Tulsa Evangelicals See Excitement for Palin

[frawin]

Sarah Palin's Religious background is certainly more commendable that Obama's is as an understudy of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Tulsa evangelicals see excitement for Palin

ENERGIZER
Sarah Palin: The former Pentecostal now worships with a nondenominational Bible church in Alaska.

By BILL SHERMAN World Religion Writer
9/16/2008
Last Modified: 9/16/2008  2:32 AM

She boosts support for the GOP ticket, polls find.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's conservative Christianity has galvanized the evangelical community behind Sen. John McCain as probably no other running mate could have done, evangelicals say, and has breathed enthusiasm into what was a listless Republican presidential campaign.

"There's an excitement bordering on the ecstatic," said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, who recommended Palin to McCain five weeks ago.

Bill Rains, with the Tulsa Metro Association of Baptist Churches, said Palin is generating a lot of enthusiasm among Tulsa Baptists.

"I haven't heard one negative word about her," he said.

An NBC poll found McCain's support among evangelicals had doubled — from 24 percent to 48 percent — since he named Palin as his running mate, and a Gallup poll found Republicans' enthusiasm for the election jumped to 60 percent, from 42 percent.

Palin attends a nondenominational Bible church, and formerly attended a Pentecostal church. She is conservative on social issues, including abortion, and gave birth this year to a baby with Down syndrome.

Thomson Mathew, dean of the Oral Roberts University School of Theology and Missions, said he sees a new excitement on campus about the McCain campaign since the Palin announcement.

"She's seen as a person of faith, even though they don't know her very well, a person who understands family life," he said.

Joe Bessler, who is teaching a course on religion and politics this fall at Phillips Theological Seminary, said there are a couple of reasons the Palin candidacy has energized the McCain campaign.

"John McCain has never been all that good at courting the evangelical base. He's been somewhat suspicious of it in the past. He's more of a centrist, willing to work across ideological aisles.

"Even when he had the nomination wrapped up you had (evangelical) voices saying he's not strong enough on immigration, on abortion, on gay marriage."

Also, he said, "You have some vested interest in this whole culture of talk radio embracing conservative religious and cultural values.

"The nomination of Sarah Palin suddenly gives that whole industry something to talk about."

Several state and local evangelical leaders, who would not comment publicly out of concern for IRS requirements about endorsing candidates, said privately that Palin was generating a lot of enthusiasm, especially among women.

"We like her and we're happy for her, but we'd rather not do an interview," said the Rev. Bruce McCarty at Owasso First Assembly.

Land, of Nashville, Tenn., said in a telephone interview that Palin has tapped into something that men cannot fully understand.

"She's tapped into the sisterhood."

He said that while Baptists believe the New Testament mandates male pastors, and that the husband is head of the home, it does not forbid women in political leadership.

"We have absolutely no problem with a woman vice president or president," he said.

The Rev. Deron Spoo, pastor of First Baptist Church downtown, said he does not speak to political matters during the campaign season other than urging his people to pray, use common sense and vote their conscience.

H. Franklin Cargill, superintendent of the Oklahoma District Council of the Assemblies of God, said, "We applaud all Assemblies of God people who seek to serve and encourage our members to make a difference in this world, knowing full well that criticism always follows those who lead."

Catholics have showed modest enthusiasm for Palin.

A Zogby poll found that 54 percent of Catholics believe she will help the Republican ticket; 31 percent believe she will hurt the ticket.

Bishop Edward J. Slattery, of the Diocese of Tulsa, said Catholics are not a voting bloc, and it is too early to tell how they will respond to the Palin candidacy.

"I'm very, very happy that she is pro-life for the unborn," he said. "How she stands on other life issues I don't know."

He said Catholicism embraces a pro-life position that goes beyond the unborn to world hunger, war, poverty and other issues.

"We don't tell our people how to vote. We tell them to study the issues, pray, and then vote," he said.

Much of the criticism of Palin has centered on her Pentecostal roots.

Until six years ago, she attended an Assemblies of God church, the world's largest Pentecostal denomination. Her campaign has said she is not a Pentecostal.

Pentecostals, like charismatics, generally believe in speaking in tongues and praying for healing, practices viewed with suspicion by many in mainline churches.

ORU's Mathew said criticism of Palin's Pentecostal roots is unfair.

"I don't see anything of substance in the criticism, just that somehow being Pentecostal disqualifies her as a vice presidential candidate."

He said Pentecostalism is the fastest growing segment of Christianity in the world, and the major form of Christianity in much of the Southern Hemisphere.

"To imply that somehow she is part of a fringe group is upsetting to us. She's not.

"You can agree or disagree with her political view, but her faith should not be an issue," he said.

Bessler, of Phillips Seminary, said it was unfair to use Palin's church background against her.

"The religion card can be played to say you shouldn't run for office because you're not in the mainstream, as it was used against (President John) Kennedy.

"It can be used to generate suspicions about people that I think are unwarranted. I wouldn't want to dismiss her candidacy on the basis of religion. One needs to examine her stands on public policy."