Former KKK Terrorist Radically Saved - Now President of the C. S. Lewis Institute in Washington

Marilyn Stewart/TN : Aug 10, 2006
BPNews

Once billed as "the most dangerous man in Mississippi," former Ku Klux Klan member and terrorist, Tom Tarrants, became a Christian while in prison for attempted murder, and now serves as president of the C.S. Lewis Institute in Washington, D.C. According to a report in BPNews, Tarrants recently shared his testimony with a group of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary faculty, students and friends as part of this summer's study program at England's Oxford University.

Says reporter Marilyn Stewart: "Born and raised in Mobile, Ala., during the years of racial segregation, Tarrants bitterly opposed the move toward racial equality in the 1960s, directing his hatred toward Jews, whom he believed were involved in a communist plot against America and whom he viewed as God's enemies. As a young man in his early 20s, Tarrants aligned himself with Sam Bowers, a man who was later convicted for his part in the murder of three civil rights workers in Philadelphia, Miss. - the story fictionalized in the movie "Mississippi Burning." The FBI referred to Bowers' group, the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, as the most violent right-wing terrorist group in the nation."

Tarrants was reportedly involved in some 30 bombings of synagogues, churches and homes before being apprehended in an FBI sting operation in Meridian, Miss. Steward adds that in the ensuing shoot out between Tarrants and law enforcement officers, Tarrants' female accomplice was killed and he was shot 19 times, almost ending his life.

(To read more about Tarrants' absolutely fascinating transformation - his subsequent prison time, another shoot out and ultimate salvation - follow the link below.)

Since repenting from his sins, renouncing his racism and hatred and committing his life to Christ, Terrants learned that the wife of an FBI agent involved in his capture had been praying for his salvation for years. According to the report, after his conversion, the FBI agent and his wife, along with others who had been the targets of his hatred, were instrumental in securing his release after eight years in prison.

Why the connection with C.S. Lewis? Because Lewis was a radical disciple of Jesus who happened to be an Oxford man, and a brilliantly gifted writer, says Tarrants.