A pastor reportedly discovered a trailer filled with Bibles that were “intentionally set on fire” Easter Sunday outside a church in Tennessee.
Pastor Greg Locke found the Bibles set aflame when he arrived at Global Vision Bible Church on Sunday morning, WKRN reported. Officials from the Mt. Juliet Police Department said that the trailer of Bibles was “intentionally set on fire” after it was reportedly dropped off in the middle of the intersection of Old Lebanon Dirt Road and Chandler Road around 6 a.m., WKRN reported.
“It was strange because he [the suspect] had his blinkers on and he scotched the wheels and everything,” Locke told the outlet. “He was very meticulous, so he had to be very courageous to do what he did. We’ve had people do things to our building, we’ve been vandalized a number of times, hence why we have to have security, but never 200 Bibles being burned. That’s a pretty rebellious statement towards the church.”
Trailer with Bibles inside intentionally set on fire in Wilson County on Easter Sunday, officials say https://t.co/YGHK8bmktU
— WKRN News 2 (@WKRN) March 31, 2024
Locke said he was astounded by the incident and shared an image of the burned Bibles on social media. The pastor, who lives close to the church, said he was unaware of the fire until he arrived at work, according to the outlet. (RELATED: White House Bans Religious Easter Eggs From Art Contest)
“Happy Resurrection Sunday,” Locke wrote on Facebook. “This morning at 6:00 AM 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.”
“There was a lady that had driven through the night to get to our church and she was in the parking lot and was able to get the police officers here quickly, but it was quite the scene to wake up to on my first morning back from Israel,” he continued. “Had to block traffic in all directions but they are almost finished cleaning it up. It’s going to be a great day in the Lord.”
Wilson County deputies are actively investigating the incident, WKRN added.
NEW: Pro-Palestine protesters take over Easter Vigil Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
“Free, free Palestine” chants began going off during the second reading.
Protesters rushed to the front and held up a banner that read: ‘SILENCE = DEATH’
The protesters were… pic.twitter.com/85gaxnGDGA
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 31, 2024
In a separate incident, protesters interrupted an Easter Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Saturday in New York City. They shouted pro-Palestine chants and advocated against climate change, rushing to the front of the service while holding a banner that read “SILENCE = DEATH” with the Extinction Rebellion symbol and an olive tree.