Prominent Pastor Faces Sexual Coercion Claims

Two men have sued a prominent national pastor in Atlanta, claiming that he used his position as head of the 25,000-member New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to coerce male employees and members into sex. Church leader Eddie Long is accused of taking one of the plaintiffs on overnight trips to several American cities, where they engaged in "intimate sexual contact," reports CNN.

A spokesman for Long, who's been a vocal critic of homosexuality, denied the accusations. From the suits: "Defendant Long has a pattern and practice of singling out a select group of young male church members and using his authority as Bishop over them to ultimately bring them to a point of engaging in a sexual relationship." (More Bishop Eddie Long stories.)