In recent years, pastor Greg Locke has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity for saying outlandish and offensive things from the pulpit. For instance, Rev. Locke has publicly stated that autism does not exist, but instead is demonic possession, and that members of his congregation whom he disagreed with were practicing witchcraft.
However, what may have earned him the largest following was his consistent support of Donald Trump in the run-up to the 2020 election, which evolved into Rev. Locke’s insistence that the election was illegitimate due to voter fraud. His pulpit theatrics have earned him millions of followers on social media and led to continued growth for his Global Vision Bible Church in rural Tennessee.
Pastors like Rev. Locke and Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church of Dallas—who once stated mid-sermon, “President Trump, we love you!”—are often raised up by critics as examples of how American Christianity has become overtly political, sparking a movement on social media to revoke the tax-exempt status of all U.S. churches.