In Nashville, Tennessee, a controversial pastor has attracted much attention after threatening to kick members out of his church if he sees them wearing a mask.
Greg Locke is the 45-year-old pastor of Global Vision Bible Church, a moderately sized Baptist church located in Nashville, Tennessee. Locke has consistently been vocal on matters of politics and Covid-19.
This week, Locke made the news when he said during his weekly sermon that if "you start showing up [with] all these masks and all this nonsense, I will ask you to leave. We will escort you to the door. We are a place of faith, not a place of fear. I'm digging my heels in, and I'm not changing my mind." Locke's audience received the statement with cheers and applause from attendees. "I am not playing these Democrat games in this church," Locke stated.
The entire clip, which lasts around five minutes, has Locke denying the Delta variant's existence.
Over the last year, Locke has called Covid-19 a hoax several times, resisted local authorities over vaccine and mask mandates, and kept his church open for most of 2020.
According to Locke, the pandemic is fake, the death count is inaccurate and the vaccine is a scam. Locke has also made several comments about the current administration, arguing that Biden is "demon-possessed."
The church's consistent criticism of Covid-19 rhetoric has attracted numerous attendees to its services. Global Vision Bible Church has seen its attendance grow significantly during the pandemic, according to CNN.
