It will surprise no one in Alaska that Jerry Prevo is pushing a department at Liberty University to do more in right-wing politics, as the Liberty vice president he fired in early October has claimed in a lawsuit.

Electing the right candidates is “one of our main goals,” Prevo said on a phone call taped by the fired VP.

Prevo, former head of the Anchorage Baptist Temple, is a minister and a politico. He recently hired Glenn Clary as a vice president. Clary was a minister at the temple and the chairman of the Republican Party.

The temple, now led by Pastor Ron Hoffman, remains what Prevo made it, a wing of the Republican Party in Alaska. In a somewhat harsh characterization, Amanda Coyne referred in 2008 in the Alaska Dispatch to the election year pilgrimage of politicians to the temple as “Taking the perp walk at Anchorage Baptist Temple.”

The following incident should have become a news story during the mayoral runoff in Anchorage between Assemblymember Forrest Dunbar and Dave Bronson, but it didn’t.

As part of his sermon May 9, just before the runoff, the pastor gave a campaign speech for Bronson, with Bronson in the crowd.

Hoffman ridiculed Dunbar and misrepresented the contents of this political flyer. Hoffman said the flyer was one in a series of bad things that had just happened in his life. He attacked Dunbar for six minutes.

Hoffman said he did this because Dunbar’s flyer said that Bronson is “politically active through the Anchorage Baptist Temple.”

The camera at the Anchorage Baptist Temple cut to Dave Bronson in the audience as minister Ron Hoffman derided Forrest Dunbar and praised Bronson during a sermon before the mayoral runoff election.

“Mr. Dunbar chooses to name us in his flyer as the opposite side of what’s going on,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman said he would read this to the congregation “to show you exactly what kind of stuff you are a part of right now, I didn’t know some of this stuff. But this is a bad thing to be part of ABT.”

He read a line about Dunbar growing up in rural Alaska and now being an Anchorage homeowner. Hoffman clapped. “He is finally old enough to own a home,” Hoffman said sarcastically.

Dunbar, 37, is a captain in the Alaska Army National Guard.

Then he mentioned Bronson: “His opponent was born and raised in Wisconsin, not Alaska. But he has been here for 29 years which is probably more years than Mr. Dunbar has been alive. But that’s OK. He also serves in the U.S. Air Force as a commercial airlines pilot. However, the big negative, he is politically active through the Anchorage Baptist Temple. Now listen, I did not say anything,” said Hoffman.

At this point, the camera cuts to Bronson in the audience.

This is the Forrest Dunbar flyer that Anchorage Baptist Temple minister Ron Hoffman ridiculed and misrepresented during a May 9 sermon before the Anchorage mayoral runoff. He didn’t quote Dunbar. He gave his own interpretation of each comment, endorsing Bronson on every detail.

Hoffman did not read what the flyer said, but gave what he called “the Ron Hoffman substitute for the words on this page.” In other words, he made up his own version of what he claimed Dunbar had said.

He had taped his political comments opposing Dunbar and supporting Bronson to the back of the card. He distorted everything Dunbar wrote.

He said Dunbar’s position is that “government knows best,” while Bronson believes in freedom. He said that Dunbar wants to take away parental rights, while Bronson doesn’t. He said Dunbar wants to close small businesses, while Bronson believes in small business. He said Dunbar believes there is “no more crime,” while Bronson believes in holding criminals accountable.

“Forrest believes that our public system, school system is great,” Hoffman said, as the crowd booed. “It is, I don’t even know the number, but let’s just say it is one of the 10 worst systems in the entire country, but it’s great. And we spend, I don’t know how many more dollars than every other city and it’s still great. And they want more money to fix the problem because it’s great.”

“Bronson might have a different view. He knows the truth about public schools. The schools are struggling and I understand that. Because they’ve taken God out by the way, that’s part of the problem. And he supports the idea that maybe private schools, maybe, I know it’s crazy but maybe they might know something because their kids actually know how to read and can do math.”

“If you have a child in the public schools, I’m sorry, I love you, but I’d love to have you in our school. Because I believe we teach the truth and we’re also gonna educate your children well above what you face,” he said.

Hoffman wrapped up this part of his sermon saying that Dunbar asked for it.

“Had he not mentioned our name, you would not have heard that rant,” Hoffman said, adding that “the war is never over” and people should make sure to vote.

This is what the IRS says about politics in churches and keeping taxfree: “In 1954, Congress approved an amendment by Sen. Lyndon Johnson to prohibit 501(c)(3) organizations, which includes charities and churches, from engaging in any political campaign activity. To the extent Congress has revisited the ban over the years, it has in fact strengthened the ban. The most recent change came in 1987 when Congress amended the language to clarify that the prohibition also applies to statements opposing candidates.”

On May 9 Hoffman endorsed Bronson and denounced Dunbar. Listen for yourself, starting 30 minutes into the video below.

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The political portion of Hoffman's May 9 sermon, attacking Forrest Dunbar and supporting Dave Bronson, starts at the 30-minute mark of this recording.

Anchorage Baptist Temple remains a wing of the Republican Party