Palin-God Cartoon "Despicable," Says Pentecostal Leader

The leader of the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination denounced a cartoon that mocks Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, Pentecostalism, and Christianity as “despicable.”

“The cartoon is despicable,” decried Assemblies of God’s chief executive officer, George O. Wood, in a statement Friday. “Millions of Christians today follow the example of first century Christians who prayed in other tongues.

“The Washington Post would not think of printing a cartoon that mocked members of the Muslim or Jewish faiths,” he charged. “It should be ashamed.”

In the cartoon, posted online Sept. 9, Palin is illustrated talking on the phone at a podium in an incomprehensible language. Republican vice presidential nominee John McCain stands near Palin and says with a grin, “She’s a Pentecostal and speaks in tongues, and only God can understand what she’s saying. But it gives my campaign a direct line to the Almighty.”

The next drawing shows “God” in heaven holding a phone saying to an angel, “Peter. What’s wrong with this phone? All I can hear is some dam’ right wing politician spouting gibberish!”

AG superintendent Wood criticized the political cartoon for not only revealing the cartoonist’s lack of understanding of Pentecostal beliefs, but of God.

The cartoonist portrayed God as cranky, befuddled, a user of profanity and not omniscient.
“Since God is multi-lingual, I'm sure He doesn't have problems understanding any prayers – whether they are articulated in a known or unknown language,” Wood said. “He looks for prayers that come from the heart."

Furthermore, the Pentecostal leader noted that Palin, to his knowledge, has never said she prays in tongues.

Palin was raised in a Pentecostal church and attended one until six years ago, when she and her family switched to a non-denominational evangelical church. She now identifies herself only as Christian, and a spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign says Palin does not consider herself Pentecostal.

Still, the Republican vice presidential candidate and her ties with Pentecostalism have been subjected to scrutiny and commentary by secular reporters, who mainly portray the religious body as peculiar and unconventional.

According to http://www.washingtonpost.com/ representative Deborah Howell, Washingtonpost.com received some 350 complaints from readers about the cartoon by Pat Oliphant, which they said lampooned their faith.

"Readers were right to complain," she said, according to AG News, the news service of the 5 million-member Assemblies of God. "I will deal with political cartooning in another column."

She also noted that Oliphant’s cartoons are automatically posted on the washingtonpost.com site without anyone editing or reviewing the material prior to its posting.

[By Michelle A. Vu - Christian Post Reporter]

Sarah Palin's Pentecostal Roots

Sarah Palin often identifies herself simply as Christian. Yet John McCain's running mate has deep roots in Pentecostalism, a spirit-filled Christian tradition that is one of the fastest growing in the world. It's often derided by outsiders and Bible-believers alike.

Palin was baptized Roman Catholic as a newborn. She was then baptized in a Pentecostal Assemblies of God church as a teen and attended that church until six years ago, when she and her family adopted a different home church, an independent evangelical church.

Maria Comella, a spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign, has said Palin attends different churches and does not consider herself Pentecostal.

Details of Palin's religious background and its influence on her public policy are still emerging. As Alaska governor, she signed a proclamation as Alaska's governor honoring Christian Heritage Week and said creationism shouldn't be barred from classroom discussions.

She used traditional evangelical language in praying that a natural gas pipeline be built in Alaska and that the U.S. mission in Iraq was a "task that is from God." Yet she's also said she would not force her views on others.

Palin identifies herself only as Christian in her biography on the National Governors' Association Web site. In an Aug. 14 interview with Time magazine, she once again described herself as Christian. When pressed, she said she attended a "nondenominational Bible church."

"I was baptized Catholic as a newborn and then my family started going to nondenominational churches throughout our life," she said. She did not mention her longtime association with the Assemblies of God, which claims nearly 3 million members and is one of the biggest Pentecostal groups in the U.S.

Grant Wacker, an expert in Pentecostalism at Duke Divinity School in Durham, N.C., said he can understand why. He said the McCain campaign likely doesn't want Palin associated with the best-known Pentecostal to ever hold public office, former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, an active member of the Assemblies of God.

"Though Pentecostals are diverse and rapidly mainstreaming themselves, the public still perceives them as sectarian and uncompromising, and those traits will not help Palin's image," Wacker said.

Palin was baptized as a teenager in Alaska at the Wasilla Assembly of God, which she and her family attended until 2002.

"The fact is she has grown up and has associated with one of our Assemblies of God churches, which is a Pentecostal church, for years," said the Rev. Bill Welch, superintendent of the denomination's Alaska District. "Pentecostalism is bound to have some kind of impact and influence on her."

Pentecostals are conservative in their reading of the Bible and, often, culture.

The Rev. Ed Kalnins, senior pastor at Wasilla Assembly of God since 1999, once questioned in a sermon whether people who voted for Democratic Sen. John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election would get into heaven.

Unlike most other Christians — including most evangelicals — Pentecostals believe in "baptism in the Holy Spirit." That can manifest itself through speaking in tongues, modern-day prophesy and faith healing.

The Assemblies of God teaches that spirit baptism must be accompanied by speaking in tongues. Still, some churchgoers never have the experience.

Before running for Alaska governor, Palin also frequented Wasilla's Church on the Rock, an independent Pentecostal church, senior pastor David Pepper said in a statement.

About six years ago, the Palins began attending their current church home, Wasilla Bible Church, an independent evangelical congregation of truck drivers, executives and teachers, pastor Larry Kroon said.

It's a "simple community church," Kroon said, that is not Pentecostal. Still, Palin has remained close to the Pentecostal community.

Her pastor for most of her time at Wasilla Assembly of God, Paul Riley, said he gave the invocation at Palin's inauguration. As governor, she renamed the church's street "Riley Avenue" for him.

She sometimes worships at Juneau Christian Center, another Assemblies of God church, said Brad Kesler of the Alaska District of the Assemblies of God.

Palin used mostly traditional evangelical language when she spoke at a June ceremony for future mission workers at the Wasilla Assembly of God. A video of her talk was posted on the church Web site, then turned up elsewhere on the Internet.

Noting that her oldest son, Track, an Army private, is being sent to Iraq this month, Palin asked the audience to pray for military men and women. She also asked for prayer "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 that plan is God's plan," she said.

She spoke about her responsibilities as governor, including job creation, and said she was trying to win support for a multibillion-dollar pipeline that would bring natural gas from Alaska's North Slope to the lower 48 states.

"I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built," she said. "So pray for that."

Still, she said the state needed more than just economic development.

"Really, all of that stuff doesn't do any good if the people of Alaska's heart isn't right with God," she said. "Your job is going to be to be out there reaching the people — hurting people — throughout Alaska and we can work together to make sure God's will be done here."

Her current church, Wasilla Bible Church, stresses the inerrancy of Scripture.

Last Sunday's church bulletin advertised an upcoming Focus on the Family "Love Won Out Conference" in Anchorage. The conferences promise to "help men and women dissatisfied with living homosexually understand that same-sex attractions can be overcome."

Palin opposes abortion and gay marriage. But in December 2006, she told The Associated Press that her stances on certain lightning-rod issues would not necessarily translate into public policy.

"I've honestly answered the questions on what my personal views are on things like abortion and a lot of controversial issues," she said. "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."

[Associated Press]

McCain's VP Choice Reassures Evangelicals

John McCain's running mate was raised in a Pentecostal church (Assemblies of God), has called herself "as pro-life as any candidate can be" and already has energized conservative religious leaders who worried the Arizona senator would choose an abortion rights supporter.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is "straight out of veep central casting," said Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religion Liberties Commission. Land said he urged the McCain camp to consider the political unknown.

Gary Bauer, one of McCain's most enthusiastic evangelical supporters, called it a "grand slam home run" that is "guaranteed to energize values voters."

The 44-year-old mother of five, who led her high school chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, was baptized as a teenager at the Wasilla Assembly of God Church, where she and her family were very active, according to her then-pastor, Paul Riley.

Now, she sometimes worships at the Juneau Christian Center, which is also part of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God, said Brad Kesler, business administrator of the denomination's Alaska District. But her home church is The Church on the Rock, an independent congregation, Riley said.

"The church was kind of a foundation for her," said Riley, who said he gave the invocation at Palin's inauguration and had her address students at the church last month.

Palin and her family have gone the way of so many Christians in North America, moving from the denominational church to the independent Pentecostal congregation.

However, Maria Comella, a spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign, said "Palin attends different churches and does not consider herself Pentecostal."

Is the campaign trying to avoid liberal anti-pentecostal attacks?

As a politician, Palin has sided with the majority evangelical view in opposing gay marriage and expressing a desire to see creationism discussed alongside evolution in schools.

"It's an absolutely brilliant choice," said Mathew Staver, dean of Liberty University School of Law. "This will absolutely energize McCain's campaign and energize conservatives."

[AP Religion Writer Rachel Zoll contributed to this report.]

Adrian Varlack Elected President of the Historical Society of Church of God Movements

[Click on image to enlarge it.]

Thursday (May 29, 2008) was the Seventh Annual Meeting for the Historical Society of Church of God Movements. We met at the Museum Center at Five Points in Cleveland, TN. There were 20 individuals present, representing five denominations, four archival repositories, a university, a community historical society, and several local churches. The theme for this year’s meeting was “The Development of Early Church of God Ecclesiology” and focused on the leadership roles of R.G. Spurling, founder, and A.J. Tomlinson, first general overseer.

Reverend Michael Padgett, the Society president and pastor of a Church of God Mountain Assembly congregation in Kentucky, moderated the meeting. Dr. Harold Hunter, (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) and director of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church Archives and Research Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, presented a paper in response to a paper written by Dr. Dale Coulter, (DPhil, Oxford University) and associate professor of historical theology at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Dr. Coulter’s paper, “The Development of Ecclesiology in the Church of God (Cleveland, TN): A Forgotten Contribution?”, was published in Pneuma: Journal for the Society of Pentecostal Studies (29.1, 2007, p. 59-85).

Participants in this year’s annual meeting represented the Church of God (Cleveland), the Church of God of Prophecy, the Church of God Mountain Assembly, Zion Assembly Church of God, and the United Methodist Church. The historian for Cleveland/Bradley County, Tennessee, and Bible professors at Lee University were present as well.

New officers for the Society include Executive Secretary and Treasurer – Marie Spurling Crook (Zion Assembly COG), President – Adrian Varlack, Sr. (COGOP), First Vice President – Jerald Daffe (COG), and Second Vice President – Louis Morgan (COG).

The Society's mission and purpose are "to promote the study, interpretation and interpretation of the history and heritage of Church of God movements in their variety of expressions. It shall also seek to produce, and encourage the production of historical materials (written, audio-visual, Internet), to encourage the preservation of documents, records and photographs related to the movements, and to promote occasions for the movements to remember, appreciate and celebrate their history and heritage."

"Membership in the Historical Society of Church of God Movements is open to all persons who wish to learn more about the history and heritage of the movements, contribute to our historical understanding, or support the work of the Society."

The Society meets each year on the first Thursday after Memorial Day. The location for next year’s meeting will be announced soon.

Regie Hamm Wins American Idol

Regie Hamm has had some success, but nothing like this.

Whether David Archuleta or David Cook prevails in Wednesday night's American Idol finale, Regie Hamm will be having the time of his life.

In the closing four minutes of tonight's two-hour show (Fox, 8:00 PM ET/PT), the newly crowned David will sing Time of My Life, Hamm's winner in the second American Idol Songwriter contest.

Yep, it's inspirational, says the Nashville singer/songwriter, who calls Life "a midtempo anthem, no surprises. (Fans) can wave their arms and light their lighters, all that cool stuff. We've all heard those finale songs, so you know the parameters and almost by osmosis what the moment is all about."

The song was among tens of thousands submitted and combed through by 19 Entertainment's more than 60 Artists & Repertoire staffers, who winnowed the list to a manageable pile before Idol creator Simon Fuller and his team pruned to 20 semifinalists, says Jeff King, 19's U.S. head of digital entertainment.

The task is "daunting," he says. "Not unlike the show, you get a wide variety, from comical to genius."

More than 500,000 voters chose Time of My Life from the 20 audio clips posted online. What gave Hamm's tune the edge?

"Its feel, its groove, the message," King says. "The lyrics aren't too sappy, and it's contemporary."

In a departure from Idol custom, producers decided against using the coronation song in competition. The David's each picked another tune from the 10 songs that received the most votes in the contest to sing Tuesday. Cook, 25, chose Dream Big by Emily Shackelton; Archuleta, 17, selected In This Moment by Ryan Gillmore. Both are on iTunes, which also will sell tonight's rendition of Life by the new Idol.

A year ago, the first song contest yielded melodramatic This Is My Now, a natural for pop singer Jordin Sparks and a handicap for beatboxer Blake Lewis, who was thrashed by the judges. That mismatch didn't trigger this year's shift, King says. The show simply wanted to offer the finalists flexibility.

At a cost of $600 and with help from friends, Hamm composed and recorded Life the week before the contest deadline.

"I tried to keep the show in mind, but it's autobiographical," he says. "It has to do with living in the now and letting the good times carry you through the bad times."

Hamm, 40, says his victory is a reversal of a career slump that began when he and his wife, Yolanda, adopted their daughter in China. Isabella, now 5, has the rare genetic disorder Angelman syndrome, which causes severe developmental delays. (They also have 19-month-old son Gabe.)

"I've been a housedad while my wife works at Starbucks, which provides insurance," Hamm says.

"When we find something (Isabella) responds to, we stick to it," he says. "The really bad singers on Idol make her laugh hysterically. We started watching because of her. When better singers come along in the top 10, Isabella loses interest, but then we're hooked."

Born in Nashville, Hamm traveled the country with his Pentecostal preacher father and played drums in the family band. Regie's father is Pastor Ron Hamm of Nashville, a former state overseer with the Church of God of Prophecy. Regie's grandfather, Ron's father, was also a life-long minister in the Church of God of Prophecy, Cleveland, Tennessee.

Regie wrote his first song at age 9. Influenced by Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Don Henley, Merle Haggard, Randy Newman and the Gershwins, he switched to piano and enjoyed some success writing and recording. On Thursday, his gospel/country Starlight EP hits iTunes. He co-wrote Something About Us, which is on Clay Aiken's new CD. (Attention, conspiracy theorists: Hamm also co-wrote the ballad In the Name of God with Scott Krippayne, who co-wrote 2007's winning Idol song.)

"I've made records and rubbed shoulders with people in the music industry, but nothing like this," Hamm says of his Idol conquest. "The last five years have been the toughest of my life. This one song has turned my career and my life around. It's a shot in the arm."

What Will Happen to the Pentecostal Movement?

Every great movement in the history of Christianity became institutionalized after about 100 years.

The Pentecostal Movcement is about 100 years old.

Where will the movement go from here?

A movement operates on the currency of relationship and trust.

An institution operates on the currency of real estate and fear.
____________________

Seminary Professor Receives Award

The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship (TFFPS) has conferred its "Award of Excellence" for the best article of 2008. TFFPS co-founder and president, Robert W. Graves, announced the award during the 2008 Conference of the Society for Pentecostal Studies convening at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.

Professor Kenneth J. Archer, of the Church of God Theological Seminary, received the award for his article "A Pentecostal Way of Doing Theology: Method and Manner" (International Journal of Systematic Theology, July 2007). The article emphasizes the necessity of doing Pentecostal theology by means of an integrative methodology and in a narrative manner that flows out of Pentecostal identity. Archer argues that "Pentecostal theology must move beyond the impasse created by subsuming its identity under the rubric of 'Evangelical' in order for it to articulate a vibrant, fully orbed, mature Pentecostal theology."

Graves also announced that the Foundation conferred a $1,000 research grant to Professor Archer to pursue his project "Worshipful Witness: A Pentecostal Theology of the Five-Fold Gospel," a book-length elaboration of the award-winning article. "Worshipful Witness," according to Archer, will provide a formative Pentecostal theology for the training of ministers, the (re)shaping of Pentecostal communal identity, and the critical engaging of contemporary Pentecostal theology. The eventual monograph will enter into serious dialogue with current and diverse academic works as well as engage academic Pentecostal publications.

The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship was formed in 2005 with the singular goal of advancing biblical scholarship within the global Pentecostal family. "In supporting the convergence of the flame of Spirit and the flame of knowledge," commented Graves, "we hope to help advance today's move of the Holy Spirit throughout the world."

More information about the foundation is available at its Web site: www.tffps.org.