Katy Perry’s Dad Apologizes for Anti-Semitic Comments During Sermon

Katy Perry’s preacher father has issued a public apology for an anti-Semitic rant he made last week while preaching at an Ohio church.

According to multiple reports, Reverend Keith Hudson, an evangelical minister, drew ire from the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) when he told the congregation of the Church on the Rise in Westlake, Ohio:

“You know how to make the Jew jealous? Have some money, honey. You go to L.A. and they own all the Rolex and diamond places. Walk down a part of L.A. where they live and it is so rich it smells. You ever smell rich? They are all Jews, hallelujah! Amen.”

Following news of Hudson’s sermon, SWC founder Rabbi Marvin Hier released a statement slamming the pastor’s offensive comments.

Hier said: “If you take out ‘L.A.’ from his rant, most people would guess that Hitler or Goebbels was speaking.”

The Church on the Rise told CNN in a statement on Tuesday that Hudson’s words were taken out of context.

“Keith Hudson was praying for different individuals and groups of people and he asked for business men and women to stand so that he could pray for them to be blessed and prosperous in their business pursuits,” the statement says. “The comment was intended as a compliment, not as a criticism.”

Regardless of his initial intentions for the “Jew” comments, Pastor Hudson has since apologized for his ‘hurtful and ugly language’ by posting a statement on the Anti-Defamation League website saying that he regrets his actions.

“I can’t tell you where I picked up phrases and descriptions that became part of my vocabulary, Hudson wrote, according to the ADL. “I used them without ever considering what they meant.”

He closed his apology by adding:

“I am not going to offer any excuse, or tell you not to think what I did wasn’t so terrible. I do insist, and God is my witness – that I am not an anti-Semite.”

In a statement released on Tuesday, the ADL accepted Reverend Keith Hudson’s apology.

Readers, chime in with your thoughts on the matter. Is Katy Perry’s dad the kind of preacher who spouts off behind a pulpit or do you think his statement was actually misconstrued by those in the congregation?

In case you’ve never heard Keith Hudson speak, here is a brief clip of him speaking about reaching this generation for Christ.

via CNN