<DIV><I>The Gospel According to Sarah</I> is a fascinating new look at a little understood but crucial side of Sarah Palin: her Pentecostal roots. Anthea Butler's perfectly timed analysis trains the keen eye of a noted religion scholar on religious and political currents that have been widely caricatured but, until now, poorly understood and rarely discussed.<BR><BR>Butler shows that Palin's widely publicized fumbles and verbal gaffes are irrelevant to her committed core of ?Christians on steroids,” whose beliefs in miracles, literal readings of the Bible, and apocalyptic patriotism make traditional evangelicals like James Dobson and Pat Robertson seem almost mainstream. Although the media cannot hear the regular dog whistle of Christian buzzwords Palin uses to rally her base, it's plainly there.<BR><BR>To Sarah Palin's millions of devoted followers, religion is everything; to her detractors, it is a puzzle. <I>The Gospel According to Sarah</I> brilliantly deciphers this new breed of religious conservative.</DIV>