Bishop Eddie Long rocks his curly lacefront on the November/December 2010 cover of faith-based Gospel Today magazine, but quite a few subscribers weren’t very pleased with seeing his smiling face in their mailbox.

Long, who faces a long legal battle after being accused of sexual coercion by four young men, is featured in the mag next to a headline that reads: “Bishop Eddie Long At The Center of The Scandal That Rocked The Church World.”

Gospel Today is being accused of downplaying the allegations against the pastor of the New Birth Missionary Church in Lithonia, Georgia, whose controversial billboard is still displayed prominently near an Atlanta highway.

According to BV’s Jawn Murray, one reader pointed out that it was Long’s money and influence that granted him the cover, while others accuse Gospel Today of lacking objectivity as Long also serves as the chair of the magazine’s board.

One disgruntled subscriber wrote:

“I got my latest issue of Gospel Today; with [Bishop] Eddie Long on the cover. I read the article and said to myself hmmmm seem like some sugar coating going on. Continue Reading…