For the second time in his life, twenty-four year old Johnny Lee Clary considered suicide. The first time he’d been just fourteen, when his parents split up and his mother’s boyfriend started beating him. Now Clary had reached another personal crisis.
For ten years he’d belonged to the Ku Klux Klan, members providing the family he’d lost. Clary worked hard to move up through the ranks, thinking achievement would produce fulfillment. But his rise in the Klan came at a cost. His wife divorced him, taking their young son with her.
Six months after attaining the position of grand wizard, Clary realized he felt just as empty and unsatisfied as before.
Now he sat on the edge of his bed, contemplating suicide again, when a sunbeam lit up a dusty Bible on a shelf, and he remembered the hours spent at a Baptist church when he was a boy. Those days were the happiest of his life.
He took down the Bible and it fell open to Luke 15, the story of the Prodigal Son. Clary saw himself as the young man returning to his father. He explained later, “I realized that no matter what I’d done, the Lord had never left me or forsaken me.”
And so thoughts of suicide turned into a whispered prayer. Clary asked Jesus for forgiveness and rededicated his life to him.
That was 1989. He left the KKK and spent two years immersed in scripture and in the teaching of respected Christian leaders. In 1991 Clary felt God wanted him to do two things: preach about Jesus and call Wade Watts.
Wade Watts, a Black pastor and civil rights leader, had not been far from Clary’s thoughts since meeting him in 1979, when they’d participated in a radio debate on racism.
When Watts offered Clary his hand, Johnny took it without thinking but then quickly withdrew, remembering a Klan teaching: “Physical touch of a non-white is pollution.”
The black pastor took no offense. Laughing, he said, “Don’t worry. My black won’t come off!”
During the debate, Clary hurled every hate-filled insult he could think of. But Watts won with his strong logic and good-natured humor.
As Clary left the radio station, Watts stopped him, holding his adopted, biracial daughter in his arms. “You say you hate all black people. How can you hate this little baby?”
Clary didn’t answer as he stomped toward the parking lot. Watts called out, “God bless you, Johnny! I’m gonna love you and pray for you whether you like it or not!”
Fueled by Watt’s intolerable good nature and the embarrassment of losing the debate, Clary began harassing the black pastor. He and other Klansmen hurled garbage into Watt’s yard and plagued him with death threats. Watts failed to respond.
Another night the Klansmen dressed in their white robes and hoods, lit torches in the pastor’s yard, and dared him to come out and face them. Watts did, speaking calmly from his porch. “Boys, Halloween is still four months away, so I don’t have any treats for you. But come back in October!” Then he went back in the house, leaving Johnny and company stunned into silence.
When they lit a cross in his yard, Watts asked if the Klansmen would like some hot dogs and marshmallows for their barbeque.
Finally Clary and other KKK members set fire to Watt’s church. Clary called the pastor a short while later. “You better be afraid,” he snarled in a disguised voice. “We are coming to get you, and–”
Watts interrupted the threat. “Hello, Johnny. A man like you takes the time to call me, I am so honored. Let me do something for you.” And he prayed for God to forgive Johnny for setting fire to a house of the Lord.
Harassment of the black preacher continued for some time but Watts always responded with love, composure, and often humor.
One evening in 1991 after Johnny had turned back to Jesus, he called Reverend Watts.
“I don’t know if you remember me,” he began, “but my name is Johnny Lee Clary.”
“Remember you!” responded Watts. “Son, I’ve been praying for you for years.”
The black pastor invited Clary to preach at his rebuilt church. At the end of the sermon a teenage girl came down the aisle, crying, and embraced him.
Then he heard someone else crying—Wade Watts. “Johnny, remember that baby I showed you when we debated on the radio? And I asked how you could hate such a child? This is that little girl!”
And so began a deep friendship between a former Klansman and a black preacher.
Watts often said, “If you want to make beautiful music, you got to use the black and white keys together.”
He and Clary enjoyed making beautiful music for seven years, often preaching and holding rallies jointly until Watts passed away in 1998. Clary continued preaching about Jesus and teaching against racism until his death in 2014.
Martin Luther King. Jr. wrote:
Through forgiveness, humor, and prayer for his enemy, that’s exactly what Wade Watts accomplished.
Sources:
https://alobar.livejournal.com/3348812.html
https://www.godyears.net/2017/08/the-redemption-of-ku-klux-klan-leader.html
https://thislandpress/2013/08/29
Photo credits: http://www.wikimedia.org; http://www.photstockeditor.com; http://www.pxhere.com;www.wikimedia.com; http://www.piqsels.com; http://www.flickr.com.
From the Inside Out 
Nancy, this has to be one of the most inspirational stories I’ve ever read! This embodies exactly what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. You have made my day, my friend!
Blessings!
I marveled upon reading just a quick summary of this story and had to find out more. What a delight to find several online articles and even some youtube videos that added more background. So glad you found inspiration in the story too, Martha!
What a wonderful example of Jesus in that preachers life. He was truly a living example of Scripture. Too often we don’t imitate the life of Christ. Gossip in the local church has often replaced what Jesus taught. The book of James backs up this preachers life. Thanks so much for this story Nancy.
You’re welcome, Samuel! I too found Wade Watts to be a wonderful example for us to follow. (Just wish I had his quick wit though!) Please know I haven’t forgotten about your question concerning James 5; we’re getting ready for our-of-town guests–there’s much to do! Will get back to you ASAP!
Now there is living proof of the miracle of the grace of Jesus working on two separate but intertwined (by God) lives. Wonderful testimony the world so desperately needs to commonly see in God’s people Nancy
So glad you found inspiration in Clary’s and Watt’s intertwining stories. I sure did. This is a story I won’t quickly forget!
What a wonderful testimony! Thank you for sharing this.
So glad you found wonder here, Beth. Indeed this story includes at least several wonders–and all speak of the glory of God to engineer circumstances and transform lives!
Hi Nancy, Enjoy your company! I will be in Idaho for a month so I will read your thought whenever you get the time. Your plenty quick witted already. Take care and enjoy your company. Sam
What a fantastic story! I hope someone makes a movie from it.
…Mitch Teemley, are you paying attention? 😉 😀
It WOULD make a good movie, wouldn’t it, Annie? There are many details I had to omit, of course, that would contribute more “wow factor” to a film version.
I knew Johnny Lee Clary personally. He is a liar. He loved to tell grandiose stories that were never true. He was more about the money than anything else.
Thank you for your input, Phil. Can you steer me toward resources that tell this side of Johnny’s story?
What a touching story! Wow I love this and the quote of making beautiful music using both the black and white keys—what an awesome illustration!! Thanks so much for sharing Nancy!!❤️
You’re welcome, Alicia. So glad you found the story touching–I sure did!
This was such a moving story! Thanks for sharing. We should all love like that Pastor loved.
Amen, Mary! Watts certainly exemplified the love Paul described in 1 Corinthians 13 and proved how powerful such love can be.
Nancy, you find the most remarkable historical inspirational stories–wow! (yes, I used three adjectives in a row). loved this.
Thank you, Jody. I can’t remember where I first read of Watts and Clary–just a brief paragraph. But I know it wasn’t too long ago. Probably should start writing down where some of these ideas come from. When they become posts, I’m curious myself as to their origin!!
What a truly wonderful testimony pastor Watts was by returning good for evil, using humor, no less. He lived 1 Peter 3:9 (Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.) The blessing of Clary contacting Watts years later to share his rededication to Christ may not have happened had Watts not been obedient to the Holy Spirit in this way. And I loved this quote: “If you want to make beautiful music, you got to use the black and white keys together.” Thanks, Nancy, for such an beautiful lesson of Christian history.
Thank you, Cheri. Love that we share a love of history, Christian history in particular. What a great verse you added to highlight Watts’ interactions with Clary!
Powerful.
Agreed! This is not a story I’ll soon forget.
Amen to that! Beautiful story of real love
So glad you found beauty here, Sam! Wade Watts was an example of Christ’s love if ever there was one!
What an example of living out what is easier said than done! It is so trendy to be offended and entitled nowadays, that if the church could get this right, we’d shine like a light on a hill! Oh wait, that is what we’re supposed to be doing! ;). How sad that I’m so impressed by Pastor Watts. This should be commonplace in my life and the believers around me.