An uproar over a sexual abuse lawsuit filed last Tuesday against head pastor, Bishop Eddie Long, has turned the nation's attention to the 25,000-member New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta, GA.

Long has been accused of sexual assault, sexual abuse and fraud as he is alleged to have coerced members of his flock - Anthony Flagg, 21, Maurice Robinson, 20, and Jamal Paris, 23 - into sex in exchange for cash, trips and cars.

The case is complicated because the two men who filed the lawsuit, now aged 20 and 21, were over the legal age of consent in the state of Georgia - 15 - when they claim the alleged offenses took place three years ago.

The supposed proof that the young men exposed were items such as a "sex self-check card" which included scriptures, and a guide that stated "things to do instead of sex." They also revealed information about an academy called "Long Fellows Youth Academy" that Long created to develop a relationship with the young men in his church. They alleged it was Long's method of getting intimately involved with them.

In Long's attempt to fight back, he stood at his pulpit and addressed this pressing issue publicly in front of his congregation this past Sunday. No media was allowed to enter the premise at that time, but it is assumed that he will soon address the situation before a live audience.