Do you believe a person can truly change who they are?
A huge missing piece in all the talk about how America can bridge its political and racial divisions is the concept of grace. Mention that word and some people get very uncomfortable because of its religious connotations. But everyone wants it and needs it, whether or not we actually recognize it as grace.
We want plenty of grace for ourselves, but we're often reluctant to extend it to others – especially when they're the perceived enemy.
A lot of people think racism is an incurable disease. Can a man who was a neo-Nazi and KKK member and marched in the Charlottesville rally last year, have a genuine change of heart?
Ken Parker first joined the KKK in 2012. He earned "Grand Dragon" status in the KKK for recruiting new members.
At the Charlottesville rally last year, and for a few months afterward, Parker was interviewed by Deeyah Khan, a female filmmaker who was making a documentary about white supremacist groups. She impressed Parker with the kindness and respect she showed him and his fiancée. Their interaction planted a seed of doubt in Parker about the hate that boiled within him.
A few months later, Parker approached a man named William McKinnon who was having a cookout near the pool of Parker's apartment complex. McKinnon is black. They began talking and their conversation led to more meetings and discussions. Turns out McKinnon is a pastor at All Saints Holiness church in Jacksonville, Florida. He invited Parker to his church. Parker accepted the invitation.
Ken Parker and William McKinnon may be onto something. A little less cynicism, a lot more conversation, and a ton of grace.
A few months later, Parker decided he was ready to repent and be baptized. McKinnon had Parker give his testimony in front of the small, all-black congregation. Parker says he told them, "I was a grand dragon of the KKK, and then the Klan wasn't hateful enough for me, so I decided to become a Nazi – and a lot of them, their jaws about hit the floor and their eyes got real big."
Last month, Pastor McKinnon baptized Parker in the Atlantic. The congregation embraced him on the beach afterward. Just last week, Parker began the first of several tattoo removal treatments to remove the swastika and KKK symbols on his chest.
Ken Parker and William McKinnon may be onto something. A little less cynicism, a lot more conversation, and a ton of grace.
