During a recent interview, Richard Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence, said that being gay has made him a better Christian.

Grenell, the former U.S. ambassador to Germany, became the first openly gay person to hold a cabinet position when President Donald Trump named him acting director of national intelligence.

Grenell made his comments during an appearance on The Rubin Report, which airs on BlazeTV and YouTube.

“I was made this way. I was born gay,” Grenell told host and fellow conservative Dave Rubin, who came out gay in 2006 and married in 2015. “So the fact of the matter is I fully embrace that I was made this way in the image of God and you can be gay and be a Christian. And there’s no problem with it.”

“When I had cancer and I was really kind of down in terms of my physical outlook, I felt like I prayed more and I was closer to God because I was in need,” Grenell said. “I feel guilty about that as I go through life and, of course, the ups and downs of life, when things are going well you don’t pray as much.”

“I think I get so much challenge that you can’t be gay and be a Christian that it makes me a better Christian,” he added.

Trump has nominated Texas Representative John Ratcliffe, a Republican, as director of national intelligence.