Bishop Prophet H. Walker of True Light Pentecost Church in Spartanburg called Long a "bad influence on the Christian church and future generations."

Long, pastor of the 25,ooo-member New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, has been accused in civil lawsuits filed by four young men of coercing them into having sex with him.

"He has no right to assume the office of pastor of any Christian church," Walker said. "A pastor should be above reproach."

Long has called the allegations false and recently vowed he would not be "pulled into a street fight."

"When this first came out, I wouldn't follow it," Walker said.  But as the number of lawsuits grew, he said he decided to speak out.

A spokesman for Long could not be reached for comment.

However, Kamelya Hinson, who has attended New Birth for nearly 15 years, said she wants Walker to know that any decision regarding Long's future is "our call, not yours."

In an e-mail to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Hinson said Long " is not a politician, he is a pastor. He owes no explanation to anyone other than his wife, kids and his church family (yes, his spiritual sons and daughters in Christ). I realize there are many people around the world who watch him on television and read his books, but if you are not a member of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church you have no right to call for him to step down."

Walker said his church is against homosexuality.

Long has been an outspoken critic of same-sex marriage and homosexuality. In 2004, he led a march supporting a constitutional amendment opposing same-sex marriages.

Walker said the rally will be held to "support the integrity and character of the Christian faith."

He declined to say how many people are in his congregation or how many he expects at the march.

An elder at True Light Pentecost Church said he expects up to 100 people from the church to travel to the rally and that others are being invited.

Georgia Building Authority said the Capitol grounds have not been reserved for the rally. Walker said it would be held at 2 p.m. Oct. 31.

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It has been reported that the Bishop Eddie Long is going to step down as pastor after his sermon set to be delivered on Sunday. Long is currently the pastor of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. He was recently challenged by three young men who filed suit against the pastor for allegedly coercing them into sex.

There are also reports that as many as 30 young men have contacted the plaintiff's attorney, BJ Bernstein, in an effort to file suits of their own or join the existing lawsuit.

Bishop Eddie Long's sex scandal has been in the headlines of national news for several days. Since the story broke, there have been suspicious pictures released that feature Bishop Long wearing muscle shirts and spandex, posing in the bathroom. Some have wondered why Long would send these images to his "spiritual sons."

On the Bishop Eddie Long sex fiasco, which I discussed this morning on MSNBC, there appear to be three angles of consideration: Legality, morality and hypocrisy. Legally, one has to determine if Long violated his fiduciary responsible to take care of the young men under his guidance. Secondly, there is the question of whether the men he may have slept with were of legal age and whether or not there was coercion.

In terms of morality, there is the obvious concern about a pastor preaching the bible on Sundays and violating biblical principles by allegedly committing adultery and sleeping with men. Many members of his congregation may not be happy to see any evidence that this is indeed the case.

Finally, there is the issue of hypocrisy. Bishop Eddie Long has gone out of his way to position himself as a pastor standing against gay rights. He has also been accused of pushing homosexuals out of the church. The idea that he may be gay himself certainly undermines his public credibility.

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We watched Jimmy Swaggart weep, we watched Jim Baker apologize and we watched their flock stand at their side despite admissions that they did exactly what they preached against to their congregation.

So if you are waiting for followers at the suburban Atlanta New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to rebel against a leader who appears to have engaged in the most hypocritical behavior possible, you may have a long time to tarry.

First of all, none of the charges against Long have been proven. At this point, it's his word against those of the four young men.

Second, church is all about redemption. No matter the crime or transgression, a sinner is supposed to always be able to find refuge in the church, and that's exactly what Long needs.

It is interesting that during his first public comments on the scandal, Long never exactly denied the charges. He simply said he was not the man who was being characterized in the news media.

He also added that he was going to fight the charges that he abused his "spiritual authority."

Parsing the bishop's words might not provide an accurate picture of what is going on in this messy case of he said.

All I know is that I would have a much more sympathetic view of Bishop Eddie Long had he not been such an anti-gay crusader, leading marches against gay rights legislation and talking down the gay lifestyle at every opportunity.

But even if Bishop Long is revealed to have taken advantage of his authority as church leader with any of these four men, I'm sure he will continue to enjoy huge popularity and influence if he just says he's sorry.

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Ga. Pastor Accuser: 'I'm Praying for Bishop' 

Spencer LeGrande, the fourth man to file a lawsuit accusing Bishop Eddie Long of coercing him into a sexual relationship, told a TV interviewer he is praying for the pastor and other accusers, but that the pastor "knows the truth."

Long was appointed pastor of New Birth in 1987. At that time the church had about 150 members. Bishop Eddie Less than four years later, the church had grown to more than 8,000 members. Athletes and entertainers claim membership at the church, which now boasts an over 25,000 strong membership, and among its prominent clergy is the Rev. Bernice King, the youngest daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Long's church was among those named in 2007 in a Senate committee's investigation into a half-dozen Christian ministries over their financing.

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