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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrorism is here and it's recruiting our kids!, April 16, 2002
This review is from: No Random Act: Behind the Murder of Ricky Byrdsong (Paperback)
I don't know what I expected when I first picked up No Random Act: Behind the Murder of Ricky Byrdsong, but I was drawn immediately into the story and the power of this just released book. I HAD to read it straight through, then a second time to absorb the sobering, sometimes frightening realities it revealed. First, this is the story of the life of former Northwestern University basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong. He was a community and church leader and the vision behind a basketball-based outreach to inner city kids. Just two years ago he was murdered by a white supremacist while walking home with his children. Second, this is the story of Benjamin Smith, the murderer. It also tells - and perhaps most powerfully - the story, history, vision, and organized recruitment efforts of the white supremacist movement in America. I'd never heard of RAHOWA - Racial Holy War - the battle cry of these hate groups. I didn't know white supremacist groups actively recruit on college campuses. I didn't know they set up shop in small towns. I didn't know there is a summer camp for hate less than a half-day's drive from my Wisconsin home! Like Osama bin Laden, leaders in the white supremacist movement actively recruit, groom, and "turn loose" young men to further their agenda of hate and RAHOWA. And, like the fundamentalist Islamic terrorist movement, the white supremacists target vulnerable young people. Where kids are unemployed, poorly educated, and marginalized, groups like the World Church of the Creator or the Aryan Nation welcome them with open arms. I kept thinking as I read, "Even the army doesn't want these kids...they're easy pickings for these violent hate groups!" I recommend this book highly. The story of Ricky Byrdsong's life is a grace note of hope in the midst of this truly sobering book. In the end, I had to wonder whether anyone notices or cares about these working poor, marginalized white young men. With sadness, I realized Ricky Byrdsong would have cared. READ THIS BOOK. It really is a wake-up call.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Where Was God?, April 18, 2002
This review is from: No Random Act: Behind the Murder of Ricky Byrdsong (Paperback)
... Ricky Byrdsong is a Christian martyr, gunned down because he was such a vibrant, courageous,
witnessing Christian. Dave and Neta Jackson have done a great job in making the testimony of
his life available to us all in their latest book, No Random Act. Ben Smith, the man who shot him, didn't know who Ricky was. Ben was on a hate crimes
shooting spree and Ricky just happened to be one of many who became his target. But for the
dark spiritual powers who war against us, this-- as the book title indicates--was `No Random
Act'. Dave and Neta actually tell us two stories, both of which converge on a single event in July,
1999. One is the story of the World Church of the Creator, the white supremacist organization
to which Benjamin Smith belonged. The other is the story of Ricky Byrdsong and his wife
Sherialyn, who emerges as an incredible woman of faith. How the Jackson's managed to piece together all this complex history is truly awesome. They
take us back 70 or 80 years on both sides of this tale. The book develops with alternate chapters
devoted to one and then the other. The story is fascinating, thought-provoking and in the case of
the Byrdsong family, absolutely inspiring. This collision of good and evil forces brings us once again to some of the most profound
questions of our human experience. The crucifixion of Jesus was an event like that. Where is
God when these things happen? This story, like the story of Jesus, makes it clear that God is intimately involved. And just when
the powers of darkness think they have won a great victory, they have actually suffered a
tremendous defeat. God and Ricky Byrdsong definitely emerge victorious from this encounter. This victory was celebrated in First Presbyterian Church of Evanston, a few days after Ricky's
martyrdom as people from all churches and walks of life crowded into the sanctuary to give
thanks to God for the faithful witness of a truly great man. The story of this victory continues to unfold in the ministry of Sherialyn Byrdsong and many
others who have joined with her. This gets brief coverage at the end of No Random Act but that
of course, is the topic for another book. Ironic and tragic alike is the fact that the Church of the Creator was founded by Ben Klassen, the
alienated son of Mennonite parents. Dave and Neta trace the sad story of his life. The family
suffered at the hands of communist revolutionaries in Russia. They fled to Mexico and later
immigrated to Canada, along with many other Mennonite refugees. If you read the book you will be amazed to see how the Spirit of God prepared Ricky, Sherialyn
and the Worship Center congregation in Evanston to face this terrible confrontation. .
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It Can Happen to Anybody, June 5, 2002
This review is from: No Random Act: Behind the Murder of Ricky Byrdsong (Paperback)
The book was awesome! I couldn't put it down! It was very well written. I was also impressed with the inclusion of such detailed historical facts. It was very evident that major research went into this work. My major take away was the fact that both Ricky and Ben started off as normal children. One twist was that Ben actually was born into a very religious Mennonite family. For some reason, it seems like Ben was left on his own to develope his own philosophies. Ben was a prime target for the enemy to mold. Ricky however, didn't grow up in a Christian family (only nominally so). Though Ricky was exposed to biblical principles, he did not fully embrace those principles until later in life. The book made me realize even more how important it is to pay attention to our children as well as our neighbor's children (and everyone is our neighbor). Whenever we have a chance to share God's truths and to nurture, we need to do it. We can no longer take anything for granted. What happened to Ben can happen to anyone. Also, what happened to Ricky can happen to anyone.
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