Palin's eschatology

[Douglas]

Anybody know what our republican VP nominee's eschatological perspectives might be? I heard she is from an assembly of God background, and I am sorry to say i don't know what that is exactly, or even if they have a dominant view.

Just wondering...

[RickC]

Hello Douglas

The Assemblies of God {AG or AoG} is the largest pentecostal denomination in the USA. It used to be the largest in the world. I'm pretty sure it still is.

I attended and almost graduated from their Central Bible College in the Headquarters city of Springfield, MO.

The primary reason I left was because I became amillennial when a student, in my own personal studies {circa 1982). The AG doesn't allow their ministers to say anything against and/or unsupportive of their premillennial dispensational beliefs....so I had to go....

The AG's 16 Fundamental Truths

Sarah Palin apparently became a Christian as a teen at Wasilla {Alaska} AG church and went there till her late 30s. Since 2005 she has attended Wasilla Bible Church. If I'm not mistaken, many if not most Bible churches are premillennial and dispensational {my cousin attended one for years}. WBC doesn't specify...as lots of churches don't spell out their eschatology these days {"dumbing down?"}...could be...???

A Visit to Sarah Palins' {Bible} Church

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/0 ... 23205.html

"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "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."

My computer is too old for Sarah Palin's video talk. I'll try to find it in text or audio. Due to Palin's above statement, she possibly lost my McCain/Palin vote. I expect this kind of "reasoning" from the likes of John Hagee. However, I don't expect it from a VP and/or possible Prez. The radical Muslims already see Iraq & Afghanistan as "holy war," mistakenly thinking the USA is a "Christian nation." Such comments as from Palin feed the flames! Or maybe she does think it is a holy war? Perhaps so, perhaps so....

God help us.

I left the AG mainly over eschatology. But back in the early 80s were the beginnings of "charismatic excesses," even in the AG, that I was wary about. The Christian Coalition was making inroads into the AG at that time also. Since then the "religious right" has been around. When I came into the AG in 75, pentecostals and the AG weren't all that politically involved {nor were many other fundamentalist/evangelicals}....

In any event, the AG denomination itself, while believing modern day Israel is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy, takes an essentially apolitical stance concerning the Middle East, at least officially from Headquarters: AG Official Statement: Israel — The Church's Response

Btw, to answer your question, and from other things I have read: Sarah Palin is a dispensationalist.

Take care, Douglas,

[mattrose]

I highly doubt she has any 'eschatological perspective.' Like most Christians, she probably accepts the views of her church on such issues without thinking/caring too much about the particulars. As for her comments about the war being a mission of God, it was a really off the cuff remark on video. I took it to be an aside to pray for the troops. She was just being a governor speaking at a church. I wouldn't read into it.

But hey, I'm not voting for that ticket anyways.

[TK]

Hi Rick- in my view the quote above by palin has been misconstrued. i believe she was trying to say, perhaps unclearly, that she hoped that it was God's will for the US to be in iraq. i dont think she was saying that she hoped God was advocating a holy war. i think she has since clarified this comment since it has been taken out of context and jumped on by the media.

TK

[Michelle]

Ya, know, if I were to send my son into harm's way, I would kind of like to know that God had a plan...and by that I wouldn't mean that it's a 'holy war.'

[Paidion]

I don't think Sarah Palin's eschatological views have any bearing whatever on her ability as a political leader and prospective Vice President. Does the fact that she is a Christian bear any weight with you whatever? Or would you prefer a VP who does not hold to dispensationalism, and who is not a disciple of Christ?

[RickC]

To clarify something I posted: I mentioned WBC not specifying their echatology; that it was perhaps a "dumbing down" thing. But in reading their doctrinal statement again, they could be amillennial or postmillennial {???}.

Why did I say "dumbing down"?
In two churches I visited: I asked the pastor of one, "What is your eschatology?" His answer was, "We don't get into controversies. We're only interested in making disciples." I thought to myself, "Hmmmm, making disciples is fine. I guess the pastor thinks they need to know little about their future as Christians?" I could tell he didn't want to talk more about it, so I left it there....

In the other church, some people I knew were in a cell group studying "the end times," as they put it. I asked them what position the church took on the millennium. "The what?" they answered. "We're studying the end times and have never heard of the millerenarium." "The millennium," I corrected them. Then they looked at me as if I were from Mars, lol, , so I said, "Oh, it's ok. Never mind."

Other than this, I don't wanna go into "religion & politics" any further than I already have. Sorry about that, folks.
I hope Douglas finds the AG & other references helpful.
Thanks,

[Paidion]

Just a point of clarification. My comments and question were not addressed to any particular individual.

I was just wondering the purpose of this thread itself. In another forum, someone affirmed that they would never support Palim because she believed in a young earth. I thought that perhaps in the minds of some of you, her eschatalogical views might be a hindrance, though I can see no relationship whatever between a person's religious views and their abilities as a political leader.

As I see it, it makes no difference whether a President or Vice President is Roman Catholic, Baptist, Mormon, Pentecostal, or atheist, as long as he or she leads the country aright and respect the freedoms and rights of all people.

However, I admit that it could make a difference if the President were a fundamentalist Muslim.

[Douglas]

I was just wondering the purpose of this thread itself.

I'm sorry Paidion, I did not mean to upset anyone by asking about Palin's eschatological views, I was only currious brother as I did not know what the view of the AG was. No offense was meant by it.

[Paidion]

Thank you for the clarification, Douglas. Obviously, I was reading to much into it. I'm sorry about that.