"LANSDOWNE, Va., April 21, 2012— Evangelical Christianity lost one of its most eloquent and influential voices today with the death of Charles W. “Chuck” Colson. The Prison Fellowship and Colson Center for Christian Worldview founder died at 3:12 p.m. on Saturday from complications resulting from a brain hemorrhage. Colson was 80.
A Watergate figure who emerged from the country’s worst political scandal, a vocal Christian leader and a champion for prison ministry, Colson spent the last years of his life in the dual role of leading Prison Fellowship, the world’s largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families, and the Colson Center, a teaching and training center focused on Christian worldview thought and application."Mr. Colson had undergone surgery in March to remove a blood clot and was recuperating when his health took a turn for the worse. The official cause of death was complications resulting from a brain hemorrhage.
Predictably, many of the dead tree media headline 'watergate felon,' or 'Nixon hatchet man' - devoting hundreds of words rehashing Colson's roll in the ill-fated Nixon White House, with only a small concession to 'evangelical,' or 'born again' in their reports. But that's typical. Also typical, the liberal blogs are full of their usual hate and venom toward this energetic and faithful servant of Christ. The concept of redemption and forgiveness seem totally foreign to these people.
“He transferred his huge drive, intellect and maniacal energy from the service of Richard Nixon to the service of Jesus Christ,” said his biographer, Jonathan Aitken, a former British government minister who endured a similar journey of political disgrace and personal redemption following a 1999 conviction for perjury."Of the many books by Chuck Colson, I was most impacted by 'The Good Life', co-written with Harold Fickett and published in 2005. No matter your opinion of Colson, I highly recommend this book. It is apologetics at its finest. Colson and Fickett utilize anecdotes and 'kitchen table' language, bolstered by Scripture, as an insight into the universal Truth of Christian theology and its application for successful Christian life.
“One of the most wonderful things about being a Christian is that I don’t ever get up in the morning and wonder if what I do matters. I live every day to the fullest because I can live it through Christ and I know no matter what I do today, I’m going to do something to advance the Kingdom of God.”- Charles Colson (1931- 2012)Semper fidelis. God bless you, Sir. Rest in Peace.
