San Antonio megachurch pastor John Hagee condemns Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling

John Hagee, pastor at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, has made several controversial remarks over the years. Scroll through for a sampling of his most tendentious statements. John Hagee, pastor at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, has made several controversial remarks over the years. Scroll through for a sampling of his most tendentious statements. Photo: JACK GUEZ, File Photo: JACK GUEZ, File Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close San Antonio megachurch pastor John Hagee condemns Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

San Antonio-based pastor John Hagee has condemned the U.S. Supreme Court for issuing a 5-4 ruling striking down states' same-sex marriage bans.

During the "Hagee Hotline" broadcast on Tuesday, Hagee called the ruling a "naked judicial power grab" and a "direct attack on states' rights."

The Cornerstone Church pastor also joked that God would "have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah" in light of the ruling and maintained his position that the Bible defines marriage as between one man and one woman, citing a "3-0 ruling" from the "Supreme Court in heaven."

"Same-sex marriage will never be accepted in heaven as legitimate, so says God Almighty," Hagee said.

Hagee quoted extensively from Justice Antonin Scalia's dissenting opinion, who called the majority opinion favoring same-sex marriage "a threat to democracy."

"We are entering an era of judicial tyranny," Hagee said.

RELATED: Same-sex couples marry at Bexar County Courthouse after historic Supreme Court ruling

Approximately 108 same-sex couples in Bexar County received marriage licenses on Friday after the high court ruled in their favor.

Top Texas officials have also decried the ruling: in a non-binding legal opinion issued Sunday, Attorney General Ken Paxton called the decision allowing same-sex couples to wed a "lawless ruling" and said state employees could cite religious objections to issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.

But, Paxton said any official — including county clerks or justices of the peace — should expect to face lawsuits or fines for their refusal.

Governor Greg Abbott wrote in a two-page memo Friday that state agency leaders could not take "adverse action" against employees acting on their religious beliefs. An Abbott spokesman later clarified that Abbott was not ordering employees to deny benefits to same-sex couples.

"Despite the Supreme Court's rulings, Texans' fundamental right to religious liberty remains protected," Abbott said Friday.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz told NPR that states not named in the Supreme Court's Friday ruling could ignore the court's decision to strike down same-sex marriage bans.

"... On a great many issues, others have largely acquiesced, even if they were not parties to the case.

But there's no legal obligation to acquiesce to anything other than a court judgment," Cruz said. "And, I would note that the next major battlefield that is going to occur following this marriage decision is religious liberty."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports