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The Faith and Values of Sarah Palin: What She Believes and What It Means for America

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She stepped onto the world stage as the Republican vice-presidential nominee in the election of 2008. Previously, she had only been a small town mayor and the governor of a state with slightly more than half a million people. Still, there was something about her. She was pretty, fierce in her conservatism and she seemed undaunted by the slings and arrows of national politics And there was something else, as well: there was a moral force that seemed to shape her life. As the world grew to know Sarah Palin throughout the 2008 campaign and in her subsequent public appearances and book people began to see the force behind her: a deep, lifelong Christian faith. This faith was the lens through which she viewed the world, the bedrock of her politics, and even a primary influence upon her personality.



To understand Sarah Palin, it is essential to understand her faith.


What faith principles, then, impact Sarah Palin’s politics, and what are their implications for the Republican Party and the nation as a whole? These questions and more are answered in the fascinating new book by New York Times bestselling author Stephen Mansfield and his co-author David Holland. These authors were given extensive access to Palin’s pastors, advisors, friends and family and it has allowed them to capture the moving story of Palin’s faith, as well as the meaning of that faith for American politics and culture.

 




256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 21, 2010

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About the author

Stephen Mansfield

99 books158 followers
Stephen Mansfield is a New York Times bestselling author and a popular speaker who is becoming one of the nation’s most respected voices on religion and American culture. He is also an activist in a variety of social causes.

Stephen was born in Georgia but grew up largely in Europe due to his father’s career as an officer in the United States Army. After a youth filled with sports, travel, and mischief, he was recruited to play college football but turned down the opportunity when a Christian conversion moved him to attend a leading Christian college.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in history and philosophy and then moved to Texas where he pastored a church, completed two Master’s degrees, hosted a radio show and began acquiring a reputation as a popular speaker of both depth and humor. He moved to Tennessee in 1991 where he again pastored a church, did relief work among the Kurds in Northern Iraq, served as a political consultant, and completed a doctorate.

It was during this time that he also launched the writing career for which he has become internationally known. His first book on Winston Churchill was a Gold Medallion Award Finalist. He also wrote widely-acclaimed biographies of Booker T. Washington and George Whitefield as well as a number of other books on history and leadership. In 1997, the Governor of Tennessee commissioned Mansfield to write the official history of religion in Tennessee for that state’s bicentennial.

In 2002, Stephen left the pastorate after twenty fruitful years to write and lecture full-time. Not long afterward he wrote The Faith of George W. Bush, which spent many weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and won numerous national awards. The book also became a source for Oliver Stone’s internationally acclaimed film W, which chronicled Bush’s rise to the presidency.

This international bestseller led to a string of influential books over the following eight years. Stephen wrote The Faith of the American Soldier after being embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq. He also wrote about the new Pope in Benedict XVI: His Life and Mission. His book The Faith of Barack Obama was another international bestseller and was often a topic in major media during the presidential campaign of 2008. To answer the crumbling values of portions of corporate America, he wrote The Search for God and Guinness and soon found himself speaking to corporate gatherings around the world.

Stephen continues to write books about faith and culture—recently on topics like Sarah Palin, Oprah Winfrey and America’s generals—but beyond his writing career he has founded The Mansfield Group, a successful consulting and communications firm, as well as Chartwell Literary Group, a firm that creates and manages literary projects. Together with his wife, Beverly, Mansfield has created The Global Leadership Development Fund, a foundation that sponsors leadership training and networking around the world.

In recent years, Stephen’s popularity as a speaker has nearly eclipsed his reputation as a bestselling author. He is often to be found addressing a university gathering, a corporate retreat or a fundraising banquet and stirring his audience with the humor and storytelling that have become his trademark.

Mansfield lives primarily in Nashville, Tennessee, with his beloved wife, Beverly, who is an award-winning songwriter and producer. For more information, log onto MansfieldGroup.com.

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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Profile Image for Brett.
771 reviews31 followers
January 1, 2011
I hate to give such a predictable rating to this book. It was given to me as a gag-gift, because my politics are far apart from Palin's. However, I actually wouldn't mind reading a book that seriously worked to determine what Palin's values are. This is not a serious book; it is a hagiography.

Palin's defenders may well like this book because it views the world in the same terms they do. But for the rest of us, I will quote a few sections of the book just so you get an idea of the text:

*Describing Sarah's mother during Sarah's baptism (pg. 12): "Slightly taller than her husband, she is lean and feminine, possessing a sinewy strength that is unusual for a mother of three. Her eyes are intelligent, slightly wearied but quick to flash into joy. Her mouth is wise, reflecting a sense of irony in the world and yet disarmingly sweet." This absurd description of an event the author did not attend is typical of the book.

*(pg 23) "She was heard to complain that she would trade all the fancy food in the campaign hotel suites and buses for one good bowl of moose chili." Typical lack of attribution and conflict with reports of Palin's actual behavior during the campaign.

*(pg. 35) About her basketball experiences. "She was not tall. She was not swift. She was not exceptionally graceful. She had little of the court sense that makes for great players. What she did have--and this is a hallmark of her life--was heart." No comment required.

*(pg. 60) The sections on her religious life are very difficult. The authors want us to admire Palin's religion when it serves her purposes, but to overlook it when it does not. Evidently, during the 2008 campaign a video surfaced on Youtube depicting a pastor that often preached at Palin's church in Wasilla "praying a witch out" of a village in Africa. Now, I followed to campaign very closely, and I have never heard of this scandal, so I wouldn't overrate the mean-spirtedness of the press on it--Palin just continues to constantly view herself as a victim, as usual. Nonetheless, why shouldn't it be news that Palin's church, and possibly by extension Palin herself, believe some very strange things?

* (pg. 64) "It is pleasant to think of how much good might have been done for the country had Todd Palin taken up residence in Washington DC with his wife, the vice president. Politics and government aside, it might have been wonderful to behold. There, in the city of the androgynous politician, where image and word pass for character and deed, it might have helped change something in the national psyche for a man who spoke little, did much, and lived simply to go about his quiet, manly ways." Thoughtless praise of masculinity and homoerotic subtext aside, this may be the worse prose in this book.

* (pg. 70) On Todd wearing a shirt saying "If you don't love America, why don't you ge the hell out?". "He knew it would create a stir. He knew it would draw fire. But in true Yupik way, he said what he had to say, and he did not intend to explain. Point made." It is awful rich to suggest that indiginous groups are telling those that 'don't love America' to get the hell out. Perhaps the authors would like to visit with some of my Native American friends. But also, if your point needs explanation, and you decline to explain, well, the point hasn't really been made, has it?

I have more of these marked, but I'm tired of writing about it and I think you can see what I'm driving it. This is an uncritical and badly writen book. Palin is an important cultural phenomenon, but this book is in no way up to the task of explicating the meaning of her political stardom. It's blustery but empty--not unlike my view of Palin herself.
Profile Image for Joyce.
92 reviews
February 7, 2011
Whatever you think of Sarah Palin, this book reveals her deep sense of family and doing what is right for the country. I found this book to be an insight to Sarah's deep faith which guides her decisions and her love for our country. It was refreshing to read about a politician with a deep sense of who she is, her humble background, her real concern for her fellow Alaskans and her true desire to help America.
Profile Image for Tim Chavel.
249 reviews79 followers
May 6, 2013
Stephen Manfield can really crank out the books. It would be interesting to see how many he has written in the last ten years. In this book he does a good job of presenting a fair view of Sarah Palin. I agree with Sarah Palin on about 95% of her views but for some reason I do not see her as President of the United States. If you want to read a fair account of her life and views this is a book for you. As always in Manfield's books he quotes from lots of people. You will see in the quotes below that is again true in this book.

Do not handicap your children by making their lives easy. ~Robert A. Heinlein

If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world. ~C. S. Lewis "Mere Christianity"

Great men are they who see that the spiritual is stronger than any material force. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed. ~Mao Tse-Tung "On Protracted War"

There is a flow to history and culture. This flow is rooted and has its wellspring in the thoughts of people. ... The results of their thought-world flow through their fingers or from their tongues into the external world. This is true of Michelangelo's chisel, and it is true of a dictator's sword. ~Francis Schaeffer "How Should We Then Live?"

Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

A classic example of Paul Harvey's instructive artistry is an economics object lesson he repeated many times throughout his five decades on American radios. It begin with the jarring declaration, "The pilgrim fathers of the United States were communists." Harvey goes on to describe how the first Massachusetts colonists under Governor Bradford began their farming operations as a commune - laboring together on a common plot of land - and how they almost starved to death. Only when these Pilgrims switched to a system of private farming did productivity soar, thus leading to the first Thanksgiving. Harvey finished this historical parable with the words, "The communist experiment in America - as with all communist experiments, past, present, and future - was foredoomed to failure.

C. S. Lewis in "The Abolition of Man" defends and upholds the validity of science but warns that without the restraining, humanizing, and civilizing role of moral truth, science becomes a threat to freedom. One of the most influential and widely quoted chapters from "The Abolition of Man" is titled "Men Without Chests." The premise of the section is a metaphor in which humans are three-part creatures - the head (intellect) on top, the stomach (appetites) at the bottom, and in between, the chest (the repository of faith, compassion, and character) mediating between and elevating the other two. It is a devastating critique of the two ascendant trends of our day - nihilistic hedonism on the one hand (stomach people) or atheistic rationalism on the other (head people). Lewis observed that those who build a culture on intellect and appetite alone want the vital virtues of chest but categorically reject the moral codes and moral accountability necessary to create them. He wrote that the educators and leaders of such a time "make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful."

Our minds tell us, and history confirms, that the great treat to freedom is the concentration of power. ... Even though the men who wield this power initially be of good will and even though they be not corrupted by the power they exercise, the power will both attract and form men of a different stamp. ~Milton Friedman "Capitalism and Freedom"

Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them. ~Robert Jarvik

In forty hours I shall be in battle, with little information, and on the spur of the moment will have to make the most momentous decisions. But I believe that one's spirit enlarges with responsibility and that, with God's help, I shall make them, and make them right. ~General George S. Patton

This is quite a game, politics. ... There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends. Only permanent interests. William Clay

Hadn't the Pilgrims sailed, as they said in their "Mayflower Compact," "for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith"? Hadn't the first Congress declared, "Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education of education shall forever be encouraged"? Weren't the speeches of nearly all the presidents filled with Bible verses and references to faith? And hadn't a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court written as late as the 1950's, "We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being"?

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me . ... You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ~Jesus of Nazareth

In war you can only be killed once. But in politics many times. ~Winston Churchill

Profile Image for Sabra Ann Rasmussen.
508 reviews2 followers
March 30, 2020
It was a very good book. Helped me better understand her stance and her behaviors. Really noble personality, the fact that she knew she needed to give up her power so that the people could b better served is a true sign of a leader.
Profile Image for Jill.
422 reviews
April 21, 2011
Few people outside of Alaska had ever heard of Sarah Palin when Senator John McCain announced her as his running mate. Today, it is rare to find someone who does not recognize her and doesn’t have an opinion, either favorable or unfavorable, about her, her politics and her faith.

Stephen Mansfield and David A. Holland have examined her life and faith and wrote about it in “The Faith and Values of Sarah Palin.” Her remarkable rise in politics was motivated by her faith and desire to fulfill what she believes is God’s plan and purpose for her life. She upholds the values of honesty and integrity in her personal and political life which is why she has become a target for liberals and conservatives alike.

Never swerving from her faith or her beliefs in doing the right thing, Palin does not bow down to pressure or criticism. She stands firm on the issues she believes are important and refuses to backdown.

The purpose of Mansfield’s and Holland’s book is to open our eyes to who we are as a nation and where we are heading. Palin may never serve as our Commander-in-Chief, but she will continue to influence our politics and belief systems.

You have probably already heard many of the stories exposed in this book, but you will get the background information surrounding them. Not so much a biography of Palin’s life as it is about her political biography. The authors give the reasons behind Palin’s decisions to enter politics as well as the reasons behind some of her famous political decisions.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I won this book from Goodreads. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Profile Image for Laurie.
13 reviews1 follower
October 24, 2010
"The Faith and Values of Sarah Palin" gives you a look inside Sarah Palin's spiritual self. Her spiritual history and upbringing were laid out for those of us to view and to determine if she is a person we can trust with this countries future. She has a strong background of small-town values; right is right no matter who opposes it, the constitution is a covenant with the people it governs, politics should not overcome the right of the people - morals! She stands up for what she believes and she truly believes it is her God-given calling to pursue community service, on whatever scale it is offered. I do believe that Sarah Palin is worthy to represent the people of the USA, in some capacity or another. I hate that she feels that she has to downplay her spiritual beliefs in order to prevent attacks from the media and other political wannabes. The country that we live in has come a far cry from what our founding fathers envisioned. It is a shame that a country that was founded on Christianity now attacks, ridicules, and makes light of those who confess Christianity as their belief system. I do beleive that Mansfield and Holland gave some good advice in the chapter "Seven Things Sarah Palin Needs to Know". As strong as she seems to be, she needs to strengthen herself in certain areas before she places herself in the firing line of national politics again. Overall, a very good, informative read.
Profile Image for Laura.
270 reviews
November 19, 2010
I didn't have a strong opinion about Sarah Palin prior to reading this book. It was very useful in helping me understand her background and her current role on the American political scene. Unfortunately I think the authors missed the point of what it means to truly be born again--the Bible itself says that people can be Christians in name only without any fruit as evidence (I'm referring more to Palin's family and other politicians, rather than Palin herself)--so their depictions of "faith-based" individuals weren't accurate.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews