteristically depicted of women).
One of the most hilarious scenes in what is now a cult classic is that between actors Eddie Murphy and Grace Jones, who plays "Strange`", an outrageously exotic, outspoken and wholly inappropriate artist, let alone spokesperson for a corporate product of any sort. In this interaction, however, her interests are far more personal.
Here, she is a sexual predator (which brings us to "Bishop" Eddie Long) and a keen observer of human behavior with a strong radar for homosexuals, a skill possession known as possessiong "gaydar" (which brings us to the New Birth congregation). By all means, observe the scene and do pardon the vulgarity:
You see the way she was able to stand up and point out the gay men---and without being homophobic (indeed, she knows because her brother is gay)? This is the sharp level of discernment I pray for the congregation of New Birth to possess---and swiftly.
Now, you might be saying to yourself, "But Dr. Goddess, that was a comedy". Oh, I agree. But so is Eddie Long's lacefront jheri curl wig and so were last Sunday's two services at New Birth. Like all great theater, there was great comedy and tragedy to be had (hence the two masks which most often symbolize the substance of great theater).
I do theater. I'm a playwright, I teach African American Theater and I grew up on one of the best playwrights this world has yet witnessed---August Wilson. So, let's do this.
The comedy began with my sheer excitement to attend church at 8:00a.m. on a Sunday morning. I was going to ask, "Who does that?" but Eddie Long made it clear they do it every Sunday at New Birth. Alrighty then, Praise the Lawd and Pass the Collection Plate for Legal Fees!
Why do I think Eddie Long is guilty of being a sexual predator and engaging in sexual coercion?
Yes, this is a lace-front, jheri curl wig I'm wearing and you still believe! Praise Him!
Perhaps it's the observations I made during my girlhood, while walking home in my Catholic school uniform with girls whom, like me, had conclave chest and bore no resemblance to Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time" video, while older men would gaze upon us and catcall something akin to "Pigmeat"(and other such names recounted in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye).
Or, perhaps it's because I have watched every episode of "To Catch a Predator," hosted by Chris Hansen, and witnessed everyone from school teachers to Jewish rabbi's seeking out young men and women to prey upon online, even after they discover that their sexual interests are underage (usually 12 - 14 years old).
Or perhaps it's the Senator Larry E. Craigs or the Ted Haggards of the world, who vociferously denounce and engage in heavy activism against homosexuality, in particular, only to be revealed as closeted homosexuals shortly thereafter.
Or perhaps its the Jim McGreevys of the world (former Governor of New Jersey), who know good and well they have homosexual urges and tendencies but via their narcissism and self-hate, think it's okay to marry a heterosexual woman to be their beard, so they can either obtain or maintain a particular lifestyle better suited to their sense of entitlement and exploitation.
Or perhaps its the Jonathan Plummers of the world, who marry rich, famous, heterosexual Black women like Terry McMillan, as a way to "get rich or die tryin'" in America. I'm glad McMillan is "Getting to Happy" but she could have used some of Grace Jones' discernment as well. I believe Jonathan was gay while he was still living as a young resort employee in Jamaica. And I believe this is precisely why he was so incredibly attentive and loving to his wife. But as she said to Oprah Winfrey upon appearing on her show five years after 'the confrontation' with Plummer, "love is blind," so... I'm not judging, just praying...
And speaking of Oprah Winfrey, perhaps I think Eddie Long is guilty because as recent as February 5 and April 26, 2010, Oprah showcased child sexual predators talking to adults about how they seduce children, explored common traits of sexual predators and discussed why adults should pay closer attention to child and adolescent behavior. Did we somehow think that because, in this particular episode, Oprah showcased white men, that we don't have child sexual predators in the Black community? Or perhaps we found it more comfortable to rest on our laurels while the Catholic Church caught hell from every direction? Child, please. No, really... child. please.
Sexual predators come in every race, color, creed, class and sexual orientation. Believe that!
So, I suppose there are so many reasons why I believe Eddie Long is guilty. What amazes me, however, is that so many otherwise intelligent African American men and women will not even allow themselves the possibility that Eddie Long is neither "bishop" nor "prophet" nor "saint" but a stone cold sinner; and one who did not just "fall down" Donnie Clurkin style but whom does not have the character, gumption or wherewithal as a man to admit that he tried to "father" his own sex slaves by having them call him "Daddy" and creating a covenant to enter into and maintain a sexual relationship with his "Spiritual Sons".
Hence, in my disgust (and necessary amusement---humor is how I cope with the ridiculous), I provided a translation of Eddie Long's "sermon" to his sheep congregation, if only to help others understand how religious rhetoric and coded language oft times go hand-in-hand, in the only manner that I could. I live-tweeted both church services at New Birth in such detail that some tweeters thought I was there in Atlanta. Ah, technology, gotta love it...behold, the hilarity of my entire Twitter Timeline. Anything in quotes is my own translation from one of the Pastors (be it Eddie, Bernice or a Junior), the rest are contributions from the great minds on Twitter:
Scroll Down and read from the Bottom Up (That's how Twitter works)
Yep. Now, That's Church...and I'm Shaking My Head.
# Now that's church... RT @RayBeckerman: "Khawuleza" Miriam Makeba 1966 http://bit.ly/9CKmkm Sun Sep 26 13:38:34 2010 via ÜberTwitter
LMAO! RT @eddielongstroke: LongFellows Youth Academy AKA Tenderonis for Jesus. #praise Sun Sep 26 13:38:03 2010 via ÜberTwitter
I suppose it would help if we understood that ALL religions begin as cults... all of them, so when you recognize the behavior... *shrug* Sun Sep 26 13:18:00 2010 via TweetDeck
LOL!! Girl, he changed clothes & was like "get im!" RT @myexpresslane: ROFL @ drgoddess "It was #EddieLong" I can't with you....bwhahahahaha Sun Sep 26 13:17:30 2010 via TweetDeck
Thank you! I do my best! *curtsy* RT @Checkandmate: I truly like your irreverent, humorous, unblinking lambasting of that farce of a sermon. Sun Sep 26 13:16:33 2010 via TweetDeck
LMAO!!!! RT @LoveMySkip: We got praise wigs and denial wigs y'all!!!!!! RT @elledub_1920: @areefuhstanklin I'm calling it a denial wig. Sun Sep 26 13:16:00 2010 via TweetDeck
@chasi863 And look at how New Birth is ready to die on the cross for #EddieLong. The comparison is more than fair, actually... Sun Sep 26 13:15:34 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to chasi863
@chasi863 The Peoples' Temple had a high degree of communalism and love flowing amongst the congregants. They were true Believers... Sun Sep 26 13:15:01 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to chasi863
@chasi863 All of that manipulation & ideology is the same. And in Jim Jones's case "the media" & "gov't" became the enemy, too... Sun Sep 26 13:14:24 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to chasi863
@chasi863 The characteristics of theater, manipulation, exploitation, hierarchy that doesn't follow the same rules, group sacrifice.. Sun Sep 26 13:13:53 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to chasi863
@chasi863 I can explain this in full later but ppl have alot of misconceptions about Jim Jones. These megachurches are ALOT like his church. Sun Sep 26 13:13:08 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to chasi863
RT @chasi863: I could be wrong 4 this..but this sounds like jim jones and the peoples temple. All I have to say is DONT DRINK THE KOOL AID!! Sun Sep 26 13:12:33 2010 via TweetDeck
Now, that's sayin' ALOT, Miss Reefuh! Whew! they wore even you out! SMH. RT @areefuhstanklin: Girl, even I can't approve of that foolery. Sun Sep 26 13:12:00 2010 via TweetDeck
It was #EddieLong RT @blogdiva: this image right here is gold RT SMH. RT @jelani9: A short black man in an extremely outspoken suit Sun Sep 26 13:11:26 2010 via TweetDeck
Yes she is!! RT @ndcollier: And @profblmkelley is doing a fabulous job discussing the horrors of such behavior (kicking folks out). @jelani9 Sun Sep 26 13:11:04 2010 via TweetDeck
@bomani_jones @jamesdillard LOL!!! I have never seen that but the idea is QUITE funny... Sun Sep 26 13:10:26 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to bomani_jones
RT @bomani_jones: RT @jamesdillard: In Pittsburgh, people wear their Steelers jerseys to church. Its not irreverent, its their Sunday Best. Sun Sep 26 13:09:55 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @eddielongstroke: Pastor doesn't molest, he seduces. Jesus be the age of consent! #praisethelaw(d) Sun Sep 26 13:08:27 2010 via TweetDeck
SMH. RT @jelani9: A short black man in an extremely outspoken suit accused me of lying about being media..armed security took me outside. Sun Sep 26 13:07:58 2010 via TweetDeck
See? RT @jelani9: Security approached me near the end of the event, (falsely) accused me of lying about why I was there and kicked me out. Sun Sep 26 13:05:50 2010 via TweetDeck
Her, too! LOL! RT @fannielouwho: I had a righteous commitment. I hope y'all got this same love for me... I wanna walk into the light, too! Sun Sep 26 12:52:18 2010 via TweetDeck
LMAO!!!! This Twitter account is off the chain. I can't take it!!! AAHAHAHAHAH!! RT @eddielongstroke: I rebuke me in the name of Jesus! Sun Sep 26 12:51:44 2010 via TweetDeck
The choir competition? At New Birth, of course! Chile... and it's FREE, too... lawd...RT @MGhasspoken: Where? Sun Sep 26 12:46:49 2010 via TweetDeck
@girly1121 Truth be told, it will be #EddieLong's congregation that will come out in droves. They need the distraction. #priorities Sun Sep 26 12:45:30 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to girly1121
Indeed! RT @girly1121: All of u on Twitter and Facebook talking about #EddieLong better be at the polls on election day!!! #priorities Sun Sep 26 12:45:01 2010 via TweetDeck
The only person I can think of who MIGHT approve of #EddieLong's praise wig is @areefuhstanklin ... Hmmm... *scratches chin* lol Sun Sep 26 12:44:43 2010 via TweetDeck
LOL!!!! I hope we're not all going to hell... in a handbasket... or in #EddieLong's wig. RT @wizardofoz321: *falls off a cliff* Sun Sep 26 12:44:01 2010 via TweetDeck
I just realized that those invested in hypermasculinity in the church have just caught up with Gangster Rap. Who's more paid, btw? Sun Sep 26 12:43:09 2010 via TweetDeck
"There is a choir competition sponsored by the 100 Black Men at 4 o'clock, it's a free event so come back if you'd like to. Amen? Amen" SMH. Sun Sep 26 12:42:20 2010 via TweetDeck
Yes, with recent additions for what could work BETTER at 11am. RT @Choqlate: Well of course the 8am show is the same as the 11am show... Sun Sep 26 12:41:37 2010 via TweetDeck
AHAHAHAAH!!! I want him to do time just to face the truth of his bald head, alone. RT @LoveMySkip: not with that s-curl wig he ain't. Sun Sep 26 12:40:56 2010 via TweetDeck
I love her for her witnessing!! RT @BlackElleWoods: Yeah, she's in New Birth right now, so that's a 1st hand account. Sun Sep 26 12:39:57 2010 via TweetDeck
LMAO! I am crying laughing. I never thought Twitter could out-do group television but we just did w/group church. RT @LoveMySkip: *muerte* Sun Sep 26 12:39:07 2010 via TweetDeck
"Maybe you thought you came to hear a man make a confession but actually it's your turn to make a confession..." SMH---the Junior Pastor Sun Sep 26 12:36:27 2010 via TweetDeck
By the way, the choir broke out into "God is an awesome God". They do be jammin' up in New Birth. Yes, Lawd, Yes, Lawd... SMH... Sun Sep 26 12:35:52 2010 via TweetDeck
Amen Corner
Yes, he did! Those are all direct quotes. After that, I add my own spin. SMH. RT @DJ_RideMyStache: WTF? He actually SAID that? Sun Sep 26 12:35:22 2010 via TweetDeck
LMAO! NOO! RT @BlackElleWoods: you see this? RT @indigochic5: Someone yelled out we wanna know the truth and got ran out of the Church!!!!! Sun Sep 26 12:34:34 2010 via TweetDeck
Wow, he said the SAME five rocks analogy AND threw the mic down in the same way, grabbed his wife & ran up the aisle. SMH... #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 12:34:00 2010 via TweetDeck
"I feel like Goliath, David, rather, facing Goliath" ---#EddieLong No, you said it right the first time, you power abuser. Sun Sep 26 12:33:30 2010 via TweetDeck
"As you know, there are accusations and attacks made against me... and I am going to vigorously fight all of them". Cuz I can't be broke. Sun Sep 26 12:32:34 2010 via TweetDeck
He said curse, nurse, rehearse OR reverse. You know he rhymes! SMH... LOL! RT @Choqlate: I think he said "reverse it," not "rehearse it." Sun Sep 26 12:32:02 2010 via TweetDeck
"I have never portrayed myself as a perfect man; but I am not the person they are portraying in the media". I am MORE handsome! #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 12:31:24 2010 via TweetDeck
"The painful situation that I find myself and my church in..." Cuz we're all in this together, right, #EddieLong SMH Sun Sep 26 12:30:46 2010 via TweetDeck
"They shall walk and not faint" -- Cuz on Twitter they been faintin' all morning at New Birth. #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 12:29:50 2010 via TweetDeck
"We must not forget our strength is not in man, is not in #EddieLong but the Lord" --- cuz I'm guilty as sin and I need y'all to prepare. Sun Sep 26 12:29:14 2010 via TweetDeck
This is the 2nd time in 1 week that somebody used the alphabet for words of encouragement. Sesame Street would love the Black Church. Sun Sep 26 12:28:30 2010 via TweetDeck
"God would come in the midst of us... and touch folk" --Basically, that's a confession from #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 12:27:57 2010 via TweetDeck
AHAHAH!!! RT @Checkandmate: Bishop Eddie Long says I've got #5Rocks - DEA to raid church. News at 11 Sun Sep 26 12:27:33 2010 via TweetDeck
Please do. I don't own a Bentley, I have a broke down Honda hooptie. RT @JaneBozarth: Excuse me while I go write @drgoddess into my will. Sun Sep 26 12:27:13 2010 via TweetDeck
This is deep. Many aspects of his 11am sermon are different from his 8am sermon. This is a psychologist's playground. Sun Sep 26 12:26:38 2010 via TweetDeck
"We can make it through these tough times if WE stay focused on the spiritual things that have brought us thus far" ---Stay out of court. Sun Sep 26 12:26:09 2010 via TweetDeck
Not in any way, shape or form. Not one iota. RT @GreggVoss: Does any of this shock you? Because it shouldn't. Sun Sep 26 12:24:57 2010 via TweetDeck
"Or you can rehearse it...and still being beaten by what happened" --He's telling the boys not to retell their stories. SMH. #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 12:24:29 2010 via TweetDeck
"You can curse it...or nurse it... " --- I'm trying to nurse my sons to change their testimony. Please, Lawd... #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 12:23:39 2010 via TweetDeck
Or theirs... RT @LoveMySkip: whenever he started talking about tsunamis and Katrina I just KNEW that negro lost his fucking mind. Sun Sep 26 12:22:51 2010 via TweetDeck
"You have to learn how to still be a spiritual witness" --- cuz I'm about to have state's witnesses against me and I need y'all. #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 12:22:31 2010 via TweetDeck
"The greatest pain in all of that is to love somebody who doesn't love you back" Boys, you better love me back! #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 12:21:11 2010 via TweetDeck
"There are situations of deception that brings about pain...when one has been betrayed by those that they love" Mmm-Hmm... #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 12:20:50 2010 via TweetDeck
Wow. This is a whole new low. He is scaring the church into defending him so they won't lose their sense of community. SMH. #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 12:20:07 2010 via TweetDeck
OOoohhh NOOO!!!! He done evoked Hurricane Katrina to talk about pain & church communities being washed away!! :-O #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 12:19:40 2010 via TweetDeck
"...and we are subject to taste distasteful and painful situations" Yes, #EddieLong, just long those teen boys you manipulated. SMH. Sun Sep 26 12:18:48 2010 via TweetDeck
@rolandsmartin Because the U.S. is still heavily segregated, ESPECIALLY on Sundays... Sun Sep 26 12:18:03 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to rolandsmartin
"Our purpose today is two-fold..." Absolutely, #EddieLong, you gotta get a message to your accusers to be silent. Sun Sep 26 12:16:56 2010 via TweetDeck
Alright, everybody, let's listen closely for his messages to his vict--er, accusers... Sun Sep 26 12:16:24 2010 via TweetDeck
"New Birth, y'all stay focused..." cuz I still got another spell to put on you. #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 12:15:30 2010 via TweetDeck
I Put a Spell On You…Because You're Mine
@rolandsmartin There is something to be said about this crisis, though cuz George Bush's Faith-Based Initiatives helped these mega churches. Sun Sep 26 12:15:02 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to rolandsmartin
By the way, folks, check out my new iPad! ---#EddieLong Sun Sep 26 12:13:35 2010 via TweetDeck
"I'm not leaving you if you don't leave me" --- #EddieLong Amen, Preacher, we do get the leadership we deserve SMH... Sun Sep 26 12:11:02 2010 via TweetDeck
Is it me or does #EddieLong's wife posture herself more like his mother? It's just odd. She's beautiful, so don't get me wrong but... Sun Sep 26 12:10:35 2010 via TweetDeck
"God says it. We believe it. That settles it." Oh but not in the court of law of the United States of America, #EddieLong Oh no. Sun Sep 26 12:09:28 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @bmockaveli: RT drgoddess: #EddieLong said, "I am not the man I am portrayed to be on television" -- that's what R.Kelly said!! <--MMPH! Sun Sep 26 12:06:25 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @Aqua174: entire speech. | Video: Bishop Eddie Long Speaks to New Birth Congregation http://t.co/8QZO5sS via @MyFoxAtlanta Sun Sep 26 12:05:56 2010 via TweetDeck
OMG, y'all, I CANNOT get over his lace front, jheri curl wig. I want to harm whoever even made that... Sun Sep 26 12:05:10 2010 via TweetDeck
Basically but even that's a bit much 4 him RT @insanityreport: so the Eddie Long translation is: "I want to come out the closet but I can't" Sun Sep 26 12:04:11 2010 via TweetDeck
AHAHAAH!! RT @LDaialogue: How is #BishopEddieLong "David" in the analogy of David vs. Goliath? David wasnt buffled wearing muscle shirts. Sun Sep 26 12:02:00 2010 via TweetDeck
EXACTLY! Same w/Gangsta Rap, imo. RT @MGhasspoken: The music was good, but that is how they draw people just like the music industry. Sun Sep 26 12:01:32 2010 via TweetDeck
@TheFreedomTweet AHAHAHAHAAHAHAH!!!!! #ChapelHill #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 12:00:59 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to TheFreedomTweet
#EddieLong said, "I am not the man I am portrayed to be on television". Well, neither am I. For ex., I'm not really invisible. Sun Sep 26 12:00:03 2010 via TweetDeck
Morning! Come getchu some: http://bit.ly/cRi3td RT @TheFreedomTweet: Good Morning Good People!:-) Sun Sep 26 11:59:09 2010 via TweetDeck
@BlackElleWoods It's listed at streamingfaith.com under "New Birth MBC" Sun Sep 26 11:57:29 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to BlackElleWoods
Like I said of Madea this past Thursday, if you don't see why Tyler Perry is popular after watching New Birth, you're not watching. Sun Sep 26 11:56:31 2010 via TweetDeck
Right. At the end of the day, that's why everybody's there. Big concert. RT @elledub_1920: you gotta admit the music is on point #doe Sun Sep 26 11:55:33 2010 via TweetDeck
& debit RT @DoktaDivah: While I don't think prosperity is bad in and of itself..I thought the ultimate goal was a deeper relationship w/God? Sun Sep 26 11:55:06 2010 via TweetDeck
Exactly. RT @sjean70: also growing up it was an alien concept to us that preachers go paid. my dad had a full time job and a church. Sun Sep 26 11:54:15 2010 via TweetDeck
Yes.. RT @sjean70: I have this discussion re prosperity ministry with actual prosperity ministers ... they're justifications are amazing ... Sun Sep 26 11:53:58 2010 via TweetDeck
Girl, yes, if I was a King sibling, I'd be fighting, too. RT @aaw1976: he's the king.....smh King children come get your sister. smdh Sun Sep 26 11:53:15 2010 via TweetDeck
Come getchu this blessing! lol http://bit.ly/cQkPuN @BlackElleWoods: Where are you watching the service? Sun Sep 26 11:52:45 2010 via TweetDeck
"We pray... there will be no debt for the next generation"... Bernice, all y'all gotta do is watch Suze Orman. Jesus... Sun Sep 26 11:51:29 2010 via TweetDeck
"As we sow this seed...we sow it, Father God, knowing that it's attached to a harvest"... LOL. Oh God... Sun Sep 26 11:50:33 2010 via TweetDeck
"We are a people of God...we are a corporate body, a priesthood of believers" Damn. Did Bernice just watch "Wallstreet"? Sun Sep 26 11:49:37 2010 via TweetDeck
"We don't fail God. We believe God's word...and contained in what we sow is a harvest" (or a Bentley, however you so define it). Sun Sep 26 11:48:09 2010 via TweetDeck
How's Bernice gon' tell congregants not to come before the King empty handed? LOL!!! What if I just have a can of soup? That alright? Sun Sep 26 11:47:43 2010 via TweetDeck
Rev. Bernice King is much more bold at 11am service than she was at 8am...cuz she wasn't sure what #EddieLong was gonna admit... Sun Sep 26 11:46:58 2010 via TweetDeck
Well, at least Ms. Agnes isn't fake. Cuz in the 8am service, she was crying real hard. Now she's just smiling big. Bless her heart... Sun Sep 26 11:46:24 2010 via TweetDeck
@sjean70 No, the fact that churches need $$ is not lost on this discussion of tithing. But you don't need my W2s or a Bentley. Sun Sep 26 11:45:03 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to sjean70
Yep. LOL!!!! RT @sjean70: Ppl are allowed to follow who they want and I am allowed to criticize them for it. LOL. Sun Sep 26 11:44:32 2010 via TweetDeck
@blogdiva And that was up on the Chicago Bull's Jumbotron screen. Ain't nothin' wrong with using technology! Don't hate! LOL! #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 11:43:16 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to blogdiva
Girl, please. You should have seen the Powerpoint at Savior's Day! lol RT @blogdiva: they use POWERPOINT slides in churches now? #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 11:42:45 2010 via TweetDeck
Yes, because if we were in South Africa doing HIV/AIDS work, there's NO WAY he could've had sex with a young man at night. None. #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 11:41:48 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @Noireboss1: @the previous & following verses talk about following God &exercising his rightousness in order to profit His way (not ours) Sun Sep 26 11:38:53 2010 via TweetDeck
Is it just me or do those chords sound strangely like Peter Gabriel's "That's Just the Way It is?" I know a good song when I hear one... Sun Sep 26 11:32:57 2010 via TweetDeck
Nope, live tweeting: http://bit.ly/cQkPuN @sjean70: drgoddess -- you preaching? Sun Sep 26 11:32:12 2010 via TweetDeck
Interesting...and sad, really but it's a cycle RT @ndcollier: Eddie Long did say that he didn't have an ideal relationship with his father. Sun Sep 26 11:31:14 2010 via TweetDeck
In a related note, I learned on "Larry King Live" that "Saturday Night Live" has a test audience at 8pm before they go "live" at 11:30pm Sun Sep 26 11:29:03 2010 via TweetDeck
I'm pretty impressed that they repeat the service to the exact song, letter & prayer at 11am that they did at 8am. Sun Sep 26 11:28:38 2010 via TweetDeck
Isaiah 48:17 Lord, teach me to PROFIT and lead me in the way to go? Oh. My. God... SMH... Sun Sep 26 11:27:50 2010 via TweetDeck
Matthew 6:33 is about casting out poverty? Really, New Birth? SMH... Sun Sep 26 11:27:18 2010 via TweetDeck
Back to Lies of Biblical Proportions, Act II, Service II
Girl, I'll NEVER forget the Voices of Inner Strength Tour! RT @BernadetteDavis: Um, drgoddess ... what story are you about to tell? Hmmm. Sun Sep 26 11:26:46 2010 via TweetDeck
He told everyone, "say Monneeeeeyy! Moooneeeyy!" Snatch it! Grab it! And the congregation did it. I was like :-O !!! Sun Sep 26 11:25:15 2010 via TweetDeck
The small church was just outside of ATL. The preacher told everyone to pray for money & had folks snatching it out of the air. Sun Sep 26 11:24:36 2010 via TweetDeck
And it was on that tour that I learned, once and for all, the absolute horrors of prosperity gospels, in a small & mega church... Sun Sep 26 11:23:39 2010 via TweetDeck
Dear Twitter.. I've been in two gospel choirs (yes, me). One was in college. For Spring Break, we went on a tour... Sun Sep 26 11:23:11 2010 via TweetDeck
!! RT @ndcollier: I heard & saw w/ my own ears & eyes a pastor who said if aren't tithing but wondering why you have cancer, check yourself. Sun Sep 26 11:22:41 2010 via TweetDeck
I have to admit, I'm pretty glad I grew up in a church where the officials take a 'vow of poverty'. Not perfect but we were all broke. lol Sun Sep 26 11:21:54 2010 via TweetDeck
I would put money on it that he was. So was R. Kelly... RT @elledub_1920: I also wonder if #eddielong was himself abused as a teen. Sun Sep 26 11:21:02 2010 via TweetDeck
@blogdiva @ashley_is @BasseyworldLive @ljoywilliams @carolynedgar You're right on time for 11am service. Click: http://bit.ly/cRi3td Sun Sep 26 11:20:40 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to blogdiva
RT @blunted215: If your church asks you for your W2, it's probably safe to say that "come as you are" isn't the official policy there. Sun Sep 26 11:18:27 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @ashley_is: @BasseyworldLive my pastor told us we needed 2 tithe AND give an offering AND contribute 2 the building fund, etc..outrageous Sun Sep 26 11:16:39 2010 via TweetDeck
Yes, Lawd... RT @ajc: New Birth's 11 a.m. service starting now. #BishopEddieLong Sun Sep 26 11:15:43 2010 via TweetDeck
Personal Experience in the Pews of Prosperity
Those of you who ONLY protest against police brutality should know what #EddieLong knows: Judges are Elected. Sun Sep 26 10:15:56 2010 via TweetDeck
@mdrwhitener True but for the first time, I have alot of hope for midterm elections. #EddieLong will use ANY distraction. Victory is assured Sun Sep 26 10:14:16 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to mdrwhitener
RT @mdrwhitener: Dear Black Twitter ~ while we are watching Eddie Long, white twitter is somewhere telling Sarah Palin she'll win in 2012. Sun Sep 26 10:13:39 2010 via TweetDeck
LOL!! Yes, Lawd... RT @AndreaDMorgan: Like I said, Atlanta is a small town, there are lots of skeletons to unearth.*sips coffee* @aaw1976 Sun Sep 26 10:12:47 2010 via TweetDeck
Right! RT @GammasWorld: Okay I've read drgoddess & others but basically he still didn't say "hell naw I didn't do it" - correct? #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 10:11:43 2010 via TweetDeck
Excellent point @donlemoncnn #EddieLong loves the attention and could have made that short statement ANYTIME. SMH... Sun Sep 26 10:11:03 2010 via TweetDeck
Okay?!!! My soul is weeping for them. I hope they weren't watching but... SMH... RT @carolynedgar: Who's standing by those young men? Sun Sep 26 09:46:43 2010 via TweetDeck
TEACH!!! RT @thefriendraiser: @sfreynolds yet the public is quick to say "he did it" when we see a gang member on the news... Sun Sep 26 09:45:59 2010 via TweetDeck
@sfreynolds So Saturn return is sort of like, you're gonna have to face your true self? What goes around comes around? Sun Sep 26 09:45:29 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to sfreynolds
@sfreynolds ...I wonder how many gay Black men, in particular, have been depressed, suicidal or otherwise distraught & confused cuz of him? Sun Sep 26 09:44:33 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to sfreynolds
@sfreynolds Oh see, Sam, not for me. He's guilty as sin for so MANY reasons. Improperly spending the money, the prosperity preaching... Sun Sep 26 09:43:27 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to sfreynolds
LMAO!!!! RT @emokidsloveme Umm, he threw microphone down and ran out like James Brown #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:42:15 2010 via TweetDeck
*FLATLINES* D.N.R.!!! RT @mdrwhitener: When Eddie Long dropped the mic, did someone yell 'SEXUAL CHOCOLATE!'? Sun Sep 26 09:41:27 2010 via TweetDeck
LMAO!!!! We are so wrong. And yet so right. RT @Kiratiana: I'm skipping my own church for Church with Bishop Eddie Long...this is a TRIP!!! Sun Sep 26 09:40:42 2010 via TweetDeck
Dear God, you know I don't ask for much; but please deliver this New Birth church into the light of truth. Cuz I'm SMH. Sun Sep 26 09:39:41 2010 via TweetDeck
@DarthJaeda New Birth is named *in the suit* because the men said the upper administration not only knew about it but set it all up..so, yes Sun Sep 26 09:38:39 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to DarthJaeda
RT @DarthJaeda: If he goes down, a lot of ppl in the corpo-er, church, are gonna have to answer some questions. This wasn't done in a vacuum Sun Sep 26 09:38:06 2010 via TweetDeck
Yes he DID!!! LMAO!! RT @dumilewis: @ndcollier that dude ran. he grabbed Vaness like he was running for first down and was out. Sun Sep 26 09:37:10 2010 via TweetDeck
Pls explain. RT @sfreynolds: ..technically, #EddieLong has no victims. He has accusers. This trial will be his Saturn Return. @SaturnSisters Sun Sep 26 09:36:30 2010 via TweetDeck
THAT is what Cadillac Kim was talking about! LOL!!! RT @myexpresslane: I just said what the hell is on his head...*grabs glasses* Sun Sep 26 09:35:36 2010 via TweetDeck
They did. RT @DarthJaeda: he can't possibly have had these relationships, using church funds, without SOMEBODY seeing the outgoing funds. Sun Sep 26 09:34:44 2010 via TweetDeck
@ajc I am, however, the man lookin' TOO FIERCE in those pictures I sent. Yes, indeed... #BishopEddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:34:27 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to ajc
RT @ajc: "I have never in my life portrayed myself as a perfect man. But I am not the man who is being portrayed on the television." Sun Sep 26 09:33:35 2010 via TweetDeck
I can't WAIT to hear @caddykim 's reaction to this morning's sermon... #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:33:11 2010 via TweetDeck
LMAO!!! Yes! RT @sfreynolds: "Our strength is not in man, but in the Lord." I think he's been listening to Cadillac Kim! #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:32:32 2010 via TweetDeck
Lemme tell y'all, #EddieLong just further enraged some of his victims. The lawyer's gonna get 30 MORE calls from diff men today. Sun Sep 26 09:32:04 2010 via TweetDeck
Yes, he is, girl! I know FoxTV is so damn mad! LMAO!!! RT @girly1121: #EddieLong is not trying to throw the election season into his mess!!! Sun Sep 26 09:31:03 2010 via TweetDeck
"You're not here by coincidence...there's a purpose for your life" (Um, yeah, I came cuz of the controversy... LOL). #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:30:22 2010 via TweetDeck
"And there's a period behind that. We stand by our pastor, period." (Now please make another donation). #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:29:44 2010 via TweetDeck
Those five rocks he ain't used? He's lettin' ERRYBODY know if he goes down, he's takin' the whole DL gospel community w/him! #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:28:49 2010 via TweetDeck
LMAO!!! Why on Earth would he wear a lace front jheri curl?! What the hell???! RT @Rena_Morris: It's a lace front wig he's wearing Sun Sep 26 09:27:40 2010 via TweetDeck
LMAO!!! RT @pointblank009: The only New Birth I listen to is the funk band from the 70's. For long it's "Time to Go." Sun Sep 26 09:26:42 2010 via TweetDeck
THIS!!! You said it, Sis! RT @swannsong: We are witnessing the ultimate seduction. Salvation thru me ~~> #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:25:44 2010 via TweetDeck
"I feel like David against Goliath but I'll tell you what...I've got five rocks & I haven't used one yet" (if I go down, we all is) #Long Sun Sep 26 09:24:28 2010 via TweetDeck
Please hear this...'cause I'm gonna need your continued blind faith to contribute to my lawyers' fees... #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:23:15 2010 via TweetDeck
You're right... SMH... RT @esisogah: my money is on them not believing and evidence, no matter what it is Sun Sep 26 09:22:05 2010 via TweetDeck
How on EARTH can people look at this man with this jheri curl in the 21st century and still take him seriously?! #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:20:22 2010 via TweetDeck
Well, of course, #EddieLong, ain't nobody say there wasn't power among the congregants. This ain't about THEM. Sun Sep 26 09:19:30 2010 via TweetDeck
I know Barack Obama is mad as hell #EddieLong tried to use his good name as a distraction in his shenanigans. SMH. Sun Sep 26 09:18:48 2010 via TweetDeck
Or you can BUY it and try to settle this lawsuit with money so these boys will go away and stop hatin' on my polyandry... #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:16:09 2010 via TweetDeck
"Deception, when one has been betrayed by those whom they loved" (that's a shout to the men to be silent)... #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:15:11 2010 via TweetDeck
AHAHAHAHA!!!! RT @DoktaDivah: I'm mad yall got me glued to my phone right now...let me go feed my children. Sun Sep 26 09:14:03 2010 via TweetDeck
Preach! His lies are just... SMH. RT @aaw1976: The sad thing is he still has not humbled himself. That bravado is gonna be the end of him. Sun Sep 26 09:13:52 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @fannielouwho: Life is definitely filled w/painful situations. When I got beaten in that jail until my legs went numb, that was painful. Sun Sep 26 09:13:12 2010 via TweetDeck
Don't mind me, the man behind the curtain, keep focusing on Oz! #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:11:23 2010 via TweetDeck
Of course you would use your Bible today, #EddieLong, you used it during the "sexual covenant" ceremony with the boys, too, right? Sun Sep 26 09:10:16 2010 via TweetDeck
On a REAL serious note, this congregation is going to be SO hurt when they are faced with the evidence. SMH... cuz he's STILL lyin'... Sun Sep 26 09:09:15 2010 via TweetDeck
MT @sfreynolds: Keywords 2 expect 2 hear in today's New Birth service: faithfulness, trust, authority, service, perseverance, steadfastness Sun Sep 26 09:08:29 2010 via TweetDeck
By the way, I can speak openly to y'all but I'ma need to READ this next statement---from my lawyer. #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:07:43 2010 via TweetDeck
Dag, #EddieLong said he'll be in the pulpit next week. Alright, next week don't go cuz lightning is gonna strike... SMH. Sun Sep 26 09:06:55 2010 via TweetDeck
I'm not so sure when it comes to you, that a "loving" congregation is the adjective I'd use but... Sun Sep 26 09:06:27 2010 via TweetDeck
"Good Morning to all our OTHER guests"---Oh, like this is OUR fault, #EddieLong? SMH... Sun Sep 26 09:04:24 2010 via TweetDeck
Every hero needs a soundtrack. Every hero needs a live band. I learned that from "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka". SMH. #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 09:03:40 2010 via TweetDeck
He's the Wizard
LMAO!!! RT @fannielouwho: I used to try to get my hair like that... it didn't quite work...I see it still doesn't... Sun Sep 26 09:02:54 2010 via TweetDeck
Anointed, my Sister. ANOINTED... LOL!!! RT @randomjeweler: drgoddess *is annoyed somehow* Sun Sep 26 09:01:38 2010 via TweetDeck
What's wrong, #EddieLong, no flashy suit or tie today? SMH... Sun Sep 26 09:01:09 2010 via TweetDeck
Now y'all know $40,000 is a good down payment on #EddieLong's next Bentley... Sun Sep 26 09:00:27 2010 via TweetDeck
It looks like there's about 8,000 people in this room. Now if each of y'all gave just $5, we'd be blessed with $40,000 #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 08:59:54 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @fannielouwho: Yes, I had to press my way through many-a-crowd, especially during the Democratic National Convention. SMH... Sun Sep 26 08:58:39 2010 via TweetDeck
LOL @fannielouwho RT @EbonyStarr55: OMG! When I looked up and saw that name I thought I would die laughing...whew...I can't with y'all! lol Sun Sep 26 08:58:21 2010 via TweetDeck
AHAHAHAHAAHA!!!! Oh my, Oh my... RT @Inkognegro: Cancer...rooted in bitterness? Bone Disease rooted in envy? gotta be a metaphor. Sun Sep 26 08:55:25 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @Dawnavette: So clearly all of ATL had the same idea as moi. We're STiLL waiting in a stand-still line & cars. Keep. Coming. Sun Sep 26 08:55:03 2010 via TweetDeck
@EbonyStarr55 AHAHAHAHAHA!!! I knew you would love that, Eb! LOL! Sun Sep 26 08:54:40 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to EbonyStarr55
Y'all done upset the spirit of Fannie Lou Hamer. She's live tweeting, too! #FF @fannielouwho LOL! #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 08:53:15 2010 via TweetDeck
LMAO! Thanks! RT @DoktaDivah: @TheCubicleChick Yep! Follow @drgoddess and you won't need it, tho. I'm on my phone and totally up to speed. Sun Sep 26 08:52:22 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @kismet4: woke up 2 find @drgoddess & @jelani9 live tweeting New Birth's service (ATL) #EddieLong #troubleinmind #wadeinthewaterofscandal Sun Sep 26 08:51:59 2010 via TweetDeck
LOL! Followup on those health prayers RT @DryerBuzz: somebody might need to explain the baptist format and why everybody running down front Sun Sep 26 08:51:23 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @fannielouwho: I used to lead people into singing like this, so I can relate... Bless their hearts, music does soothe the savage beast... Sun Sep 26 08:50:41 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @fannielouwho: All I'm gonna say is I hope y'all are this excited about MY resurrection... albeit as a statue but still... #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 08:49:59 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @fannielouwho: This is a trip. See, I worked as a sharecropper so I don't know what riches other than one's character God requires... Sun Sep 26 08:49:35 2010 via TweetDeck
LMAO!!! RT @fannielouwho: What? That wasn't enough for y'all?... Sun Sep 26 08:45:52 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @fannielouwho: I didn't get this kind of turnout when I was trying to recruit y'all to vote and I was singing "This Little Light of Mine" Sun Sep 26 08:44:58 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @fannielouwho: Well, Good Morning... Now, see, I am sick and tired of this nonsense right here this mornin'... I can sing gospel, TOO nah Sun Sep 26 08:44:36 2010 via TweetDeck
"It comes in the silence of those who have stood up to testify against our King... it comes in denial..." <-- that's me... Sun Sep 26 08:43:28 2010 via TweetDeck
Dear Twitter, aren't y'all glad we dissected Rev. Bernice King's prosperity preaching shenanigans earlier this week? LOL. SMH. Sun Sep 26 08:43:06 2010 via TweetDeck
Um RT @taghive:the hot new tag #eddielong is most tweeted by @drgoddess, followed by @PinkCottonCEO and @CottonfieldUSA http://bit.ly/awJgqB Sun Sep 26 08:42:35 2010 via TweetDeck
Not really, Bernice. Y'all have 25,000 members. Even $1 each is $25,000 to South Africa. It's not hard, really. SMH... Sun Sep 26 08:42:06 2010 via TweetDeck
"Know that you never come before a King without a gift and we're in the presence of a King of Kings" Who? #EddieLong or Jesus? SMH Sun Sep 26 08:41:28 2010 via TweetDeck
Oh Lawd... here comes Bernice... to take up the offering??? I can't... I just can't... Sun Sep 26 08:41:03 2010 via TweetDeck
King's Things
LMAO!!! RT @DryerBuzz: @drgoddess for today's twitter commentary - follow @drgoddess - please have your co-pay ready if you crack a rib Sun Sep 26 08:40:07 2010 via TweetDeck
My Lawd, they done flew Ms. Agnes in from South Africa. How they gon' use this old lady as a prime distraction. Shame on you! Sun Sep 26 08:39:49 2010 via TweetDeck
Well, we know #EddieLong has a powerful prayer. He said it during the "commitment ceremony" before sex with those young men. Sun Sep 26 08:38:57 2010 via TweetDeck
So in other words, when we were in South Africa, we were treating AIDs, not sleeping w/each other on the DL... SMH. Sun Sep 26 08:36:13 2010 via TweetDeck
@EbonyStarr55 Good Morning, Honey Buns! Oh Lawd, they're putting up South Africa & HIV. Won't @luvvieig be proud! #YesLawd #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 08:35:44 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to EbonyStarr55
Sarafina!
Yup RT @jelani9: Sanctuary here is full,ppl on their feet in praise. Have a real sense that it won't matter what Long says today. #rideordie Sun Sep 26 08:34:51 2010 via TweetDeck
@tayari My feed is still up. You back up and running? Sun Sep 26 08:33:57 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to tayari
I know New Birth was named in the lawsuit but it's sad #EddieLong has them thinking they're all wrapped up in the charges LIKE HIM. Sun Sep 26 08:33:17 2010 via TweetDeck
What's the Matter, Massa? WE sick?
I am so mad at @CNN for having a "picture in picture" of New Birth in the corner. LOL!!! Sun Sep 26 08:31:48 2010 via TweetDeck
! RT @TB_BT: I see they are telling the guys at the altar to head back to their seats in the event not all are friends & something pops off Sun Sep 26 08:31:27 2010 via TweetDeck
So far, the prayers have been for #EddieLong, his family, his conquering and financial blessings & health of the congregation. SMH. Sun Sep 26 08:30:53 2010 via TweetDeck
I'm not even gonna say anything about these health chants. No I am not. No, I am not... SMH... Sun Sep 26 08:28:48 2010 via TweetDeck
LOL! RT @swannsong: I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with the caterpillar. What did the caterpillar ever do to the New Birthers? Sun Sep 26 08:28:18 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @Dawnavette: There was mad traffic on 285, and now the line to head into the church grounds is at a stand still. Stretches.. to Wal-Mart. Sun Sep 26 08:27:40 2010 via TweetDeck
"Lord, bring me into a wealthy place...he also brought them out with silver & gold" Good Lord, New Birth! Sun Sep 26 08:26:16 2010 via TweetDeck
"Make me rich. I am blessed going in and I am blessed going out... Jesus, you became poor...so that I might be made rich". LAWD!!!!! Sun Sep 26 08:25:13 2010 via TweetDeck
"Lord, teach me to profit and lead me in the way I should go..." OMG... Blasphemy, Blasphemy, Blasphemy! Sun Sep 26 08:24:42 2010 via TweetDeck
Not yet... OMG, they are breaking the curses against all finances, poverty & blessings. SMH. RT @tayari: my feed just went black.. yours? Sun Sep 26 08:24:18 2010 via TweetDeck
@JMH7694 Good Morning, no, I did not! Please let me know... Sun Sep 26 08:23:31 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to JMH7694
This is so sad. You just gon' pray for #EddieLong and no mention for anybody else in the church all hurt & confused? SMH... Sun Sep 26 08:22:57 2010 via TweetDeck
A Powerful Prayer… for Prosperity
I'm sorry but some of us ARE here to "spectate". It's not OUR faults! Sun Sep 26 08:21:46 2010 via TweetDeck
Follow #EddieLong and it'll give you all you need. LOL! RT @BlackGod917: please fill me in. I've been under a rock Sun Sep 26 08:19:12 2010 via TweetDeck
RT @jelani9: New Birth also has the uncommon status of having more male than female members. In Atlanta that's saying something. Sun Sep 26 08:18:49 2010 via TweetDeck
Sooo much. And it's not just that. How many died? RT @Brandale2221: My concern is the $$$... how much of the Church's tithes did he spend? Sun Sep 26 08:18:31 2010 via TweetDeck
Good Morning! To catch up on New Birth, watch here: http://bit.ly/cRi3td , read @jelani9 & @Dawnavette #YesLawd #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 08:15:53 2010 via TweetDeck
Yes, New Birth, God does comfort and does defend...are y'all singing for those young men that your pastor seduced? SMH... Sun Sep 26 08:14:43 2010 via TweetDeck
Me too. They SANGIN', ain't they? RT @tayari: I am watching it live. Sun Sep 26 08:13:50 2010 via TweetDeck
You know, I am so very thankful for #EddieLong's shenanigans; because what they're singing right now shows you the games he plays... SMH... Sun Sep 26 08:13:27 2010 via TweetDeck
Yep! RT @Mamita1123: Commitment and issues...O_o All this getting folk out of their minds with music so whatever he says is cool? #NoBueno Sun Sep 26 08:12:32 2010 via TweetDeck
That's deep... RT @TB_BT: It's interesting how the sea of men is standing at the front of the altar in an attempt to protect it I suppose. Sun Sep 26 08:11:57 2010 via TweetDeck
Yes Sir! RT @jelani9 just pulled up on the campus of New Birth. Maybe a hundred folk are already here, prayer groups outside the sanctuary. Sun Sep 26 08:11:30 2010 via TweetDeck
Jesus Be a Fence Around Me
Wait. They are singing way too hard for #EddieLong to be guilty of sexual coercion. No WAY he could do this. Sun Sep 26 08:11:14 2010 via TweetDeck
Dear New Birth, nobody's mad at the majority of you. We know y'all ain't do it. But your pastor and those senior "servers" did. #EddieLong Sun Sep 26 08:10:04 2010 via TweetDeck
@Mamita1123 @TB_BT How are they singing this hard at 8:00am? Lawd, they got COMMITMENT at New Birth, let me tell you! Sun Sep 26 08:09:30 2010 via TweetDeck in reply to Mamita1123
LOL!! RT @Mamita1123: Is that Sunday service or a concert? RT Thank you! RT @TB_BT: Here's the feed I'm watching: http://bit.ly/cRi3td Sun Sep 26 08:08:57 2010 via TweetDeck
Why didn't y'all tell me #EddieLong produced Christian Hip Hop CDs? Well, that's it, he *couldn't* have done this! No. WAY! Sun Sep 26 08:06:48 2010 via TweetDeck
The Kwah (Choir)
Thank you! RT @TB_BT: Here's the feed I'm watching: http://bit.ly/cRi3td Sun Sep 26 08:05:18 2010 via TweetDeck
Yes, indeed! We put him on the job, 2. I told Jelani he had to take one 4 the team! RT @tayari: also @jelani9 is live tweeting from inside. Sun Sep 26 08:04:38 2010 via TweetDeck
CNN's covering it right now but I know Fox TV is covering it too. I prefer CNN... RT @Truely_Tuli: what channel does he come on ???? Sun Sep 26 08:03:45 2010 via TweetDeck
Get Tuned In and Turned On
The Good Lawd is calling you to New Birth, that's why... RT @marcpolite: Why am I up so early? Sun Sep 26 08:00:57 2010 via TweetDeck
@Orcaspapa So, if we don't have time to make fun of people, we had better MAKE time to do so. It doesn't have to be "your own" per se... 8:00 AM Sep 26th via TweetDeck in reply to Orcaspapa
@Orcaspapa Believe it or not, comedy is extremely important and what happens on SNL actually shapes public policy and can "un-elect" ppl... 8:00 AM Sep 26th via TweetDeck in reply to Orcaspapa
MT @Orcaspapa: Perhaps, Intelligent black w have better things to do then make fun of their gender & race on TV for a stupid lowlife public. 7:59 AM Sep 26th via TweetDeck
Yay AJC! RT @ajc: Parishioners are already filing into New Birth to hear Bishop Eddie Long's first comments since allegations. AJC is there. 7:58 AM Sep 26th via TweetDeck
Good Morning, Twitter. You've got three minutes to tune in and getchu some New Birth. Let's get it... lol! #EddieLong 7:57 AM Sep 26th via TweetDeck
It's Sunday Mo(u)rning
Start Reading Here, Scroll Up to read the Twitter feed in proper, chronological order. The chapter headings are to keep the order of the church (or for your amusement, whichever fits).
As always, I believe in and prefer primary sources, so don't rely on my shenanigans, read the transcript or watch Eddie Long's non-denial yourself:
For the New Birth congregation, all I can do is pray that you have discernment. Your pastor looks and feels guilty as sin and you know in your hearts you really do not need a court case (that will never happen, Eddie Long is going to settle this and claim to have done it to save the church) to consider that these young men are telling the truth about having been preyed upon and manipulated.
