All About James Lloyd and the Christian Media Network®

The unauthorized biography by Craig Portwood

"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"

("Who Watches the Watchmen"?)

As I have done with James Lloyd, I will attempt to give an account of the background and personal "qualities" of Rick Walters which will put his vitriolic attacks upon me, and those who oppose him into perspective, as well as his assault upon an unarmed man jogging near his home as well as attacking an innocent 7 year old child.

Listen to the following audio clip from Rick Walters and remember what Christ taught in Matthew 15:11 "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man."

Rick Walters Audio Clip

This audio clip made when being confronted with his attack upon the jogger mentioned above, shows the pattern of foul language which is the status quo for Rick Walters when he is not in the spotlight of his radio "ministry'.

I must at this point signify a most basic observation, as it does much to explain events which will be addressed shortly. It might seem a bit mean spirited or vicious to be so frank about this point, but sooner or later the plain truth about his "condition" must be addressed, and we might as well get it over with now.

Rick Walters is unfortunately of that sort. He is not "overburdened with grey matter" by any stretch of the imagination, and lingers close to the bottom of the cognitive food chain, and that's the plain, simple, fact. To couch it in more diplomatic terms would be patently dishonest.

The man is stupid, end of story.

Having a profound lack of intellect is certainly no sin, but it nonetheless does call into question his suitability for any teaching role to which he might aspire.

Given the fact that his aspiration is to become a teacher of righteousness from God's word, which requires not only diligent study of the Bible, but requires at the very least a rudimentary understanding of the English language as well, his lack of intellectual fortitude makes him poorly suited for the role he has chosen.

His profound ignorance of even simple English words and their meanings is evident to all but himself, and the significance seems to be lost on his listeners. You simply cannot gain understanding, especially of something requiring a most diligent study such as the word of God, when the meaning and context of even the most rudimentary words escape you.

The fact is that the Authorized (King James) Version Bible, contains subtle linguistic nuances and words that have uses that are archaic due to the age of the translation (it is nearly 400 years old after all). This makes understanding the text a studious endeavor for even the most intellectually gifted person. These qualities are not only lacking in Rick Walters, but he has shown no desire to develop them, preferring to accept the interpretations and teachings of others to diligent study. Examples which illustrate this shall be forthcoming.

A Little Background on Rick Walters

While it is certainly true that all who claim to be Christians can point to things in the past that (we hope) are not part of our walk in Christ today, they are nonetheless a very real part of our personalities today, and if we have not truly repented of them, they are expressed in the qualities of character that begin to bear the fruit of sin in our lives. It is that expression of the moral and character failings in Rick Walters past that have born the ugly fruit of his doings today.

Having grown up in a small town, it was a simple thing to do to discover the life shaping experiences that molded Rick Walters into the person he is today.

 Ordinarily this might not have been very important to the listeners of his show, who would have no way of knowing the truth, and would probably be inconsequential to Rick, if not for the fact that, Mr. Walters began slinging mud along with his nightly ration of high minded morality. This moral standard that America failed to meet was piously spouted on the air, but did not emulate the standards he imposed on his listeners in his own life.

This small town “knowledge” did become important when, after a bit of investigating began to yield the truth about the discrepancy between his preaching and his life style.

Rick Walters was born in 1951 and grew up in the small town of Madison Indiana, just north of the Ohio river that separates Milton Kentucky from southern Indiana. Due to either his less than average intellect, his lack of ambition, or laziness, he never applied himself to any task which was placed before him, preferring to spend his time pursuing personal pleasures.

Whether he quit school in the 10th grade or simply failed and quit trying is unknown, but it is certain that he dropped out of high school, never entering the 11th grade. (Pictured are his 9th and 10th grade school photos. Neither his picture nor his name appear in subsequent editions of the Madison High School Yearbook.)

Although he is essentially uneducated, he considers himself to be qualified to teach Christians the meaning of God's word, despite the scriptures which tell the believer to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth"(1st Timothy 2:15 ).

One needn't listen to his show for long to discover that his lack of personal application to learning extends to his Bible studies. When one listens to Rick Walters speak on his "Show", they can't help but wonder how he can go on the air each week without feeling even the slightest bit embarrassed.

Indeed, it is painfully embarrassing to hear Walters "preach" when he is so unlearned as to confuse the word "Messianic" (meaning related to Christ's title as the Savior of the human race) with the word "Masonic", (which speaks of the black art of freemasonry), yet this he does regularly.

He has quoted on his "Radio Show" among other things, the (supposedly) Biblical book of "Hosanna" *, being either too lazy, too ignorant, or or having such poor reading skills that he either cannot remember the name of the "book" he is quoting, or simply considers it to be "unimportant". Maybe he just "plumb forgot" to check the name of the book from which he was teaching.

That anyone would take him seriously, let alone even bother to listen to him pretend to be a "Bible Expert" is amazing.

*(Hosanna being Hebrew for "Our salvation", an exclamation of praise of God's mercy)

Add to that the fact that he is willingly ignorant of even the most fundamental facts taught in the scriptures, and possesses none of the most rudimentary social skills which account for what we call manners, and you begin to get the picture. One could feel sorry for him if it were not for the mean spirited bitterness which bubbles beneath the surface, which Walters sees no reason to hide. He shares these traits ( and a few others as well) with his onetime best friend Ralph Haaff, which explains their sense of kinship.

But how (you might ask, if you had never heard him for yourself) could the man have been on shortwave radio "preaching" for the time he has been if this were true?  It is just this issue we will examine toward the conclusion of this section of the report.

Rick's Young Adulthood

After dropping out of High School in his second year, Rick spent most of his time chasing all the pursuits of pleasure the flesh could offer. He was often seen attending High School basketball games as an adult looking for underage girls, and indeed when Rick was 25 years old, he seduced a 15 year old girl (the sister of his best friend of the time, and who we will only identify as Kim H to protect her identity) impregnating her. To "cover his tracks", he pressured her into having an abortion.

His predatory sexual penchant is all the more revealing considering the fact that he accused me (by innuendo) on his radio show of molesting a 7 year old boy. (Click here to hear the audio of that vicious attack.) I suppose in Rick's eyes such a thing would be believed seeing that such behavior is "old hat" to him.

He was rarely if ever seen about town without a beautiful girl in one hand and a beer in the other. Those who have observed him over the course of his life have concluded that his current reputation as being "Not quite right in the head" attribute it to his heavy chronic use of alcohol and drugs.

He spent most of his formative years becoming educated at the corner of "Broadway and Bali Hai" (Broadway being the area of town where drugs were sold on the street, and Bali Hai being the wine sold in one gallon jugs which he would share with his pals) , living the "party" life. Even though he likes to parrot the scriptures by saying "have no fellowship with them" (those who eschew Christianity) he can still be seen associating with his old buddies in the same neighborhood on Broadway (his car can still be seen regularly parked outside of Sarge's Bar in Madison). It seems as though the “Watchman” has been “watching” some of his old buddies from high school and other times drink beer and other alcoholic beverages, as well as smoking marijuana and who knows what else.

Many times, Mr. Watchman has denounced others for such association with their worldly associates. “Touch not the unclean thing” he would say, quoting the bible, and “What fellowship hath light with darkness”, and “What concord hath the Lord with Belial…”

Meanwhile, the world in which he was living was a very different place. 

He joined a rock and roll band called "Termitus Contagious", playing "the bongos" and can be seen on occasion hanging around the bongo section of "Mom's Music" store in Madison to this day, to rub elbows with "real" musicians .

This desire to associate with others who had achieved any degree of notoriety in an attempt to share their accomplishments vicariously would appear to be the motivation for his entering into the "preaching business", and explains his great desire to associate with Christian Media Network®, being under the impression that this association gives him the appearance of being important. Rick Walters wants desperately to be somebody, although not badly enough to actually accomplish anything personally.

Walters pursuit of what he thought to be the "high life" led to his squandering at least 2 inheritances, including selling a home which his grandmother left to him so he could use the money to "get wasted" daily. He is currently working on spending a third, although as a condition of the will (and probably due to his previous poor showing of financial stewardship) it is paid to him weekly through an administrator, as a stipend. 

He either joined or was drafted into the Military in 1969, and deserted his company during wartime (the Viet Nam War) going AWOL (Absent Without Leave) and spending time in the Haight-Ashbury section of San Francisco, living the "High Life" of "sex and drugs and Rock and Roll". After living the "Hippie" life for a season he returned to the Madison Indiana area until he was captured and charged with desertion.

After serving time in "The Brig", he received a "Dishonorable Discharge" for his incontinence. Interestingly enough, when the authorities came to arrest him, it was his dog that betrayed his hiding place.

He worked for a time at the Madison State Hospital (Cragmont), and has hinted to others (including myself) that he worked in mental health field, although records show that his lack of education restricted him to working in the laundry room instead. In any event, despite the security of having a job with the State of Indiana (where you have to work hard at losing your position) he was fired (after several warnings and disciplinary write ups) for habitually coming to work drunk and for drug abuse. He sued the State for wrongful termination and won. He was reinstated, and then as if to openly show his lack of intelligence he did the same thing within 30 days. He sued again and lost after being told by the Judge that it was difficult for the Judge to believe that Rick "could be so stupid".

It was just this profound stupidity which led to a late night confrontation with the police at Clifty Falls State Park in 1975, when he was detained and then released after police saw him drinking alcohol with two underage girls, a bag of marijuana just hanging out of his top pocket.

To illustrate just how stupid he was, the police found drug paraphernalia keeping company with political posters which said "Vote for Rick Walters for Mayor" in Walters' vehicle, which he used to advertise himself as candidate for the office of Mayor of Madison Indiana. This may have something to do with the preferential treatment Walters received that evening, being told to "take those girls home" as opposed to being arrested.

How he ever got to be a candidate for Mayor of Madison shows both his desire for notoriety and his hope that he will somehow achieve success without effort, and will be told here:

It seems as though the local newspaper reported that the Democratic candidate for the office was running  unopposed. Rick Walters seeing in the situation an opportunity of "15 minutes of fame" for himself (after being egged on by his drinking buddies), filed the necessary paperwork at the eleventh hour and was included on the ballot.

  It was then that he began telling people that he was "Anointed" and took to calling himself "The Watchman".

He began telling his listeners that God had "showed him" that "Y2K is coming down" and that they should borrow money on their credit cards and buy "preparedness" supplies, because Y2K was about to devastate America, and because after the great computer crash which was scheduled to occur on January 1, 2000, the banks would not be able to collect, and the borrowers would get away without having to pay for their goods. This was preached as being a word "from the Lord" as Rick warned people who ignored his warnings about Y2K would be judged by God because they had now been "Showed and Toad".

Of course, this did NOT happen, and anyone who took Walters advice was left "holding the bag". The idea of getting something for nothing is unscriptural, but going against the grain of Christ's teachings has never been a great concern for Rick.

 Uncharacteristically, Walters himself in this instance did just as he preached, and began amassing a great amount of credit, and using credit cards charged about $60,000 worth of survival food and other goods.

When the Y2K prophecy turned out to be false, he quietly turned to the  "The Beast" system, dissolving the debt in Federal Bankruptcy Court by filing a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, and hiding his assets by lying to the Judge, telling him that he no longer had any of the liquid merchandise he purchased on credit, (he told the judge he had only tapes left which the court understood to be unmarketable).

The "Acts One Eight Video Store" was dissolved by order of the Federal Bankruptcy Court.

The saddest thing about this is that he continues to give similar bad advise to people now who will have no opportunity to file for spiritual bankruptcy in the Court of The Living God on Judgment Day.

At about the same time, he pressured his widowed mother to sell her paid for home in Madison, and persuaded her to purchase a "farm style" property on North Middle Fork Road, along State Highway 7, in the suburb of Du Pont, telling her that she would be safe there from "the jackbooted thugs" of the Federal Government. If he had taken just a little time to study the situation (something for which he has never shown a talent ) he would have discovered that just next door to the North Middle Fork Road property is a FEMA Detention Facility at the Federal Government's Jefferson Proving Grounds!

Another less than bright move for "The Watchman".

The “Watchman” has gone to great lengths to prove his lack of biblical understanding, in the way he lives.

He has been observed bullying his elderly, widowed mother, not only at home in the presence of close associates, but even in public. One notable example in 1999 involved an incident in a local coin store, when Walters began pressuring her to buy gold coins with some of the proceeds of the sale of her Madison home. The coin dealer sensing that something was amiss, refused to consummate the sale, which infuriated Walters.

Shortly after this incident was related on the Beacon of Truth broadcast, Rick Walters entered the same coin shop, and threatened the dealer, in the presence of several customers, with a lawsuit from Ricks “team of corporate lawyers” and with “the “IRS”.

 I spoke to the coin dealer, (who asked that his name not appear in this report) and he has told me that Walters is no longer welcome in his store because of his bizarre behavior.  

Rick's paranoia has led him to declare on the radio that satellites are watching him, and he has even dug a hole in the ground in his backyard to protect him from the Tribulation.

I will give him credit for one thing: He must certainly be an important man to have satellites watching him, although he wouldn't know salvation from "a hole in the ground"!

Mr. Walters has "warned" the listeners of the perils of association with the system. He criticized the imaginary “Elmer” whom could often be heard on the broadcast asking his wife “Marge” (or “Midge”, depending upon his mood), to bring him a beer as he watched some sporting event on television, unaware that the spiritual sword of Damocles hung precariously over America’s head.

He would call “Elmer” lazy and stupid, and would warn all his followers to avoid sporting events, alcohol, gambling, or anything, which would tie them to the popular culture of America. However, when it came to acceptable behavior, he himself it seems is immune to the dangers of society's popular culture.

While he rails on the radio about "Rep-er-baits" who drink alcohol and gamble, as well as warning others to avoid any "appearance of evil" and advising his followers to have no fellowship with the "unfruitful works of darkness", the same self proclaimed “Watchman” has been observed on the Ohio River, during the Fourth of July holiday in 2002, in Madison Indiana, attending a regatta or boat race party, sporting a "pit pass" which allows him to rub elbows with boat racers as they enjoy the drunken revelry that is a major part of the celebration, and  which is sponsored by the  

Belterra Resort & Casino GAMBLING BOAT Corporation, and BUDWEISER BEER!

Walters can be seen yearly at the Madison Regatta on the Ohio River, which is nothing more than a 3 day excuse to engage in public drunkenness. 

 Walters has also shown a penchant for conning women out of money. He has for instance been known to hang around a certain "Herb Shop" in Madison, soliciting handouts from a local woman named Clair. His association with her led Clair to seek a divorce from her husband who made it known that he did not like Rick hanging around his wife.

The family has several business in the area including the "Crown Room" which is a local Lounge and Liquor Store.

I have no problem with anyone who operates a legitimate business but when someone such as Rick Walters derives money secretly for his "Ministry" from a business that he condemns openly, it is more than a little hypocritical.

To date, Walters has shown no remorse for the consequences others have suffered as a result of his misdeeds, and has shown no signs of repentance. When confronted with the truth about his misdeeds he simply calls the messenger a reprobate liar, regardless of the mountain of documentation. This he shares with James Lloyd and all of his "remnant Christian" cult followers.

It will be interesting to see how he answers Christ in the Day of the Lord when he is called to account for his lying, his hypocrisy, and his blasphemy. That will be a terrible day with weeping and gnashing of teeth for those who for so long have ignored God's warnings, and smitten his servants. 

There is more to be told about Rick Walters before we can move on, but this must suffice for this chapter of the report.