A controversial Tennessee pastor called President Biden “demonic” and promoted a debunked QAnon conspiracy theory during a sermon Sunday that has received widespread attention on social media.
Greg Locke, the pastor of Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., told his congregation, “I don’t care what you think about fraudulent ‘Sleepy Joe.’ He’s a sex-trafficking, demon-possessed mongrel. He’s of the Left. He ain’t no better than the Pope [Francis] and Oprah Winfrey and Tom Hanks and the rest of that wicked crowd. God is going to bring the whole house down! … He’s going to expose all these bunch pedophiles.”
Later, Locke added, asking himself a question, “Do you honestly believe, Pastor Locke, that the military uncovered tunnels beneath the capitol building and beneath the White House? … Do you really believe they found kids? Yes. Both live ones and dead ones.”
Locke also said, according to ChurchLeaders.com, that Trump “is the legitimate president of the United States of America.”
Right-wing pastor Greg Locke used his sermon today to allege that there are child-trafficking "tunnels" under the Capitol and White House and accuse Joe Biden, Oprah Winfrey, and Tom Hanks of being "a bunch of pedophiles." pic.twitter.com/hYC864ir8a
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) June 27, 2021
A clip of the sermon has received more than 3 million views on Twitter.
Locke was promoting elements of the QAnon conspiracy theory, which alleges that well-known politicians and Hollywood figures are worshipping Satan and are running a child sex trafficking ring – and that former President Trump was elected to stop it.
In 2016, a supporter of QAnon fired a weapon inside a Washington D.C. pizza restaurant, falsely believing it was a front for a child sex trafficking ring. The conspiracy was dubbed “pizzagate.”
Locke said he plans on suing CNN and Newsweek for their coverage of him.
Locke’s comments were condemned by Christians on social media.
“It would be one thing if this person was ranting to nobody, but he has 2.2 million followers on Facebook,” David French tweeted. “... More Christians need to speak up against this garbage.”
More Christians need to speak up against this garbage.
— David French (@DavidAFrench) June 27, 2021
“This is just horrible,” another person tweeted. “We are to steer clear of ‘pastors’ like this, false prophets. And this man was one my sister posted a video of saying God was going to miraculously give Trump the election.”
This is just horrible. We are to steer clear of “pastors” like this, false prophets. And this man was one my sister posted a video of saying God was going to miraculously give Trump the election....
— Mama Sue (@ThelenKerry) June 27, 2021
Related:
QAnon Is a ‘Pack of Lies,’ Says Man Who Entered Capitol Jan. 6: I ‘Fell Victim’ to it
Photo courtesy: ©Pastor Greg Locke Facebook
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
