Born in December 1948 in Swinton, Missouri, Long began his broadcast career as a disc jockey for his hometown radio station before graduating from High School.
He wrote and directed two documentaries, Digging Up the Future and Return to Gilgal, and participated in several archaeological excavations in the Middle East, documenting them on film and video.
Long co-produced Search For the Ark of the Covenant for Fox-Lorber's Quest Series, which aired on the BBC and Dutch Television.
Following the release of the book and DVD version, James was invited to lecture on the subject of the Exodus in venues across the US, as well as England, Israel and Canada.
Long and nine other men gathered in Israel to form the High Council of B'nei Noah on January 10, 2006.