Read Time: 1 minute 30 seconds
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.
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.
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.
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. {eoa}
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Shelby Bowen is an assistant editor for Charisma Media.
