Bishop Eddie Long, the flamboyant pastor of the megachurch New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, addressed the allegations of his four accusers for the first time, in a press conference following Sunday services.
Long said that his attorneys had advised him not to speak directly about the case, but nonetheless vowed to fight the allegations.
He said that the case would be tried in the court of justice and not in the court of public opinion.
“I feel like David against Goliath”, Long said.
Earlier, Long had addressed a packed church of about 8,000 congregants, many of whom continued to support the pastor.
A long standing critic of gays and homosexuals, Long has been accused of repeatedly coercing four young men to have sex with him and according to the lawsuits, “used his authority” over the men to “ultimately bring them to a point of engaging in a sexual relationship.”
Long made no mention of stepping down or taking a reprieve from the church, which was widely rumored last week.
