Upon learning of Richard Nixon’s enemies list, Vice-President Gerald Ford said, “anyone who needs a list to keep track of their enemies has too many enemies.” The man who created the list and then used it as a list of people for the president to get even with, died earlier this month: his name was Charles Colson.
Colson was, in a lot of ways, the modern day Apostle Paul. He spent the first half of his life screaming about the bad guys and the last half of his life spending hundreds of teaching and ministering in prisons. Who was Charles Colson?
He was born Charles Wendell Colson in October 1931 and after receiving a B.A. from Brown University in 1953, became a Captain in the Marine Corp. He never got to hang out with what I would call ‘Blue Collar’ until 1973, he was always an officer, or a partner in a law firm, or as was the case in Washington, Special Counsel for the President. The title meant that he would go to the White House with Nixon in 1969 and just be paid for hanging out with the guy, which BTW, is the ONLY way I would have hung out with Nixon.
It was Watergate that ended one life and began the start of his real one.
I have always tried to see something beneficial that happened in every presidential administration. To be honest, there are some I am studying with a microscope in hopes of finding something. In the Nixon case, it was Colson.
He came from a very puritanical background and was absolutely convinced he was incorruptible. The 205 days he spent in prison convinced him otherwise.
His other life began in 1973 as he awaited sentencing. A friend gave him a copy of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. As he read, Colson began to see his arrogance, his piety, his sin. He was to have served up to 7 year sentence, but it was commuted. That was the first example of God working in my Brother Chuck’s life. He promised his fellow prisoners he would not forget them and thus began, in 1976, Prison Fellowship Ministries.
For 37 years, Colson ministered to the prisoners, telling his stories, letting them know that we are all sinners, but also that we are all forgiven.
He also over the years wrote 30 books. I know that Colson was a lawyer, but he explained theology better than more theologians. His thought process was a lot like mine, so his conclusions gave me a few “well, Duh,” moments and have brought me along in my faith.
Charles Colson, thank you for your work for the Kingdom. I’ll thank you in person later.
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