FRC head blasts Justin Welby over his remarks on evangelical supporters of Trump

Tony Perkins, the head of the conservative group Family Research Council (FRC), has denounced the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby after he remarked that he does not understand Christians who support President Donald Trump.

In a recent op-ed published on FRC's website, Perkins said that the Anglican leader had "absolutely no grasp on the biblical foundations of his faith, yet feels quite free criticizing Americans who do."

Welby stated in a recent interview on ITV's "Peston on Sunday" that he "really, genuinely, do not understand" why fundamentalist Christians have provided such a strong base for Trump.

The archbishop also castigated Trump for his "completely unacceptable" views on women although he noted that he had met worse people than the U.S. president.

Perkins lamented that Welby "lashed out at U.S. evangelicals for their enthusiastic support of President Trump -- seemingly clueless of all the administration has done to advance religious liberty and expression in America."

The FRC leader went on to criticize Welby for his apparent reluctance to "give a straight answer" on whether homosexual behavior is a sin in a previous interview with GQ magazine and said that Evangelical Christians who believe the Bible are also baffled by his supposed "approval" of same-sex marriage.

"As England's 'spiritual leader,' Welby ought to know better than anyone that the government can legalize a sinful act, but they can't make it morally right," Perkins said.

"Say what you will about Donald Trump, but there shouldn't be any mystery about his base's support – unless, as his statements suggest, Welby doesn't understand Christian orthodoxy," he continued.

The Anglican leader had spoken out against Trump in the past when he was still a Republican candidate. In January 2016, the archbishop had predicted that Trump's presidency would be "very challenging" and problematic.

Although Welby had not elaborated on his disapproval of Trump, the archbishop and the U.S. president had disagreed on the issue of the refugee crisis.

Trump had sought to impose temporary travel bans on people from certain countries and had promised to build a border wall with Mexico during his campaign. Welby, on the other hand, had urged the British government to take in more refugees.

In his interview with ITV, Welby had said that he would be willing to attend a state dinner in Trump's honor if the president came to Britain on an official visit.

Welby said that part of his job as the archbishop is to meet people he disagrees with and "testify of the love of Christ" to them.