The Faith of America's Hottest VP Candidate

As surely everyone now knows, John McCain has now tapped Sarah Palin, a former beauty queen turned Governor of Alaska, as his running mate. Several publications have referred to Palin as "America's Hottest Governor."

For weeks, the Southern Baptist Convention's "Ethics" guru Dick Land has been pushing hard for McCain to pick Palin. Land described Palin to a CBS reporter as a "person of strong faith."

So what exactly is Governor Sarah Palin's "faith" ?

A thorough search of the internets didn't turn up many specific results. However, several bloggers have reported that Palin is a "regular attendee" of Church on the Rock in Wasilla, Alaska where Palin grew up and served as Mayor. According to this newsletter (HT: Dallas Morning News), we know that has a history with the Assemblies of God denomination. The newsletter mentions Palin's junior high pastor and current Alaska State Superintendent, Ted Boatsman, who once pastored Wasilla Assembly of God (belief statement here). The newsletter also mentions that when in Juneau Palin attends Juneau Christian Center, a Pentecostal congregation.

Here's some info on Church on the Rock in Wasilla where Palin supposedly attends when not in Juneau.

Church on the Rock is a rather new congregation. It began in January, 2000 with seven families. The church quickly outgrew their sanctuary which held 200 people and now holds two services on Sunday mornings. Read the history of Church on the Rock here. Their doctrinal statement can be found here. No mention of the Bible as inerrant. Their doctrine statement describes the Bible as "inspired by God, the Bible is truth without any mixture of error."

The senior pastor of Church on the Rock is a guy named David Pepper. However, Church on the Rock lists a female on staff as a "Pastor." Laurie Miller and her husband Chris Miller serve as "Equipping Pastors" at Church on the Rock.

And here's a bit about Palin on a few social issues:

According to the Boston Globe, Palin believes that abortion should be banned for any reason other than saving the life of the mother. She opposes stem cell research (I assume that means she opposes EMBRYONIC stem cell research). She opposes physician-assisted suicide. She opposes giving state health benefits for same-sex partners. And she supports a constitutional amendment to bar such benefits.

Here's where she gets a little kooky.

Palin believes that creationism should be discussed in public schools. Here's Palin from a couple of years ago:

Growing up with being so privileged and blessed to be given a lot of information on, on both sides of the subject -- creationism and evolution. It's been a healthy foundation for me. But don't be afraid of information and let kids debate both sides."

On Church-State issues:

When asked during a debate how she would feel if she walked into a church and heard a minister or pastor endorse a candidate for governor, Palin responded:

“A pastor, a priest, a rabbi, certainly they have the freedom to say whatever they want to say. And you know, thank the lord that we do have that freedom of speech....Faith is very important to so many of us here in America, and I would never support any government effort to stifle our freedom of religion or freedom of expression or freedom of speech...You know, I would just caution maybe a pastor to be very careful if they’re in front of a congregation and they decide to endorse one candidate over another. You know, there may be some frustration with that candidacy endorsement being made manifest by a few, fewer dollars in the offering plate, so I would just offer that bit of caution. (laughing.)...But, no, I’ll tell you, freedom of speech is so precious and it’s worth defending and of course freedom of religion and freedom of expression will be things that I will fight for.”

Religious Right leaders are already gushing over McCain's VP choice.

Here's Dick Land:

"Governor Palin is a vice-presidential selection which shows that John McCain at the age of 72 today is still able to think outside the box. Governor Palin will delight the Republican base. She is pro-life. It appears that Senator Obama played it safe in picking Senator Biden and Senator McCain made the bold and unconventional choice in picking Governor Palin."

I'm not an expert on the Presidency. But would Sarah Palin's selection as VP make her the first Pentecostal on a major party ticket?

Baptist Senator & McCain's BFF Calls For Less Whining

Phil Gramm and I have a couple of things in common.

We both lived in Georgia, 100+ miles south of Atlanta to be precise, for well over a decade.

We both are University of Georgia alums.
-Gramm = Uga I era
-BDW = Uga VI era, RIP

North Campus guys.

I went the Poli Sci route and Gramm became an Econ Ph.D.

We were both Georgia Democrats.

We both left Georgia for Texas.

He's a Baptist. I'm a Baptist.

Gramm is now a top adviser to John McCain - a top economic adviser to John McCain.

During a recent interview with the Washington Times, Gramm - downplaying the idea that our economy is in a recession - declared:

You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession...We have sort of become a nation of whiners, you just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline...We've never been more dominant; we've never had more natural advantages than we have today."

I'm just wondering whether Gramm has checked the status of his Portfolio lately. My "low risk" Portfolio has been tanking, little by little, each day. It's somewhat unbearable. Up a few Benjamins at close Monday and Down a few months rent by Wednesday. Painful.

So Pardon Me Phil Gramm while I whine and complain just a bit!

And I didn't even lose my home or my job to a crappy economy.

Here's Karen Finney of the DNC:

“What John McCain, George Bush, Phil Gramm just don't understand is that the American people aren't whining about the state of the economy; they are suffering under the weight of it — the weight of eight years of Bush-enomics that John McCain and Phil Gramm have vowed to continue.

“How dare john McCain and his advisers so callously dismiss the challenges the American people face? No wonder voters feel John McCain is out of touch. He and his campaign don't even understand the everyday issues Americans are dealing with.”

VP Candidate Bobby Jindal: Catholic or Baptist??

If you don't know Bobby Jindal, he's the young, Indian-American, Republican Governor of Louisiana who has been touted as being on John McCain's VP short list. For several months now there has been much speculation that Jindal will be John McCain's choice for the Republican vice presidential nomination. This speculation was given a bit of fuel when Jindal met with McCain at his Arizona home on May 23.

Now here's the story:

According to outgoing SBC President Frank Page, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was "baptized and led to Christ by Tommy French," a well-known Southern Baptist who pastors Jefferson Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

This is an extremely interesting tidbit considering that based on numerous accounts Jindal remains a rather conservative Catholic.

Jindal is a Catholic convert from Hinduism. When Jindal was elected Governor of Louisiana in 2007 Catholic Online ran an article that described Jindal as a "pro-life Catholic" who became an active Catholic during his time as a student at Oxford University. Jindal has also been very outspoken about his Catholic faith. In a 1996 article on his Catholic faith, Jindal wrote:

"The same Catholic Church which infallibly determined the canon of the Bible must be trusted to interpret her handiwork; the alternative is to trust individual Christians, burdened with, as Calvin termed it, their 'utterly depraved' minds, to overcome their tendency to rationalize, their selfish desires, and other effects of original sin...The choice is between Catholicism's authoritative Magisterium and subjective interpretation which leads to anarchy and heresy."

During Jindal's campaign to be Governor, the Democratic Party attacked Jindal and his theology in a tv ad. Here is a description of that ad from the Washington Post:

According to a recent television ad run by the Louisiana Democratic Party, the leading Republican candidate for governor, Bobby Jindal, has "insulted thousands of Louisiana Protestants" by describing their beliefs as "scandalous, depraved, selfish and heretical." Jindal, the attack goes on, "doubts the morals and questions the beliefs of Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Pentecostals and other Protestant religions."

So, is Bobby Jindal still a practicing Catholic? A Protestant? If Protestant, is he now attending a Baptist church? If we are to believe outgoing SBC President Frank Page, can we now assume that Gov. Jindal is now a member of Jefferson Baptist Church in Baton Rouge? If Jindal has left Rome for life as a Southern Baptist, that's a big news story that has yet to be covered.

Jindal's writings indicate that he was a believer. So, praytell, how was Jindal "led to Christ" by Jindal? So many questions...

With Jindal's name being seriously thrown around as John McCain's possible running mate, it seems that some religion reporter somewhere needs to follow up on this story.

John McCain On America as a Christian Nation

John McCain sez:

The Constitution Established the United States as a Christian Nation.

And this man wants to be our next President?

Apparently McCain is not familiar with the religion clauses of the First Amendment....

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”

If I were John McCain, I'd steer clear of any religion-related questions. In addition to being a first class doufas on what the Constitution says and doesn't say, McCain seems very uncomfortable talking about his own faith. Too bad he's trying desperately to woo the constituencies of the Religious Right. Not sure if he can succeed on that front.

HT: Mainstream Baptist & Levellers

ABP Lands Interview with John McCain's Pastor

Greg Warner of the Associated Baptist Press has landed an exclusive interivew with John McCain's pastor, Dan Yeary of North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona.

Here's a snippet:

PHOENIX (ABP) -- John McCain has a deep and personal Christian commitment despite his reluctance to speak publicly about it, according to the man the presumptive GOP presidential nominee claims as his pastor.

Dan Yeary, pastor of North Phoenix Baptist Church, described the Arizona senator and his wife, Cindy, as “very unobtrusive” people who don’t seek special attention when they are able to come to worship. “They come in the side door. They’re very pleasant. They talk to people. They’re very approachable.”........

Yeary has been reluctant to talk to the news media about the McCains or his relationship with them. He has turned down many media requests in order to protect his relationship with the family and their privacy. But he initiated an interview with Associated Baptist Press in an attempt to quell continued journalistic curiosity about McCain’s faith, saying he trusts the independent national news organization’s reputation for fairness.

I found this portion of the article quite interesting. Check it out:

Yeary, who has a reputation as a conciliator, carefully avoids hot-button religious issues that often dominate in politics. He said a recent article by the Reuters news agency that explored McCain’s faith mischaracterized the pastor’s position on homosexuality, making him sound like a “right-winger.”

“The reporter asked if I am accepting and affirming of homosexuality,” Yeary said. “I am accepting because we accept everyone. We accept all sinners. You’re a sinner, I’m a sinner. Are we accepting of their lifestyle? No, because it’s a biblical issue.”

The pastor is aware of a dozen or more gays who are members of North Phoenix Baptist. Yeary said he has told them they are welcome, but that he can’t “encourage their lifestyle.”

One can only wonder...will the same Southern Baptists who were hollering for Broadway Baptist Church of Fort Worth to be ousted from the SBC now holler for the 7,000 member North Phoenix to be ousted? After all, North Phoenix like Broadway has gay members.

James Dobson Won't Vote For McCain, Now or Ever

Statement From Dr. James Dobson As Delivered By Laura Ingraham On “The Laura Ingraham Show” (2/5/08):

“I’m deeply disappointed the Republican Party seems poised to select a nominee who did not support a Constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage, who voted for embryonic stem cell research to kill nascent human beings, who opposed tax cuts that ended the marriage penalty, and who has little regard for freedom of speech, who organized the Gang of 14 to preserve filibusters, and has a legendary temper and often uses foul and obscene language.

“I am convinced Sen. McCain is not a conservative, and in fact, has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are. He has at times sounded more like a member of the other party. McCain actually considered leaving the GOP in 2001, and approached John Kerry about being Kerry’s running mate in 2004. McCain also said publicly that Hillary Clinton would make a good president. Given these and many other concerns, a spoonful of sugar does not make the medicine go down. I cannot, and I will not vote for Sen. John McCain, as a matter of conscience.

“But what a sad and melancholy decision this is for me and many other conservatives. Should John McCain capture the nomination as many assume, I believe this general election will offer the worst choices for president in my lifetime. I certainly can’t vote for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama based on their virulently anti-family policy positions. If these are the nominees in November, I simply will not cast a ballot for president for the first time in my life. These decisions are my personal views and do not represent the organization with which I’m affiliated. They do reflect, however, my deeply held convictions about the institution of the family, about moral and spiritual beliefs, and about the welfare of our country.”

Can you say, WOW? Dobson received much credit for Bush's victory over Kerry just back in 2004. I guess we'll wait and see if anybody actually listens to the Dobson anymore. If folks still do, we'll be guaranteed to get some HOPE, Midwest-style for at least four years!

A Time For Honesty: John McCain & Judicial Activism

Don Byrd of the Baptist Joint Committee's Blog from the Capital has posted a collection of quotes from the recent Values Voter Summit hosted by the Family Research Council. Check it out.

Here's a quote from John McCain:

My friends, if America stands for anything, it stands for the freedom to follow our own hearts, to determine our own relationship with God. Our Constitution did not establish a national religion, but neither did it banish any worship. Religious freedom does not require Americans to hide their faith from public view or that communities must refrain from publicly acknowledging the importance to them of faith.

Judges should not legislate from the bench and actually restrict religious freedom by banning its expression in the public square. (Applause.) And I am proud to have played a role, and a major role, in the confirmation of Judges Alito, Roberts, and many others. (Applause.)

A Values-Voter Summit wouldn't be the same without at least a handful of references to judges who supposedly legislate from the bench. Ironically, the most egregious example of judicial activism in a religious liberty case came from the pen of Justice Antonin Scalia - a conservative if there every was one....

Scalia's majority opinion in Oregon v. Smith (1990) completely "gutted" the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. A wise Baptist church-state expert described Scalia's opinion as "an outburst of judicial activism unworthy of a conservative judge...Scalia gutted the free exercise clause from the First Amendment calling its application 'a legal luxury we can no longer afford.' And this is the same justice who had protested so loudly in the confirmation process that the Supreme Court should only interpret law?"

This most notable instance of "legislating from the bench" caused the ACLU and Americans United to join up with Concerned Women for America and the Traditional Values Coalition in order to pass the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to restore pre-Smith free exercise rights. Talk about strange bedfellows!

But John McCain knows better. He himself voted to correct Justice Scalia's gross "outburst of judicial activism." Religious freedom has been restricted at the hands of McCain's fellow conservatives! It's just a wee-bit dishonest to continue this "blame the liberals" game that Republican politicians and righteous "values voters" play year in and year out.

Next time you hear a Republican like John McCain moaning an groaning about the need for strict-constructionist judges who won't "legislate from the bench," remember Antonin Scalia and Oregon v. Smith.

John McCain is a Baptist? An unbaptized Baptist?

Yes. John McCain is a Baptist.

From the Associated Press:

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. - Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who has long identified himself as an Episcopalian, said this weekend that he is a Baptist and has been for years.

Campaigning in this conservative, predominantly Baptist state, McCain called himself a Baptist when speaking to reporters Sunday and noted that he and his family have been members of the North Phoenix Baptist Church in his home state of Arizona for more than 15 years.

"It's well known because I'm an active member of the church," the Arizona senator said.

In the AP piece, McCain acknowledges that he has not been baptized.

In a June interview with McClatchy Newspapers, the senator said his wife and two of their children have been baptized in the Arizona Baptist church, but he had not. "I didn't find it necessary to do so for my spiritual needs," he said. He told McClatchy he found the Baptist church more fulfilling than the Episcopalian church, but still referred to himself as an Episcopalian.

McCain's church is North Phoenix Baptist Church located in Phoenix, Arizona. The 6,000 member North Phoenix is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and at the state level with the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention.

A few thoughts:

1. John McCain by his own admission has not been baptized.
2. John McCain says he's an "active member" of North Phoenix.
3. Baptism by immersion is a prerequisite for membership in Southern Baptist churches. The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 states that {baptism} "is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper."

So the question begs - is John McCain actually a member of a Baptist Church?

I don't think he is.

For more on John McCain's faith check out this article.

And a Baptist tidbit: The "theologically conservative" Richard Jackson was the former pastor of McCain's North Phoenix Baptist Church. In 1988, Jackson lost to Jerry Vines in a closely contested election for the Presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention. At the time, North Phoenix claimed over 18,000 members. Today, North Phoenix has 6,000.