Change is Possible

Professional therapists always believe that it is possible for a person to change. We see this in many of our clients. I was recently reminded of how extensive those changes can be following the passing of Chuck Colson.

An Associated Press article in the April 22 edition of the Wausau Daily Herald identified Colson as “ the tough-as-nails special counsel to President Richard Nixon who went to prison for his role in a Watergate-related case…(he) was known as the ‘evil genius” of the Nixon administration who once said that he’d walk over his grandmother to get the president elected to a second term.”

Colson, after a Christian religious conversion, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and served seven months in prison. After his release, he founded Prison Fellowship (1976), which has had an enormous impact in reaching tens of thousands of inmates and their families. The “Angel Tree” program to provided Christmas presents to children of inmates and enjoyed tremendous success locally and nationwide. In 1993, he was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in recognition of his invaluable contributions to American religion. He also established the Colson Center for Christian Worldview to equip others to “…live the Christian Life more effectively and to be a more effective witness.” I listened to Chuck regularly on his BreakPoint radio broadcast where he commented on our culture from a Christian worldview for over 20 years. I was also fortunate to hear his inspirational presentations at three major national conferences.

Dr. Richard Land, President of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention stated that, "Perhaps Chuck Colson's most lasting legacy will be the Manhattan Declaration. Chuck was absolutely essential in bringing together evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox religious leaders to hammer out an eloquent statement of common ground on three issues critical to people of faith in America: the sanctity of life; the institution of marriage; and religious freedom. This seminal document, already signed by more than half a million American Christians, will continue to rise in importance and influence as these issues escalate in controversy in our society… In a way, Chuck Colson was, like a late 20th-century Apostle Paul, radically transformed by his Damascus Road experience with Jesus Christ."

Yes, indeed, change is possible and Chuck Colson can serve as an inspiration for all of us.



Lee Webster BS, MSW, LCSW, BCD