Apostle of Hate –
Minister of Healing
By Melanie Hemry
Kenneth Copeland
Ministries
Believers’ Voice of
Victory
‘IS
THIS JOHNNY LEE CLARY?’ A VOICE ASKED ON THE OTHER END OF THE PHONE.
‘YES…’
‘THE GRAND DRAGON OF THE KU KLUX KLAN
FOR OKLAHOMA?’
‘THAT’S RIGHT.’
‘MR CLARY, I’M CALLING ON BEHALF OF A
LOCAL RADIO STATION. WE WOULD LIKE TO
INVITE YOU HERE TO THE STATION NEXT SUNDAY EVENING FOR AN INTERVIEW. THE PROGRAM WILL BE LIVE. DURING THAT TIME, WE WOULD ALLOW YOU TO READ
YOUR LITERATURE AND SHARE YOUR VIEWS OPENLY.’
SHARE MY VIEWS ON THE
RADIO? THERE’S NO TELLING HOW MANY KIDS
I CAN RECRUIT! JOHNNY
LEANED BACK ON HIS CHAIR AND PROPPED UP HIS FEET.
‘I’D BE MOST HONOURED TO BE YOUR
GUEST,’ HE ANSWERED, A SLOW SMILE SPREADING ACROSS HIS FACE. UNLIKE MOST KLAN MEMBERS, JOHNNY LEE DIDN’T
SHUN PUBLICITY. HE HADN’T EVEN MINDED
WHEN TELEVISION CAMERAS FOLLOWED HIM AROUND TO SCHOOLS IN THE OKLAHOMA CITY
AREA, WHERE HE RECRUITED KIDS. THE WAY
HE LOOKED AT IT, A MAN OUGHT TO STAND UP FOR THE TRUTH. AND ONE THING JOHNNY LEE CLARY KNEW FOR
CERTAIN – THE KU KLUX KLAN STOOD FOR THE TRUTH.
SEEDS OF HATRED
HIS OWN EDUCATION IN THAT ‘TRUTH’
BEGAN EARLY. HE’D BEEN ONLY 5 WHEN HE
LOOKED OUT THE CAR WINDOW IN AMAZEMENT. ‘LOOK,
DADDY!’ HE’D SAID. ‘THERE’S A
CHOCOLATE-COVERED MAN!’
HIS DADDY BLEW CIGAR SMOKE OUT THE
WINDOW IN DISGUST. ‘THAT’S NOT A CHOCOLATE COVERED MAN,’ HE SAID. ‘THAT’S A N-----. CAN YOU SAY, ‘N-----‘?’
JOHNNY LEE HAD LEANED OUT THE WINDOW
AND SHOUTED ‘N-----!’ HIS DADDY LAUGHED
AND PATTED HIM ON THE BACK.
JOHNNY LEE’S TRAINING CONTINUED WHEN
HIS UNCLE HAROLD WOULD VISIT FROM GEORGIA AND TELL HIS STORIES ABOUT THE
KKK. ‘I SHOT A BLACK MAN FOR CROSSING MY
PROPERTY,’ HE ONCE BRAGGED TO JOHNNY LEE’S FATHER. ‘THE POLICE DIDN’T CARE THAT I SHOT HIM. BUT THEY DID FINE ME FOR FIRING A GUN IN THE
CITY LIMITS!’ THE TWO MEN LAUGHED UNTIL
THEIR FACES WERE RED.
JOHNNY LEE’S DAD WASN’T A MEMBER OF
THE KLAN. HE COULDN’T BE. HE WAS CATHOLIC. ONE GROUP THE KLAN HATED ALMOST AS MCUH AS
BLACKS AND JEWS WAS CATHOLICS. JOHNNY’S
DAD NEVER ATTENDED MASS, BUT HE MADE SURE THAT JOHNNY LEE WAS ON THE SUNDAY
SCHOOL BUS EVERY WEEK TO THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.
THAT IS, UNTIL THE DAY JOHNNY LEE
LEANED OUT THE BUS WINDOW AND SCREAMED ‘N-----!’ TO A BLACK CHILD ON THE
STREET. THAT DAY, JOHNNY LEE’S SUNDAY
SCHOOL TEACHER PULLED HIM ASIDE AND TAUGHT HIM A SONG. AT HOME, HE PROUDLY SANG IT FOR HIS FATHER.
‘JESUS LOVES THE LITTLE CHILDREN, ALL
THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD. RED AND
YELLOW, BLACK AND WHITE….’
JOHNNY LEE’S DADDY NEVER LET HIM GO
BACK TO THAT CHURCH. HE FOUND ONE CLOSER
TO HOME – AN ALL-WHITE CHURCH.
EVERYONE IN THEIR NEIGHBOURHOOD HATED
JOHNNY LEE’S FAMILY. THE NEIGHBOURS
CONSIDERED THEM ‘WHITE TRASH’. OF
COURSE, NOBODY DARED CALL THEM
THAT. THEY WERE AFRAID TO.
THE CLARY FAMILY’S POPULARITY TOOK A
SUDDEN TURN, HOWEVER, WHEN A BLACK FAMILY BOUGHT A HOUSE IN THE
NEIGHBOURHOOD. THE WHOLE NEIGHBOURHOOD
CAME TO JOHNNY LEE’S DADDY AND ASKED HIM TO HELP THEM GET RID OF THE
FAMILY. THEY WERE WILLING TO BUY THEM
OUT, IF THEY’D LEAVE.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE NEIGHBOURS’ SUDDEN
ACCEPTANCE OF THE CLARYS DIDN’T MAKE JOHNNY LEE’S FAMILY ANY HAPPIER. HIS PARENTS FOUGHT CONSTANTLY. THEIR MARRIAGE ENDED TRAGICALLY WHEN, ONE
NIGHT, 11-YEAR-OLD JOHNNY LEE WALKED INTO A ROOM TO SEE HIS DADDY HOLDING A GUN
TO HIS HEAD. ‘DADDY, DON’T’ HE SCREAMED, THEN WATCHED AS HIS DADDY SHOT HIMSELF
TO DEATH.
AFTER THE FUNERAL, JOHNNY LEE WENT TO
STAY WITH HIS OLDER SISTER IN CALIFORNIA.
BUT HE WASN’T HAPPY THERE. AS THE
MONTHS PASSED, JOHNNY LEE BECAME MORE AND MORE LONELY. THAT’S WHEN HE SAW A TALK SHOW HOST
INTERVIEWING DAVID DUKE, THE IMPERIAL WIZARD OF THE KU KLUX KLAN. REMEMBERING HIS UNCLE HAROLD, JOHNNY LEE
DECIDED TO CONTACT THE KLAN. WITHIN A FEW
WEEKS, A MAN KNOCKED AT HIS DOOR.
‘I’M A FRIEND OF DAVID DUKE,’ HE SAID.
THE MAN SAT DOWN AND TALKED TO JOHNNY LEE. ‘WHAT DO YOU LIKE? TELL ME ABOUT YOUR LIFE.’
JOHNNY LEE WAS IN AWE. SOMEONE
WANTS TO HEAR WHAT I HAVE TO SAY!
‘SON, YOU’VE HAD A HARD, HORRIBLE
LIFE,’ THE MAN SAID. ‘WHAT YOU NEED IS A
FAMILY. A REAL FAMILY. THAT’S WHAT
THEKU KLUX KLAN IS – A FRATERNAL ORDER.
THAT MEANS FAMILY.’
WEEK AFTER WEEK, THE MAN TOOK JOHNNY
LEE TO HIS HOUSE FOR MEETINGS. IT WAS
ALMOST AS IF HE HAD A FATHER AGAIN. BETWEEN
MEETINGS, JOHNNY STUDIED ABOUT THE KLAN.
HE WAS AMAZED TO LEARN WHAT PROMINENT PEOPLE WERE FORMER KLANSMEN,
INCLUDING AT LEAST THREE U.S. PRESIDENTS.
JOHNNY LEE TREMBLED WITH EXCITEMENT
THE DAY HE JOINED THE KKK. HE WAS 14
YEARS OLD. BY AGE 20, JOHNNY LEE HAD
WORKED HIS WAY UP IN THE ORGANISATION, FIRST SERVING AS DUKE’S BODYGUARD AND
LATER, BECOMING THE GRAND DRAGON OF OKLAHOMA.
CONFRONTED BY LOVE
IT WAS 1979 WHEN I WAS INVITED TO DO A
RADIO INTERVIEW,’ JOHNNY LEE RECALLS. ‘I
WAS SO EXCITED, I TOLD EVERYONE TO TUNE IN.
THEN, A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE INTERVIEW, I WAS LISTENING TO THE RADIO WHEN
THEY ANNOUNCED THE UPCOMING DEBATE
BETWEEN MYSELF AND THE STATE PRESIDENT OF THE NAACP, THE REV. WADE WATTS!’
‘I’D NEVER ACTUALLY MET A BLACK MAN. BUT I KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT: A MAN IN AFRICAN ROBES SPORTING A HUGE AFRO,
A BUTTON THAT SAID, ‘I HATE WHITE PEOPLE,’ AND A SIGN, ‘BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL.’
‘I WASN’T PREPARED FOR A NICELY
DRESSED, OLDER BLACK MAN CARRYING A WORN BIBLE.’
ON THE DAY OF THE DEBATE, REV. WATTS
WALKED UP TO JOHNNY LEE – HIS HAND OUTSTRETCHED. ‘HELLO, MR CLARY. I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, AND JESUS
LOVES YOU.’
STUNNED, JOHNNY LEE SHOOK THE MAN’S
HAND WITHOUT THINKING. THE PHYSICAL TOUCH OF A NEGRO IS POLLUTION,
HE THOUGHT.
‘DON’T WORRY, SON,’ REV. WATTS SAID
WITH A GRIN. ‘IT DOESN’T RUB OFF.’
HE HAS A SENSE OF HUMOUR…?
‘WHY DO YOU FEEL THE TWO RACES SHOULDN’T
MINGLE?’ THE INTERVIEWER ASKED JOHNNY LEE AS THE DEBATE BEGAN. ‘BECAUSE CHRIST ORDERED IT,’ HE EXPLAINED.
‘SON,’ REV. WATTS INTERRUPTED, ‘WHERE
DID YOU GET THAT IDEA?’
THE ONLY BIBLE VERSES JOHNNY LEE KNEW
WERE THE ONES OUTLINED IN THE KKK LITERATURE.
SPEAKING SLOWLY, JOHNNY LEE QUOTED, ‘WHAT FELLOWSHIP HATH LIGHT WITH DARKNESS…’
REV. WATTS EXPLAINED THAT THE
SCRIPTURE WAS REFERRING TO THE BELIEVER AND THE NONBELIEVER, AND TO SIN AND
RIGHTEOUSNESS. THEN HE ASKED JOHNNY LEE,
‘WHAT COLOUR SKIN DO YOU THINK AN ETHIOPIAN HAS?’
‘BLACK AS THE ACE OFSPADES,’ JOHNNY
RESPONDED.
‘I’M GLAD YOU SAID THAT,’ REV. WATTS
ANSWERED. ‘IF YOU’LL LOOK IN NUMBERS 12,
YOU’LL SEE THAT MOSES MARRIED AN ETHIOPIAN WOMAN. HIS SISTER, MIRIAM, DIDN’T LIKE IT
EITHER. SHE TALKED AGAINST MOSES AND WAS
STRUCK WITH A HORRIBLE DISEASE.’ HE
PAUSED FOR A MOMENT. ‘YOU CAN IMAGINE
WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU.’
JOHNNY LEE SHIFTED UNCOMFORTABLY IN
HIS CHAIR. THIS WASN’T TURNING OUT THE WAY
HE EXPECTED. ‘LOOK HERE,’ HE SAID, ‘WHITE
PEOPLE ARE SMARTER THAN BLACK PEOPLE.’
‘HOW DO YOU FIGURE THAT?’ REV. WATTS
ASKED. JOHNNY LEE TOLD HIM ABOUT AN
INTELLIGENCE TEST THAT PROVED WHITE CHILDREN WERE SMARTER THAN BLACK CHILDREN.
‘WHAT COLOUR WERE THE MEN WHO CAME UP
WITH THAT TEST?’ REV. WATTS ASKED.
‘IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT COLOUR THEY
WERE!’ JOHNNY DECLARED.
‘WELL,THEN,’ SAID REV. WATTS, ‘IF IT
DOESN’T MATTER, I’LL GIVE YOU A TEST RIGHT NOW, AND WE’LL SEE IF YOU CAN PASS
IT.’
‘IF YOU THINK YOU’RE SO SMART, GO
AHEAD.’
‘HOW LONG IS THE AVERAGE COCKROACH?’
REV. WATTS ASKED JOHNNY LEE. ‘DO ROACHES
WALK, OR DO THEY FLY? HOW LONG DOES IT
TAKE A MESS OF CHITLINS TO COOK? WHAT ARE CHITLINS?’
‘REV. WATTS, YOU RIGGED THAT TEST,’
JOHNNY LEE FUMED. ‘WHITE FOLKS AREN’T
SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT STUFF.’
‘MR CLARY, NOW YOU’RE GETTING MY POINT.’
JOHNNY LEE HAD TO DO SOMETHING TO GET
CONTROL OF THE INTERVIEW. ‘LOOK,’ HE
SAID, TRYING TO STAY CALM, ‘THOMAS JEFFERSON HELPED PEN OUR CONSTITUTION, AND
HE SAID EMPHATICALLY THAT THE TWO RACES SHOULD NEVER MIX.’
‘I’M IMPRESSED THAT YOU KNOW SO MUCH
ABOUT OUR FOREFATHERS, MR CLARY. DOES THE NAME SALLY HEMMINGS MEAN ANYTHING TO
YOU?’
‘NO.’
‘SHE WAS THOMAS JEFFERSON’S MISTRESS,’
REV. WATTS SAID. ‘THEY HAD SEVEN
CHILDREN. SHE WAS HIS PERSONAL PROPERTY. HIS SLAVE.
SHE WAS AS BLACK AS THE ACE OF
SPADES.’
‘I’M NOT GOING TO STAY HERE AND LISTEN
TO ANY MORE OF THIS!’ JOHNNY FUMED, STORMING OUT OF THE ROOM.
JOHNNY LEE WAS SURPRISED LATER WHEN HE
SAW REV. WATTS HOLDING A BABY GIRL.
LIFTING UP THE CHILD, REV. WATTS SAID TO JOHNNY LEE, ‘THIS BABY’S
PARENTS WERE TEENAGERS. HER MOTHER WAS
WHITE AND HER DADDY WAS BLACK. THE BOY’S
FAMILY SAID THEY WOULDN’T HAVE A WHITE CHILD IN THEIR HOME, AND THE GIRL’S
FAMILY SAID THEY WOULDN’T HAVE A BLACK CHILD IN THEIR HOME. SO I ADOPTED HER. TIA IS MY
BABY NOW. MR CLARY, HOW CAN YOU HATE
THIS BABY?’
JOHNNY LEE TURNED TO LEAVE.
‘YOU CAN’T DO ENOUGH TO MAKE ME HATE
YOU,’ REV. WATTS SAID TO JOHNNY LEE. ‘I’M
GOING TO LOVE YOU AND PRAY FOR YOU, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.’
A SHORT TIME LATER, REV. WATTS’ CHURCH
WAS BURNED. HIS FAMILY WERE PLAGUED WITH
VICIOUS, HATE-FILLED PHONE CALLS, AND OFTEN FOUND NOTES…’KKK IS WATCHING YOU.’
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES
‘DURING THE NEXT 10 YEARS, I GAINED
MORE AND MORE POWER IN THE KLAN,’ JOHNNY LEE REMEMBERS. ‘YET DURING THOSE YEARS, WE NEVER STOPPED
PERSECUTING REV. WATTS. THE ONLY THING
THAT BOTHERED ME WAS A RECURRING DREAM I HAD OF THAT BABY GIRL. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL. AND SHE WAS THE ONLY SEED OF DOUBT IN MY
LIFE. SOMEHOW, IT DIDN’T SEEM RIGHT TO
HATE HER. IT DIDN’T SEEM RIGHT FOR HER
TO DIE. BUT I KNEW THE KLAN’S FINAL
SOLUTION INCLUDED EXTERMINATION OF THE RACE – INCLUDING BABIES.
‘I DIDN’T LET THAT SEED OF DOUBT
HINDER MY WORK, THOUGH. WHEN REV. WATTS
JOINED RANKS WITH AN OKLAHOMA SENATOR TO MAKE THE KLAN’S RACIST HOT LINES
ILLEGAL, MY BLOOD WAS BOILING.’
JOHNNY LEE CALLED REV. WATTS. ‘I KNOW YOU’RE BEHIND THIS,’ HE SAID. ‘WE’RE COMING TO GET YOU, AND WE’RE GOING TO
BEAT YOU…’
‘HELLO, JOHNNY LEE! HOW’S THE FAMILY?’
‘I SAID WE’RE COMING FOR YOU!’
‘YOU DON’T HAVE TO COME FOR ME, I’LL
MEET YOU. HOW ABOUT PETE’S PLACE OUT ON
HIGHWAY 270?’
‘UH…’
‘JOHNNY LEE, THEY HAVE THE BEST HOME COOKING
YOU EVER TASTED. AND APPLE PIE THAT’LL
MAKE YOU CRY FOR MORE. ICED TEA IN THOSE
MASON JARS. I CAN TASTE IT NOW.’
‘DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID?’ JOHNNY LEE DEMANDED. ‘WE’RE GOING TO BEAT YOU!’
‘YOU BE SURE AND BRING ALL THE BOYS…’
‘I SAID WE’RE GOING TO BEAT YOU!’
‘I HEARD YOU, AND THAT’S JUST
FINE. BUT FIRST, I WANT TO BUY YOU BOYS DINNER. DID I TELL YOU ABOUT THEIR POTATOES?’
JOHNNY LEE HUNG UP. ‘WHAT DID HE SAY?’ THE KLAN MEMBERS ASKED.
‘HE TALKED ABOUT HOME COOKING, APPLE
PIE AND ICED TEA. SAID HE WANTED TO BUY
OUR DINNER.’
‘THAT OLD MAN’S GONE PURE CRAZY,’
SOMEONE SAID. ‘LET’S LEAVE HIM ALONE.’
AND THEY DID.
‘DURING THE MONTHS THAT FOLLOWED, A
GIRL I HAD DATED CHALLENGED ME TO GO TO CHURCH,’ JOHNNY LEE RECALLS. ‘I DECIDED TO TAKE HER UP ON IT, SO I CALLED
AN ELDER AT CROSSROADS CATHEDRAL IN OKLAHOMA CITY. HE MET WITH ME, AND LED ME TO THE LORD. I ASKED JESUS INTO MY LIFE AND RECEIVED THE
BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT. A MONTH
LATER, SOMEONE ASKED ME TO SPEAK AT A FULL GOSPEL BUSINESSMEN’S
FELLOWSHIP. I HADN’T EVEN BROKEN TIES
WITH THE KLAN.
‘SOON, WORD OF MY SALVATION REACHED
THE MEDIA, AND A LOCAL NEWSPAPER ASKED FOR AN INTERVIEW. I GAVE IT, AND THE NEXT THING I KNEW I GOT A PHONE CALL FROM THE KLAN. I BROKE INTO A COLD SWEAT WHEN THEY SAID THEY
WERE COMING AFTER ME. I WAS SCARED.’
‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING, CLARY?’ THEY
ASKED WHEN THEY ARRIVED.
FRIGHTENED FOR HIS LIFE, JOHNNY LEE
TURNED HIS BACK ON GOD AND THE CHURCH, AND BEGGED FORGIVENESS FROM THE
KLAN. HE WAS GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE.
THE WAY HOME
IN 1989, JOHNNY LEE WAS APPOINTED
IMPERIAL WIZARD OF THE KKK.
‘I WANTED TO UNIFY ALL THE HATE GROUPS
– THE DIFFERENT FACTIONS OF THE KLAN, THE SKINHEADS, THE PATRIOTS, THE
NEO-NAZIS, THE MILITIAS, THE POPULISTS AND THE ARYAN NATIONS – UNDER ONE COMMON
ORGANISATION,’ JOHNNY LEE RECALLED. HE
SPENT MONTHS ARRANGING A NATIONAL MEETING OF ALL THE WHITE SUPREMACIST
GROUPS. FINALLY, ALL THE PLAYERS WERE IN
PLACE.
WHAT JOHNNY LEE DIDN’T KNOW, HOWEVER,
WAS THAT THE FBI HAD TAPPED HIS PHONE AND KNEW HIS PLAN. THEY ARRESTED HIM ON HIS WAY TO THE MEETING.
WITHOUT HIS PRESENCE, THE MEETING FELL
APART. BY THE TIME JOHNNY LEE WAS
RELEASED AND ARRIVED AT THE RALLLY SITE, THE DIFFERENT FACTIONS WERE FIGHTING
AMONG THEMSELVES.
JOHNNY LEE SURVEYED THE SCENE IN
DISGUST. I GAVE UP MY WIFE AND CHILD FOR THESE PEOPLE. I GAVE UP MY LIFE FOR T HIS ORGANISATION, AND
ALL THEY WANT TO DO IS KILL ONE ANOTHER.
ON HIS RETURN HOME, JOHNNY LEE FACED
STAGGERING LEGAL BATTLES AND ATTORNEY FEES.
HE WAS ALSO DISILLUSIONED.
WHERE WAS THE LOYALTY? HE WONDERED.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE
BROTHERHOOD? WASN’T THE KLAN SUPPOSED TO
BE A FAMILY?
SOON AFTERWARD, JOHNNY LEE RESIGNED AS
IMPERIAL WIZARD, AND WALKED AWAY FROM THE KLAN.
HE TOOK A GOOD LOOK AT HIMSELF, AND DIDN’T LIKE WHAT HE SAW.
‘I’D HIT AN ALL-TIME LOW IN MY LIFE,’
JOHNNY LEE RECALLED. ‘WHENEVER I APPLIED
FOR A JOB, PEOPLE JUST LAUGHED.’
AS THE MONTHS PASSED, JOHNNY LEE
BECAME MORE AND MORE DESPONDENT.
THEN HE HAD A THOUGHT: DADDY
ESCAPED IT ALL. I COULD GO BE WITH MY
DAD, THEN I WOULDN’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SOME KLANSMAN PUTTING A BULLET IN ME.
JOHNNY LEE LOADED HIS GUN AND PUT THE
BARREL TO HIS HEAD.
THE AFTERNOON SUN FILTERED THROUGH THE
CLOSED BLINDS, CASTING TINY LINES OF LIGHT ONTO A BIBLE THAY LAY GATHERING
DUST.
THE ONLY HAPPINESS, THE
ONLY PEACE IN MY LIFE, WERE THOSE FEW MONTHS AT CROSSROADS CATHEDRAL, JOHNNY
LEE THOUGHT. BUT NOW, IT’S TOO LATE FOR ME…
THE DUSTY BIBLE CAUGHT JOHNNY LEE’S
EYE. HE PUT DOWN THE GUN, AND PICKED UP
THE BIBLE. IT FELL OPEN TO LUKE 15 – THE
STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON.
JOHNNY LEE READ THE STORY ONCE, THEN
AGAIN, THEN A THIRD TIME.
‘I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO TELL ME,
GOD,’ HE SAID, WEEPING. ‘THAT YOUNGER
SON TURNED HIS BABCK ON HIS FATHER AND WASTED HIS LIFE. BUT WHEN HE CAME HOME, THE
FATHER WELCOMED HIM. YOU’RE TELLING ME I CAN COME HOME.
‘GOD, I HAVE NO ONE ELSE TO TURN TO EXCEPT
YOU. I ASK YOU TO FORGIVE ME FOR THE WAY
I LIVED…FOR ALL THE HATRED. PLEASE, COME
INTO MY HEART, JESUS, AND CHANGE ME.’
IN THE SPACE OF A HEARTBEAT, THE
WEIGHT OFYEARS OF HATRED MELTED OFF JOHNNY LEE CLARY. WEEPING OPENLY, HE RAISED HIS HANDS AND
WORSHIPPED GOD. THEN HE PICKED UP THE
BIBLE AND READ FOR HOURS.
THE RIGHT CHURCH
‘I WAS LIVING IN TULSA, OKLA. – TOO FAR
TO DRIVE TO CROSSROADS CATHEDRAL,’ JOHNNY LEE RECALLS. ‘I VISITED A FEW CHURCHES, AND ALTHOUGH I
ENJOYED THEM VERY MUCH, I KNEW NONE OF THEM WAS WHERE I WAS SUPPOSED TO
BE. EACH ONE HAD AN ALL-WHITE
CONGREGATION. I KNEW GOD WOULD NEVER
ALLOW ME TO JOIN AN ALL-WHITE CHURCH.
‘THAT WEEK, I SAW AN AD IN THE
NEWSPAPER, ‘VICTORY CHRISTIAN CENTER – A CHURCH
FOR ALL RACES.’ THE NEXT SUNDAY, I
WALKED INTO THAT CHURCH AND KNEW IT WAS RIGHT.
THERE WERE BLACKS, HISPANICS, ASIANS, FILIPINOS, EVERY RACE SEEMED TO BE
REPRESENTED.’
JOHNNY LEE JOINED THE CHURCH.
‘THIS TIME, I DIDN’T TELL ANYONE WHO I
WAS. EVENTUALLY, SOMEONE RECOGNISED ME,
AND I WROTE A LETTER TO THE PASTOR, BILLY JOE DAUGHERTY, EXPLAINING THAT I’D
BEEN THE IMPERIAL WIZARD OF THE KU KLUX KLAN,
HE WROTE BACK, ENCOURAGING ME TO SPEND TIME GETTING GROUNDED IN GOD’S
WORD.
‘GOD HELPED ME GET A JOB AND, FOR THE
FIRST TIME SINCE 1982, I WAS HAPPY. IN
ADDITION TO LISTENING TO THE WORD AT CHURCH, I WAS INTRODUCED TO THE TEACHING
OF KENNETH AND GLORIA COPELAND. I TUNED
IN TO THEIR BELIEVER’S VOICE OF VICTORY
PROGRAM, BOUGHT THEIR TAPES AND LEARNED ABOUT FAITH.
REAL UNITY
‘IN 1991, DURING ONE OF PASTOR BILLY
JOE’S SERMONS, THE LORD CALLED ME TO PREACH.
BILLY JOE’S WIFE, SHARON, WALKED OVER TO ME AND ANNOUNCED, ‘GOD DIDN’T
SAVE YOU FOR YOU TO SIT IN TULSA. HE’S
COMMANDED YOU TO GO INTO THE WORLD AND GET PEOPLE SAVED.’”
A FEW WEEKS LATER, JOHNNY LEE HEARD
THE LORD AGAIN. CALL REV. WATTS.
HE DID.
‘HELLO, JOHNNY LEE,’ REV. WATTS SAID
WARMLY.
‘REV. WATTS, I WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT
I RESIGNED FROM THE KKK IN 1989. I GAVE
MY HEART TO JESUS, AND I’M A MEMBER OF VICTORY CHRISTIAN CENTER,AN INTERRACIAL
CHURCH. MY MINDIS BEING RENEWED, AND GOD
HAS CALLED ME TO PREACH.’
‘WELL, PRAISE THE LORD, SON!’ REV. WATTS SAID ‘WOULD YOU DO ME THE HONOR
OF SPEAKING AT MY ALL-BLACK CHURCH?’
JOHNNY LEE CHOKED BACK THE TEARS. ‘I’D LOVE TO.’
WHEN JOHNNY LEE ARRIVED TO SPEAK AT
REV. WATTS’ CHURCH, THERE WERE CAMERAS AND NEWS REPORTERS EVERYWHERE. ONCE INSIDE, JOHNNY LEE CLARY STEPPED UP TO
THE PODIUM AND LOOKED OUT OVER THE SEA OF BLACK FACES. HE SAW PEOPLE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, SOULS
THAT JESUS HAD DIED TO SAVE. THE
CONTEMPT HE ONCE FELT HAD BEEN REPLACED WITH A LOVE SO GREAT, SO POWERFUL, THAT
HIS KNEES FELT WEAK.
THIS, HE REALIZED, IS WHAT REAL UNITY
IS ALL ABOUT. IT WAS NOT WHAT HE HAD
TRIED TO DO THROUGH THE KKK. REAL UNITY IS ONLY POSSIBLE THROUGH LOVE.
JOHNNY LEE TOLD HIS STORY, AND WHAT
JESUS HAD DONE FOR HIM. AFTERWARD, A TEENAGE GIRL RAN DOWN THE AISLE. ‘I WANT TO KNOW THE SAME JESUS YOU KNOW,’ SHE
SAID.
AS THE ALTAR FILLED WITH PEOPLE
WANTING TO KNOW JOHNNY LEE’S JESUS, HE HEARD REV. WATTS WEEPING.
‘DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT IS?’ WATTS
ASKED, POINTING AT THE YOUNG GIRL JOHNNY LEE HAD JUST LED TO THE LORD.
‘NO,’ JOHNNY LEE ANSWERED.
‘THAT’S TIA,’ REV. WATTS SAID. ‘SHE’S
THE BABY I SHOVED IN YOUR FACE THAT DAY AT THE RADIO STATION!’
JOHNNY TURNED TO LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL
FACE BEAMING AT HIM. SHE WAS THE BABY HE
COULDN’T HATE.
REV. WATTS AND HIS WIFE HAD 13
CHILDREN. NINE OF THEM HAD GIVEN THEIR
LIVES TO JESUS. IN THE THRONG OF PEOPLE
WHO CROWDED THE ALTAR THAT NIGHT, JOHNNY LEE WAS PRIVILEGED TO INTRODUCE THE
OTHER FOUR TO THE LORD JESUS.
AFTER THE SERVICE, REV. WATTS AND
JOHNNY LEE EMBRACED. AN ELDERLY BLACK
PASTOR WRAPPED HIS ARMS AROUND A YOUNG, WHITE, FORMER KLANSMAN. THEY BOTH WEPT.
‘ALL THOSE YEARS I PRAYED FOR YOU!’ WATTS SAID.
‘I NEVER DREAMED THAT GOD WOULD USE YOU TO BRING MY OWN CHILDREN INTO
THE KINGDOM!’
IT’S BEEN MORE THAN SIX YEARS NOW
SINCEJOHNNY LEE PREACHED AT REV. WATTS’ CHURCH, AND MANY THINGS HAVE
CHANGED. BUT BOTH MEN STILL WORK
UNTIRINGLY – TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL AND PROMOTE RACIAL RECONCILIATION.
TODAY, JOHNNY LEE CLARY’S GREATEST
THRILLL IN MINISTRY OCCURS WHEN HE MINISTERS ALONGSIDE REV. WADE WATTS. HIS SECOND GREATEST THRILL IS BEING A
GODFATHER TO YOUNG TIA WATTS.
JOHNNY LEE CLARY STANDS AMAZED THAT
ONE MAN – THE MAN HE PERSECUTED – PRAYED HIM OUT OF HELL ON EARTH AND INTO
HEAVEN FOR ETERNITY. BEFORE, THAT KIND
OF LOVE WAS UNFATHOMABLE TO JOHNNY LEE.
NOW, IT IS A WAY OF LIFE.
BVOV
