Christian experts say Brian Tamaki is "victim blaming" and wrong for pointing fingers at factors such as porn habits as the cause of Cyclone Gabrielle hitting New Zealand.
The Destiny Church leader claimed God sent Cyclone Gabrielle to Aotearoa because of our "extreme" abortion laws, "queerest parliament" and Gisborne and Hastings' porn habits.
Cyclone Gabrielle has left nothing short of devastation for regions along the east coast of the North Island and its violent path claimed the lives of 11 people.
But Christian leaders have refuted Tamaki's claims, saying the cause of the heart-breaking weather event is not due to moral values.
Emeritus Professor of religious history at Massey University Dr Peter Lineham said there is no neat alignment between people's moral values and the weather.
"I don't think porn viewers are going to suddenly stop watching porn because Tamaki's saying that they're responsible for the cyclone," Dr Lineham told media service xvox. "That's the problem with the moral at the end of the sermon: it doesn't fit with the evidence."
Dr Lineham believes Tamaki produced a startling headline to attract people who will listen to him.
"He knows that he will get a much bigger number of people who look at it if he does say something like this, that angers and irritates some people - it'll get some cheering along," Dr Lineham said.
He said in general, what Tamaki told his churchgoers reflects his "overall hostility" towards the LGBTQ+ community.
"I think what he is trying to do is call for a society that conforms to his values - a very traditional approach to sexual values, which he cares about a lot. And so he throws in these provocative lines in order to get people who will agree with him. He's trying to attract a broad range of people to hear him as an apostle and prophet," Dr Lineham said.
Wesleyan church minister and media chaplain Reverend Frank Ritchie said he is sad the comments were made because he doesn't think it shows the best example of who the Church is and what it means to follow Jesus.
"To me the comments are misguided. I have a big problem with the impacts of the porn industry - I think it's affecting our communities, and people's views around sexuality in a way that's really destructive, but I would not link a cyclone to it," Reverend Ritchie told xvox.
"That can seem like victim-blaming, and I have a real struggle with that. I understand the instinct that wants to find the big answer, but I think the Church's main impetus in this should be simply to jump in and help with the very real suffering that is happening in the wake of the cyclone."
Reverend Ritchie said instead of asking "who sinned" we should ask how to help and how to serve.
He said historically when disasters occur it is common to see people of faith jumping in to help and serve people.
"Helping should be instinctual with next no need to think hard about it. I think we can look at how so many churches have responded in Hawke's Bay as the best response – churches and many other groups there are helping people without feeling the need to explain the 'why' of the event. I assume Destiny are doing their bit too," Reverend Ritchie said.
