Police in American state of Tennessee have begun investigation into the burning of a trailer loaded with about 200 copies of the Holy Bible, Faithwire reports
The incident occurred on Easter morning near a well-known church, Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, pastored by Greg Locke.
The Mt. Juliet Fire Department put off the fire upon arrival at the scene of the incident.
The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that other specific details of the investigation cannot be provided to ensure the integrity of the exercise.
“The trailer, containing Bibles, had been dropped off in the middle of the intersection and then intentionally set on fire. To uphold the integrity of the ongoing investigation, other specific details cannot be provided at this time,” the statement said.
The Wilson County Office also asked anyone with information on video footage surrounding the Bible burning to share it with authorities.
In a Facebook post, Pastor Locke said, “This morning at 6.00 a.m., our security cameras caught a man dropping off a trailer in the middle of the intersection and blocking the road into our church. He then got out and set fire to an entire trailer full of Bibles right in front of our church.”
The pastor said the inferno was “100% directed at” the church.
He said, “It blocked the entrance to our campus and the fact that it was an entire load of Bibles is rather conclusive proof that it was most assuredly directed at us. It did not, nor will it stop us. It was cleaned up in time for people to drive into the parking lot. We had a full house and a marvellous service.”
Pastor Locke was once reported by CBN News to have held a “burning service” to encourage church members to burn Ouija boards of copies of “Harry Potter Stuff” and other items.
Sometime in 2022, the preacher reportedly encouraged people to bring “Harry Potter Stuff” and “Twilight” books and films as well, claiming they were “full of spell, demonism, shape-shifting and occultism.”