Many argue that McCain’s selection of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate was a strategic move to gain favor with the Republican Party’s Evangelical base.

Mission. Accomplished.

What the woman lacks in professional experience, she makes up for in religious credentials, but is there a such thing as— too much of a God thing?

Palin currently attends the Wasilla Bible Church, an Evangelical organization. But if we look beyond the present and into Palin’s past, we discover over thirty years of potent Pentecostalism.

The Associated Press reports that when asked about her early Christian roots, Palin sidesteps the Pentecostal label by maintaining that she has attended “non-denominational churches” throughout her life.

Why the dodge?

Because the Wasilla Assembly of God (AOG) church, which Sarah attended for over three decades, is reportedly a little koo-koo for crazy prayer. We’re talking in tongues, folks. Other-worldly languages. Man-to-man faith healing. Uncontrollable writhing on the floor, courtesy of the Holy Spirit. Some argue that all this looks a little culty. Others beg to differ.

F. William Engdahl, author of A Century of War: Anglo-American Oil Politics and the New World Order, whose work has been translated into more than a dozen languages, refers to Palin’s former church as “a fanatical Christian-named cult project that is sweeping the nation.”

Engdahl reports that Palin’s former church participates in the Third Wave Movement, otherwise known as Joel’s Army, which is the most extreme kind of Born-Again Evangelism. “It teaches a radical fundamentalist creed that its adherents must actively engage in politics, to become what they term, ’soldiers in God’s Army,’” says Engdahl on his website.

Along those lines,  J. Lee Grady, the editor of Charisma magazine, recently likened Sarah Palin to Deborah, an Old Testament prophet “who rallied God’s people to victory at a time when ancient Israel was being terrorized,” and declared that she is “primed to miraculously slay her nation’s enemies on the battlefield.”

What is Palin’s stance on foreign policy again? Ahem. Ahem.

And how does one “miraculously slay” one’s enemies anyway? Through war, that’s how. And there’s absolutely nothing “miraculous” about countless men and women leaving their families for long durations of time to fight and potentially die for a lost cause in some far corner of the world.

Another reason we should all take a peek into Palin’s past life as a Pentecostalist: When CNN caught up with Tim McGraw, Palin’s former pastor at the Wasilla Assembly of God church, he indicated that Palin’s religious beliefs will—without a doubt—influence her decision making when it comes to government policy.

But here’s where the story gets fuzzy: The World Christian Database reports that Pentecostals now represent at least a quarter of all Christians, ranking second only to Catholics. And the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life claims that Pentecostal and related spirit-filled movements are among the fastest growing. In other words, millions of Americans are Pentecostals.

If Pentecostalism is so popular and on the rise, then is the chain of Assembly of God churches a cult or not? I contacted a couple cult specialists to get their opinions.

Carol Giambalvo, a thought reform consultant and news researcher for the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA), says that she has no information on the Wasilla Assembly of God church because her focus is on “abusive churches and groups that are harmful.” Basically, the chain of AOG churches doesn’t meet her criteria to be considered a cult.

Rick Ross, the founder and executive director of the Ross Institute (RI), an educational resource dedicated to the study of destructive cults, controversial groups, and movements, concurred with Giambalvo. “I don’t receive significant complaints about the AOG and do not see the AOG as some kind of cult,” said Ross.

I don’t know about you, but I’m confused. The cult designation is a heavy stone to throw — some, such as Engdahl, have gone there, and others, such Giambalvo and Ross, have not. At this point, you’re on your own.

What we do know, however, is that Palin’s religious past plays a tremendous role in her worldview of the present. I’m without a doubt that McGraw, Palin’s former AOG pastor, was speaking the truth when he mentioned that Palin’s religion has a say in her politics. Considering Sarah’s conflation of church and pipeline politics in the following speech (given on June 8, 2008 at the Wasilla Assembly of God church), perhaps you’ll agree too:

Stayed tuned for more on the interplay of religion and politics in the upcoming presidential election . . .