Greg Locke is an internet-famous preacher with literally millions of Facebook followers who eagerly watch his daily videos extolling the virtues of conservative politics with a Jesusy-vibe. He’s been an outspoken critic of the LGBTQXYZLMNOP lobby, gun control, and leftist politics. He’s also – as revealed by Pulpit & Pen – a self-absorbed cyber celebrity who put away his wife against her will, abused her spiritually and physically, and preached in a cult-like fashion against the critics in his own church. We exposed his impending divorce months after he put away his wife, while the information was still being hidden from his hordes of Internet followers.
We discovered this information from his church members (both present and former), former staff members, and his wife’s confidants and care providers. We reported the information on Locke after reaching out to him, and not receiving comment. Then, after the post went viral, Locke reached out to us and we spoke via phone, wherein he confessed the veracity of the information we provided, although making the caveat that it was “more complicated” than what we reported. We spoke to his mother, who confirmed our facts. We continued to receive corroborating information, all the while Locke was speaking continued untruths in his own defense (saying he had already been divorced and it was final, saying it was his wife who desired to leave, saying that he had been nothing but loving to her, and invoking the name of Charles Stanley as a similarly divorced pastor who was allowed to stay in the pulpit).
Last night, we released a very detailed report by Seth Dunn, after he sat down with Locke’s wife and her care providers who gave testimony and screenshots of messages from Locke that reveal damning evidence of his spousal abuse. In a Facebook post afterward, Locke claimed that our post was “vicious lies” and “out of context,” but acknowledged that they were indeed his texts.
Today, as before, we have been accused inexplicably of being “leftists” and “liberals” and “LGBT activists” by Locke’s supporters. To a certain branch of politics-driven evangelicals, facts somehow go away because those who present the facts are ideological enemies. The logical impertinence of their accusations aside, the fact is, that’s just plain untrue.
A few things regarding Locke’s narrative that he’s just being attacked by Satan’s “liberal” allies…
I am a lifelong conservative. I named my daughter after Reagan. I named my son after Oliver North. I hold to Austrian Economics and want to audit the fed. In the last two presidential elections I wrote in the names of Ron Paul (2012) and Ted Cruz (2016) because they were, in my opinion, the most conservative candidates and my state’s measly 3 electoral votes are so impertinent I feel free to vote my conscience rather than hold my nose and be enslaved to a binary choice.
I am a Scriptural inerrantist, believing that all of it is infallible. I am regularly called (improperly, by the way some mean it) a “fundamentalist.” I have had the cops called on me for preaching at Gay Rights rallies (watch here and here). I have had the cops called on me for preaching at Planned Parenthood, and I believe in criminalizing abortion. I believe in the Second Amendment, am a Federal Firearms License gun dealer, a member of the NRA and USCCA. I’ve written posts like Why Christians Don’t (and Won’t) Support Gun Control and Why Some People Need a Good Killing: A Biblical Defense for Self Defense. I’ve made it onto Right-Wing Watch on several occasions. I run a Conservative Action Committee and ran the Central Committee of the local GOP.
I don’t watch CNN. For that matter, I don’t watch FOX News, either. I listen to the Ben Shapiro Show and read Matt Walsh. I get my news from Drudge and the Daily Wire. And it’s not just me; not a single one of the contributors, admins, or editors that volunteer for Pulpit & Pen are liberals, democrats, or Marxists. In fact, we regularly write about both economic and cultural Marxism, and probably write more about the invasion of Marxism into mainstream evangelicalism than any other website in the world (so far as I know).
So then, why would we – arch Republicans and Libertarians of the highest paleo-conservative pedigrees – be the ones to “bring down” the famous poli-religious selfie-video provocateur, Greg Locke?
Answer: We believe in the Gospel. Christians have an alien righteousness (or foreign righteousness, if you prefer); the type and kind of righteousness that is given to us by Another, by a Savior, by Christ. If we believed that our eternal fate ultimately is hung in balance by our good deeds, we would be quick to hide our sin. But because we can be freely forgiven if only we would confess that sin and receive absolution from Christ, we have zero interest and no need to hide our sin. After all, we have a Savior.
So here the entire world is, preaching effectively the same thing; do good and be rewarded. Muslims believe this. Catholics believe this. Buddhists believe this. Mormons believe this. Secular humanists believe this. Whether it’s reincarnation, a harem of virgins in paradise, three levels of heaven, or blissful eventual nonexistence, it’s all the same religion. And then, there’s Christianity over here that says, “You can’t be good.” We just throw it out there, “You’re bad, we’re bad, we’re all bad.” But, we have some good news in the midst of all that negativity. The Good News is that Jesus came to die for people like us. He took the punishment we deserve, so that we could – by faith – receive his righteousness.
Those two different religions (that of self-righteousness and Christianity, which is by Christ’s righteousness) deal differently with sin. Because the former (those who think we’re on a merit-based reward system) have their hope hanging by the thread of their own goodness, they cover up their sin. The latter – authentic Christianity – may have plenty of things to confess, but nothing to hide. We have a Savior, after all.
When someone like Greg Locke acts so egregiously and so sinfully against his own wife, against God, and against his own church, it requires restitution, confession, and absolution. There’s a Savior for that, after all. However, when Greg Locke doubles down, digs in, attacks his accusers and covers up his sin, it tells us that his religion is ultimately no different than those of the Muhammadans, Mormons, Romanists, or Humanists. Sin that stays covered stays unforgiven.
Christians, take care of your own business. Own up to your sin. Confess it. Don’t hide it, don’t minimize it, and don’t make excuses. When you do, you’re actually turning away from your Savior instead of toward him. Why should the LGBTQXYZLMNOP lobby be the ones to take out our garbage and clean up our messes? As someone who agrees with the vast majority of both Locke’s doctrinal beliefs and political beliefs, let me tell you that it is OUR responsibility to take care our own business.
After all, we have a Savior.
[Contributed by JD Hall]
