Career
Lovelace and his church received brief international attention in May 2005 over a controversial sign on church grounds that stated, "The Koran needs to be flushed!"
This appeared in The Daily Courier, the local newspaper covering Forest City, in a story written by Josh Humphries shortly after a May 1, 2005, report in Newsweek that United States officials had flushed a Koran down a toilet at Guantanamo Bay (see Qur"an desecration controversy of 2005). That statement proved to be false and Newsweek apologized on May 15. Apparently a Koran had been desecrated in some way, but not involving a toilet.
15 people in Afghanistan died in a protest riot over the story.
Lovelace and his church posted the sign as the Newsweek controversy unfolded. This inflammatory message received attention from the Associated Press, all major United States news networks, and various international publications.
In a May 25 Microsoft and National Broadcasting Company interview, Lovelace denied that his congregation desecrated any actual Korans. Following two days of intense and universally negative press coverage, Lovelace issued an apology.
Lovelace graduated from Chase High School in 2000 and was previously active in the school"s Future Farmers of America program serving as Chapter President for two terms 1998-2000 and as Western Regional North Carolina Vice President (1999–2000).
He also served as past state chairman of the North Carolina Constitution Party but left switching his party affiliation to Republican. In 2008 he endorsed United States. Congressman Ron Paul for president In 2011, his first book, lieutenant Could Happen To You was published by Tate Publishing of Mustang, Oklahoma.
The Digital Courier
Baptist Press News
Associated Press as carried in a Russian newspaper
Daily Times (Pakistan)
Background
British Broadcasting Corporation re: Guantanamo Bay
Cable News Network re: Newsweek retraction
Washington Post re: Newsweek apologizes.
