A while back I speculated about rumors floating around on the internet regarding Tommy Franks’ supposed membership in the churches of Christ. I got this in my inbox today:

please send this to those on your list so this rumor can be laid to rest
gary
The Christian Chronicle – As the war in Iraq heated up, so did phone lines and computer screens among church members with this claim: Gen. Tommy Franks, Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command, is an elder in a church in Tampa, Fla., or if not there, in Midland, Texas.
Not true, although the claim is based in elements of truth. Franks, an Army General, is based in Tampa, Fla., at MacDill Air Force Base, home of the Central Command. And he grew up in Midland/Odessa, Texas, says his nephew Jason Carley, a member of the Stillwater, Okla., Church of Christ.
Franks is married to Carley�s aunt Cathy, his father�s sister, who met and married Franks in Lawton, Okla., home of Fort Sill. The Carley clan has roots in churches of Christ, Jason Carley said.
As long as Carley can remember, Franks has taken him and other family members along to attend non-denominational services at the Army posts where he has been stationed including Fort Hood, Texas; Fort McPherson, Georgia; and Fort Sill. The last time he attended with him was in 1999. He has never attended a church of Christ with him, Carley said.
Carley attests to Franks� spiritual devotion but says he�s 100 percent sure he�s not an elder in Tampa. The Northwest church in Tampa says the same. With the rumor put to rest, the folks at Northwest say they just hope to get back to business as usual.
Gary Davenport, pulpit minister, West Broward church of Christ
“A place to believe, belong, and become!”
Work: 12550 West Broward Blvd. Plantation, Florida 33325
Website: www.westbroward.org;

Remember, just because it appears in your inbox, doesn’t mean it is necessarily true. Please verify rumors before performing a mass forward.