[ad_1]
In early February 2024, customers on X shared three images that appeared to indicate a person baptizing a girl in what seemed to be a metallic tank — much like a livestock trough for horses or a container for crops — beneath the banner of a giant flag emblazoned with the identify “Trump.”
“Baptized,… within the identify of Trump,” one of many posts learn.
The identical images of the baptism have been beforehand shared on different social media web sites, together with Reddit. For instance, one well-liked Reddit thread in 2022 claimed that the pictured lady was “baptized within the identify of Trump.”
These baptisms weren’t carried out with any point out of the identify of former U.S. President Donald Trump, John Linnehan, the person who held the lease on the area pictured within the images, informed Snopes by cellphone. He stated the presence of the Trump flag was unrelated to the baptisms and that it solely occurred to be within the background of the images.
That stated, it is unclear whether or not the presence of the Trump flag, the person standing within the background carrying a “Make America Godly Once more” shirt or different political objects had any affect over the inspiration for the sacrament that appeared within the photos.
Snopes investigated and located particulars relating to precisely what was occurring on the day when the baptism occurred. In our analysis, we got here throughout fairly a couple of further claims regarding the people who find themselves talked about under. For the needs of this text, we will likely be concentrating solely on the baptism photos that have been posted on-line.
Structure Corridor in Ellsworth, Maine
The images have been captured throughout a “Deliverance Service/Revival” occasion led by pastor Greg Locke on Sept. 12, 2022. The setting was Linnehan’s leased area named Structure Corridor, then positioned on the Maine Coast Mall in Ellsworth, Maine.
Upon opening the area in January 2022, Linnehan introduced in a Fb video: “Structure Corridor is the mecca of like-minded, Maine-first, America-first patriots, to collect freely, maintain rallies, host conventions, dwell stream occasions, characteristic particular audio system and maintain another pro-Constitutional occasions you might probably dream of.”
Pictures of the area have been additionally posted on Fb. One of many photos confirmed the exact same flooring and brick wall seen within the images of the baptism.
When it opened, Structure Corridor featured a big signal with photos of an American flag, Jesus Christ, a bald eagle, a dove, a Bible, the Liberty Bell and the U.S. Structure.
A Fb consumer asks concerning the Structure Corridor check in early 2022.
After Linnehan’s lease ended on the finish of 2023, he moved Structure Corridor out of the mall and into one other area, in accordance with the Bangor Every day Information. The patriotic and spiritual imagery on the big mall signal has since been eliminated.
Pastor Greg Locke
Pastor Greg Locke is the founding and lead pastor of International Imaginative and prescient Bible Church in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.
One submit on X from Sept. 19, 2022, learn, “Excessive priest of Trumpvangelivalism ‘Pastor’ Greg Locke was in Maine this weekend baptizing individuals beneath a Trump flag. Due to course he was.”
In 2022, The Tennessean newspaper profiled Locke — an outspoken Trump supporter — in a narrative titled “The evolution of Greg Locke: How a controversial Tennessee pastor needs to save lots of America from its demons.”
The reporting famous, “His clearly outlined and strongly held spiritual beliefs have led the pastor to separate from the unbiased basic Baptists, assault native colleges and retailers on social media to advocate for right-wing political positions, and stand exterior the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as a mob stormed in. Twitter banned him for spreading COVID-19 misinformation.”
Snopes’ Cellphone Name with Linnehan
Nonetheless, regardless of Locke’s political opinions and the patriotic and political nature of the Structure Corridor institution, Linnehan informed Snopes by cellphone that the phrases spoken in the course of the baptisms had nothing to do with Trump.
“There was a woman who referred to as me and wished to know if she might have Pastor Locke come to Maine and do a preaching for a deliverance service, to inform individuals how they could possibly be saved after which how they could possibly be delivered from a number of the sins that have been bothering them of their lives,” Linnehan stated.
“I referred to as a neighborhood church right here on the town. That they had this transportable baptistry, like an aluminum tank that they used of their church to do baptisms. So I went and acquired that at her request in order that Pastor Locke would have a spot to baptize individuals.”
Linnehan continued: “The Trump flag within the background, that simply occurred to be my flag that occurred to be within the hallway that night time. That was not put up specifically for this exercise with Pastor Locke.”
Snopes then requested Linnehan whether or not Trump’s identify was talked about in the course of the baptisms. Linnehan stated no.
“When Pastor Locke did the baptisms, he would say, ‘We baptize you within the identify of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost.’ And so, nothing to do with Trump was talked about in any respect.”
Earlier than our name ended, Linnehan added, “I used to be on the baptisms. There was an enormous crowd there that night time. There have been lots of people baptized. And I felt it was a really efficient non secular assembly that was held there.”
Sources:
Berleant, Anne. “Structure Corridor Opens in Former Film Theater.” The Ellsworth American, 17 Jan. 2022, https://www.ellsworthamerican.com/information/constitution-hall-opens-in-former-movie-theater/article_cb961987-feb2-5b22-9dd8-d7554d3ab75f.html.
Crash Barry. “TCR#1: Linnehan Brings Residence Fetal Doll Assortment, Structure Corridor.” The Crash Report, 16 Jan. 2024, https://thecrashreport.substack.com/p/tcr1-linnehan-brings-home-fetal-doll.
Humbles, Andy, and Liam Adams. “The Evolution of Greg Locke: How a Controversial Tennessee Pastor Needs to Save America from Its Demons.” Tennessean, 21 April 2022, https://www.tennessean.com/story/information/faith/2022/04/21/greg-locke-how-controversial-jan-6-pastor-wants-save-america/7208072001/.
“John Linnehan.” Fb, https://www.fb.com/JohnLinnehan48/.
John Linnehan’s Constitutional Corridor. https://constitutionhall.org/.
Pastor Greg Locke. https://pastorlocke.com/.
“Tarter 170-Gallons Galvanized Metal Water Trough Galvanized Metal Inventory Tank.” Lowes.com, www.lowes.com/pd/Tarter-170-Gallon-Galvanized-Metal-Inventory-Tank/3159641.
Trotter, Invoice. “Conservative Ellsworth Occasion House Transferring into Founder’s Residence.” Bangor Every day Information, 11 Dec. 2023, http://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/12/11/information/hancock/conservative-ellsworth-event-space-moving-joam40zk0w/.
u/Dudeabides207. “Keep Elegant Ellsworth…(Caption in Feedback).” r/Maine through Reddit.com, 19 Sept. 2022, https://www.reddit.com/r/Maine/feedback/xil2in/stay_classy_ellsworthcaption_in_comments/.
u/mazzivetalent. “Baptized within the Title of Trump.” r/religiousfruitcake through Reddit.com, 19 Sept. 2022, https://www.reddit.com/r/religiousfruitcake/feedback/xius6b/baptized_in_the_name_of_trump/.
[ad_2]
Source link
