Tennessee pastor banned from Twitter for spreading COVID misinformation to visit Bradenton church
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A controversial Tennessee pastor who made national headlines and was kicked off Twitter for spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic has been invited to speak at a Bradenton church.
Throughout the pandemic, pastor Greg Locke's church in Mt. Juliet held in-person services, and he declared his congregation a mask-free area as infections surged. In Locke's most recent sermon on Sunday, he inaccurately suggested people are not dying of COVID and falsely compared hospitals to Nazi concentration camps. He went as far as to say that doctors are killing patients on purpose.
More coverage: Tennessee pastor Greg Locke accused of spreading false info about COVID banned from Twitter
From July: Tennessee pastor tells members if they wear a mask, they will be kicked out of church
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Despite the conspiracies, Bayshore Community Church in Bradenton invited Locke for a special sermon Friday evening.
On Bayshore's flyer promoting the visit, the local Baptist church describes Locke as having a “bold and unapologetic stand on both the Bible and politics.”
Greg Locke banned from Twitter in September
In September, Locke was banned from Twitter for spreading misinformation about COVID-19. He still has tens of thousands of followers on YouTube and Facebook.
Bayshore Community Church pastor Toney Hill said he personally invited Locke for Friday's service.
Hill was once a part of Locke's congregation in Tennessee before starting his own ministry in Florida. He says that he shares a lot of Locke's ideas, and he's proud of it.
Hill said his ministry has faced backlash for similar views and that Facebook blocked some of his own sermons from streaming.
“We have the same stance as far as COVID is concerned, so our congregation is just fine with him coming,” Hill said.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Controversial Tennessee pastor Greg Locke to visit Bradenton church
