The book burning pastor is back, whining that he has been censored...if ya don't know what a word means...

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Controversial Megachurch Pastor Greg Locke Gets Candid About His Censorship

We have written about Greg Locke before. I try to not call him a pastor because he is more of a demagogue. He is a political operative in charge of a church in Tennessee. He has made the national news scene on several occasions like when he held a book burning at his church. Recently he was removed from You Tube for repeatedly violating their Terms of Service (TOS). The NAR dominionist church seized on this story to pretend it supports their nonsensical argument about "cancel culture" and censoring opposing viewpoints. The above is the latest attempt to do such. Let us reason once more together.

"A few weeks ago, Pastor Greg Locke was censored by YouTube after they accused him of "violating their Community Guidelines." We sat down with Locke for an exclusive Charisma News interview to talk about the pushback he's faced and how he is moving forward.

"I may be against the left and all of their ideologies, but I'm for the First Amendment and I don't want the left silenced. I don't want people who disagree with me to be silenced," Locke says in the interview." - Charisma News

Let's clear the air of the disinformation Locke spews and Charisma supports. Greg Locke is not censored. This very article proves he is not censored. It is always comical for someone to go on a national platform to cry about how they are being censored. What happened is Greg Locke was banned by a private entity for violating their Terms of Service. Locke has no constitutional right to be on YouTube, nor does anyone else. We see the same thing on Facebook all the time. How many Christians proudly declare they have been placed in "Facebook Jail", meaning their account has been temporarily suspended. No one has a God given right to be on Facebook. They have guidelines. You can disagree with them but continually violating them has consequences. This is not about the First Amendment either. The right to free speech is not absolute. None of the freedoms we enjoy are. The easy example is crying fire in a crowded theater. Your cries of fire lead to people stampeding to escape and three people die in the rush. Your perceived freedom to be able to cry fire, when you knew there was none, does not trump the right to life of three people who died.

What if an author wanted Charisma News to run an article mocking and deriding Christ and refuting his deity? Doesn't Charisma have the right to decide what content is on its platform? This is the game the lunatics on the right like Greg Locke play. They take an important subject, let's say a global pandemic. They stake out a false position but present it as if it is just an opposing view. Their alternate reality claims there is no pandemic and that the fake virus scheme was cooked up by Bill Gates, Dr. Fauci, the Red Baron and a pack of roaming unicorns. In this fake version of the world, you need to take horse medicine to cure the imaginary virus and the developed vaccine kills people instead of helping them. They then take these false claims and find "experts" willing to stand by these absurdities. They have news networks to pretend they have credibility and suddenly they declare they are just presenting a dissenting opinion. Then when they get banned by YouTube they cry censorship! Stop silencing my unicorns! This would be disturbing enough on its own but then you must realize Greg Locke pretends to be a Christian pastor.

Locke is the lead pastor of Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. His church of around 3,000 congregants meets outside under a tent each Sunday. He has been chastised for his stance on COVID policies and sermons calling out the Democratic Party. "They need to understand as much as they may think I'm a jerk, I don't want them to be shut down," Locke says. Quoting Proverbs 29:25 which says, "The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever puts his trust in the Lord will be safe," Locke believes any pastor who does not speak up on the pressing topics in our society today is giving room to the enemy.

Yes, you read that right. Three thousand people gather every week to listen to this lunatic. Locke has claimed the COVID virus that has killed close to seven million people worldwide is fake. He referred to the vaccine as a scam and that the elites only received "sugar water" instead of the actual shot. Pastor Loren Sandford held similar views and refused any measures to protect the flock entrusted to him. His entire church got COVID and Loren Sandford is now dead. He is far from alone. Many pastors who thumbed their noses at the virus and vaccine then contracted COVID and many died. This is not a joke. Greg Locke does not represent a different viewpoint. He represents a false viewpoint and he does so in the name of Jesus Christ. The truly sad thing here is that You Tube cared more for the sheep of Global Vision Bible Church then its pastor.

"He says, "They sit up there and play patty cake with demons and they coddle everybody and they stroke everyone's ego." Locke says his church continues to grow as thousands gather in person and even more on line to hear the sermons. His congregants are looking for a pastor that is going to stand up and something other than the status quo." - Greg Locke

Here we see two of the traits of Locke as a pastor. Everyone who does not agree with him is deemed an actual demon, witch or demonically influenced. Everyone who votes Democrat is also a demon and not welcome in his church. These are actual things he has said and stood by. These are things he has said from the pulpit. He hides behind the veneer of preaching the gospel but he does not do so. The second trait here is that Greg Locke plays into the basest emotions of the flesh. It is not that his followers are looking for something other than the status quo. It is that they are seeking confirmation for their biases instead of the truth. They like that Greg Locke quantifies their hate and directs it to one group or the other. They are always the conquering hero for Jesus just trying to bring some morality to an immoral world. Who better to lead them in this crusade than the guy who divorced the mother of his four children to marry the church assistant? Yay morality!

"We asked Locke how he works to operate out of love towards people who view the world and politics differently than he does and he says, "What we've been taught theologically is that means just speak love at the expense of truth. If you don't tell the truth it's not loving, it's deceptive."

Despite the censorship, Locke has joined together with other influential pastors and social media figures in a digital deliverance ministry and conferences. Locke isn't afraid to speak up on what he feels is important for the body of Christ to hear. "Jesus was not always lovey lovey, limp wristed, skinny jeans and fog machines," he says. Tune in to the full interview to hear Locke talking about speaking the truth in love at the expense of being misunderstood." - Greg Locke

A Christian should never be concerned about being misunderstood for speaking the truth in love. Let's say you really believe people who vote democratic are sincerely wrong from a Christian perspective. One might use the bible to show them why you feel they are wrong and be receptive to counterpoints, all the while affirming them as a brother or sister in Christ. Greg Locke's version of truthful love was to call them all demons and threaten to kick them out of his church if they ever showed up. That is not love. Heck, that is not even the truth. What is even more deceptive is telling sheep that they do not have to get vaccinated. What is unloving is telling them that COVID is fake. What is outright false is telling them the elites on got sugar water so they do not need to protect themselves. I agree that Jesus is not modeling skinny jeans but He is most certainly not this biker version Greg Locke is trying to sell. God is love and wrath and the true gospel preaches both. That said, the wrath of God is not directed at a political party or voting pattern. It is about individual sin and having saving faith in Jesus Christ. Greg Locke is not being censored. He is being told to shut up with his nonsense and quite frankly, it is about time.

Reverend Anthony Wade - December 8, 2022

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.