What will it take for America to reclaim her position in the world? The American Cowboy. Americans have always had a strange affinity with the cowboy. He projects a peculiarly American style of courage and independence. The cowboy will take on rustlers, rattle snakes, flash floods and personal fatigue to bring the herd home. There is a sense of pride in him that is not haughty but comes from a belief that what he stands for is right. He walks away from unnecessary conflicts but is always willing to stand for the underdog. He forgives but doesn’t forget. He is the reluctant hero who does what is right even if no one follows. When the job is done, he rides off into the sunset. I grew up on Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey and realize that the cowboy image is part history and part myth. It is not limited by a genre of music, historical time period or an ethnic group. It defines who we are as Americans. At the opening of ‘The American Cowboy’ Exhibit at the Library of Congress, President Reagan remarked “. . . Among the horsehair lassoes and Remington sculptures and Gene Autry songs is a part of our national identity. Tales of Wild West men and women from Kit Carson to Wild Bill Hickok to Calamity Jane to Annie Oakley are woven into the dreams of our youths and the standards we aim to live by in our adult lives. Ideals of courageous and self-reliant heroes, both men and women, are the stuff of Western lore. . .  Life wasn't that simple then, and it certainly isn't today. But in the words of a noted historian, ‘Americans, in making their Western myths, were not put off by discrepancies with reality. Americans believed about the West not so much what was true, but what they thought ought to be true.’ He went on, ‘Lacking the common heritage that bound other nations together, they were forced to look elsewhere for the basis of their national existence. And they found it in the West.’”

David, the shepherd king of Israel, had the same spirit when he challenged grown men in the following words, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26). Then he went on to take a 9.75 ft giant named Goliath with a slingshot and won. As long as we remain “One nation under God” we won’t have to take a number in the waiting rooms of the world’s bureaucrats.

              Ronald Reagan said of Margaret Thatcher (England’s Prime Minister 1979-1990), “she is the best man in England.” This statement might offend some, but it does not offend Southern Baptists. Lately there have been accusations that Palin’s candidacy is a challenge to the Southern Baptist view of women. I completely disagree. I am a Southern Baptist woman; my father was a Southern Baptist pastor; and my husband is also a Southern Baptist pastor. I have no issue with a woman being in a position of leadership in the workforce. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 does not deal with women being in leadership outside of the home and church. These are two separate issues.

            Even in the home a woman is not subservient to her husband, she is to be submissive to her husband. There is a big difference between the two terms. Subservient implies abject obedience to someone, while submission is “voluntarily placing oneself under the authority of another.” The husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. And how much was that? So much that He died for the church. Jesus also was an example of how men should lead, by being a servant-leader; which means that He served the people He led. As Christians, men and women are called to these specific roles only in the church and home, not in the public arena.

            The choice that a woman makes to stay at home or to work outside the home is a family decision. The Palins obviously made this choice together, seeing that Todd Palin has been supportive of his wife’s career in public service. There is no “challenge to Southern Baptists’ conservative ideas about the role of women as leaders.” I believe that conservative, evangelical Southern Baptist men and women are applauding Sarah Palin for all that she is doing. As a mother of four children, myself, I understand how important family is. As a woman in the workforce, I understand how demanding a job can be. To be able to balance these two areas is admirable. I commend Sarah Palin for job well done, but I also commend her family for supporting her.

Since this is the year of the 56th consecutive quadrennial presidential election, my wife and I decided to go on the Presidents’ trail. We headed to Charlottesville, Virginia to tour the homes of three of my favorite founding Presidents. Each stop made a significant impression on us.

We began with Monticello, the home of our third President, Thomas Jefferson. Each year about half a million people come to visit his “essay in architecture.” They see Jefferson’s innovative genius throughout the house in his space-saving alcove beds, light -maximizing mirrors, polygraph (copying) machine and other appliances. But the most inspiring point of the tour for us was slightly down the mountain behind the house. It is Jefferson’s grave marked with a headstone that reads, “Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of American Independence; of the statute of Virginia for religious freedom; and father of the University of Virginia.” Jefferson didn’t care if he was remembered for being the governor of Virginia, secretary of state, vice president, and, even, president. Instead, he was more concerned with preserving our freedoms and providing education for future generations.

From Monticello we headed 2 miles south to Ashlawn-Highland, the home of James Monroe. He called it his “cabin-castle” with affection. The home is typical of farmhouses of the 1800s and is filled with beautiful furniture, paintings, clocks and wallpaper from Napolean’s France. But what caught my attention the most was the dropleaf table in the entrance hall. The table, made from Honduras mahogany, was sent to Monroe on behalf of the people of the Dominican Republic. They sent it in gratitude for Monroe's foreign policy known as the “Monroe Doctrine.” In this policy Monroe made it clear that the American continent was no longer available for colonization and any attempt by a European country to do so would be considered a national threat. Monroe’s bold statement secured our nation’s boundaries until today.

For our final destination we headed twenty minutes north of Charlottesville to Montpelier, the home James Madison called his "squirrel's jump from heaven.” The Montpelier Foundation has been restoring the mansion to its original state and is set to be unveiled on September 17^th, Constitution Day. As we stood on the front porch the guide informed us that even the original Madison road was being restored. It reminded me of when Madison was running for a seat in the Constitutional Convention and he needed the support of the Virginia Baptists to win. Early one morning Madison rode off on that same road to meet John Leland, a preacher who was fighting for the liberty of his fellow Baptists. The two men discussed the issues until sunset. Finally Leland extended his hand of support to Madison, who replied, “Then, I’m elected.” True to his word Madison proposed the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

As we drove home we discussed what we were looking for in our next President. Like Jefferson he should not be naïve about economic progress but make education a high priority for our children and grandchildren. Like Monroe he should be bold about our nation’s defense and not forget our old allies. Like Madison he should remember that our nation is undergirded by Biblical values and protect our essential freedoms. As we head to the polls let’s remember Proverbs 29:2, “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power they groan.”