Sunday, April 22, 2012

Chuck Colson, RIP

While the web is filled with commentary on his passing, see especially a tribute from Christianity Today to Chuck Colson, the Nixon-era dirty trickster turned prison evangelist and reformer, who died last week of a brain hemorrhage. Cynics often pooh-pooh jailhouse conversions, and Colson's in particular has been derided by liberals for decades. But the prison stint served for his Watergate-related crimes transformed the compiler of Nixon's "Enemies List" into a pioneer of the conservative justice reform agenda whose influence will long outlive him. Whether one agreed with his theology or political views, without Chuck Colson, Grits certainly doubts the nascent Right on Crime effort could ever have materialized. May he rest in peace.

2 comments:

John C. Key MD said...

I am in prison medicine today because of Colson, whether that is good or bad. As Grits pointed out, any support from right-of-center for criminal justice reform can be directly credited to Colson's work.

Shakespeare wrote that the evil men do in their lives live after them, the good is oft interred with their bones. I don't think there is any chance that Colson's good influences will be buried with him.

Prison Doc

TedByrd said...

There was not a tougher meaner son of a bitch in the Nixon white house than Colson- his epiphany was real, and the good he did is a testimony to the redemptive power of God's grace- as a mature reader of Grits, I look at the presidents in our recent past and, frankly, have moments where I rather miss Nixon- he was wacky, no doubt, but was also a substantive and strategic thinker-as always, Grits, thanks for the consistently good articles