Bishop Eddie Long's School Shuts Its Doors

Students who attended Bishop Eddie Long's New Birth Christian Academy were in for a surprise when their parents received a letter explaining that the school would be shutting down after Christmas break, reported the Christian Post in a Dec. 28 article.

More than 200 students are forced to find a new school as Long's academy closes its doors after 18 years. The school was located in DeKalb County, Ga., in suburban Atlanta.

The letter that was sent to students' parents explained that the school was shutting down due to financial problems. Lack of donations, enrollment and the poor economy were all factors that lead to the school's demise. The letter also stated that the academy's officials would help parents find their children new schools for the remainder of the school year.

Long has been involved in a number of scandals lately but the academy's officials say they have nothing to do with the school shutting down.

"I don't believe that. I believe that this last straw with the divorce, the sealed settlement, it just does not look good," a parent told the local media.

Trouble for the anti-gay bishop started back in Sept. 2010 when four young men accused him of pressuring them into sex when they were teens, EDGE reported.

In May, the Associated Press reported that Long and the young men settled their suits out of court. In addition another man, who was also part of Long's church, sued the bishop for similar reasons and received a settlement out of court as well.

Earlier this month, Long was in the spotlight once again when the preacher's wife, Vanessa, of 21 years filed for divorce, EDGE reported in a Dec. 4 article. In less than 24 hours after filing for the divorce, however, Vanessa said that "upon prayerful reflection," she decided to not divorce her husband.

The following weekend Long said that he would be on hiatus from leading the church in order to concentrate on his wife and children, EDGE reported.

"You've given me some weeks to take care of some family business," Long said.

The preacher has also been involved in money scandals. His New Birth Missionary Baptist Church was one of six ministries that was investigated by Sen. Charles Grassley, the former ranking member of the Committee on Finance.