Former Imperial Wizard of the KKK, Johnny Lee Clary, Ordained as Minister in Church of God in Christ, Largest Black Denomination in U.S.

Johnny Lee Clary, a former imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, is now an ordained minister in one of the nation's largest African-American denominations. He was ordained in the six million-member Church of God in Christ (COGIC) during a service led by Bishop George McKinney, pastor of St. Stephen's Cathedral Church of God in Christ in San Diego and a member of COGIC's 12-member general board. All I can think of is a line from "The Color Purple" in which Shug Avery said to her father, "see Daddy, sinners have souls too." Even the vilest offender can truly repent.

Johnny Lee Clary, former Imperial Wizard of the KKK (Charisma Magazine)

Clary, who is based in Oklahoma, will serve as an evangelist under McKinney's oversight, and his ministry will emphasize racial reconciliation. "Bishop McKinney and I both felt like racial reconciliation was needed now more than ever," said Clary, who befriended McKinney in the early 1990s when the two spoke during a Promise Keepers event. "We feel like it makes a huge statement that the former national imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan would join the Church of God in Christ and reach out with the Church of God in Christ to bring racial reconciliation to America."

"We want to take this back to where it was when William Seymour and the Azusa Street Revival was happening, when blacks and whites were together," added Clary, who preached at St. Stephen's on Sunday. "This is what's needed for this nation now to overcome racism."

After joining the Ku Klux Klan during his teens, Clary eventually became leader of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. But he grew increasingly dissatisfied and eventually resigned from his post. With two failed marriages, no friends and little money, Clary says he turned to the God he'd been introduced to as a child and accepted Christ in 1990. Since then he has shared his story on talk shows including The Phil Donahue Show, Geraldo, The 700 Club and Sally Jesse Raphael, and he preaches in churches in the U.S. and Australia.

Clary notes that white supremacist groups saw an upsurge in interest after President Obama was elected, with many of the organizations using nationalist labels to draw not only racists but also those who are fearful of the president's policies. Source:  Charisma Magazine

Well, I applaud Mr. Clary for his reformation and his change of heart. It is, however, a sad commentary that there are still so much racial hatred in this country -- neo-Nazi groups and yes, some elements within the New Black Panther Movement.

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