The Third Former   

   Tom Tarrants belonged to a church youth group before he became a white supremacist. His attempt to bomb a Jewish businessman's residence resulted in a 35-year prison sentence. 

   Behind bars, he read philosophy, history and ethics, reexamined his beliefs, and realized he was a slave to ideology. 

   Tom, who had believed he was serving God and country, reopened the Bible. Matthew 16:26 stood out:

What good will it be for a man 

if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?

   He asked Jesus to forgive him. 

   "Many formers hide their past," Tom says, but he chose to live out his new identity. God commands love, even to enemies.

   Numerous non-whites in prison with him became "somebodies" in his healing. Unexpected kindness and empathy among inmates made a difference, along with a women's prayer group. 

   Chaplains, lawyers, civil rights activists, a Jewish attorney, the FBI and prison officers all concluded that Tom had genuinely changed, resulting in a work release program after 8 years.

   He later co-pastored a multi-racial church, served as interim pastor for an Asian American church, and at age 72 is president of the C.S. Lewis Institute. 

   Tom says the church can change the tide, by standing as a body where people love one another across all divides - race, economics, culture and politics. 

       Jimmy