Christian hate preacher says why 'God' set fire to Australia

Christian hate pastor Steven Anderson says Australia is burning because he was banned from entering the country. Photo / Facebook

As bushfires continue to devastate Australia's southeast, a Christian hate preacher has claimed he knows why the nation has been set on fire.

Steven Anderson, known as America's most anti-gay pastor, said the destructive bushfires currently ravaging Australia are the "judgment of God" for "banning and deporting preachers of the Gospel".

In July last year, Australia joined 32 other countries around the world in banning Mr Anderson from entering its borders.

The preacher has been banned in all 26 of Europe's Schengen states, Botswana, Jamaica, Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Canada for his repeated hateful statements wishing death upon LGBTQ people, news.com.au reported.

Anderson took to his church's Facebook page, Faithful Word Baptist Church, to post images of the bushfires. The post reads: "Maybe if Australia weren't banning and deporting preachers of the Gospel, they wouldn't be under the judgement of God" above a link to a sermon titled "Natural Disasters as Judgement from God".

Other Facebook users commented on the post, blasting Anderson's hateful message.

"During this extraordinary disaster, we have witnessed far more humanity and Christianity on the ground and in the communities, than has been displayed in this post," one wrote.

"The people on the ground, helping each other in whatever way they can, are showing more faith in humanity, than the original post showed in its construction."

Another wrote men like Anderson "are doing more damage than anyone around the world".

In the past, the leader of the Arizona church has praised the shooter who killed 49 people in 2016 at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. Anderson called the victims "a bunch of disgusting perverts and paedophiles" and "disgusting homosexuals who the Bible says were worthy of death".

He has also encouraged his congregants to kill all homosexual people, saying it would be a "cure for AIDS", and has advocated for world governments to execute gay people.

Anderson was denied entry to Australia when trying to speak at the New Life Baptist Church with Pastor Kevin Sepulveda.