Earlier this month, we wrote (in a non-celebratory way) about the irony of Family Research Council president Tony Perkins‘ home being destroyed in the Louisiana floods, considering that he once agreed that natural disasters and national tragedies were the result of God “trying to send us a message” to get us to stop abortions, gay marriage, or some other religious conservative hang-up.
After the Boston Marathon bombings, Perkins said the attack happened because of America’s pattern of “abortion, family breakdown, sexual liberalism, [and] religious hostility.” And last year, after Hurricane Joaquin, Perkins agreed with his guest, Jonathan Cahn, who said that the destruction was punishment for the legalization of gay marriage.
“What’s interesting about that hurricane — its sights are set right in the East Coast, going into possibly our nation’s capital and into New York,” Perkins postulated.
“Our nation’s capital and New York” — where all the gay stuff happens.
However, it appears Perkins no longer feels this way after his own home was destroyed by the devastating Louisiana floods which have killed 11 people and destroyed 400,000 homes.
After the Internet highlighted the irony of Perkins’s home being destroyed, he responded with a press release Tuesday distancing himself from his past proclamations, accusing the internet of “putting words in [his] mouth.”
Perkins now claims that no one knows why disasters happen, although he still believes God has the power to use the elements to spread his message.
“What I have said, which I repeated yesterday in a sermon at Greenwell Springs Baptist Church, is that I don’t know what was behind this flood or any other natural disaster. However, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I believe the Bible which makes clear that God is sovereign over the elements of nature and can and does use them for His purposes. He also allows those same elements to be used as a means of testing our faith and devotion to Him. Is this a test of our faith or a chastisement from God? I don’t have that answer.”
Suffering a tragedy effects people in many different ways, and being unsure and confused like Perkins is a natural response. However, the audience will have to see if Perkins will think the same way about future disasters, or if he will continue to use tragedies as a way to put blame on people he doesn’t like.
[Patheos] This post has been updated
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