Far-right MAGA-supporting pastor Greg Locke is trying to deny a controversial remark he made over the weekend, suggesting that people in wheelchairs are disabled because of insufficient faith in God.
"Churches in the American culture — you know one of the largest expenses we have in buildings?" said Locke, who runs the Global Vision Bible megachurch in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. "The amount of handicap parking and handicap accessibility that we have in our churches. Now I'm gonna make you mad for a minute and I don't really care. Why is it you pull up to a church that says they operate in faith, and you have fifty handicapped parking spots?"
"We just expect that people are going to leave church the same way they came to church," Locke continued. "We ought to start having some signs out there, that don't have, you know, like handicap accessibility, people in a wheelchair. We ought to start having signs of a wheelchair laying (sic) down and someone just walking up. Well, Pastor, I think you're being insensitive — I think you just don't have any faith is what I think!"
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
Following public outcry, Locke took to his Facebook page and followed up.
"It’s an unbelievable shame and disgrace the things that have been said to me and about me today simply because I said yesterday that people with handicapped conditions can be healed and the Church in America should believe for and expect miracles," wrote Locke. "WOW!! The evil comments and messages from people steaming mad that I have Biblical faith is utterly ridiculous. #WheresMyChair."
Locke, who became a right-wing celebrity in the Donald Trump era, has repeatedly triggered controversy.
In 2021, Locke instructed his followers to never be vaccinated for COVID-19, banned face masks in his church, and said only "crack-smoking, demon-possessed leftists" believe the 2020 election wasn't stolen from Trump. He has also prohibited Democrats from his church, threatened to expose "witches" supposedly sitting within his congregation in disguise, suggested his congregants keep members of the press out of the church with guns, and last week expressed his hope that the terrorism and fighting in Israel will bring about the Second Coming.
See the video of Locke below or at the link here.
