Greg Locke Causes Me to Wonder: What Constitutes a True Christian and Can They Get Into Dunkin Donuts?

RED SUPERGIANT STAR V838 MONOCEROTIS -NASA

“I guess no true Bostonian would trust a place that was sunny and pleasant all the time. But a gritty, perpetually cold, and gloomy neighborhood? Throw in a couple of Dunkin’ Donuts locations, and I’m right at home.” ― Rick Riordan, The Sword of Summer.


I have a question. You are about to see a spectacle put on by Greg Locke. Locke is the pastor of Global Vision Bible Church. He appears to be the head of the church and features Locke with  his second wife on the website: Popular Internet Pastor Greg Locke Marries Church Assistant After Divorce.

After months of denying they were in an intimate relationship before his recent divorce, Greg Locke, the outspoken internet preacher and lead pastor of Global Vision Bible Church in Tennessee, has married his administrative assistant and ex-wife’s best friend, Tai Cowan McGee.

Pulpit and Pen first cited a copy of the newlywed’s marriage certificate filed in Wilson County, showing that Locke, 42, and McGee who also recently went through a divorce, were married on Tuesday by Global Vision Bible Church’s Executive Pastor Jarrod Almond. The marriage came after Locke legally divorced his ex-wife Melissa, whom he said he “loved for 21 years.”

Many things on the “About Us” page sound OK but he is really weird. Is the following enough?

  • (1) We believe the Bible is the perfect Word of God.
  • (2) We believe that salvation is provided by Jesus Christ and Him alone.
  • (3) We believe in the eternal salvation of all believers.
  • 4) We believe in the Bible doctrine of the Trinity.
  • (5) We believe that the local New Testament Church is God’s ordained institution.
  • (6) We believe that Baptism is a fundamental step of obedience in our walk with Christ.

Recently, he discovered that six witches were in his church.

Unfortunately, Locke has attracted the attention of the news media due to his unusual proclamations. Recently, he proclaimed that there were “witches” in his church. Two were supposedly in his wife’s Bible study. I envisioned people wearing garlic around their necks and carrying crosses. He was sure serious. Here is the video posted by Hermant Mehta on Twitter.

This video went viral, and the comments on Twitter were amusing. I kept hoping he would say one of their names so I could call her. Coming from Salem, I take this seriously. 🙂  Why do they always assume witches are females? I found this fascinating article: Most witches are women, because witch hunts were all about persecuting the powerless.

Perhaps the most salient point about witch trials, students quickly come to see, is gender. In Salem, 14 of the 19 people found guilty of and executed for witchcraft during that cataclysmic year of 1692 were women.

Across New England, where witch trials occurred somewhat regularly from 1638 until 1725, women vastly outnumbered men in the ranks of the accused and executed. According to author Carol F. Karlsen’s “The Devil in the Shape of a Woman,” 78% of 344 alleged witches in New England were female.

And even when men faced allegations of witchcraft, it was typically because they were somehow associated with accused women. As historian John Demos has established, the few Puritan men tried for witchcraft were mostly the husbands or brothers of alleged female witches.

… Recalling Eve and her sinful apple, Puritans also believed that women were more likely to be tempted by the Devil.

The following account of Mary Bliss Parsons caught my eye. She sounds like me!

The accused witch Mary Bliss Parsons, of Northampton, Massachusetts, was the opposite of Webster. She was the wife of the wealthiest man in town and the mother of nine healthy children.

But neighbors found Parsons to be a “woman of forcible speech and domineering ways,” historian James Russell Trumbull wrote in his 1898 history of Northampton. In 1674 she was charged with witchcraft.

Parsons, too, was acquitted. Eventually, continuing witchcraft rumors forced the Parsons family to resettle in Boston.

I wonder if Greg Locke finds it helpful to have scapegoats in his church. Blame them, not Greg!

Demons told him the witches’ names if you are interested in pursuing this further.

This cleared up one question I had. How did Locke know the names of the witches? Christian Headlines posted Tennessee Preacher Greg Locke Says Demons Told Him Names of Witches in His Church

The offering was over and the worship team at Global Vision Bible Church had just finished singing “Oh How I Love Jesus” when the Rev. Greg Locke began telling his church about his conversations with demons.

…Those demons, he said, had revealed the names of a group of “full-blown, spell-casting” witches who’d been sent to infiltrate Global Vision, a nondenominational church west of Nashville, Tennessee, where Locke is pastor.

…Locke told the congregation that he’d gotten the names while casting a demon out of a woman who had recently begun coming to Global Vision. The preacher, known for his sensationalist sermons about politics and COVID-19 skepticism — went on to describe the exorcism in detail, quoting a demon with scruffy voice who accused worshippers at the church of being witches.

Greg Locke believed he was being persecuted for his tirade. He had trouble getting into Dunkin Donuts (perhaps it was the sex toys thing), so things were suddenly quite serious.

Christian Post wrote: Pastor Greg Locke says he’s being threatened with death, hexes and sex toys for exposing witches

“We get hundreds and hundreds, many times thousands, of phone calls every week. The voicemail will only hold 40 voicemails at a time. We can be on the phone and the voicemails will fill up about every two hours, and so many of them are like non-callback numbers, private numbers, people calling us and fussing,” he continued.

Locke revealed one man recently “promised to come to the tent and slice my throat and to kill me,” while others have sent sex toys and glitter bombs in the mail.

…Everybody is mad about the thing I said about calling out witches,” he said. “They are real. They know they’re real. They’re not hiding the fact that they’re real. It’s just that the Church is too unbiblical and ignorant to recognize witchcraft, sorcery and spells and curses when they see them. We literally got a box the other day that said it was from my mom that was full of all kind of crystals and hexes and vexes and curses.”

Locke added that the Church of Satan sends him postcards every day, and some detractors have been trying to get him banned from his favorite Dunkin’ Donuts coffee shop.

The Church of Satan responds.

Never say that Dee won’t go to the ends of the earth to clarify a story. The following is a tweet I sent out. Underneath is a response from the Church of Satan. It has a blue checkmark which means it’s official. They let me know they don’t send Locke postcards every day.

You will see my response in the second tweet. What does one say in these situations?

Back to the question: How would you answer a person if he asked you: “What constitutes a “real” Christian?”

I find the Nicene Creed helpful, primarily since it addresses baptism. Many Christians add caveats. That makes me nervous. In the end, I find it easier to defer to the Author of the Book of Life to respond in His good time. After all, His pay grade is far higher than anyone I know.

Now you answer this. Do you think Locke is a Christian?

Comments

Greg Locke Causes Me to Wonder: What Constitutes a True Christian and Can They Get Into Dunkin Donuts? — 85 Comments


  1. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    1


  2. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Is Locke a Christian? I cannot know God’s finding. I also cannot know what Locke genuinely believes, or what he might believe in future.

    In the world I see, though, we ought to take the statement “I’m a Christian” at face value. We have spent millennia pretending we can disqualify others from membership. Unfortunately the toxic behavior of some besmirches us all.

    Maybe “I’m a Christian” needs to be the start of a sentence: “…and I’m cleaning up today’s lamentable Christianity by doing” X, Y, or Z.


  3. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Who is a Christian?

    Who is a witch?

    BTW, at first glance when a white male leader (traditionally, culturally an empowered position in our culture) is calling out witches, the thought comes to mind that perhaps there is an issue with outspoken, assertive women. Does that cross any one else’s mind?


  4. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    “We literally got a box the other day that said it was from my mom that was full of all kind of crystals and hexes and vexes and curses.”

    My mom just sends me pajamas.


  5. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Todd is fixing that last video. Sorry about that.


  6. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    “Do you think Locke is a Christian?” According to a man called Paul who used to be called Saul, the clear answer is no…


  7. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Please don’t tell me that there are people still going to this church after seeing their pastor go off the deep end like this. And he had the nerve to drag Dunkin Donuts into his mess!

    “Do you think Locke is a Christian?”

    “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit … Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:15-20)

    What sort of fruit do you see, Christian? Affair, divorce, rants, witch hunts, etc.


  8. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Every time I hear about good old Locke, and his getting worked up about witches, I think of Monty Python scene… “How do you know she is a witch? She turned me into a Newt!.. You do not look like a Newt…. well, I got better!” Burn her, burn her!!!


  9. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    A touch of charisma, a gift of gab, and a bag of gimmicks … and you too could be a successful pastor in America.

    Wolves in sheep’s clothing? Nah, the wolves have found that shepherd’s clothing works much better.


  10. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    …Those demons, he said, had revealed the names of a group of “full-blown, spell-casting” witches who’d been sent to infiltrate Global Vision,….
    ——–
    So even though demons are demonic, and by definition do demonic things like LIE, he believes that these demonic demons are being truthful?

    I couldn’t find anything on Global Vision’s website listing where Greg Locke got his theology degree; so I’m just going to presume that it was a box of Cracker Jacks….a 20 year old, very stale box of Cracker Jacks.


  11. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    marco: It was by coincidence (or Google spying on me) that I came across this amazing heavy-metalized video of a Greg Locke political rant right around when Roys posted the story about his conversations with demons.

    I love Antonio Antunes! He’s got a whole collection of preacher videos set to metal.

    Dee, I appreciate you posting about V838 Monocerotis. That gave me the opportunity to read up on this star. I’d seen pictures of it before, but thought it was a planetary nebula (an expanding shell of gas thrown off by red giant stars as they’re winding down their stellar lives), but this star is not one of those, because it’s apparently too young. I spent a pleasant 30 minutes reading about the five (5) different possibilities for why this star is the way it is right now.

    As for Greg Locke, this is the guy who dumped his wife of many years for his administrative assistant (yeah, one of *those*) so he can yell all he wants. All he’s fit for is being put to the dulcet sounds of heavy metal.


  12. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Locke is as crazy as a sh……. oops, er, ah,… an outhouse rat.


  13. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Muslin, fka Dee Holmes,

    Did you read that for a brief moment, it appeared brighter than our sun?!


  14. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    I had a Wicca friend in college. We bonded over our mutual enjoyment of Harry Potter.

    What is he afraid of? Romans 8:31b, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” If he replied believes that God is on his side, then he doesn’t need to worry about six witches in his congregation. Particularly since, as I think someone has already pointed out, Satan is “the father of lies.” Why trust what a demon is telling you? Maybe the demon is feeding him false information to get him paranoid and trusting the wrong people.


  15. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Jeffrey J Chalmers: Every time I hear about good old Locke, and his getting worked up about witches, I think of Monty Python scene…

    I’d pay money to see a Bene Gesserit witch (using voice) make him (Locke) drop his drawers, get down on all fours and pee on a fire hydrant.


  16. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    There’s plenty of reasons why Locke should not be in ministry but the most obvious one is that he left his wife and hooked up with her best friend.

    Those who are qualified to be in pastoral ministry must be “a husband of one wife”, that is, they are not polyamorous. The reason for this is that elders and leaders should not just teach the truth, but they should be examples for others to follow.

    Everything else he does and says is moot.


  17. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Wild Honey: I had a Wicca friend in college.

    I believe there are good witches who are very knowledgeable herbalists and practitioners of healing arts.


  18. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    “… when a white male leader (traditionally, culturally an empowered position in our culture) is calling out witches, the thought comes to mind that perhaps there is an issue with outspoken, assertive women. Does that cross any one else’s mind? ”

    AVA, it crossed my mind, yes

    reminds me of that strange little man Piper who did not want women to work out because ‘they might get muscles’ …..

    goodness, these weak males NEED ‘submissive’ women to prop themselves up!

    But honestly, from the narratives about Locke, with his degree of narcissistic self-delusions so far gone, we might guess that his threat of ‘outing’ witches in the congregation infers that he has very few cards left to play to try to impress and intimidate . .

    when witnessing something like a Locke in full plumage, the sight is so pitiful as to want to leave this self-immolating puffed-up soul to the mercy of God as Locke presents himself as his own worst enemy in the last throes of attempting to keep ‘control’

    So, a discovery of witches? I’d sooner think the congregation would take more notice if he threw some demons and werewolves into the bargain, but as previously noted, his choice of ‘witches’ points to ‘females’, daughters of Eve, them what just might dare to gossip about his shenanigans among themselves.

    AVA, I think you were on the right track here.
    Good call.


  19. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Sounds like Tai Cowan has done the ex-wife a favour.

    People are sending Locke stuff because he’s a ****, not because they’re Satanists.

    Incidentally the Church of Satan (who don’t believe in Satan) does not claim charitable status, pays it’s taxes and has a policy that you get reported to the police at the slightest hint of any illegal sex.

    Just a thought, but I think Jesus would be happier with the Satanists and the witches than with any of the Christians featured here!


  20. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Wild Honey:
    I had a Wicca friend in college. We bonded over our mutual enjoyment of Harry Potter.

    What is he afraid of? Romans 8:31b, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” If he replied believes that God is on his side, then he doesn’t need to worry about six witches in his congregation. Particularly since, as I think someone has already pointed out, Satan is “the father of lies.” Why trust what a demon is telling you? Maybe the demon is feeding him false information to get him paranoid and trusting the wrong people.

    I have wondered the same thing. Satan is the father of lies, and if I’m correct, demons serve Satan, so why believe messengers of a being whose native language is lies?

    In fact, why is a Christian minister consorting with demons in the first place?

    This IS the same minister who, a few weeks ago, said that autistic children could be demonized, made a similar comment about people with OCD, and thought he’d be cute by saying, “You don’t need the pills, you need the Gos-pill”.

    That particular sermon offended me on two counts: 1. I have a son with autism, and in no way could I ever see him as “demonized” or “oppressed by a demon”. I believe God has a special love for children and for those who are child-like, like my son is in some ways. 2. I have OCD — I deal with intrusive thoughts but not the compulsive actions. I see a therapist once a month and I have strategies for dealing with the thoughts.

    I made a comment on YouTube about certain health problems I have and said that, God, in His wisdom, has not chosen to heal me. (I admit, I wish He would, and I struggle with why people don’t get healed. I also cling to the verse, “my ways are higher than yours”.) One response I got was, “Stop being a victim and read your Bible.” I didn’t respond, but I probably should have said, “I have read my Bible, and there’s a little story about a guy named Paul and his thorn in the flesh that he asked God to take away and God said ‘no’.”

    Frankly, Greg Locke has been abusing the tar out of both the First Amendment and the 3rd Commandment.


  21. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/2022/03/09/1085435242/fresh-air-for-march-9-2022-sandy-hook-and-the-battle-for-truth

    Fresh Air yesterday covered a story with a histrionic leader (voice, mouth) off the rails, his major funder, and ignorant followers. And, yes, there are victims, which means there is also #sacredvictim shaming to the point of victim endangerment.

    = how this works.

    With the case on Fresh Air, eventually (after 4 years), the DOJ stepped up.

    With our Christian leaders, there’s no DOJ. However, the Bible (God) says we, His people, are to LOVE justice, and truth (truth or rather not truth, IOW lies, is the issue in these cases).

    Locke is a leader (voice/mouth) with a few major funders and many ignorant followers.

    The Fresh Air story discusses the Why? and what The Rest of Us can/must do. Finally, a few Brave Souls stepped up to document, confront and counter the lies. (So the paradigm hopefully eventually includes the Brave Ones & The Rest of Us who counter the lies, in addition to Histrionic Leader + Major Donor + Ignorant Followers.)

    With the church, TWW’s Dee, & Todd, and Julie Roys, for example, are Brave Souls who have stepped up. Brave souls. Thank God.


  22. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Tina: First Amendment and the 3rd Commandment.

    I read this too early in the morning. Looked up the 3rd Amendment. Wondered how on earth Greg Locke was quartering soldiers in a house.

    If anybody has any questions about the 3rd Amendment, I am your new Dunning-Kruger Scholar In Residence. 🙂


  23. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Neil Cameron (One Salient Oversight): There’s plenty of reasons why Locke should not be in ministry but the most obvious one is that he left his wife and hooked up with her best friend … elders and leaders should not just teach the truth, but they should be examples for others to follow … Everything else he does and says is moot.

    You nailed it!


  24. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Muslin, fka Dee Holmes: As for Greg Locke, this is the guy who dumped his wife of many years for his administrative assistant (yeah, one of *those*) so he can yell all he wants.

    The witch thing is to distract church members and others from this fact. Churchgoers there are probably more concerned now about witches sitting in the pew behind them, than Mr. Locke’s new gal. When they finally catch up to this and send him packing, they should all go to Dunkin Donuts to celebrate … singing “Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead.”


  25. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    You’re a little late to the party, Dee.
    Telltale Atheist channel on YouTube covered this several weeks ago. He’s had several videos about PASTOR Greg Locke, including the SMelling-out of the Six Witches.

    Don’t think Telltale’s covered Locke dumping his wife to marry his mistress yet. But these days, can you expect anything else from a ManaGAWD?

    Back to the question: How would you answer a person if he asked you: “What constitutes a “real” Christian?”

    In practice, “Whatever I do THAT YOU DON’T”.
    i.e. “MEEEEEEEEE, NOT THEE!”
    I am so sick of Christianese One-Upmanship.


  26. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Max: The witch thing is to distract church members and others from this fact.

    Agreed. To reiterate, the witch thing might sound harmlessly kooky, but it absolutely dehumanizes humans. This gives Locke’s more deluded followers permission to do whatever they like to anybody they call a witch. He poses a danger.


  27. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Tina: I have wondered the same thing. Satan is the father of lies, and if I’m correct, demons serve Satan, so why believe messengers of a being whose native language is lies?

    You are far from the only one to point that out.
    As far back as Sun Tzu, one of the classic methods of passing Disinformation to an enemy is to send a spy with false information to be captured. “Spiritual Warfare” isn’t like a Frank Peretti novel, it’s INTELLIGENCE WARFARE covert ops – Hearts & Minds, Disinfomation, Propaganda, Turning Native Agents…

    Assuming, of course, that Locke wasn’t just making the whole thing up.
    (Which I think is much more likely.)

    Otherwise, it reads like Goetia Magick – Locke the Mighty Sorcerer binding and compelling a demon to give him secret knowledge.


  28. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Muff Potter: I believe there are good witches who are very knowledgeable herbalists and practitioners of healing arts.

    Anthropologists call them “Traditional Healers”.
    The Pennsylvania Dutch call them “Brauchers” or “Pow-Wow Doctors”.


  29. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    marco:
    It was by coincidence (or Google spying on me) that I came across this amazing heavy-metalized video of a Greg Locke political rant right around when Roys posted the story about his conversations with demons.

    THE HEAVY METAL GUY!
    He also did some pretty good “metallizations” of Kenneth Copeland.


  30. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Demons told him the witches’ names if you are interested in pursuing this further.

    And like Tailgunner Joe McCarthy waving his list of COMMUNISTS inside the highest levels of government, Locke does not name them. Only “WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE!”


  31. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Friend: the witch thing might sound harmlessly kooky, but it absolutely dehumanizes humans. This gives Locke’s more deluded followers permission to do whatever they like to anybody they call a witch. He poses a danger

    Yes. Mr. Locke needs to cease and desist with that message! Folks who follow him at this point are a scary bunch indeed.


  32. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Friend: Is Locke a Christian? I cannot know God’s finding.

    I have noticed that “Is Locke a Christian” is the first question from Christians observing a situation like this. And I think it’s the wrong question.

    By doing this and immediately assessing Locke’s Salvation Status, you are playing Locke’s Game. You are changing the subject to Theology/Soteriology/Ology-ology instead of remaining focused on Locke’s reprehensible behavior. At which point all the Theological speculations take over and the Theological arguments begin while Locke sneaks out the back door scot-free.

    Another mistaken Christian go-to is believing the Supernatural Story (Locke’s account of the DEMON telling him about the Witches) instead of the Natural (Locke making the whole thing up for his own purposes). It’s not just Charismatics that go for a Spiritual (Supernatural) explanation first, last, and always.


  33. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Max: Folks who follow him at this point are a scary bunch indeed.

    Any “competent adult” who follows Locke at this point needs to have their head examined.

    Huge swathes of (mostly, but not exclusively, American) “evangelicalism” these days seem to be inspired by business models at best, but not by what Jesus said.

    It’s a perfect storm: entrepreneur-worshipping capitalism combined with an entrepreneurial model of starting churches, a hugely gullible mass of pew-sitters, largely unearned and undeserved clergy privilege – no wonder that all kinds of snake-oil salesmen think that being a pastor is a better gig today.


  34. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Gus: It’s a perfect storm: entrepreneur-worshipping capitalism combined with an entrepreneurial model of starting churches, a hugely gullible mass of pew-sitters, largely unearned and undeserved clergy privilege – no wonder that all kinds of snake-oil salesmen think that being a pastor is a better gig today.

    “Cheap grace … sold on the market like cheapjacks’ wares … grace without discipleship, grace without the Cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)


  35. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Headless Unicorn Guy: By doing this and immediately assessing Locke’s Salvation Status, you are playing Locke’s Game. You are changing the subject to Theology/Soteriology/Ology-ology instead of remaining focused on Locke’s reprehensible behavior. At which point all the Theological speculations take over and the Theological arguments begin while Locke sneaks out the back door scot-free.

    Great point!
    And it’s as true as the distributive property of multiplication.


  36. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Gus: no wonder that all kinds of snake-oil salesmen think that being a pastor is a better gig today.

    Well, they DO call it “The Jesus Racket”.

    I don’t think that Rabbi from Nazareth is happy with the association.


  37. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Headless Unicorn Guy,

    The question came from the post. I think you and I are in what my husband calls violent agreement. 😉


  38. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    “What constitutes a “real” Christian?”
    ++++++++++++++++

    alright…. bring out the espresso, the cigars.
    the chocolate, cheese, and olives. sprigs of rosemary, basil, lavender to chew on.

    don the black turtleneck.

    i’ve got the candle.

    it’s going to be a long night.

    but a great one.
    .
    .
    (actually, i’m not ready yet… gotta sort through my activated thoughts)


  39. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    dee: Did you read that for a brief moment, it appeared brighter than our sun?!

    Yes, I did. *sigh* Still not that naked-eye supernova during my lifetime that is still on my bucket list. And no, SN 1987A does not count, it was in another galaxy even though visible in the Southern Hemisphere. My then-boyfriend and I did discuss going somewhere in Latin America to view it, but he was working and I was in law school, so that didn’t happen.


  40. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Around here there are plenty of Kooky, and they are not Harmless.

    In the early days of covid, when there were no vaccines, when everyone in our county was supposed to stay home unless essential workers or the rest of us getting essential supplies, and everything was almost 100% curbside with masks required for the rest we had a group of men who sincerely believed that wearing a mask was emasculating as it covered the male beard. They are still around, gathering steam, and adamant that clean shaven males are homosexuals or at least effeminate males, that males are superior to women, and that men in beards are going to save the world. There is a political component in there, lets just say a certain former prez is the new messiah and leave it there. They take verses from the OT out of context, twist them around, and think they have deciphered all sorts of secret codes and messages that PROVE beyond a shadow of a doubt all science accepting, mask wearing, vaccinated people are Satan’s minions, and will burn forever in the lake of fire while they celebrated liberating this world of evil.

    Kooky? Oh my word yes. But bless their little pea picking hearts (said southern meaning) I keep my doors locked and carry protection whenever I leave the property.


  41. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Gus: Any “competent adult” who follows Locke at this point needs to have their head examined.

    I would have liked to think so but honestly we see humans do such despicable things fully knowing the consequences. We see this in people voting in dangerous, psychopathic politicians (avoiding giving a specific example) even when they know full well the results will be catastrophic.


  42. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    With respect to video of Lock above:
    What is with his “little two-step” when he is going into his tirade about the “witches”..


  43. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Jeffrey Chalmers: his “little two-step” when he is going into his tirade

    A lot of televangelists make weird physical movements. People keep looking in vain hope of figuring out why they are doing that. It’s not like watching a dancer who has skill; it’s more like watching a stranger lurch around a parking lot, and wondering whether they are threatening or vulnerable.

    I haven’t read any scholarly analysis about this, but my sense is that some of these displays trigger a fight-or-flight reaction in people. They also expand allowable behavior: Look! Pastor’s allowed to jump around on the stage while he yells weird claims! …and that does not move worshipers toward rational, compassionate behavior.


  44. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    (John 13:35) By this all people will kmow you are my disciples if you have love one for another.

    (1 Corinthians 13:4) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude. it is not self-seaking, it is not easily angered.

    His attitudes and behaviors just don’t line up with anything in the above verses or in the book of 1 John to suggest the guy is a true Christian.


  45. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Headless Unicorn Guy,

    Another Little Guy behind a curtain projecting himself enormous on the big screen…

    …until puppy Toto scampers up and tugs away the curtain…

    …Oops!

    Oh, and Little Guy speaks into a microphone so his voice projects bigly, too.


  46. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Cynthia W.:
    Headless Unicorn Guy,

    Really good analysis.

    It’s a corollary of the Christianese tendency to Over-Spiritualize things.

    I’ve long advocated that American Christianity needs a transfusion of “earthiness” from Judaism.


  47. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    linda: we had a group of men who sincerely believed that wearing a mask was emasculating as it covered the male beard. They are still around, gathering steam, and adamant that clean shaven males are homosexuals

    How Islamic…

    They take verses from the OT out of context, twist them around, and think they have deciphered all sorts of secret codes and messages that PROVE beyond a shadow of a doubt all science accepting, mask wearing, vaccinated people are Satan’s minions
    QAnon meets The Bible Code.


  48. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Headless Unicorn Guy,

    Once a question such as “Is Locke a Christian?” is presented, our natural tendency is to try to answer the question rather than saying, “Is this a useful question?” It’s obvious once it’s pointed out, but the “Answer the question!” dynamic is really strong.


  49. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    elastigirl on Thu Mar 10, 2022 at 02:22 PM said:

    “What constitutes a “real” Christian?”
    ++++++++++++++++

    [first pass]

    I observe quite a chasm between theory and practice, so I guess i’ll start there.

    what strikes me is that *in practice* “christian” is:

    –like an elite club membership with initiation rites, rituals, and special language

    –like a political party, with the requisite disdain and fear of opponents and platforms/agendas,

    and obligatory loyalties to party leaders and platforms/agendas, simply because they are part of the party (not because they are qualified or ethical or even sensible)

    –more about form than substance

    –a system that doesn’t resemble Jesus Christ really at all, other than to make him a mascot (to sell things, even if just ideas)


  50. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    “” The Pennsylvania Dutch call them “Brauchers” or “Pow-Wow Doctors”.

    They do some really creepy things. Consulting one of these characters is a great way to get disfellowshipped from your church. It is generally not plants and folk remedies, it is charms and incantations. If you want a remedy for your cold, go see Uma instead.

    But, than again, no worse than listening to daemons accuse people in your church.


  51. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Ken F (aka Tweed),

    Again, the only comment I can muster:
    What a sick and twisted religion


  52. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    “What constitutes a “real” Christian?”
    ++++++++++++++++

    [second pass]

    seems to me Jesus Christ should, of necessity, factor in as the model to emulate, rather than as a mere backstage pass on a lanyard (which we’re grateful to have it, of course) to have access to what we wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

    I read through most of the book of Luke today. Refreshing my memory of Jesus of Nazareth.

    Simply put, what I observe as the current notion of ‘a christian’ just doesn’t look or sound anything like Jesus.

    (It sounds like Paul’s lens on the religious system that derives from Jesus, but not Jesus the person (human and divine).


  53. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    “What constitutes a “real” Christian?”
    ++++++++++++++++

    [third pass]

    so, what was Jesus like? These are my observations from Luke:

    –spent time with people very different from him, who had different belief systems and principles (or lack thereof). he treated them as dignified human beings.

    –cared about people and their welfare, not about rules

    –when faced with a question that didn’t have one straightforward answer, he chose the one that helped people practically and improved their welfare rather than playing it safe by adhering to the letter of the law.

    –he favored people over principle

    –he favored those who were poor, hungry, social inferiors, outcasts

    –Very compassionate

    –he identified with the lowest social status (a young child)

    –was relaxed and didn’t mind being around people with lesser hygiene and horrible diseases.

    –extremely un-fussy

    –wasn’t a worrier; he seemed to have little, on purpose, so possessions & wealth weren’t a concern to him

    –he was anti-power, anti-wealth

    –was comfortable in plain, unremarkable clothes

    –didn’t motivate others by fear

    –He made sure his actions & those of his disciples did not harm people

    –not interested in social status

    –wasn’t into authority structures. what mattered was if the person’s goals were similar, that’s all. relaxed, instead of a need to be in charge, or a need to be in control.

    –he was direct. he didn’t hesitate in confronting leaders with their questionable methods, conduct & values


  54. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Friend,

    Laughed so hard I was like to bust a gut. Haven’t laughed like that in weeks. The idea of Locke quartering soldiers in his house (along with the boxes of sex toys) is so ludicrous and comical I’m having trouble getting the image out of my mind. We’ll done Friend!


  55. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    elastigirl,

    It is ironic that I have been told the word “Christian” means “Christ-like”….
    I also think Paul gets a bad rap sometimes….. there are plenty of verses that Paul calls us to behave like Christ..
    The problem is the modern day Pharisees that like to get their power by imposing rules on us pew peons..


  56. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Friend,

    You could definitely hear audience reaction to his “two- step”… I was left asking, why?? Is my faith based on, motivated by, a guy on stage raging about perceived witches, and a preacher doing a “dance” on stage to get people to notice? Is my faith so “weak” that it needs to be motivated in this way? Does Christianity boil down to being “led” by people like this?
    Or, is my faith led by guys that like to “cos-play” with their zippers open? While I could go on, my point is really the pew peons need to stop supporting this “stuff”, and taking “ownership” of what they believe and stop elevating “performers”…


  57. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Jeffrey Chalmers: pew peons need to stop supporting this “stuff”, and taking “ownership” of what they believe and stop elevating “performers

    Actors would have no stage if it weren’t for an audience willing to buy tickets to the show. The Great God Entertainment sits on the throne in far too many places in America.


  58. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Jeffrey Chalmers: the word “Christian” means “Christ-like”

    And what percentage of church folks (in both pulpit & pew) would be described like that?!


  59. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    elastigirl: I read through most of the book of Luke today. Refreshing my memory of Jesus of Nazareth.

    Simply put, what I observe as the current notion of ‘a christian’ just doesn’t look or sound anything like Jesus.

    The church at large would do well to shut out all the noise for a season and read the Gospels. Very little of what we are and do in most churches resemble Jesus. His authority and influence are waning in the American church. American “Christians” have become so accustomed to doing church without Him that they don’t realize He’s not in the house. We need to turn the clock back about 2,000 years and start over.


  60. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Headless Unicorn Guy: I’ve long advocated that American Christianity needs a transfusion of “earthiness” from Judaism.

    Amen.


  61. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Jeffrey Chalmers: Or, is my faith led by guys that like to “cos-play” with their zippers open?

    You could only be referring to those JFJr photos, AKA “Rich White Trash cosplaying Po’ White Trash.”


  62. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Headless Unicorn Guy,

    And now he “Jr” claims he was never a “pastor” nor spiritual leader.. yet he sure played that card before all of the “stuff” came out… yup, Christ was like that, it is all over the Gospels..

    When will the American “church” stop idol worshiping?? As Paul says, he is chief amoung sinners…. but, as MAX keeps saying, it is to much “fun” being “entertained” in the pews..


  63. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    From the comments thread the last time PASTOR Greg Locke surfaced on this blog:
    “If Greg Locke is talking to demons and believing them, does that make him a warlock?”


  64. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Dunkin Donuts! That was the chain. (I said Tim Horton’s earlier.) Yeah, this was on that deleted SciManDan video. Locke had been going there multiple times a day for coffee (he drinks a *lot* of coffee), but got refused service for not wearing a mask, which he felt violated his civil rights. So that’s what that was about. Obviously there must be some kind of Satanic conspiracy at work.

    If you’ll recall, this video got taken down for spreading Covid misinformation. Not that SciManDan did this–his channel *criticizes* anti-science views–but the fact that his video contained clips of Locke’s was apparently enough to trigger YouTube’s algorithm.


  65. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Friend: I read this too early in the morning. Looked up the 3rd Amendment. Wondered how on earth Greg Locke was quartering soldiers in a house.

    If anybody has any questions about the 3rd Amendment, I am your new Dunning-Kruger Scholar In Residence.


  66. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    I answered this with a lot of “laugh” emojis, which didn’t show up. Ooops . . . anyway, Friend, I had a good laugh with your response.


  67. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Tina,

    🙂


  68. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    What is Greg Locke?

    In my estimation, he was, at the beginning, an absolutely cynical exploiter of the most gullible people he could find.

    Unfortunately, as in many cons, the less gifted con-artist has to believe his own BS at one point to be convincing, and he has started to believe most of his own BS.

    That’s where things get dangerous for those around him.


  69. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Gus: Unfortunately, as in many cons, the less gifted con-artist has to believe his own BS at one point to be convincing, and he has started to believe most of his own BS.

    Type examples of which include Rush Limbaugh, Anton LaVey, and Elron Hubbard.
    All three ended up True Believers of their own PR spin.


  70. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    linda: In the early days of covid … we had a group of men who sincerely believed that wearing a mask was emasculating as it covered the male beard.

    Is this why so many of the selfies over at Herman Cain Awards have “goatees”?
    To the point it’s one of the boxes on the HCA bingo cards?

    (Have yet to see a sternum-length John Calvin beard there, though…)


  71. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Zla’od,
    “SciManDan”?
    Any relation to “Caveman Zan” from that Unarian saucer cult video?


  72. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Headless Unicorn Guy,

    Lying = mental illness or incapacitation or deterioration created by the liar themself. Anyone for drinking kerosene, or bleach, for that matter?


  73. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    ‘No we don’t’ – well, that me burst out laughing.

    From what I’ve seen he’s an absolute sideshow.


  74. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Headless Unicorn Guy: Any relation to “Caveman Zan” from that Unarian saucer cult video?

    I wouldn’t think so. SciManDan (Dan Roark) is a British science tutor turned YouTuber who found unexpected success with videos mocking Flat Earthers and other such people. His other channel is RunManDan. (Guess what it’s about?)


  75. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Gus: Unfortunately, as in many cons, the less gifted con-artist has to believe his own BS at one point to be convincing, and he has started to believe most of his own BS.

    That’s where things get dangerous for those around him.

    I would say at this point that those around him are dangerous! Can you believe that this guy has followers?!! Whew … now, that’s one scary bunch!


  76. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Max: I would say at this point that those around him are dangerous!

    You are, of course, completely right, but what turns them into a danger to themselves and to everyone else is the the completely crazy world of their guru – there is no longer any nuance: if you believe him, you’ll have to completely give up reality, and if you cling to reality even one tiny bit, you can’t follow him.

    Once someone has given up all pretence of reality, they are ready to do anything. They *are* a dangerous and scary bunch, but they will also do illegal things and put their own lives in danger (as well those of other people), and their freedom.


  77. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    linda: we had a group of men who sincerely believed that wearing a mask was emasculating as it covered the male beard.

    How much more emasculating then is underwear, since it covers the male (you get my drift)?


  78. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    linda: we had a group of men who sincerely believed that wearing a mask was emasculating as it covered the male beard

    “Pride cometh before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18)


  79. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    If the truth were known, there are probably a lot of “pastors” in American who need to be denied access to Dunkin Donuts for one ugly sin or another.


  80. Notice: Undefined variable: button in /home/guswo2wr8yyv/public_html/tww2/wp-content/plugins/quote-comments/quote-comments.php on line 127

    Recent developments regarding PASTOR Greg Locke.
    Just before Putin’s War kicked off, he was a popular subject on YouTube, with several videos on various channels – Telltale Atheist, Rev Ed Trevors (Anglican pastor in Nova Scotia), Dr Todd Grande (snarky psychologist) – putting him under scrutiny for his Witchfinder-General shtick.

    Well, he heard about them and went full fangs-out.
    Dealing the PERSECUTION!!!!! card off the bottom of the deck:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk7Xtjr539E
    (You might want to go Closed Captions + Mute; it’s the only way I could stomach watching it.)