Vanessa Long Breaks her Silence; Expresses Regret Over Temporary Decision to Leave
Thursday, September 6, 2012 at 11:18AM 
EEW MAGAZINE NEWS
Why did she stay? That’s the question a lot of people asked about Vanessa Long’s decision to call off her divorce when four young men pointed the finger at Bishop Eddie Long as the culprit in one of the biggest homosexual sex scandals to rock the church in 2010.
In a video dated Aug. 21, first posted on Sep. 1, Vanessa Long attempted to answer that question for her Atlanta New Birth family.
"Ladies, back in December of 2011, I was in the middle of a storm and I got off the ship,” said Vanessa Long, wiping away tears, addressing her divorce filing which she later withdrew. Long’s emotional address to New Birth is the first public statement about the firestorm that rocked the Long family EEW Magazine has discovered.
”As much as I love my husband, my family, my New Birth family, I couldn’t take another minute, pretending that I was okay. It was an incredibly difficult decision to make and it was equally hard to come back,” she admitted.
But her difficulty returning to the marriage and New Birth, according to Mrs. Long, had little to do with the accusations against her husband, but rather, her own feelings of guilt over her perceived failure to be there for others that needed her.
“After all, you felt the storm too and you stood,” she said to the congregation. “But then, I realized that the best thing that I could do was to let you see me as a woman, just like you—a woman capable of making good decisions and a woman capable of making bad decisions.”
Clearly, Mrs. Long felt her choice to walk away from her husband was the wrong one, though that point is debatable at best.
“He’s a good man,” said Vanessa Long. “He’s not perfect but he’s a man with an extraordinary vision and an incredible faith.”
In her original statement on December 2, 2011, Vanessa Long said, "After a great deal of deliberation and prayer, I have decided to terminate my marriage to Bishop Eddie L. Long.”
After fluctuating a few times, Long finally resolved to stay.
The two have been married since 1990 and have three children.
Reader Comments (10)
She's a better woman than me
Wow
I really don't understand this and how SHE is feeling guilty about anything. So I'll just leave my true thoughts to myself. If she feels like this is the right thing to do so be it.
I could have sworn the Word says it's okay to end a marriage if infidelity is involved...
I could be wrong, but it sounds to me like manipulation from Eddie Long may have more to do with her "guilt" than conviction from The Lord....
It takes an extraordinary woman to stand in the midst of adversity. our extraordinary God. I salute you LADY VANESSA! God Bless you richly
I couldnt do it, but, it isnt my life our my husband-who knows the reason she is staying, im sure she's way past embarrassed
She stated in December, according to the article, that after much deliberation and prayer, she decided to terminate her marriage. Now, suddenly she feels it was the wrong thing to do.... All I will say is, when we go over the LORD, nothing good comes from it.
Wow never heard her speak before. She seems quiet and sweet. I'm praying for her. Its always the women behind these men that suffer the most. It's a sad shame.
To forgive through your pain, is not easy. To stay, when you feel the pain and the hurt, it take God to help you.
Shame on the husband who put her in the situation. I can feel her pain. Lord, give her perfect peace in the midst of her storm. In Jesus Name. Amen.