Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap." - 1Timothy 3:1-7 (ESV)
The purpose driven industrial complex is a billion-dollar industry where the primary task is defending the brand at all costs. One thing they abhor is friendly fire. This is where other wolves disparage members for things they deem as petty as doctrinal issues. A perfect example in the past ten years was Mark Driscoll, who thought he did not need the complex as he was extremely popular as the bad boy in modern evangelicalism. This niche sold very well, and he grew his Mars Hill Church beyond more than anyone ever foresaw or dreamed. The problem was he began to believe his own press and become a tyrannical leader as well as stealing over $200,000 in tithe monies to cheat the NY Times Best Seller List. His crash down to earth came a lot quicker than his meteoric ascension and he ran away in the dark of the night to avoid the coming church discipline. Realizing that he needed to reconstruct the bridge he had burned by daring to be critical of Joel Osteen, a crowned jewel of the money-making establishment, Driscoll publicly fell on his sword claiming he was convicted of sinning against Osteen and apologized. After his exodus from Mars Hill, with his apology putting him back in the good graces of the powers that be, Robert Morris and Brian Houston invited Driscoll to speak at large convention events and he was soon able to parlay that into a new church assignment in Arizona. That is how the complex protects the brand.
I say this as the backdrop to a more recent attempt to rehabilitate the image of Greg Locke, the book burning, rabid dominionist pastor from Tennessee. Now dominionism was not his problem as the establishment loves that idolatry. It was not even his sordid marital affair which led to his divorcing his wife of 20 years to marry the church secretary. Heck, everyone does that. It was not even his insistence on staying on the fringes of doctrine with an over-focus on the deliverance and demonology doctrines that plague most of the YouTube false ministries today. No, it was his book telling the truth about the heretic Benny Hinn. Now, Benny may be crazy, a proven false prophet, and has that silly schtick with the magic suit coat that slays hundreds, but the bottom line is he is a money generator - and that makes up for everything else with the complex. Hinn has the same stature as Osteen because they have proven their worth for decades. So, when Locke recently realized his demonology nonsense was small time and the road to real money lie before him on more conventional heresies, he had to bow down to Hinn first in order to rebuild the bridge he burned. Once he did, the complex unleashed the public relations machine through Charisma News to rehabilitate Locke's image as the try to put him on the rocket ship to purpose driven stardom and mega-church wealth. That is why you have seen an outpouring of articles on Greg Locke on Charisma news when prior, he was largely ignored and marginalized. The above link is today's attempt at rehabilitation that borders on the comical, hoping no one notices the absurd hypocrisies. We did, so let us reason once more together.
"In a world filled with clamor and confusion, where the prevailing winds of secularism seek to shake the foundations of faith, the Word of God stands as a steadfast beacon of truth. Led by the Holy Spirit and armed with the scriptures, Pastor Greg Locke discussed the timeless wisdom that guides us, not in passive contemplation, but in active devotion to a life of righteousness at a recent Global Vision Bible Church gathering. Locke shared Paul's Epistle to the church which resonates powerfully with believers today, reminding us of our mission to uphold the gospel's sanctity. Our spiritual journey is not one of mere submission to doctrine, but of understanding the Word, allowing the anointing of the Holy Spirit to illuminate our path." - Charisma News
The sell-job is being laid on pretty thick to start. Greg Locke is armed with scripture? How when he refuses to adhere to the very basics? The key verses today are not suggestions from God. They are indeed the biblical qualifications for the office of pastor, and they are not to be trifled with. When we compromise these, that is when we see all of the pastoral abominations occurring that disparage the way of Christ and cost eternal lives. Now, maybe we can make a cogent excuse here or there, but Locke is disqualified on multiple fronts. Is Greg Locke above reproach? That is ridiculous as he is certainly not. This is the man who preached that people suffering from autism, epilepsy and mental illness were really demon possessed. A more hurtful and stupid statement I have not heard in a long time. He preached this of course because that was his personal brand, deliverance ministry. Yet despite this, Locke talked the tough game without "casting out" a single demon from someone autistic or epileptic. This comes from trying to leverage the bible for prefabricated beliefs. It is called confirmation bias achieved through proof texting. The story of demon possession resulting in seizure activity does not claim that it is the ONLY reason someone might suffer a seizure. There is nothing in the word that makes the claim this person was epileptic. Besides reproach, Locke was unfaithful to his wife, has displayed zero self-control, and is ill tempered. He has preached like a raving lunatic against people who might disagree with him politically. He fails to see why having book burnings in the backyard of his church might be a really bad idea. He is not respectable or hospitable unless you agree with him on politics. The more amusing thing here is the assertion that Greg Locke believes in a life of righteousness through active devotion. His ministry is built upon the ashes of his first marriage and his cheating on his wife with the church secretary. Before anyone starts with the usual nonsense about judgment, forgiveness and the like, try and get into a good bible-based church first because you do not understand the God you claim to serve. Repentance and forgiveness with sin has to do with our walk with God, not our job. The reason he is disqualified from ministry is in the key verses! God said it!
