Tarrants - Consumed by hate, redeemed by love: how a violent Klansman became a champion of racial reconciliation

PRAISE FOR CONSUMED BY HATE, REDEEMED BY LOVE

As a kid in Mississippi in the late 1960s, I remember the men of our church discussing the Klans bombing campaign against the Jews. The men did not disapprove. Later, I would use this fascinating chapter of civil rights history as the backdrop for my novel, The Chamber. Now, one of the bombers, Thomas Tarrants tells the real story in this remarkable memoir. It is riveting, inspiring, at times hard to believe but utterly true, and it gives some measure of hope in these rancorous times.

JOHN GRISHAM

The amazing story of how God delivered my friend Tom Tarrants from racism and hatred and gave him a heart of love and friendship for people of all colors and backgrounds. This book gives hope for what God can do.

DR. JOHN PERKINS, PRESIDENT EMERITUS OF THE JOHN PERKINS FOUNDATION AND COFOUNDER EMERITUS OF THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION

This gripping and inspiring story is as timely as todays headlines. My friend Tom Tarrants is a trophy of Gods graceand testament to how God not only changes our eternity but can transform our hearts and minds for today. So put on your seatbelt and prepare to enter into one of the most extraordinary true stories youll ever encounter!

LEE STROBEL, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THECASE FOR CHRIST AND THE CASE FOR GRACE

Most of us have never been part of a racist domestic terrorist cell. For all of us, though, the story of this book is our story. We were, all of us, alienated from God and hiding from him behind something, whether white supremacist hatred or career advancement, sexual promiscuity or self-righteous religion. The same Christ confronts all of us, and the same gospel can transform. This book, of the transition from a Ku Klux Klansman to a gospel Christian, is a riveting narrative. You will be gripped by the story and, I hope, by the Story behind the story. This is the path from burning crosses to the cross of Christ himself, from raging hate to amazing grace. How I love that story. You will too.

RUSSELL MOORE, PRESIDENT OF THE ETHICS AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY COMMISSION OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

The dramatic story of Tom Tarrantss conversion from terrorist to advocate for peace is simply astonishing. It is also essential reading for these times. If you want to understand how the evil of extremist thought worksand how the gospel of Gods grace can overcome itread this book.

MARK BATTERSON, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE CIRCLE MAKER AND LEAD PASTOR OF NATIONAL COMMUNITY CHURCH

Reveals how easily a political ideology can grow into a radical, extreme, life-taking worldview, all the while masquerading as some supposed form of a Christian faith. A powerful story!

ERIC C. REDMOND, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF BIBLE AT THE MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE, CHICAGO

A rivetingly told tale. Will America ever be free of its original sin of racism? Tarrants goes on record against himself, shining the light on the dark workings of his own radicalization as a domestic terrorist. But in showing how grace and forgiveness broke into his own life to give him a second chance, he points the way for all who strive to rid America of this terrible scourge and the hatred that it breeds.

OS GUINNESS, AUTHOR OF LAST CALL FOR LIBERTY

At a time when the blight of hatred, racial division, and tribalistic contempt spreads and seeps into our politics, communities, and churches, Tom Tarrantss extraordinary, often horrifying, and miraculous story offers both insight and instruction. He shows the ways in which hate warps the mind and corrupts the heart, as well as the allure of scapegoating and rigid ideology and the human carnage left in their wake. But this is ultimately a story of amazing gracehow one blinded by hate learned to see, to love, and to reconcile. And it offers hope, showing the possibilities for the flowering of such grace, even on the cultural battlefields of our own riven land.

CHERIE HARDER, PRESIDENT OF THE TRINITY FORUM, WASHINGTON, DC

When I met Tom Tarrants at Parchman prison so many years ago, I sensed him as a pleasant, well-mannered, and intelligent man. I wondered why he was there. I did not have any sense of how our lives would intersect. Only later did I learn the depths to which the demons of racism had driven him. This riveting story of a journey from darkness into light is about the total renovation that Gods grace can bring aboutof mind, heart, and soul. What impresses me as much as Toms initial journey into faith is his renouncing the temptations of celebrity status and desire to live as a humble disciple of Jesus, quietly guiding others on the same path. This is a needed story for our time.

LEIGHTON FORD, PRESIDENT OF LEIGHTON FORD MINISTRIES

From racism to reconciliation. From Klan-inspired hatred to passionate love with understanding. Tom Tarrantss story and reflections show that there is hope for our times, even in the midst of rancor and division. This is a must-read for the church in America!

DENNIS P. HOLLINGER, PHD, PRESIDENT AND COLMAN M. MOCKLER DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF CHRISTIAN ETHICS, GORDON-CONWELL SEMINARY

2019 by Thomas A. Tarrants

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ISBN 978-1-4002-1533-1 (eBook)

ISBN 978-1-4002-1532-4 (HC)

Epub Edition June 2019 9781400215331

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019938090

Printed in the United States of America

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