With Announcement of Lung Cancer, Boycott of Jennings Dropped
by Allie Martin
April 11, 2005
(AgapePress) - A Christian activist in Florida is ending a boycott of ABC News anchorman Peter Jennings. It was announced last week that the journalist is battling lung cancer.Two and a half years ago, Dr. Bruce Engleman -- president of American Inspirational Ministries and We the People Ministries -- called for Christians to boycott World News Tonight, which is anchored by Jennings. Engleman instituted the boycott after Jennings made what many believed were derogatory remarks about President George W. Bush and his actions on September 11, 2001, and his policy in Afghanistan. (See earlier article)
In March 2003, Engleman felt it was obvious that Jennings was "anti-American, anti-Bush, anti-Republican, anti-Christian, [and] anti-war." He added that it "not the place for a journalist to exercise his personal, political beliefs" during news broadcasts. But with last week's announcement that the ABC anchorman is suffering from lung cancer, Engleman is now encouraging Christians to stop the boycott -- and start praying.
"We thought that Mr. Jennings' actions [about President Bush] were very unpatriotic at a time of war," Engleman says of the boycott. "We asked [Bible-believing] Americans and Canadians ... to pray for his personal salvation, that he would become a born-again Christian."
Engleman says his ministries are asking people to continue doing that, but to add prayers that the veteran television journalist would be totally healed of lung cancer. "I know God is able to do that," Engleman says. "Jesus taught us while we do not like perhaps things that people do, we are never to hate or despise the individual."
Engleman explains that his past attacks were directed at ABC News and not personally to Peter Jennings.
Jennings, who is 66 years old, was reportedly set to begin chemotherapy treatments this week in New York. He shared with World News Tonight viewers last week that he had stopped smoking 20 years ago, but suffered a relapse during the 9-11 terrorist attacks. He has been the sole anchor of the news program since 1983, but shared that role with a group of anchors for several years before that.
The native Canadian became a U.S. citizen in 2003.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
