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) 2009 Townhall.com, A Salem Communications Web. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED jim.dearras@townhall.com (Jim De Arras) Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ To the surprise of some political commentators and observers, abortion has emerged as an important issue in this year's elections. Despite the talk about the "broadening" of moral concerns on the part of Christian... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/09/10/politicians,_theology,_and_abortion c98839e4-7b09-4e12-b3dc-886b422f7d14 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Last week, 40 million TV viewers watched Barack Obama become the first African-American nominee of a major political party. And 24 hours later, Republican candidate John McCain set the political world on its ear by... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/09/03/clashing_worldviews 33c5e4e4-5b08-4950-a576-c89072a82f13 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:07:50 GMT There is a fascinating website called "Long Bets." There, people-usually experts-make specific predictions that will come true by a specific date. If somebody disagrees, the parties make a bet, with the proceeds going... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/09/02/cruel_to_be_kind ff7862f5-6d0d-4a76-a8f6-20446356c613 Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:41:30 GMT If you have been watching the Olympics, you cannot help but be awed by the strength, speed, and skill of Olympic athletes. Take Michael Phelps, the phenomenal American swimmer who took gold in event after event. Or Dara... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/08/19/reinventing_man 45013074-cf12-4b25-8468-fe62efe34475 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:01:00 GMT A lot of people have asked me what I think about when I remember back to that hot, humid August night in 1973 when Tom Phillips, then the president of the Raytheon Company, witnessed to me in his home. I left his house... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/08/12/thirty-five_years_in_the_light f20272e3-2d60-444b-a852-760e4db73a5d Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:01:00 GMT Presidents can say the strangest things in front of an open microphone, especially if he thinks the mic is not on. Take President Reagan's famous quip back in 1984, when he said shortly before his weekly radio address,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/07/29/tipsy_on_wall_street b261a58c-f6c3-449e-90f0-778aff5ad6b7 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:41:40 GMT How is this for irony? Recent actions by Canadian human rights groups have observers alarmed for the state of human rights in Canada. That is because the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the British Columbia Human... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/07/21/whats_the_matter_with_canada 478e1586-191b-451b-bf05-11c399623d8b Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:05:36 GMT According to a recent Reuters report, a leading Senate Democrat "would consider supporting opening up new areas for offshore oil and gas drilling." Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), the majority whip, said that,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/07/16/oil_and_the_poor 07a45a61-e1fc-4d84-8d41-044a1a953b84 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:01:00 GMT A few years ago, a good friend of mine decided to buy an old country campground, enlarge it, restore it, and invite inner-city children to use it. It was, for him, the beginning of a nightmare that would last for... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2008/07/07/government_at_its_worst 72b25490-50ff-4e0a-aa48-5150bcf56266 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 04:01:00 GMT 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