Remembering Colson as merely a "Watergate figure" is like remembering Lincoln as a congressman who promoted the containment of slavery to the southern states

For the generation of my parents and grandparents the Watergate scandal was a pivotal event to their world view. This past weekend, news outlets reporting on Charles Colson’s death did so with the headline, “Watergate figure dead at 80.”

As a Christ-follower, and someone who has benefitted from Colson’s ministry and leadership I find that headline odd and misleading. It’s like remembering the Apostle Paul as the chief persecutor of the early church or remembering Abraham Lincoln as the congressman to oppose the expanse of slavery into new U.S. territories but advocating its continued practice in the southern states. As a young Christian I read Colson’s autobiography, Born Again. There, and in what I would imagine to be thousands of interviews since, he’s been open and honest about the crimes he committed as an aid to the president.

The reality is that Colson’s truest identity, like all who trust in Christ, is not determined by his crimes or sins. 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (ESV) 2 ½ years ago I heard Charles Colson speak at a pastor’s conference at Liberty University. As he spoke it did not cross my mind that Colson had at one time been a trusted aid to the president of the United States. Or that he was a convicted felon. Rather, I and those in attendance with me sought to learn from a godly man who had walked with Christ faithfully for decades.

A couple of weeks ago Colson gave what would become his last speech at the Wilberforce Weekend Conference. You can read or listen to that speech here.