Author: Suzanne Craig Robertson
Publisher: Morehouse Publishing
Publication Date: February 21, 2023
Length: 240 Pagest the Author
Suzanne Craig Robertson is a former legal magazine editor and bar association communicator. She holds a Master of Arts in writing and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Death Row Ministry
The story begins with Alan Robertson volunteering when representatives of the Southern Prison Ministry visited Glendale Baptist Church in Nashville, recruiting
The story begins with Alan Robertson volunteering when representatives of the Southern Prison Ministry visited Glendale Baptist Church in Nashville, recruiting
people to visit Death Row inmates. The death row inmate assigned to Mr. Robertson was Cecil Johnson.
This opportunity to serve soon included the entire Robertson family. Alan, Suzanne, and their children would write letters, accept phone calls, and visit Cecil on death row. Their relationship lasted for 15 years. Cecil Johnson was executed by the state of Tennessee on December 2, 2009.
This poignant story tells about the journey.
My Thoughts
Ms. Robertson said they went to death row to minister to Cecil, but it was soon evident that Cecil was ministering to the Robertson family.
Cecil Johnson had a strong Christian faith and maintained his innocence to the end.
Cecil Johnson had a strong Christian faith and maintained his innocence to the end.
The beauty of this book is the relationship that grew over many years. Cecil became a member of the Robertson family. It did not matter that Cecil was black and the Robertsons were white. It did not matter that Cecil grew up in an environment of extreme poverty and the Robertsons were affluent. It did not matter that Cecil was a convicted murderer.
The Robertsons did hit a few bumps in the road during their friendship with Cecil. Sometimes friends did not understand why they would associate with a murderer. The legal appeals process was long and complicated. Then there was the day of the execution.
The last several chapters tell of the days after the execution when Suzanne tried to figure out what went wrong and why Cecil did not get a fair trial in the court system. This part of the book bogged down a bit with details about lawyers, judges, and the legal system.
I am so glad this book was written and I hope it will inspire other Christians to reach out to those who are locked up and forgotten.
My Rating; 4 Stars Out Of 5
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