SCANDALOUS!

RELIGION!

BISHOP EDDIE L. LONG
When: September 2010
WTH: A collective OMG went through the Black church community when Long, the senior pastor of the 25,000-member New Birth Missionary Baptist Church who had preached against homosexuality from the pulpit of his Lithonia, Ga. megachurch, was accused of plying male youths with lavish gifts of cars, clothes and jewelry in exchange for sexual favors. A media storm ensued after a suggestive photo Long allegedly sent of himself to one of his accusers went viral. Jamal Parris, Spencer LeGrande, Maurice Robinson and Anthony Flagg, now in their 20s, filed sexual misconduct suits against Long.
The Outcome: Long settled the four cases privately and continues to maintain his innocence.

FATHER DIVINE
When: The 1930s
WTH: Father Divine, equal parts cult figure and civil rights pioneer, was born George Baker Jr. and possessed a gift for attracting followers to his New York City base and beyond long before Facebook made it easy. He founded the International Peace Movement, which garnered from 2 million to 10 million disciples, including Blacks and Whites who flocked to hear the fiery preacher who referred to himself as God. In addition to unproved allegations of fraud, his marriage on April 29, 1946 to Edna Rose Ritchings, his second wife, a 21-year-old White woman, scandalized his ministry. Father Divine was about 70 at the time.

REV. IKE (THE REV. FREDERICK J. EIKERENKOETTER II)
When: The 1970s
WTH: He wore gaudy suits, owned a fleet of Rolls-Royces and had residences on the West and East Coasts. Rev. Ike preached prosperity to his congregants inside the United Church Science of Living Institute and to both radio and television audiences and held fast to the philosophy that the lack of money was the root of all evil. In all, about 2.5 million people listened to the influential preacher/televangelist who was later investigated by the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Postal Service for preying on the poor.
The Outcome: After he retired, his church was taken over by his son. Rev. Ike died in 2009.

THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR THE POOR IS NOT TO BE ONE OF THEM
REV. IKE

TERRY HORNBUCKLE
When: 2004
WTH: Hornbuckle grew a small gathering of 15 faithful members into the 2,500-strong Agape Christian Fellowship in Arlington, Texas. After accusations began to surface in 2004 that he drugged and raped three women - two of whom were church members and one of them a virgin - the church's membership plummeted to about 400.
The Outcome: Hornbuckle was sentenced to 15 years in prison in August 2006.

THE REV. JAMAL-HARRISON BRYANT
When: 2007
WTH: Bryant, a charismatic, flashy pastor and the founder of the Empowerment Temple AME Church with 10,000 members in Baltimore, was accused of extramarital affairs, including one rumor that he impregnated a 17-year-old church member. His wife, Gizelle, filed for divorce in 2008 after more than five years of marriage.
The Outcome: Bryant's popularity and ministry have not wa- [scan cuts off]