Greg Locke is the pastor of Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, TN. He has millions of followers on social media and a large evangelical congregation. His views make Franklin Graham look like a tree-hugging hippy. If you don’t know of him, maybe you remember that he was the one who, in 2022, told the world that demons told him there were 6 witches in his congregation. His first wife was a staff member at the facility where he was a ward (yes – a minor) of the state. After years of preaching against divorce, he divorced his wife and married his administrative assistant, whom he was allegedly having an affair with. He also claimed that this past Easter, 200 Bibles were set on fire in a trailer near his church, and that this arson was purposefully directed at his church. He is an anti-vaxxer and supporter of the January 6 insurrection, being present at the rally. You get the picture.
He is just one example of a purveyor of dangerous religion. From promoting conspiracy theories to condemning people he disagrees with, Locke has made a living pointing fingers at imagined demons and heretics. And he is not alone. Rabbi Meir Abutbul claimed that the death of Iran’s president and his entourage in a helicopter crash was “divine justice”; “God scattered them to the wind” for their hatred of Israel. I could go on about this for days, but I won’t. Suffice it to say that the world is full of people who think God is micromanaging all of our lives and that our losses and tragedies are not unhappy accidents, but God’s retribution for our sinful ways. And I rarely see them make these claims when difficulties arise in their lives and religious communities. Then, more often than not, they claim that it is the devil at work against their righteous and holy lives. Funny how that works.
My point isn’t that Mr. Locke is a terrible person; my point is that he is as flawed as the rest of us yet excuses his own behavior while demonizing everyone else’s. He continues to preach against divorce, even though he has suffered through it himself. He continues to attack LGBTQ people and support insurrection even when he has no biblical support to do so. His words and actions have spurred others to acts of hatred in the name of Jesus. This is dangerous religion. This is using God’s name in vain. I write this as a cautionary warning to all of us; it is easy to spout off words about the people we disagree with, but it is hard to look at ourselves objectively. This is why Jesus told His disciples to remove the log from their own eye before trying to help someone else with the speck in theirs. This is why Jesus told the world that the greatest commandment was three-fold – love God, and love neighbor as you love yourself. We can’t love or understand or have compassion for others if we don’t love ourselves first. I pray that people promoting dangerous religion would learn self-love instead of self-loathing. It would make all of our lives – and the world – better.
Prayer – Holy God, remind us of Your intense love for each one of us, and nudge us to love others too. Amen.
Today’s art is “Love Thy Neighbor” by Kami Lerner.