Chuck Colson

Almost 25 years ago, Charles W. Colson was not thinking about reaching out to prison inmates or reforming the U.S. penal system.

Charles W. Colson

In fact, this aide to president Richard Nixon was "incapable of humanitarian thought," according to the media of the mid-1970s.

Colson was known as the White House "hatchet man," a man feared by even the most powerful politicos during his four years of service to President Nixon.

When news of Colson's conversion to Christianity leaked to the press in 1973, the Boston Globe reported, "If Mr. Colson can repent of his sins, there just has to be hope for everybody."

Colson would agree. He admits he was guilty of political "dirty tricks" and willing to do almost anything for the cause of his president and his party.

In 1974, Colson entered a plea of guilty to Watergate-related charges; although not implicated in the Watergate burglary, he voluntarily pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in the Daniel Ellsberg Case.

He entered Alabama's Maxwell Prison in 1974 as a new Christian and as the first member of the Nixon administration to be incarcerated for Watergate-related charges. He served seven months of a one-to-three year sentence.

In 1976, Colson founded Prison Fellowship Ministries, which, in collaboration with churches of all confessions and denominations, has become the world's largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners, crime victims, and their families. Colson has spent the last 25 years as head of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

Colson saw early on that reconciliation among offenders, victims, their families, and communities should be a ministry of the Church. He set Prison Fellowship in place to exhort, equip, and assist the church in this ministry. That decision marshaled the involvement of the Church in prison outreach.

Colson has visited prisons throughout the U.S. and the world and has built a movement working with more than 40,000 prison ministry volunteers, with ministries in 100 countries. In the course of touring prisons worldwide, he became deeply concerned with prison conditions and the need for better access to religious programs.

Colson's personal prison experience and his frequent visits to prisons also prompted new concerns about the efficacy of the American criminal justice system and made him one of the nation's influential voices for criminal justice reform. Colson's recommendations have brought together legislators from both political parties and divergent philosophical viewpoints. In 1983, Colson established Justice Fellowship, now the nation's largest faith-based criminal justice reform group.

To help stem the cycle of crime and poverty, Prison Fellowship, under Colson's leadership, introduced Angel Tree, a program that provides Christmas presents to more than 500,000 children of inmates annually on behalf of their incarcerated parents. These simple acts of kindness have revitalized hope and reconciliation among millions of children and their families, many of whom subsist below the poverty level. Angel Tree has also launched a summer camping program, partnering with churches in eight selected areas around the country to send the children of prisoners to a Christian summer camp.

Because Colson understood that the work of changing prisoners' lives should be a global endeavor, Prison Fellowship International was formed in 1979 under his direction. It has since expanded to include national chapters in 88 countries.

Increasingly, Colson sensed God's calling to comment on the culture through the written and spoken word. He has written 20 books, which have collectively sold more than five million copies. His autobiographical book Born Again was one of the nation's best-selling books of all genres in 1976 and was made into a feature-length film.

In 1991 Colson launched a daily radio feature called "BreakPoint," a unique and well-received attempt to provide a distinct Christian worldview on everyday issues and conflicts. The program is aired daily on over 1,000 radio outlets nationwide.

Colson's commitment to the unity of the Church led to his co-authorship of a cutting-edge document "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" that significantly helped to build an important bridge between Protestants and Catholics.

His 1987 book Kingdoms in Conflict was a best-selling directive to the Christian community on the proper relationships of church and state, and it positioned Colson as a centrist evangelical voice for balanced Christian political activism.

In recognition of his work, Colson received the prestigious Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1993, donating the $1 million prize to Prison Fellowship. Colson's other awards have included the Humanitarian Award, Dominos Pizza Corporation (1991); The Others Award, The Salvation Army (1990); several honorary doctorates from various colleges and universities (1982–2000); and the Outstanding Young Man of Boston, Chamber of Commerce (1960).

In 1999, Colson and Nancy Pearcey co-authored the groundbreaking book How Now Shall We Live? challenging Christians to understand biblical faith as an entire worldview, a perspective on all of life. In this book, Colson and Pearcey argue that the great battle of the twenty-first century is a struggle between the spiritual and the secular worldviews.

In his most recent book, The Good Life, Colson reflects not only on his life in politics, prison, and ministry, but also on the lives of historical figures and ordinary people, examining what makes life worth living. He concludes that finding what is true and sacrificing ourselves to that truth lies at the heart of living a good life.

While Colson is one of the Christian community's most sought-after speakers, he has resolutely refused to establish a speaking fee. Perhaps anticipating criticism of any appearance of self-enrichment by a former Watergate figure, Colson donates all speaking honoraria and book royalties to Prison Fellowship, and accepts the salary of a mid-range ministry executive.

Despite his work critiquing the culture, Colson's heart is ever with the prisoner. He has clearly never forgotten the promise he made to his fellow inmates during his brief stay in prison: that he would "never forget those behind bars."

Chuck Colson's Biography

Present:

• Syndicated Columnist
• Author of 23 books
• International Speaker
• Radio Commentator, "BreakPoint," nationally syndicated daily broadcast

Born:

• Boston, Mass.—October 1931

Education:

• B.A., Brown University—1953
• J.D. with honors, George Washington University—1959

Vocational:

• Captain, U.S. Marine Corps—1953–55
• Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy—1955–56
• Admin. Asst. to U.S. Sen. Leverett Saltonstall (R-Mass.)—1956–61
• Partner, Gadsby and Hannah Law Firm—1961–69
• Special Counsel to President Richard M. Nixon—1969–73
• Partner, Colson and Shapiro Law Firm—1973–74
• Founder & Chairman of the Board, Prison Fellowship and Prison Fellowship International—1976–Present

Watergate:

• Served seven months of a one- to three-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to a Watergate-related charge in 1974.
• Conversion to Christianity in August 1973, documented in the book Born Again and film (produced by Avco Embassy) of the same name.
• Colson used the royalties from the book to begin Prison Fellowship, an outreach organization assisting prisoners, ex-prisoners, victims, and affected families.

Selected Honors:

• $1 million Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion—1993 (prize money donated to Prison Fellowship)
• Humanitarian Award, Dominoes Pizza Corporation—1991
• The Others Award, Salvation Army—1990
• Honorary doctorates, various colleges and universities—1982-95
• Outstanding Young Man of Boston, Chamber of Commerce—1960

Books:
Over the last 20 years, nearly 5 million copies of Chuck Colson's 23 books have been sold in the U.S. Colson donates the royalties from these books to Prison Fellowship.