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ATLANTA -- Bishop Eddie Long's congregation gave him an enthusiastic welcome at services last weekend and have taken to social media to defend him in a recent sex scandal, reported WAGA FOX 5 in Atlanta.

Long built a small Atlanta congregation into a huge television ministry at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church with what many followers describe as his "charisma and his interpretation of the Gospels," including the idea that the faithful will be rewarded with wealth.

It's a doctrine Long displays with his own luxury lifestyle, including a private jet, jewels, a luxury automobile, and a mansion.

Read more about Bishop Eddie Long's ministry and lifestyle, and the sex scandal that has shed a negative light on his Bible teachings at WAGA FOX 5 Atlanta.