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WASHINGTON—When President Richard Nixon's knee-capper went to prison after pleading guilty to a Watergate-related crime, he touched off one of the most compelling stories of conversion and a redeemed life in the modern American church. Charles Colson, 80, hovered near death in Fairfax, Va., as WORLD went to press April 19. "It is with a heavy, but hopeful heart that I share with you that it appears our friend, brother, and founder will soon be home with the Lord," wrote Prison Fellowship CEO Jim Liske in an April 18 message, as his wife and children gathered at his bedside. Colson...

Chuck Colson, a Watergate-era “hatchet man” for President Richard Nixon who became an influential evangelical leader after serving time in prison, died Saturday afternoon, according to his website. He was 80. Colson suffered a brain hemorrhage in late March. Colson was the first Nixon aide to be convicted of Watergate-related charges in the 1972 scandal. After a short prison sentence, he reinvented himself as a Christian leader and founded Prison Fellowship, which calls itself “the world’s largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families,” with a presence in 113 countries. According to his official biography, Colson “admits he was guilty...

It seems as though I was wrong in my assumption that "the support of Christians is not something that can be brokered". Unless - we are wrong about what it means to -BE- a Christian. For the past several years of America’s decline, I have seen world events through a different prism. It is as though world events contain clear symbolism. It is as though God is warning us but we are not listening. We were founded on Christian principles. The Bible itself is quoted in our founding documents more than Montesquieu, Blackstone or Lock. Yet the Republican Party –...

Chuck Colson, the evangelical leader who dedicated his life to ministering to convicts after serving time himself in prison and coming to know God, has died. He was 80. Colson was hospitalized March 30 after having trouble getting through a speech at a "Breaking the Spiral of Silence" conference in Virginia. Doctors found a brain hemorrhage, and he underwent surgery to remove a pool of clotted blood. Following the surgery, Colson's health see-sawed from stable to worse, and he remained in ICU. Wednesday, Christian leaders who knew Colson well urged prayer because he "may soon be with the Lord." Colson...

LANSDOWNE, Va., April 18, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Jim Liske, CEO of Prison Fellowship Ministries, gave the following update this morning to the staff and supporters of Prison Fellowship, Justice Fellowship, and the Colson Center for Christian Worldview: “Dear Friends: It is with a heavy, but hopeful heart that I share with you that it appears our friend, brother, and founder will soon be home with the Lord. Chuck’s condition took a decided turn yesterday, and the doctors advised Patty and the family to gather by his bedside.

For the first time in 34 years, Chuck Colson won’t be in a prison for Easter. The famous Watergate figure and Christian convert usually spends the day ministering to prisoners, but is recovering from surgery to remove a blood clot on his brain. Colson, 80, is a giant of our time. He is a reminder of the true meaning of redemption, a concept that has been debased in our Tilt-a-Whirl media culture that can’t distinguish between notoriety and fame. In contemporary America, redemption begins sometime between the first check-in into rehab and the first cable-TV interview, and reaches completion when...

WASHINGTON, DC, April 4, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Evangelical leader and frequent life and family spokesman Chuck Colson is in critical condition in hospital after undergoing surgery this weekend. He was hospitalized Friday after enduring a brain hemorrhage while speaking in Virginia at the Wilberforce Conference. Colson underwent surgery on Saturday morning to remove a pool of clotted blood on the surface of his brain. Colson became ill while speaking at the Wilberforce Weekend conference on Friday night. “We believe that we serve a mighty God - the ‘Great Physician’ - and are hoping and praying for Chuck’s full recovery....

Chuck Colson Reacts to Obama’s “Compromise” on Required Abortion Care for Church Employees DeMossNews.com "The president's announcement does not take religious liberty off the front burner," said Colson Center and Prison Fellowship Founder Chuck Colson. BreakPoint, Colson Center for Christian Worldview and Prison Fellowship Founder Chuck Colson issued the following statement today regarding President Obama's proposed policy changes to the Affordable Care Act to accommodate religious liberty: "While I'm glad the Obama Administration says that it is willing to address the issue of exempting religious organizations from the HHS mandate on abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, and sterilization, I still have grave...

Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney may face even more opposition regarding his faith if he becomes the GOP nominee, according to polls and several interviews by the Huffington Post. The staunchest opposition against Romney because of his faith came from Rev. Robert Jeffress, who is the spiritual leader for the largest church in Texas. Jeffress, a supporter of GOP contender Rick Perry, called Mormonism a “cult,” and Perry – along with many Christian conservatives – publicly rebuked him. According to new polls and information from Evangelical leaders, Christian views might change if Romney is chosen as Obama’s adversary in 2012. Rev....

Amazing Grace (2007, PG) William Wilberforce's longsuffering pursuit to end the British slave trade, inspired by his Christian faith and the encouragement of his mentor, John Newton. Chariots of Fire (1981, PG) Inspiring story of a young Scottish runner who is willing to put obedience to God before an Olympic gold medal. A Man for All Seasons (1966, G) The inspiring story of Sir Thomas More, the 16th century Chancellor of England who was beheaded by Henry VIII because he would not compromise his beliefs. More is played by Paul Scofield, whose last lines in the film are: "I die...

You heard a lot this election season about cutting taxes. Well in one case, I may be for raising them. Politicians are always talking about taxes. Some of them want to “soak” the rich; others want to raise “sin” taxes on alcohol and cigarettes. But I can think of one “consumer item” we’ll never see a tax on: sex. But maybe we should. Sex—the wrong kind of sex, that is—is driving up the cost of government. In a recent column, marriage expert Mike McManus explores the high cost of out-of-wedlock sex. For instance, over 7 million American couples live together....

At the risk of giving Richard Dawkins a heart attack, there’s one man Ken Clarke, the Justice Secretary, really ought to meet, and he’s Chuck Colson. The former Nixon advisor, who went to jail for his involvment in the Watergate scandal, has spent decades promoting evangelical Christianity to American prisoners. And it’s very clear that his work has cut crime. In Texas, for example, reoffending dropped from 55 per cent to eight per cent for those who took part in his InnerChange prison programme. Officials are effusive with praise. Joan Fabian, the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections said:...

Jews have one. Catholics have one. Do Mormons need an independent anti-defamation group... -- I suppose Latter-day Saints shouldn't be too surprised the latest put-down from Chuck Colson, leader of the Prison Fellowship. Ironically, it was as he and leaders of Christian groups announced a new "civility covenant." When a reporter asked if the covenant should include Glenn Beck, CNN reported Colson saying that the document: "Wouldn't apply to Glenn Beck because we're talking about the conversation in the family of believers ... Glenn Beck is a Mormon." CNN continues: "Many Christians don't consider Mormons -- members of the Church...

A group of more than 100 prominent Christians ranging from evangelical minister Jim Wallis on the political left to...Chuck Colson on the right released a document Thursday calling for an end to the fight club tone of the national political discourse. ...the "Civility Covenant"...says...churches have too often "reflected the political divisions of our culture rather than the unity we have in the body of Christ." SNIP ...the covenant...has 114 signatories from a broad swath of Christian traditions, including the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, the head of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and the general superintendent of...

If you ask people who Saint Patrick was, you're likely to hear that he was an Irishman who chased the snakes out of Ireland. It may surprise you to learn that the real Saint Patrick was not actually Irish—yet his robust faith changed the Emerald Isle forever. Patrick was born in Roman Britain to a middle-class family in about A.D. 390. When Patrick was a teenager, marauding Irish raiders attacked his home. Patrick was captured, taken to Ireland, and sold to an Irish king, who put him to work as a shepherd. In his excellent book, How the Irish Saved...

"I've come to you this morning with a topic that probably in an earlier age would have sounded a little bit absurd. And that’s the question of whether character matters, whether it has anything to do with public service. Now even as recently as a generation ago, probably no one would give a commencement talk on that address to educated people -- people getting their degree -- because education was considered to be not only the acquisition of knowledge, but the formation of moral character. That’s what education was all about." ..."Twenty-five years ago this summer, I was converted to...

More than 150 Christian leaders, most of them conservative evangelicals and traditionalist Roman Catholics, issued a joint declaration Friday reaffirming their opposition to abortion and gay marriage and pledging to protect religious freedoms. The 4,700-word document, called "The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience," sounds familiar themes from political and social debates over the health care overhaul and gay marriage battles. While acknowledging that "Christians and our institutions have too often scandalously failed to uphold the institution of marriage," the group rejects same-sex marriage. The declaration states that opening a legal door for gay marriage would do the same...

A formidable coalition of 150 Catholic, Orthodox and evangelical leaders are calling on Christians in a new manifesto to reject secular authority – and even engage in civil disobedience – if laws force them to accept abortion, same-sex marriage and other ideas that betray their religious beliefs. On Friday, these leaders released a 4,700-word document – called the "The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience." The document was signed by leaders ranging from evangelical leader Chuck Colson to two of the leading Catholic prelates in the U.S., Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C. and Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New...

Conservative Christian leaders unveiled a declaration Friday calling on Christians not to comply with rules and laws forcing them to accept abortion, same-sex marriage and other ideals that go against their religious doctrines. The declaration urges Christians to practice civil disobedience to defend their convictions, even though some signers of the document backed away from the strong language. The Catholic Archbishop of Washington, Donald W. Wuerl, was among the first signers of the Manhattan Declaration. He appeared at a news conference in the District on Friday to announce it, even as the Church was considering a city-proposed compromise on its...

We, as Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians, have gathered, beginning in New York on September 28, 2009, to make the following declaration, which we sign as individuals, not on behalf of our organizations, but speaking to and from our communities. We act together in obedience to the one true God, the triune God of holiness and love, who has laid total claim on our lives and by that claim calls us with believers in all ages and all nations to seek and defend the good of all who bear his image.... While the whole scope of Christian moral concern, including...