More than four years after claiming that he had proof that two of America’s most well-known televangelists were pedophiles, Pastor Greg Locke is recanting his statements, claiming he never had any evidence in hand and was being “used as an amplifier.”
Locke, lead pastor of Global Vision Bible Church in Lebanon, Tennessee, released a public statement on Facebook this week in response to Mike Winger of the BibleThinker online ministry, who has been demanding answers to such accusations that, if true, would require authorities to get involved.
During a July 2022 sermon titled “Exposing Witchcraft in the Church,” Locke went public with unsubstantiated claims that Texas Pastors Kenneth Copeland and Joel Osteen were involved in human trafficking and pedophilia during a Facebook live broadcast.
Locke’s 2022 sermon was broadcast live to his more than 2 million Facebook followers. At the time, Locke declined an interview request from The Christian Post about the allegations, but Locke’s ministry said he stood by the claims.
The sermon is no longer accessible on social media, but Locke called Copeland, who leads the Texas-based Kenneth Copeland Ministries and travels in private jets, a “low-down, sorry, sex-trafficking rapist.” He also stated that Osteen, who is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, has a sexual interest in “boys.”
“Several individuals approached my wife and me with grave concerns about these men and their ministries [four years ago],” Locke said in his Monday statement.
“Chief among them was a woman who presented what she described as detailed timelines, photographs, and firsthand accounts of alleged criminal activity. Importantly, none of this material was ever placed in my personal possession, forwarded to me, or stored on any of my devices,” Locke continued.
“It remained their story to tell. We simply viewed what they chose to show us in those moments and did not take ownership of it. Believing these claims to be credible and urgent at the time, I spoke out boldly in that video.”
The Tennessee pastor, who was so convinced about the allegations he pledged to stop preaching if they weren’t true, said he has since spent the last four years in “careful, prayerful investigation” and concluded he was used to spread lies.
“As we pressed for verification and sought legal counsel, the stories began to shift and unravel. Key details changed, commitments were withdrawn, and it became clear that my voice had been leveraged because of my public platform and reputation for boldness. I was not being given truth; I was being used as an amplifier,” Locke wrote.
In making the bold claims against the televangelists, Locke, who has a history of criticizing prosperity preachers, including Benny Hinn, called them “demon-possessed Satan worshipers.”
“Kenneth Copeland, the most powerful pastor in America, he’s a demon, and he’s going to Hell. And you tell him I said so. I’m about to kick his pulpit over and preach wide slam open tonight. That low-down, sorry, sex trafficking rapist. I wish to God he would take me to court. I wish to God that demon would take me to court. I’ll show the pictures I’ve got,” Locke declared.
“You ever send another dime to that low-down, sorry pedophile, I pray God curses your finances. I’m sick of these demon-worshiping pastors, like Joel Osteen. Look, I’m just going to say it tonight. I don’t care what the news media says. Osteen ain’t going to sue Greg Locke. I wished you would,” he maintained.
“Dude’s worth so many millions of dollars. It’s ridiculous. Why don’t they sue the hillbilly preacher? I tell you why, because he knows I’m right. We’ll call them all out when I have to. You say, ‘Oh my goodness, you mean to tell me that Joel Osteen, he’s that way with women? No, I’m here to tell you, Joel Osteen’s that way with boys.”
Locke further claimed in his now recanted statements that he believed his allegations could get him killed, but he had a plan in place for that.
“By the way, you ever heard of a dead man’s switch?” he asked his congregants. “Well, just in case they come and try to suicide me, I got one of them. Let them chase me down. It’ll all go on the internet.”
A year later, Locke appeared to change his tune.
The Tennessee preacher, who was once so passionate in his conviction that Hinn was a false prophet that he published a book about the televangelist in 2005 called Blinded by Benny, later reversed course. After launching his deliverance ministry, Locke joined Hinn for a Facebook broadcast where they called each other friends after meeting for one day.
Locke revealed the connection after announcing that he scrubbed thousands of videos from his Facebook page to “minimize collateral damage” and focus on his deliverance ministry.
In his statement on Monday, Locke pointed to his reconciliation with Hinn as evidence that he was holding himself accountable.
“On multiple occasions, I have stood before our church and repented for speaking where I should have first verified. Privately, I have sought reconciliation with a number of the individuals and families involved,” he stated.
“Twenty-two years ago, I wrote a book sharply critical of Benny Hinn. A few years ago, I sat with him face-to-face, apologized and discovered a man far different from the caricature I had helped perpetuate. That same spirit of humility and pursuit of truth has guided my private efforts over these past four years,” Locke insisted.
“My commitment remains the same today as it has been for decades: preach the gospel, protect the flock, and walk in integrity. Where I have been wrong, I have repented. Where I have been misused, I have learned. And where reconciliation is possible, I continue to pursue it quietly and sincerely.”
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