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| ==Media scrutiny== | ==Media scrutiny== | ||
| {{criticism-section}} | {{criticism-section}} | ||
| In September 2008, the Wasilla Assembly of God found itself under intense media scrutiny as a result of former congregation member Sarah Palin being selected as the Republican Vice Presidential Candiate.<ref name = "Former Minister" /> International curiosity about church sermons was so intense that it caused the church website, where videos of its sermons and speakers were posted, to be shut down.<ref>Web Site With Speeches and Sermons From Palin's Former Church Shuts Down as Religious Views of Candidate Face Scrutiny, Jake Tapper, 09-03-2008, ABC News |
In September 2008, the Wasilla Assembly of God found itself under intense media scrutiny as a result of former congregation member Sarah Palin being selected as the Republican Vice Presidential Candiate.<ref name = "Former Minister" /> International curiosity about church sermons was so intense that it caused the church website, where videos of its sermons and speakers were posted, to be shut down.<ref>Web Site With Speeches and Sermons From Palin's Former Church Shuts Down as Religious Views of Candidate Face Scrutiny, Jake Tapper, 09-03-2008, ABC News</ref> In unidentified sermons, the Huffington Post reported, Wasilla Assembly of God senior pastor Ed Kalnins , "preached that critics of President Bush will be banished to hell; questioned whether people who voted for Sen. John Kerry in 2004 would be accepted to heaven; charged that the 9/11 terrorist attacks and war in Iraq were part of a war "contending for your faith;" and said that Jesus "operated from that position of war mode."<ref name = "Huffington" /> Brian Fitzpatrick, Senior Editor with the ], says the Huffington Post article "says more about than about Palin. Though they cover the religion beat for AP, Gorski and Zoll have a great deal to learn about evangelical culture and theology" because they misrepresented <ref name = "Fitzpatrick">{{citeweb | title=AP wrongly charges Palin with deception over faith | first=Brian| last=Fitzpatrickdate=2008-09-05 | publisher= ] | url=http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=239808|accessdate=2008-09-15}}</ref> | ||
| ], director of the Center for Politics at the ], said that such scrutiny was to be expected whenever a surprise vice presidential candidate is selected because the “The surprise guarantees that the other side hasn’t done the research".<ref name = "Sabato" /> “When a presidential candidate surprises the country with a relatively unknown choice, then all hell breaks loose,” Sabato said. “It did with Ferraro, it did with Quayle, it’s happening with Palin."<ref name = "Sabato">{{cite news |first= Berger |last= Judson |coauthors= Carl Cameron and Dan Springe|title= Political Teams Battle to Define Palin in Alaska|url= http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/10/political-teams-battle-to-define-palin-in-alaska |publisher= Fox News.com |date= 2008-09-10|accessdate=2008-09-15 }}</ref> Sabato postulates that the goal of the Democrats is to find controversial statements to counteract the criticism Obama faced due to his affiliation with Pastor ].<ref name = "Sabato" /> The conservative media watchdog, ], went so far as to declare the effort as an "obvious attempt to create a Jeremiah Wright-style scandal".<ref name = "CMI">{{cite news |first= Fitzpatrick |last= Brian|title= Pro-gay Journalist: Palin’s Religious Worldview “Controversial” | url= http://www.cultureandmediainstitute.org/articles/2008/20080904124523.aspx | publisher= Culture and Media Institute |date= 2008-09-04|accessdate=2008-09-15 }}</ref> Others believe that the religious beliefs of Sarah Palin "raise important questions: mainly, what is Palin's faith and how exactly has it influenced her policies?"<ref name = "Huffington">{{cite news |first= Nico |last= Pitney|coauthors= Sam Stein|title= Palin's Church May Have Shaped Controversial Worldview |url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html |publisher= Culture and Media Institute |date= 2008-09-02|accessdate=2008-09-15 }}</ref> They argue that despite her leaving the Wasilla Assembly of God in 2002, long before the controversial sermons,<ref name="Sabato "/> she has maintained a close relationship there by speaking at the church in June 2008<ref name = "Huffington" /> and, on the same visit, receiving a blessing by Kalnins.<ref> Accessed 2008-09-15</ref> | ], director of the Center for Politics at the ], said that such scrutiny was to be expected whenever a surprise vice presidential candidate is selected because the “The surprise guarantees that the other side hasn’t done the research".<ref name = "Sabato" /> “When a presidential candidate surprises the country with a relatively unknown choice, then all hell breaks loose,” Sabato said. “It did with Ferraro, it did with Quayle, it’s happening with Palin."<ref name = "Sabato">{{cite news |first= Berger |last= Judson |coauthors= Carl Cameron and Dan Springe|title= Political Teams Battle to Define Palin in Alaska|url= http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/10/political-teams-battle-to-define-palin-in-alaska |publisher= Fox News.com |date= 2008-09-10|accessdate=2008-09-15 }}</ref> Sabato postulates that the goal of the Democrats is to find controversial statements to counteract the criticism Obama faced due to his affiliation with Pastor ].<ref name = "Sabato" /> The conservative media watchdog, ], went so far as to declare the effort as an "obvious attempt to create a Jeremiah Wright-style scandal".<ref name = "CMI">{{cite news |first= Fitzpatrick |last= Brian|title= Pro-gay Journalist: Palin’s Religious Worldview “Controversial” | url= http://www.cultureandmediainstitute.org/articles/2008/20080904124523.aspx | publisher= Culture and Media Institute |date= 2008-09-04|accessdate=2008-09-15 }}</ref> Others believe that the religious beliefs of Sarah Palin "raise important questions: mainly, what is Palin's faith and how exactly has it influenced her policies?"<ref name = "Huffington">{{cite news |first= Nico |last= Pitney|coauthors= Sam Stein|title= Palin's Church May Have Shaped Controversial Worldview |url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html |publisher= Culture and Media Institute |date= 2008-09-02|accessdate=2008-09-15 }}</ref> They argue that despite her leaving the Wasilla Assembly of God in 2002, long before the controversial sermons,<ref name="Sabato "/> she has maintained a close relationship there by speaking at the church in June 2008<ref name = "Huffington" /> and, on the same visit, receiving a blessing by Kalnins.<ref> Accessed 2008-09-15</ref> | ||
Revision as of 18:25, 21 September 2008
 | This Sarah Palin may relate to a different subject or has undue weight on an aspect of the subject. Please help relocate relevant information and remove irrelevant content. (September 2008) |
| Wasilla Assembly of God | |
|---|---|
| Address | 125 West Riley Ave Wasilla, Alaska 99654 |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Assemblies of God (Pentecostal) |
| Website | http://www.wasillaag.org/ |
| History | |
| Founder(s) | Paul Riley |
| Clergy | |
| Senior pastor(s) | Ed Kalnins |
| Pastor(s) | Scott Phillips (Assistant) Todd Stafford (Assistant) Nathan Lopez (Youth) |
The Wasilla Assembly of God is a church in the town of Wasilla, Alaska. Founded in 1951, it is a member of the Assemblies of God, a Protestant, Pentecostal association of churches with roots in the Pentecostal revivalism of the early twentieth century.
Pastors
The church's founding pastor was Paul Riley. As Governor, Sarah Palin, a former member (having left the church in 2002), renamed the street on which the church is located Riley Avenue in honor of Riley. In 1999, Ed Kalnins took over as pastor. Kalnins's views have attracted international media attention due to Governor Palin's selection as the Republican Vice Presidential candidate.
Media scrutiny
 | This article's "criticism" or "controversy" section may compromise the article's neutrality. Please help rewrite or integrate negative information to other sections through discussion on the talk page. |
In September 2008, the Wasilla Assembly of God found itself under intense media scrutiny as a result of former congregation member Sarah Palin being selected as the Republican Vice Presidential Candiate. International curiosity about church sermons was so intense that it caused the church website, where videos of its sermons and speakers were posted, to be shut down. In unidentified sermons, the Huffington Post reported, Wasilla Assembly of God senior pastor Ed Kalnins , "preached that critics of President Bush will be banished to hell; questioned whether people who voted for Sen. John Kerry in 2004 would be accepted to heaven; charged that the 9/11 terrorist attacks and war in Iraq were part of a war "contending for your faith;" and said that Jesus "operated from that position of war mode." Brian Fitzpatrick, Senior Editor with the Culture and Media Institute, says the Huffington Post article "says more about than about Palin. Though they cover the religion beat for AP, Gorski and Zoll have a great deal to learn about evangelical culture and theology" because they misrepresented
Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said that such scrutiny was to be expected whenever a surprise vice presidential candidate is selected because the “The surprise guarantees that the other side hasn’t done the research". “When a presidential candidate surprises the country with a relatively unknown choice, then all hell breaks loose,” Sabato said. “It did with Ferraro, it did with Quayle, it’s happening with Palin." Sabato postulates that the goal of the Democrats is to find controversial statements to counteract the criticism Obama faced due to his affiliation with Pastor Jeremiah Wright. The conservative media watchdog, Culture and Media Institute, went so far as to declare the effort as an "obvious attempt to create a Jeremiah Wright-style scandal". Others believe that the religious beliefs of Sarah Palin "raise important questions: mainly, what is Palin's faith and how exactly has it influenced her policies?" They argue that despite her leaving the Wasilla Assembly of God in 2002, long before the controversial sermons, she has maintained a close relationship there by speaking at the church in June 2008 and, on the same visit, receiving a blessing by Kalnins.
Ministries
Wasilla Assembly of God sponsors a summer youth group for girls in Kindergarten to 8th grade called the Missionettes. The youth group conducts several community service projects each year. The church hosts an annual Christian music concert called "Winter Rock Fest". "Winter Rock Fest", which began in 2005, attracts over 1,000 children each year.
Services
Community service
In cooperation with Alaska Family Services, the Salvation Army, and other area churches, the Wasilla Assembly of God distributed baskets to 39 families in Wasilla during Thanksgiving of 2005. The church also supplies food to the annual free Thanksgiving meal hosted by Shema Christian Ministries.
The church established a teen youth learning center called Rally Point in 2006. Rally Point is located in the church's former sanctuary at Knik-Goose Bay Road which the Wasilla Assembly of God occupied from the 1960s to 1980s.
Master's Commission program
The Master's Commission program is a live in religious educational program for young adults that lasts one year. According to a promotional video, it is designed for students from around the country; to take them and "lead them for the rest of their lives in passionate journey for Jesus." The students also are expected to "take the message to people around the state." The Master's Commission program stresses ties with the state of Alaska. The program is similar or identical to other such Master's Commission programs at various Assemblies of God congregations throughout the United States.
References
- "About us". Wasilla Assembly of God. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
- Gorshi, Eric (2008-09-04). "Pentecostalism obscured in Palin biography". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coathors=ignored (help) - ^ Stern, Robert (2008-09-03). "Palin's Former Minister Comes Under Scrutiny". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - Web Site With Speeches and Sermons From Palin's Former Church Shuts Down as Religious Views of Candidate Face Scrutiny, Jake Tapper, 09-03-2008, ABC News
- ^ Pitney, Nico (2008-09-02). "Palin's Church May Have Shaped Controversial Worldview". Culture and Media Institute. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Fitzpatrickdate=2008-09-05, Brian. "AP wrongly charges Palin with deception over faith". Onenewsnow.com. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Judson, Berger (2008-09-10). "Political Teams Battle to Define Palin in Alaska". Fox News.com. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Brian, Fitzpatrick (2008-09-04). "Pro-gay Journalist: Palin's Religious Worldview "Controversial"". Culture and Media Institute. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
- Photo of Kalnins blessing Palin at "One Lord Sunday" in June 2008. Accessed 2008-09-15
- Borough, Joshua (2007-07-25). "Fundraising Offers a Chance to Cool Off". Anchorage Daily News. p. G9. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- Wellner, Andrew (2007-11-07). "Rock festival mixes secular, Christian acts". Anchorage Daily News. p. G1. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
- Wright, Melodie (2005-11-23). "Harvest of help". Anchorage Daily News. p. G1. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- Wright, Melodie (2006-02-22). "Learning hangout". Anchorage Daily News. p. G8. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- Mauer, Rich (2008-09-06). "Palin Used State Funds for Trip to Speak at Her Former Church". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)