Bishop Jakes on Chuck Colson

"Rare is the individual who, at the pinnacle of success, knowingly speaks a truth that results in his own debasement, when silence could have meant escape. Rarer still, is a man who descends like Joseph from the hallowed halls of power to the basest posture of the prisoner for the sake of his faith. Charles Colson is such a man. He left us on April 21.

It is with deep sadness that we mourn Chuck Colson, whose public misfortune resulted in worldwide advocacy on behalf of the incarcerated. He embodied the very definition of redemption while giving voice to a silent underserved population. He brought the message of Christ to the downtrodden. We will miss his tireless labor and service to 'the least of these.'

I am personally grateful that he used his time behind bars as the impetus behind Prison Fellowship and forever changed the 'lock 'em and leave 'em' approach to the prison system; that he delivered daily commentary over the radio airwaves with "BreakPoint" to remind us of the simple truths; that he advocated relentlessly in the defense of Christianity as he saw it through the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview and never backed down from the fight in the face of fierce opposition.    
 
While we may never celebrate the fallen White House operative, we will forever laud a faithful servant who rose from the fires of adversity and changed the face of the justice system for generations to come. He is a man about whom we may say, 'Well done!' "

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Bishop T.D. Jakes is the pastor of The Potter's House in Dallas.