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Locke married Tai Cowan McGee in 2018. Prior to their marriage, she was his administrative assistant.<ref name=":1" />
Locke married Tai Cowan McGee in 2018. Prior to their marriage, she was his administrative assistant.<ref name=":1" />

Locke hates Barbie Dream Houses


== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==

Revision as of 13:47, 18 August 2023

Greg Locke
Locke preaching at the Global Vision Bible Church campus in May 2023
Born (1976-05-18) May 18, 1976 (age 47)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation(s)Christian preacher
Church pastor
Spouse(s)
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 born again Christian and non-denominational evangelical Protestant pastor, author, and film producer. He is the founder of Global Vision Bible Church (formerly Baptist) located in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. He is also known for executive producing the documentary film Come Out in Jesus Name.[1][2]

Early life

Locke was born in Donelson Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1976.[3] 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]

Following multiple arrests, Locke 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, but his account was later reinstated.[8]

Locke kept his church open through outbreaks of COVID-19, and claimed that it was is a "fake pandemic".[9] He said that those who wore masks to his church would be asked to leave,[10] and discouraged his congregation from getting vaccinated.[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; this did not happen, but Locke did preach at the Freedom Plaza on January 5, and near the Capitol steps during the riot.[13] Afterwards, Locke condemned the violence but maintained that it had been instigated by antifa.[13]

Locke has been a speaker at several stops on the Reawaken America tour, which feature conspiracy theories about vaccines and the 2020 presidential election.[14][15][16]

On January 23, 2022 during a sermon, Locke claimed that OCD and autism "could be" a form of demonic possession, by saying, "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 neurodivergent rights movements 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]

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.[24] 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,[25] and the divorce was finalized in May.[26]

Locke married Tai Cowan McGee in 2018. Prior to their marriage, she was his administrative assistant.[26]

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. ^ Bromley, David. "Global Vision Bible Church". World Religions and Spirituality Project. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ a b Blair, Leonardo (August 10, 2018). "Popular Internet Pastor Greg Locke Marries Church Assistant After Divorce". The Christian Post. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
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