Stephen Strang, publisher of the Christian-based magazine “Charisma,” is coming to the defense of Kenneth Copeland, a “prosperity gospel” preacher who came under fire for recently unearthed comments regarding his private jet use.

Strang believes that Copeland’s words, in which he said that flying in a commercial airplane is like being in a “long tube with a bunch of demons,” were taken out of context. Copeland was speaking in hyperbole, Strang suggested, according to a report from Right Wing Watch.

But an examination of his original comments, available online, demonstrate that Copeland’s words were far more serious than Strang suggests they were.

Copeland’s comments stem from a video he was appeared in back in 2015. Recently, a reporter from Inside Edition named Lisa Guerrero confronted Copeland about his words, and asked him about his private jet use and comments about demons in commercial flights.

“That’s really none of your business,” Copeland responded to her in the now viral video.

“Isn’t it the business of your donors?” Guerrero retorted.

Guerrero also asked Copeland whether preachers should live so glamorously and if critics were right to be upset with them for doing so.

Copeland’s response bordered on anti-Semitic. “They’re wrong. Do you think the Jewish people believed you should be broke?…[Jewish people] believe in wealth,” he said.

Strang’s defense of Copeland questioned why people thought this was such a big deal.

“Why is this so controversial? [Flying in a commercial plane] is like a tube,” Strang said. “It’s very crowded and, you know, he’d be speaking a little bit in hyperbole, but there are people in those airplanes who are not spiritual.”

Strang acknowledged he too felt “demonic activities” were happening on commercial planes, and that an atmosphere of “oppression” was apparent on such flights.

“I have no criticism of Copeland having an airplane,” Strang added.

Featured image: screen grab/YouTube