Those familiar with Chuck Colson's daily BreakPoint commentaries on faith and society might not recognize the work as being that of an ex-con. But then again, Colson is no typical ex-con. From 1969-1973, Colson acted as then-President Nixon's special counsel. In an administration already known for its tough guys, Colson was the toughest. He was known as the White House "hatchet man," and the media once referred to him as "incapable of humanitarian thought." Then Colson found himself caught up in the Watergate scandal. He had helped to organize the illegal wiretapping of Democratic headquarters, and in 1973 Colson realized he was in big trouble. After some hesitation, Colson took a friend's counsel and turned to God in his moment of distress. He found something in Christianity that changed his life. Of course, outsiders had a hard time believing that the "hatchet man's" faith was genuine. When news of Colson's conversion to Christianity reached the press, the Boston Globe wrily commented, "If Mr. Colson can repent of his sins, there just has to be hope for everybody." Colson entered Alabama's Maxwell Prison in 1974 as a new Christian, and gained the vision there that led him to found Prison Fellowship Ministries in 1976 after his release. While an inmate, he promised his fellow prisoners that he would "never forget those behind bars." He fulfilled his promise by investing the royalties from his book Born Again to begin Prison Fellowship.Today there is no larger outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners, crime victims, and their families in the world than Prison Fellowship Ministries. The Christian nonprofit has more than 50,000 prison ministry volunteers in 88 nations. Its programs range from various programs for prisoners and ex-prisoners; to Justice Fellowship, aimed at reforming the criminal justice system; to Angel Tree, which annually provides more than 500,000 children of inmates with Christmas presents on behalf of their incarcerated parents. In 1991, Colson also launched a daily radio commentary called "BreakPoint," which aims to provide a Christian worldview on everyday issues. BreakPoint, which is aired daily on over 1000 radio outlets nationwide, is a Silver partner of Townhall.com. Colson has received many awards in recognition of his contributions to society. These awards include the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion (1993), Dominos Pizza Corporation's Humanitarian Award (1991), The Salvation Army's Others Award (1990), and several honorary doctorates from various colleges and universities. Colson donated the $1 million Templeton Prize to Prison Fellowship, and he consistently gives all of his speaking honoraria and book royalties to the organization as well. Today, the efforts of Nixon's former hatchet man have made a huge dent in the lives of countless prisoners and prisoners' children, and have even influenced federal criminal justice legislation. President Bush referred often to Prison Fellowship's InnerChange Freedom Initiative Program when calling for support for faith-based initiatives. The prolific conservative has also published 38 books which have captured the hearts of millions of Americans over the last 25 years. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson http://media.townhall.com/TownHall/icons/TH-feed-icon-128x128.gif http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson TownHall.com, Where your opinion counts. 128 Copyright (c) 2008 Townhall.com, A Salem Communications Web. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED jim.dearras@townhall.com (Jim De Arras) Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:01:00 GMT Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:01:00 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ It is easy to grow weary over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As for me, a former Marine, I ache for the families of the men and women who have paid the ultimate price. But I also know why our military personnel are... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/07/04/pray_for_the_liberators 96582a68-787e-40a2-ab0d-a49791f9e408 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:01:00 GMT This week, America celebrates another birthday. Americans are hoisting their flags, marching in parades, and setting off fireworks. I get a thrill every time I hear the band strike up "The Stars and Stripes Forever."... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/07/03/the_source_of_liberty f5af7444-302f-4127-8980-735755203ce2 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:01:00 GMT Alice Walker, best known as the author of the novel The Color Purple, is one of the most renowned feminist authors and activists of her generation. She is also a mother, and that fact brought her public and private... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/06/27/the_legacy_of_radical_feminism 212c51de-2367-468c-90d8-4aa73dcd0765 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:18:17 GMT In early June, the German television network ARD aired a film called "God and the World: The Persecuted Children of God." The "children" referred to are Iraq's largest Christian community: the Assyrians. While any... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/06/23/a_difficult_place_for_christians 4352bc5e-83ab-4de7-9e8b-15b2f02bd8cc Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:55:43 GMT If you follow the financial news, you have probably heard the phrase, "Stocks were up (or down) on news that . . ." The "news" that is referred to is always something having to do with some government economic report,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/06/10/demographic_winter_and_the_economy a08036e8-12ad-4ac1-bffd-20c2ada8f27e Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT Some years ago, in a Firing Line interview with Bill Buckley, I argued for criminal justice reform. The moderator, Mort Kondracke-who then considered himself a liberal-was astonished. He stammered, "You want prison... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/06/05/dwarves_on_the_shoulders_of_giants 8223d79a-d8f3-4da2-8ff7-6e9df9c7a87b Thu, 05 Jun 2008 04:01:00 GMT Where is God amidst the horrors of war? How do soldiers keep their faith in God's goodness amidst the suffering and slaughter of battle? American soldiers and sailors, airmen and Marines have asked questions like... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/05/26/where_is_god_in_wartime bd9d88d4-ecb5-4b19-b8f6-0d9090f1407c Mon, 26 May 2008 04:01:00 GMT In a recent issue of the New York Times, respected columnist David Brooks described how what he calls a "revolution in neuroscience" is shaping "how people see the world." I agree with him-up to a point. What Brooks... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/05/21/neuroscience_and_god 607dd53c-d653-427f-ab61-aff1eabee102 Wed, 21 May 2008 04:01:00 GMT A decision by the California Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional any ban on gay "marriage" is sending shock waves across the nation. The 4-3 decision announced Thursday not only legalizes gay "marriage" in the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/05/16/overturning_californias_gay_marriage_ban 03e41255-2d4b-465f-891c-66dc5a4b5807 Fri, 16 May 2008 19:39:27 GMT With each passing day, the news from Myanmar-that is, Burma-gets worse: As of Sunday, May 11, nearly 300,000 people were reported as dead or missing. The United Nations estimated "that between 1.2 million and 1.9... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/05/15/their_own_private_apocalypse a387e6e5-d6c4-4df0-a603-d9fcb6f7b37f Thu, 15 May 2008 04:01:00 GMT Biofuels are one of the major reasons you and I are paying more for groceries these days. For most of us, it is just an inconvenience. For many around the world, however, it is a catastrophe. Last week, United Nations... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/05/07/crime_and_ethanol bb3e60b7-17d8-4d6b-8559-f9bd2d088838 Wed, 07 May 2008 04:01:00 GMT David Woodward is a political science professor at Clemson University-one who has first-hand experience on how dangerous it can be to speak out in favor of traditional values: He almost lost his job over it. In 1993,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/05/01/why_we're_losing_our_right_to_speak_out 44055f51-19fe-4ddd-bc34-5aa27d25b993 Thu, 01 May 2008 04:01:00 GMT In mid-April, Italian voters returned former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to power. Election post-mortems focused on what Berlusconi would do about the economy, crime, and Italy's illegal immigration... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/04/25/no_thanks_italy_and_abortion 245a3cad-9646-44e9-9360-e79d8801f15f Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:01:00 GMT A crowd of students was studying in a rabbinical seminary library in Jerusalem last month when a gunman opened fire. Seven Israelis and one American were killed, nine others wounded. Before their blood had dried on the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/04/18/israels_exposed_flank b871d3b0-e2eb-47ae-a0dc-b77017c59913 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:01:00 GMT