Jesus and Witches

"Hundreds and thousands are going to come to the state and seek refuge and the church has to be ready to minister to them," he announced, with Palin standing near him at the altar. In Alaska, an apocalyptic worldview is prevalent even among the nonreligious, explains Killen, because many Alaskans see their wilderness as a refuge from the evil and corruption of the world. So Kalnins's view is not entirely surprising. Nevertheless, says Killen, "it is appropriate in trying to understand Sarah Palin's religious milieu, to ask about the degree to which Christian apocalyptic notions or secular apocalyptic notions inform how she thinks about political issues and public policy decisions."

If any pastor can make political problems for Palin in these waning days of the campaign it's Kalnins, who took over the Wasilla AG in 1999. In 2004, Kalnins preached that anyone who voted for John Kerry had a slim chance of salvation (a statement he has since clarified on his Web site: "There are certainly times when our mouths have said things that our hearts do not mean."). In a survey of his sermons from 2006 until the present, NEWSWEEK found nothing theologically radical (sermons from the time when Palin was in the congregation are not online). But Kalnins does occasionally veer into odd territory. In October 2006, he spoke of finding a dead pigeon on his doorstep. That pigeon, he announced, was evidence that someone was trying to put a curse on him. "I just picked that thing up and said, 'It's too bad you've got to have the blood of animals.' I said, 'By the blood of Jesus Christ I command my house to be protected, I command my children [to be protected]'." In another sermon, Kalnins preached that 1st century Jews were jealous of the Messiah. "That's what made the Pharisees miss the Messiah," he said, "jealousy. The gentiles, us, non-Jews, are going to make Israel jealous for [of] the Messiah, Christ." So when you evangelize, he continued, do so gently—you don't want to make people jealous. Some Jews are suspicious about how Christians with end-times theology view Israel—and with good reason; certain fringe Christian sects hold that Jews deserve God's punishment for denying the divinity of Jesus.

Palin has strongly and repeatedly articulated her support for Israel. "I do love that country," she told an interviewer last month, adding that an Israeli flag hangs in the Alaska governor's office. But among the most controversial YouTube clips is one of David Brickner, executive director of Jews for Jesus, preaching at the Wasilla Bible Church on the same day Palin was there for her new baby Trig's dedication ceremony. Brickner preached that terrorism in Israel was God's judgment on the Jews for their not believing in Jesus—comments that were roundly denounced by Jewish groups. In an interview with NEWSWEEK, Brickner explained that he wasn't singling out Jews for judgment, that "the whole world is under God's judgement because of sin and disbelief." He said he had no personal interaction with Palin that day, adding, "I love Israel. And I support her [Israel] and stand by her against all efforts to bring harm to the Jewish people." The only thing that struck him, as she stood up at the altar with her new baby two weeks before her nomination, was how much she looked like Tina Fey.

Clarification (published Oct. 29, 2008): David Brickner, executive director of Jews for Jesus, says the original version of this article misconstrued the meaning of one of his quotes. When he said, "I love Israel. And I support her and stand by her against all efforts to bring harm to the Jewish people." By "her," Brickner says he meant Israel, not Palin.

With Amanda Coyne and Tina Peng

© 2008