She will take our message to the world!” rejoiced an Assembly of God youth ministry leader,

hat is what scares the Rev. Howard Bess. A retired American Baptist minister who pastors a small congregation in nearby Palmer,

Bess has been tangling with Palin and her fellow evangelical activists ever since she was a Wasilla City Council member in the 1990s. Recently, Bess again found himself in the spotlight with Palin, when it was reported that his 1995 book, “Pastor, I Am Gay,” was among those Palin tried to have removed from the Wasilla Public Library when she was mayor.

“She scares me,” said Bess. “She’s Jerry Falwell with a pretty face.