Palin's former Pastor: GOP may be downplaying her Pentecostal faith

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

WASILLA, Alaska (CNN) -- For more than two decades, current Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was a practicing Pentecostal.

She belonged to the Wasilla Assembly of God church in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska. But though she attended the church from her teenage years through to 2002, she hasn't talked much about her religion since joining the Republican ticket.

Palin's former pastor, Tim McGraw, says that like many Pentecostal churches, some members speak in tongues, although he says he's never seen Palin do so. Church member Caroline Spangler told CNN, "When the spirit comes on you, you utter things that nobody else can understand ... only God can understand what is coming out of our mouths."

Some Pentecostals from Assembly of God also believe in "faith healing" and the "end times" -- a violent upheaval that they believe will deliver Jesus Christ's second coming.

"Our basic belief is that God is God and he knows where history is going and he has a purposeful plan and within the middle of that plan we live in an environment in our world where certain events would take place," says McGraw. "Sarah wasn't taught to look for one particular sign -- a cataclysmic sign. She knew as every Christian does ... that God is sovereign and he is in control."

The McCain campaign says the Governor doesn't consider herself Pentecostal.

McGraw says Palin's Pentecostal roots may be being downplayed for a reason: "I think there may be issues of belief that could be misunderstood or played upon by people that don't know."

When asked by CNN about Palin's beliefs, campaign spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton would only say the Republican vice presidential candidate has "deep religious convictions."

But how might her religious beliefs impact policy in Washington if the Republican ticket is successful?

Palin's former pastor says he has no doubt her religious beliefs will influence her decision making when it comes to government policy. Regarding her desire to build an Alaskan pipeline and explore for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, McGraw told CNN, "Sarah knows that in Genesis, God creates the world and it's very good and that we're supposed to be caretakers in terms of not destroying the environment, so there's no way that Sarah is going to exploit or damage the Alaska tundra in the name of getting gas if she doesn't have to."

Six years ago, Palin left Assembly of God to join the non-denominational Wasilla Bible Church. But the Assembly of God says she still returns for special conferences and events, such as the graduation of ministry students in June. Video of a speech she gave at the church just two months before joining the Republican ticket is making the rounds on the Internet.

Speaking of the troops in Iraq, Palin says on the video, ""Pray for our military men and women who are striving do to what is right. Also for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for -- that there is a plan, and that plan is God's plan."

Her campaign says she doesn't mix her faith with government business. But Palin did ask her audience to pray for $30 billion natural gas pipeline she is on a mission to build in Alaska. In the video Palin says, "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas pipeline built. So pray for that ... I can do my job there in developing my natural resources. But all of that doesn't do any good if the people of Alaska's heart is not good with God."

McGraw, who was her pastor until 1998 and while she was mayor of Wasilla, says Palin attended discipleship classes to strengthen her Pentecostal faith and that he counseled her on how to become a better leader.

"Everyone has a way of viewing the world and Sarah does too and hers would be shaped by the common sense practicality of how she's been shaped by the Bible -- which is basically the world view that says God loves people, people can access him and he's given us wisdom for living," says McGraw.

He says Alaska has already seen Palin's faith play out. As governor she passed ethics reform and took on what she's referred to as a "good-ol'-boys network." However, she has said she would not seek to impose her religious views on others.

"I think one of the most obvious ways it plays out is what you've seen -- is being courageous enough to deal with deception and corruption," says McGraw.

Palin now attends the Wasilla Bible Church. She was there on August 17, just days before entering the national spotlight. David Brickner, the founder of Jews for Jesus, was a speaker. He told congregants that terrorist attacks on Israel were God's "judgment" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity. Brickner said, "Judgment is very real and we see it played out on the pages of the newspapers and on the television. When a Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgment -- you can't miss it."

The McCain campaign says his comments do not reflect her religious views. Palin's spokeswoman says she is pro-Israel.

Pastor Ed Kalnin, the senior pastor of Palin's former Pentecostal church, has also come under fire for his comments. In 2004, he told church members if they voted for John Kerry for president, they wouldn't get into heaven. He told them, "I question your salvation."

Assembly of God issued a statement online in response which said Kalnin was "joking" when he suggested "Kerry supporters would go to hell," and statement went on to say, "We do acknowledge in hindsight that it was careless, and we do apologize for that. This statement is not written as a defense, but as a clarification."

Palin has done little while in office to advance a social conservative agenda. She told the Associated Press in an interview in 2006 that she would not allow her personal beliefs to dictate public policy.

"I've honestly answered the questions on what my personal views are on things like abortion and a lot of controversial issues," Palin told the Associated Press. "I won't hesitate to answer those questions about what my personal views are, but I am not one to be out there preaching and forcing my views on anyone else."

But in the last week, her religious background and outlook has certainly spurred debate far beyond Alaska.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/08/pal...stor/index.html

[aidan80 9]

Great that's all we need a religious nutcase running for office... politics and religion only ever = one thing.. conflict guaranteed every single time! How Christian is that, if these people had brains they'd be dangerous!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Great that's all we need a religious nutcase running for office... politics and religion only ever = one thing..

Only in America. No wait, there are other places that are like that. Interestingly, none of those places we're friendly with. Probably because they worship the wrong god. What a fcuking mess living in a country that once was the beacon of freedom and liberty and now seems to fall behind places I don't even want to think about. Back to the Future? This is fcuked up.

[rebeccajo 14]

I said it before and I'll say it again....

If we are going to give Obama a pass on what Reverand Wright said, then we have to give Palin a pass on what her preacher says. It isn't the candidate up there making those comments.

Except when there's video of it. In that case, let the viewer decide if Palin's fundamentalism is sound or not.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I said it before and I'll say it again....

If we are going to give Obama a pass on what Reverand Wright said, then we have to give Palin a pass on what her preacher says. It isn't the candidate up there making those comments.

Except when there's video of it. In that case, let the viewer decide if Palin's fundamentalism is sound or not.

word

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I said it before and I'll say it again....

If we are going to give Obama a pass on what Reverand Wright said, then we have to give Palin a pass on what her preacher says. It isn't the candidate up there making those comments.

Except when there's video of it. In that case, let the viewer decide if Palin's fundamentalism is sound or not.

I don't quite recall Obama having been given a pass. I do remember that he took quite a hit on Wright.

If it was fair game then, it should be fair game now.

[aidan80 9]

Great that's all we need a religious nutcase running for office... politics and religion only ever = one thing..

Only in America. No wait, there are other places that are like that. Interestingly, none of those places we're friendly with. Probably because they worship the wrong god. What a fcuking mess living in a country that once was the beacon of freedom and liberty and now seems to fall behind places I don't even want to think about. Back to the Future? This is fcuked up.

Best thing and the smartest thing this country ever did was keep the government and the church away from each other. Allowing them to intermingle and allowing the church too much power and say in policy directly or indirectly will do a lot of damage. We don't need the caveman approach to everything. I mean.. it's been done in many other countries around the globe including my own. Come on a few million dead people can't be wrong can they?

[PlatyPius 5]

It's even worse than I thought.

Fundi Christian is bad enough...

4-Square/Pentecostal is much, much worse. And very, very freaky. About the same level as snake-handling.

[IAMX 3,055]

So where's Gary?

He was all up Obama's ### for Mr. Wright.

I assume he's going to be fair and do the same here.

Edited September 9, 2008 by SRVT

[zqt3344 21]

So it is ok to go to a church where the racist black preacher is shouting at the top of his lungs for 20 plus years "GOD DAMN AMERICA" and all the other racist and sexist comments he made about Hillary Clinton? AJ you suck. You are so biased and out of touch. Open your eyes. This is nothing but pure liberal trash you spin.

WASILLA, Alaska (CNN) -- For more than two decades, current Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was a practicing Pentecostal.

She belonged to the Wasilla Assembly of God church in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska. But though she attended the church from her teenage years through to 2002, she hasn't talked much about her religion since joining the Republican ticket.

Palin's former pastor, Tim McGraw, says that like many Pentecostal churches, some members speak in tongues, although he says he's never seen Palin do so. Church member Caroline Spangler told CNN, "When the spirit comes on you, you utter things that nobody else can understand ... only God can understand what is coming out of our mouths."

Some Pentecostals from Assembly of God also believe in "faith healing" and the "end times" -- a violent upheaval that they believe will deliver Jesus Christ's second coming.

"Our basic belief is that God is God and he knows where history is going and he has a purposeful plan and within the middle of that plan we live in an environment in our world where certain events would take place," says McGraw. "Sarah wasn't taught to look for one particular sign -- a cataclysmic sign. She knew as every Christian does ... that God is sovereign and he is in control."

The McCain campaign says the Governor doesn't consider herself Pentecostal.

McGraw says Palin's Pentecostal roots may be being downplayed for a reason: "I think there may be issues of belief that could be misunderstood or played upon by people that don't know."

When asked by CNN about Palin's beliefs, campaign spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton would only say the Republican vice presidential candidate has "deep religious convictions."

But how might her religious beliefs impact policy in Washington if the Republican ticket is successful?

Palin's former pastor says he has no doubt her religious beliefs will influence her decision making when it comes to government policy. Regarding her desire to build an Alaskan pipeline and explore for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, McGraw told CNN, "Sarah knows that in Genesis, God creates the world and it's very good and that we're supposed to be caretakers in terms of not destroying the environment, so there's no way that Sarah is going to exploit or damage the Alaska tundra in the name of getting gas if she doesn't have to."

Six years ago, Palin left Assembly of God to join the non-denominational Wasilla Bible Church. But the Assembly of God says she still returns for special conferences and events, such as the graduation of ministry students in June. Video of a speech she gave at the church just two months before joining the Republican ticket is making the rounds on the Internet.

Speaking of the troops in Iraq, Palin says on the video, ""Pray for our military men and women who are striving do to what is right. Also for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for -- that there is a plan, and that plan is God's plan."

Her campaign says she doesn't mix her faith with government business. But Palin did ask her audience to pray for $30 billion natural gas pipeline she is on a mission to build in Alaska. In the video Palin says, "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas pipeline built. So pray for that ... I can do my job there in developing my natural resources. But all of that doesn't do any good if the people of Alaska's heart is not good with God."

McGraw, who was her pastor until 1998 and while she was mayor of Wasilla, says Palin attended discipleship classes to strengthen her Pentecostal faith and that he counseled her on how to become a better leader.

"Everyone has a way of viewing the world and Sarah does too and hers would be shaped by the common sense practicality of how she's been shaped by the Bible -- which is basically the world view that says God loves people, people can access him and he's given us wisdom for living," says McGraw.

He says Alaska has already seen Palin's faith play out. As governor she passed ethics reform and took on what she's referred to as a "good-ol'-boys network." However, she has said she would not seek to impose her religious views on others.

"I think one of the most obvious ways it plays out is what you've seen -- is being courageous enough to deal with deception and corruption," says McGraw.

Palin now attends the Wasilla Bible Church. She was there on August 17, just days before entering the national spotlight. David Brickner, the founder of Jews for Jesus, was a speaker. He told congregants that terrorist attacks on Israel were God's "judgment" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity. Brickner said, "Judgment is very real and we see it played out on the pages of the newspapers and on the television. When a Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgment -- you can't miss it."

The McCain campaign says his comments do not reflect her religious views. Palin's spokeswoman says she is pro-Israel.

Pastor Ed Kalnin, the senior pastor of Palin's former Pentecostal church, has also come under fire for his comments. In 2004, he told church members if they voted for John Kerry for president, they wouldn't get into heaven. He told them, "I question your salvation."

Assembly of God issued a statement online in response which said Kalnin was "joking" when he suggested "Kerry supporters would go to hell," and statement went on to say, "We do acknowledge in hindsight that it was careless, and we do apologize for that. This statement is not written as a defense, but as a clarification."

Palin has done little while in office to advance a social conservative agenda. She told the Associated Press in an interview in 2006 that she would not allow her personal beliefs to dictate public policy.

"I've honestly answered the questions on what my personal views are on things like abortion and a lot of controversial issues," Palin told the Associated Press. "I won't hesitate to answer those questions about what my personal views are, but I am not one to be out there preaching and forcing my views on anyone else."

But in the last week, her religious background and outlook has certainly spurred debate far beyond Alaska.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/08/pal...stor/index.html

[Heracles 417]

Great that's all we need a religious nutcase running for office... politics and religion only ever = one thing.. conflict guaranteed every single time! How Christian is that, if these people had brains they'd be dangerous!

That is interesting considering both Hitler and Stalin were atheists.

Close to about 100,000,000 people killed under their administration.

[symbiosis 0]

I said it before and I'll say it again....

If we are going to give Obama a pass on what Reverand Wright said, then we have to give Palin a pass on what her preacher says. It isn't the candidate up there making those comments.

Except when there's video of it. In that case, let the viewer decide if Palin's fundamentalism is sound or not.

Last I checked, Obama doesn't claim to be getting daily instructions from God. That's the really fcuked up thing about Palin's speaking-in-tongues, aisle running faith; everything else is just politics.

Great that's all we need a religious nutcase running for office... politics and religion only ever = one thing.. conflict guaranteed every single time! How Christian is that, if these people had brains they'd be dangerous!

That is interesting considering both Hitler and Stalin were atheists.

Close to about 100,000,000 people killed under their administration.

History lesson: Hitler was a Roman Catholic.

[zqt3344 21]

RJ:

That is the most accurate and sensible post ever on this forum! You rock!

I said it before and I'll say it again....

If we are going to give Obama a pass on what Reverand Wright said, then we have to give Palin a pass on what her preacher says. It isn't the candidate up there making those comments.

Except when there's video of it. In that case, let the viewer decide if Palin's fundamentalism is sound or not.

[almaty 19]

great..she be handing out the Watchtower during her stops with mccain..'

i spent allot of times not answering the door to this folks and now, may have one a heartbeat fromt he presidency...

[zqt3344 21]

And Afro American roots inner city religion Chicago is not bad enough? What is so bad about Pentecostal compared to Ovomit's racist church? Come on people open your eyes.

It's even worse than I thought.

Fundi Christian is bad enough...

4-Square/Pentecostal is much, much worse. And very, very freaky. About the same level as snake-handling.