It’s almost criminal that I missed this sermon. As a friend of Pastor Greg Locke, I’m ashamed that this fiery sermon flew under my radar when he delivered it a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, it made headlines even internationally and yet somehow I’m only getting around to it now.
In a sermon last month, Locke said: “You cannot be a Christian and vote Democrat in this nation. I don’t care how mad that makes you. You can get as pissed off as you want to. You cannot be a Christian and vote Democrat in this nation. They are God-denying demons that butcher babies and hate this nation.”
Some may point out that Locke is the beneficiary of tax-exempt status, so even as he preaches against the demons of government he is at least partially beholden to them. Nope, not anymore. According to Israel 365 News:
In response, the advocacy group Americans United For Separation of Church and State (AUSCS) called on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to investigate Locke to determine if he made partisan political remarks in his sermon.
The AUSCS claims that Locke’s sentiments violated the Johnson Amendment. This amendment prevents houses of worship from taking a partisan stance.
On May 14, a letter was sent by the AUSCS to the IRS attorney, Ian Smith, reading: “Though Locke stated he was not a ‘full-fledged Republican,’ he clearly told his congregants to vote against the Democrats, from the pulpit of his church. This violates the law, and we ask for an investigation into Locke’s conduct under 26 U.S.C. § 7611.”
On a Facebook post on Sunday, Locke said that he renounced his tax-exempt status and stood his ground regarding his stance on Democrats.
He added: “Guess what I did this week. I got an attorney, and I dissolved our stinking 501c3 in this church because the Government ain’t gonna tell me what I can and what I can’t say. So, IRS, we don’t need your stupid tax-exempt status. You can put it in a bag and burn it in your front yard for all we care. I renounced 501c3 communism in this church.”
That’s solid. I’m proud to count Pastor Locke as a friend.
