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An Interview with Bud Press
Bud Press is a Christian and an Investigative Researcher. As a
service to the body of Christ, he provides information,
documentation and referral on a variety of issues to individuals,
companies, outreach ministries, pastors and the Christian
news media.
Bud, tell your readers a little about yourself; where you are
from and how you became involved in the field of cult evangelism and
investigative research.
I was born in California and raised in the backwoods of Alabama. My
parents, both Christians, provided a decent, loving environment for
me to grow up in. My Dad was a veteran of World War II and the
Korean conflict, a master artist and sculptor. My Mom was a writer,
poet, excellent homemaker and well versed in the Bible.
In the early 1980's, my Mom gave me a book on non-Christian cults. I
couldn't put it down. Eventually, I learned about who my Mom had
been witnessing to in the past, such as Jehovah's Witnesses and
Mormons. In fact, the Lord used my Mom and Dad to lead a few
Jehovah's Witnesses to Jesus Christ.
I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior at an early age, went astray
for a number of years, then rededicated my life to the Lord in the
early 1980's. It was then that the Lord led me into cult evangelism,
then eventually into investigative research.
What was life like for you and your family in Alabama?
After moving from California, the first home I recall was a
renovated chicken coup, complete with dirt floor, one table, three
chairs, one small bed for Mom and Dad, an Army cot for me, one
kerosene lantern and a tin roof that leaked when it rained. Times
were tough back then, and I vividly recall Mom and Dad sharing their
food and going without to provide for me. We didn't have much in the
way of material things, but we were thankful for what we had.
Eventually, Mom, Dad and I moved to another part of Alabama--way out
into the woods on five acres of land. The small town there, which
was about five miles away, had only one traffic light and few paved
roads. Our nearest neighbors lived about a quarter-mile away.
My fondest memories of my childhood are of life in Alabama. Hunting,
fishing and camping at an early age became a way of life. The people
there are unlike any I have ever met; decent and down-to-earth. In
fact, when I was in the military, I was often asked what I missed
most about Alabama. My reply was, "Every square inch."
Another fond memory is of a boyhood Friend I grew up with in
Alabama. We spent a great deal of time together roaming and camping
out in the woods under the stars. Neither of us could afford a
sleeping bag or fancy camping equipment, so we roughed it.
He taught me how to hunt with rocks, sharpened sticks and homemade
bows and arrows. We built fires without matches and cooked squirrel
and quail over a warm campfire during the cold, wintry nights.
Prior to leaving for the military, my Friend had two requests; one
of which I didn't fully understand until I returned home.
"Y'all be reel carfal out thar amongst them fureners," he said
(which meant, Please be careful when you are around foreign people)
and, "When y'all vizit them furen cuntryz, grab-up a hanful-a-dert
an smell it reel gud. Gimme yer werd" (which meant, When I visit
foreign countries, kneel down, take a handful of dirt and sniff it.
And, Your word is your bond).
And I did just that. Every country I visited, I knelt down, grabbed
a handful of dirt and smelled it. Of course, my military buddies
thought I was nuts, but I never told them why I repeated that
strange ritual in country-after-country. At the time, I didn't know
why. But, as strange as it was, I honored my Friend's request.
When I finally returned home, my Friend asked if I had kept my word.
I smiled and said, "Yes." As we knelt to the ground, he gently
gathered a handful of dirt in his hand, smelled it, then gave it to
me to smell. "Now, smell this," he said. This ain't dirt. It's soil,
an it's tha best soil in tha werld."
I fought to restrain the tears. It was an emotional moment for the
two of us. Through my Friend's request, I realized that out of all
the countries I had seen, sniffed and smelled, the sight of America
and smell of American soil is the sweetest.
You are a veteran and received an Honorable Discharge from two
branches of the military. What was life like in the military and how
did it affect your walk with the Lord?
For me, life in the military was both an adventure and a series of
ups and downs. On one hand, I wanted to serve my country, travel to
exotic places and see the world, as most in my family had before me.
But on the other hand, I disliked the idea of taking another human
life, being away from the ones I loved, hurrying up to wait and
scrubbing floors with a toothbrush.
I served in the US Navy and US Army. My walk with the Lord during my
stint in the Navy was a mixture of praying one day and getting drunk
and participating in barroom brawls the next. While I was proud to
have served my country in one of its most controversial moments, I
left the Navy with a bittersweet taste in my mouth and a few mental
scars that would take years to heal.
Years later, in light of the "Hostage Crisis" in Iran, I joined the
US Army and met a Christian Chaplain who, in the midst of the
drinking, barroom brawling, filthy talking, combat-hardened
tough-guys within my Special Forces unit, he maintained his walk and
testimony with Jesus Christ. He was an inspiration to me, and I have
never forgotten his kindness, concern and courage.
Eventually, after becoming "human" again, I began attending church
on a regular basis and associated myself with people who didn't
drink, brawl or use filthy language. It was then that I rededicated
my life to the Lord and became involved in a somewhat different
brawl--the battle for lost souls and the defense of Scripture.
You were affectionately nicknamed "Bulldog" in the 1990's. Why?
A friend tagged me with the nickname "Bulldog" because, he said,
"When Bud bites into something he doesn't let go." When I research
an issue, compile irrefutable documentation, then confront people
with the facts, I refuse to let the issue go or fade away until the
issue is dealt with one way or the other. If the issue isn't
resolved within a reasonable amount of time, it may need to be
exposed publicly.
How has working with Christian Pro-Family organizations enhanced
your ministry and research?
Christian activism is a unique ministry unto its own, and not for
the faint-hearted. Christians within Pro-Family groups are, what I
consider, soldiers for Christ in the frontline battle against
indecency and the homosexual agenda. Of all the people I worked
with, I never heard one Pro-Family activist say they hated
homosexuals or pornographers. Indeed, it's just the opposite.
Human nature dictates that if we hate someone, we avoid them and
have nothing to say to them whatsoever. But once a person has a
serious encounter with Jesus Christ, hate is replaced by love for
all mankind, regardless of their race, creed, color or lifestyle.
And it is love that prompts us to reach out to the lost and deceived
worldwide.
There was a time when I hated homosexuals. But working with
Pro-Family groups taught me the importance of hating the sin but
loving the sinner.
You have the reputation of "sticking your head into the hornets'
nest." Please explain.
When concerned Christians take a stand on important issues, they
place their necks on the chopping block of public opinion. Most of
the time, that chopping block is buzzing with hornets that get
offended, zip around, sting and cause painful welts. When I am
stung, I wear those welts as a Badge of Honor for the Lord, as all
Christians should.
Is there anything in particular that offends you?
The only thing that offends me are people who get offended.
Speaking of "issues," share some of the issues you have researched
and confronted in the past and are currently working on.
Non-Christian cults, the New Age movement, heretical teachings, the
homosexual and transsexual agendas, the damaging effects of
pornography and the infiltration of cultic, heretical, New Age,
pro-gay and homosexual authors within the online Christian
bookstores.
Any particular issues or situations that stand-out in your mind?
Yes. Going door-to-door witnessing to Jehovah's Witnesses and
Mormons in their own neighborhoods; handing out witnessing tracts
where the cults worship or attend conventions; exposing religious
scam artists in their own hometown newspapers; speaking and
lecturing in Christian churches and seminars on the cults and New
Age movement; calling and asking psychic astrologers' to tell me
what my name and date-of-birth is; witnessing to New Agers in their
own bookstores; exposing Word-Faith heretics such as Benny Hinn and
Kenneth Copeland; witnessing to homosexuals and battling against the
homosexual agenda; battling pornography within the plastic model
industry; reporting and removing hardcore porn and child porn from
the internet; encouraging multi-million dollar companies and
charities to stop advertising, promoting and affiliating themselves
with pornographic materials; researching and confronting
transsexualism within two major Christian denominations and removing
magazines from grocery and nationwide department stores--to name a
few. Currently, my colleagues and I are researching non-Christian
materials within walk-in and online Christian bookstores nationwide.
Do you hate Benny Hinn, people in non-Christian religions,
homosexuals and pornographers?
No. If I did I would avoid them and let someone else take the flak,
stings and persecution.
Any success stories?
Yes. All of them, because Christians are called to be faithful, not
victorious. If we will be faithful, God will bless our efforts and
receive the glory.
So, it's true that one person can make a difference.
Yes! Many times, all it takes is one phone call or one e-mail or one
letter to an individual, local business or multi-million dollar
company or organization from a concerned Christian to get the ball
rolling and make changes. Think of the changes that could be made if
every Christian in America would take that bold step-of-faith and
get involved.
Many of the issues facing the body of Christ are as a "Peeping Tom,"
who sneaks around under the cover of darkness and peeks into our
windows. To protect their families, concerned Christians must deal
with the Peeping Tom immediately--within the guidelines of the
law--as opposed to simply pulling the shade and allowing the Peeping
Tom to move from home-to-home.
In His holy word, the Lord has established crystal-clear guidelines
and Scriptural commands for us to follow. As Christians, we have a
choice: address, confront, and expose the issue, or compromise and
make excuses. There is no gray area in between.
When compared to Jesus Christ, who is Bud Press?
There is no comparison! Jesus Christ is God Himself in human form,
second Person of the Trinity, creator of the universe and my Lord
and Savior. Bud is a rotten sinner saved by His grace. Jesus Christ
is the perfect, sinless Savior of the world and the only way to
salvation. Bud's righteousness is as pond scum draining from a
sewage pipe. I love the Lord with all my heart, and I can't wait to
see Him, give Him a great big hug, fall at His feet and worship Him
forever.
Last question: If you had a few minutes to address every
Christian in the world, what would you say?
I would read and expound on Acts 20:27-31 and Jude 3, then encourage
them to be strong, courageous and uncompromising. There is a massive
river of cults, heretics, false prophets, filth and agendas that are
working overtime to destroy family values and erase Christianity
from the earth. I would encourage Christians to be loyal to one
another, get involved by sticking their faces into the hornets'
nest, wading neck-deep into the river and confronting the issues at
hand.
Most importantly, I would remind them that Jesus is coming, and to
take-up their crosses and follow Him.
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