"Pastor" Greg Locke is the principal preacher at Global Vision Bible Church in Tennessee. He also refuses to accept that Joe Biden is president, is an anti-vax whack, and counters his own church's mission statement by introducing politics into literally everything, even a good old fashioned tent revival.
"What God's looking for are people under this tent, people online that he wants to put in charge of some stuff," Locke preached. "There is no reason the church of the living God and the kingdom of Jesus Christ should not rule this nation."
Spinning up his energy and the level of his voice, he justified himself by claiming, "The Bible says that the Kingdom of God suffereth violence."
"And those that truly follow Jesus Christ take it by force!" he shouted with a fist in the air.
Except, that's not what Matthew 11:12 -- the verse he was quoting -- says. Here's what it says: "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it."
The "kingdom of heaven" is a term used throughout the New Testament, but it never, ever refers to the United States of America. And it certainly isn't a call to violence, but instead a lament against it.
This is how these fundamentalist dominionist preachers lie to their congregations. It's evil, and it begs for taxation of churches.
Right Wing Watch was kind enough to capture the video and post it to Twitter. There were thoughts.
Is this the trailer for the new season of Handmaids' Tale?
— Rick (@FLbuckeye4) April 19, 2021
Just a reminder that if this so called pastor sat next to Jesus on an airplane he would call him a terrorist
— Sapientia🌬😷💨🎏 (@terrasapientiae) April 19, 2021
— What A Lovely Day (@WhatALovelyDa12) April 19, 2021
Ahem, a fascist theocracy dictatorship isn't allowed in our country. They don't even know the bible, like the "Render unto Caesar" part. And, TAX THEM!
— John Bolger (@Bolgernow) April 19, 2021
An outright call for a rebellion to replace our democracy with a theocracy. He's really testing the limits of his 1st amendment rights.
— Dave- EXPAND SCOTUS (@Dave_H64) April 19, 2021
Yes, this "pastor" is agitating for a holy war. And at some point, there should be a price for this kind of abuse of the First Amendment.
