He wasn’t always this way. Tiffany Stanley charts the course of Perry’s pandering Christianism:
Despite such public displays of piety, Perry’s early religious background is more aligned with that of mainstream religious figures.
Growing up Methodist, he belonged to the mainline tradition that counts both George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton among its members. For years, starting in the 1990s, Perry and his family attended the same affluent Austin-area United Methodist church that Bush 43 did. He has spoken fondly of the denomination, of which he’s still a member, with its liturgy, and its “comfort in tradition and stability.” And yet, in recent years, Perry has chosen to spend most Sundays attending services at an evangelical megachurch, where worship is decidedly flashier—featuring rock music and stadium-style seating.
Politically, he’s been looking to more contemporary, and radical, Christian movements as well. Since at least 2009, as reported in The Texas Observer, Perry has been meeting with ministers affiliated with the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a loose network of charismatic Christians that espouse a form of Dominionism—the belief that Christians should dominate every facet of life, from government to the arts…Like Christian Right movements before them, NAR adherents deny the separation of church and state and actively encourage Christians to engage in politics..One associated ministry, The Call, has been known to pack stadiums to pray against abortion and same-sex marriage. Perry’s prayer rally was modeled on those very gatherings.
Remember also that Palin started out as a Catholic. The Dominionist fanaticism came later.
The Dish 