Greg Locke

Greg Locke
Locke preaching at Global Vision Bible Church in May 2023
Born (1976-05-18) May 18, 1976 (age 48)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupations
  • Christian preacher
  • Church pastor
Spouses
Melissa Biggers
​
​
(m. 1996; div. 2018)​
Taisha McGee
​
(m. 2018)​
Children4 (two biological; two adopted)

Gregory Duane Locke (born May 18, 1976) is an American non-denominational evangelical Protestant preacher and pastor. He is the founder of Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.[1][2]

Early life

Locke was born in Donelson Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1976.[3] Locke claims his father was imprisoned during Locke's early life, and his mother remarried when he was 5; Locke had a turbulent relationship with his stepfather.[3]

Locke states that following multiple unrecorded arrests, he was sent to a children's home at the age of 15, where he converted to Christianity.[3]

Career

Locke founded Global Vision Baptist Church in 2006. In 2011, the church officially split from the Independent Baptist movement and changed its name to Global Vision Bible Church.[4]

In 2016, Greg Locke posted a Facebook video in which he criticized changes to Target's bathroom policy.[5] As of April 2022, Locke's social media audience numbers in the millions.[6][7] In September 2021, Locke was permanently suspended from Twitter; his account was later reinstated.[8]

Locke kept his church open through outbreaks of COVID-19, and claimed that it was a "fake pandemic".[9] He said that those who wore masks to his church would be asked to leave,[10] and discouraged vaccination among his congregation.[11]

Locke was present during the January 6 attack on the Capitol.[12] He encouraged his congregation to travel to Washington, D.C., and was scheduled to speak before Trump at the Ellipse. Locke did not end up speaking at said event, but he did deliver sermons at the Freedom Plaza on January 5 and near the Capitol steps during the riot.[13] Afterward, Locke condemned the violence but maintained, without substantial evidence, that it had been instigated by antifa agitators.[13]

Locke has been a speaker at several stops on the pro-Trump ReAwaken America Tour, which features conspiracy theories about vaccines and the 2020 presidential election.[14][15][16]

On January 23, 2022, during a sermon, Locke claimed that obsessive-compulsive disorder and autism spectrum disorder "could be" forms of demonic possession: "Are you telling me my kid's possessed? No. I'm telling you your kid could be "demonized" and attacked but your doctor calls it autism." This statement was condemned by advocates for neurodivergent people and the Autism Faith Network.[17][18]

On February 2, 2022, Locke held a burning of books and materials related to witchcraft and the occult.[19][20] During a sermon on February 13, he claimed to have discovered six "witches" within his congregation during an exorcism and threatened to expose their names.[21][22]

Locke is the executive producer of the documentary film Come Out in Jesus Name, which was released in March 2023 through Fathom Events.[1] The film chronicled the ministries of deliverance ministers such as Alexander Pagani, Isaiah Saldivar, and Mike Signorelli.[23] In a statement made to The Christian Post, Locke also expressed a desire to change his focus from politics, saying that he was “misdirected by focusing on things not in the spiritual realm.”[2]

During the early days of the bombing campaign in Gaza in October-November 2023, he advocated for violence against Palestinians. He further called for missiles to destroy the Dome of the Rock and called Islam a Satanic cult.[24]

On March 31, 2024, on Easter Sunday, an unknown man parked a trailer filled with Bibles at an intersection near Locke's church, and then intentionally set it on fire, according to the sheriff's office. Locke said that the act "was most assuredly directed at us" and that it proved Christianity is "under attack more than ever before in the United States of America".[25]

Personal life

Locke met his first wife, Melissa Biggers, at Good Shepherd Children's Home while he was there as a ward of the state; Biggers was among the facility's staff.[26] In 1995, Locke and Biggers became engaged. They have four children, two of whom are adopted. In January 2018, Locke confirmed in a video posted to Facebook that he and Biggers had separated,[27] and the divorce was finalized in May.[28]

Locke married Tai Cowan McGee in 2018. Prior to their marriage, she was his administrative assistant. Locke has repeatedly denied any suggestions of infidelity.[28]

On September 3, 2024, Locke's family residence came under intense gunfire. Police reportedly found 30 to 40 bullet shell casings around the property, which were determined to have been fired into the garage, house windows and a family vehicle, with one bullet hitting a pillow in a bedroom. Despite one Locke family member (not Greg) being home at the time, they were not injured and no immediate arrest was made by law enforcement; an investigation is ongoing. Greg arrived at the house shortly after the attack and the family stayed at a hotel that night as a safety precaution.[29][30]

Bibliography

  • Locke, G. (2005). Blinded by Benny. United States: Sword of the Lord Publishers.
  • Locke, G. (2020). This Means WAR: We Will Not Surrender Through Silence. United States: Locke Media Publishing.
  • Locke, G. (2021). Accessing Your Anointing: Understanding the Spiritual Gifts. United States: Locke Media Publishing.
  • Locke, P. G. (2021). Weapons of Our Warfare: Unleashing the Power of the Armor of God. United States: Global Vision Press.
  • Locke, P. G. (2022). Revival. United States: Locke Media Publishing.

Filmography

  • 2023, Come Out in Jesus Name, Documentary Film, Executive Producer[1][23]

References

  1. ^ a b c Akers, Shawn (February 10, 2023). "Locke Movie 'Come Out In Jesus Name' to Ignite Revival - Charisma Magazine". Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "'Come Out in Jesus Name' reaches top 5 at box office; moviegoers post stories of deliverance in theaters". christianpost.com. April 13, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Schmitt, Brad (May 1, 2016). "Target-blasting pastor Greg Locke channels anger in new way". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  4. ^ Humbles, Liam Adams and Andy. "Greg Locke timeline: From independent Baptist pastor to right-wing firebrand". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  5. ^ Gowen, Annie (March 31, 2022). "A Jan. 6 pastor divides his Tennessee community with increasingly extremist views". Washington Post.
  6. ^ Homans, Charles (April 24, 2022). "A Crusade to Challenge the 2020 Election, Blessed by Church Leaders". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  7. ^ Smietana, Bob (September 14, 2021). "Twitter permanently bans Greg Locke, pro-Trump, anti-vax pastor". Religion News Service. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  8. ^ Alund, Natalie Neysa. "Tennessee pastor Greg Locke accused of spreading false info about COVID banned from Twitter". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  9. ^ Reeve, Elle; Russell, Lacey; Guff, Samantha (May 29, 2021). "How a pastor's spread of Covid misinformation divided one Tennessee family". CNN. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  10. ^ Kilander, Gustaf (July 27, 2021). "Pastor tells congregation to avoid wearing masks: 'Don't believe this Delta variant nonsense'". The Independent. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  11. ^ Peiser, Jaclyn (July 27, 2021). "Evangelical pastor demands churchgoers ditch their masks: 'Don't believe this delta variant nonsense'". Washington Post.
  12. ^ Gowen, Annie (March 31, 2022). "A Jan. 6 pastor divides his Tennessee community with increasingly extremist views". Washington Post. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Kuznia, Rob; de Puy Kamp, Majile. "7 defenders of the big lie: The Pastors". www.cnn.com. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  14. ^ Quinn, Brian (August 13, 2022). "ReAwaken America: Speakers captivate crowds at Cornerstone gathering". Livingston County News. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  15. ^ Goshay, Charita M. "ReAwaken America tour set for stop in Canton Friday, Saturday". Canton Repository. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  16. ^ "Michael Flynn calls for 'one religion' at event that is a who's who of the new Christian right". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  17. ^ "Controversial Pastor Greg Locke Says OCD, Autism Are Signs of Demonic Oppression". ChristianHeadlines.com. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  18. ^ "Opponents of Pastor Greg Locke Censor His Riveting New Documentary, 'Come Out In Jesus Name' - Standard Newswire". www.standardnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  19. ^ Sung, Morgan (February 5, 2022). "Pastor holds bonfire to burn to witchcraft books like 'Twilight'". NBC News. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  20. ^ Yang, Maya (February 4, 2022). "Tennessee pastor leads burning of Harry Potter and Twilight novels". The Guardian. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  21. ^ Smietana, Bob (February 15, 2022). "Tennessee preacher Greg Locke says "demons" told him names of "witches" in his church". Religion News Service. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  22. ^ Vallejo, Justin (February 15, 2022). "Pastor Greg Locke threatens to dox 'witches' that infiltrated wife's Bible book club". The Independent. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  23. ^ a b "Greg Locke claims theater threatened to call police if he prayed for moviegoers, demanded he leave". The Christian Post. March 22, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  24. ^ "Pastor calls for destruction of Dome of the Rock, inciting violence in Gaza". Middle east Monitor. November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  25. ^ "Trailer filled with Bibles set on fire near Tennessee church". March 31, 2024.
  26. ^ Bromley, David. "Global Vision Bible Church". World Religions and Spirituality Project. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  27. ^ Blair, Leonardo (January 12, 2018). "Tearful Pastor Greg Locke Admits He Is Now Divorced, but Insists 'I Am Not an Adulterer'". The Christian Post. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  28. ^ a b Blair, Leonardo (August 10, 2018). "Popular Internet Pastor Greg Locke Marries Church Assistant After Divorce". The Christian Post. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  29. ^ "Gunfire erupts at outspoken pastor's Tennessee home with child inside: 'Truly horrific'". September 4, 2024.
  30. ^ "Home of Tennessee Pastor is Riddled with Bullets While His Child Was Home: 'Horrific'".