The evidence now firmly indicates that while Craig was sending me emails threatening me with dire consequences if the ministry exposed his involvement with Linda Kristich, he was already planning a smear campaign against my wife Susan, myself, and others at the network. For example, the e-mail of October 18th stated "I will give you a private warning before I attack to give you an opportunity to repent and recant" (Portwood e-mail to James Lloyd, Friday October 18, 2002, 12:35 PM).

Yet almost two months before this letter, evidence exists that Portwood was already planning a slander campaign against Christian Media. On August 26th, Linda Kristich stated in a telephone threat to Kathy Haaff that "[she] would send them Christian Media info that would 'blow your minds' and 'blow your doors off.'" Craig Portwood has since announced that he is writing an inflammatory "exposé" of his experiences with Christian Media, so it is clear that part of Portwood's plan has been to gain notoriety from an 'unauthorized biography' all along. Thus, his public posturing of giving me a Scripturally mandated "private warning" before he attacks may be demonstrated to be just another lie calculated to place himself in the most favorable light.

During that August 26th telephone conversation between Linda Kristich and Kathy Haaff, Linda became very angry with Kathy as Mrs. Haaff refused to be manipulated by Kristich in regard to her threats against Christian Media. Part of Kristich's anger also seems to be related to the fact that Ralph Haaff had refused a Portwood/Kristich request for Ralph to baptize them. Apparently realizing that their efforts at gaining the Haaff's approval of their relationship had failed, on the very same day Craig Portwood came out in the open and called Rick Walters and left a message on his phone machine stating that Ralph and Kathy Haaff were liars that couldn't be trusted. In that recorded voice mail communication, Craig stated,

"We found some people lying, talking behind my back, and Linda's back as well, Ralph and Kathy - caught her in a couple of lies and some other things too." (tape recording of Craig Portwood August 26th 2002).

It was this activity that triggered the lengthy 'Matthew 18' conference call in which Rick Walters, Ralph and Kathy Haaff, and Kirke Wise (all Christian Media Network hosts) privately confronted Craig Portwood.

This was the Matthew 18 mandated private conference call rebuke, which was taped with the consent of all parties, that Craig Portwood has publicly claimed never occurred! This tape has already been heard by several interested observers seeking to check the veracity of these statements. Incredibly, in spite of the fact that there is a dated recording of the interaction, in print Craig Portwood has plainly indicated that he was not privately confronted before the conflict ended up on the airwaves!

Writing in a newsletter that he oxymoronically referred to as a "repentance issue," Craig blatantly lied in print and claimed the "Matthew 18 council" [sic] he had previously claimed that he never received was done publicly "using the international shortwave bands" (Special Edition, Beacon Of Truth Newsletter/Repentance Issue - no date given). Thus, the concept of repentance would seem to be nullified if, in the process of "repenting," one continues to escalate the original offense.

As the patchwork quilt of Craig Portwood's lies began to unravel and his relationship with a married woman became more widely known, Craig sought to blame me for the disclosure of his relationship with Linda Kristich. By October of 2002, Craig had refused all reproof and continued making veiled allusions to the "false prophets" he had previously been associated with. After I publicly rebuked him on the air on October 18th 2002, Craig's threats began in earnest.

Within two hours of my broadcast denunciation, Craig emailed me and wrote "...you were warned months ago by telephone, about whom and what you are dealing with." In that same e-mail, he stated that if I did not recant and repent of my statements, he would "attack." The next couple of days, Craig left several voice mail messages that all had the same precise statement: "Dude, what were you thinking?"

Three days later, Craig e-mailed me with multiple threats indicating he would expose every perceived "sin" at Christian Media if I did not "repent" of my rebuke of his behaviour. "Breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord" (Acts 9:1), in that e-mail, Craig wrote:

"You can be certain you will have no secrets after I am finished...you can expect more than you bargained for. You have been duped by the likes of Ralph the Haaff wit and that mental giant Rick Walters. You have no discernment of the Spirit...you have had no obvious discernment of the truth of right and wrong for some time now. What were you thinking. Your pride, for which you are renowned, must have blinded you to the eventualities."

By late October, Craig had begun to sing the familiar refrain that he would bring 'alphabet agencies' from the government down on the Christian Media ministry. Revealingly, although he has always sought to characterize himself as a 'patriot' radio host and anti-government figure, in this regard he apparently reverted to his true nature and threatened he would bring the FBI and the IRS against Christian Media. After threatening to somehow try and link me with "Al Quaida" in an slimy effort to bring anti-terrorist military agencies down on me, Craig Portwood actually indicated he would assist the IRS in an effort to destroy Christian Media. In a personal e-mail to me, Craig wrote "...expect me to cooperate with the IRS." He then boasted that he would "...notify them of where you do your banking...." (Craig Portwood e-mail to James Lloyd, October 21, 2002).

This is, of course, the classic pattern of the Antichrist religious spirit providing spiritual justification for the Beast government's persecutions of the Saints. In just another reiteration of a pattern that goes all the way back to ancient Egypt, it's important that all parties recognize who is in which role.

By November, Portwood went on the air and announced that he was suing me, and Linda Kristich was suing my wife Susan! As Craig slammed Susan and I on the air, Rick Walters and Ralph Haaff were also being slandered for their refusal to condone the Portwood affair. The railing accusations brought by Portwood against all things Christian Media continued to escalate as Portwood ominously announced that my wife Susan "...ought to be sick over this," (Portwood e-mail 10/21/02) as he would slander her mercilessly. By January of 2003, on his Shortwave broadcast, Portwood announced that he had taken a job as a chef in a restaurant,and he hoped that Ralph Haaff would come that particular restaurant so he could get even. 

On that particular program, Portwood brayed the following at Ralph Haaff:

"I'll tell you this, I guess Ralph goes by here, I'll tell you what pal, don't show up at the Outback steak house cause somebody might drop your piece of meat on the floor, you'd never know it. Uh, I guess they don't tell you whose meat it is when they uh order it huh? anyway, heh heh, we'll see..." (Portwood Broadcast on WBCQ, 01/03/03)

In that bizarre episode, Craig claimed he was working as a chef at an Outback Steak House restaurant. After Ralph Haaff inquired at the restaurant in question, he was informed by the manager that Craig Portwood had never worked at any Outback Restaurant - and he was outraged that any individual would make such an irresponsible claim in a national broadcast. The Haaffs were treated to a free dinner at a fine establishment for their diligence.

By late January 2003, associates of Craig Portwood had apparently placed flyers on the street where Rick Walter's mother lives, giving specifics concerning the vulnerabilities of the house! The latter move amounts to an implied threat of violence against Mr. Walter's elderly mother. Clearly, Craig Portwood's cowardly actions indicate that he has been given "over to a reprobate mind" (Romans 1:28) and obviously is not "abiding" in Christ as his present activities demonstrate.

Recognizing that Portwood was obviously the prime suspect behind the outrageous threats to his aged mother, Rick Walters publicly went after Craig Portwood on an internet bulletin board. This is a "Christian" bulletin board where Portwood has been giving others scriptural advice! (See Luke 6:39 for details). After being confronted by Walters over the perceived threats to his aged mother, Portwood wrote the following derogatory statements that sadly demonstrate Craig is quickly losing ground in his irrational crusade to build an independent radio "ministry" in the midst of an extramarital relationship. Mocking Mr. Walter's pronounced country drawl, Portwood wrote the following:

"Hey Genius: Yew otta sea Whut iz bean sed bout yew on the BB! Yew shur shot yerself inna foot dintya? Keep shutin! Let me 'splain' so you can git it. Th' more you keep doin' whut yer doin', th' more ya keep gettin' what ya got. Lemme no ifn this is too hard fer ya to unnerstan, an I'll draw ya a pikshure." (Craig Portwood e-mails to Rick Walters 1/6/2002)

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