Dear Manhattan Declaration Signers,
Supporters, and Friends,
Just as Jesus wept at the death of his
friend Lazarus, we who are our Lord’s disciples weep at the death of Chuck
Colson, our beloved friend and brother in Christ, who passed away this
afternoon. We grieve but not as those who do not know that Christ has
conquered death. We mourn the loss of a great leader but we confidently entrust
him to Jesus Christ who is our hope in both life and
death.
Chuck lived the principles of the
Manhattan Declaration long before it was drafted. When humbled by his own
failings, Chuck was born again in Christ in 1973. Only three years later, he
founded Prison Fellowship, a ministry that for more than three decades has
fulfilled Christ’s command to remember the incarcerated and share the
transforming love of Jesus with them and their families. “I could never, ever
have left prison and accomplished what has been accomplished but for God doing
it through me,” Chuck said.
In 1991 Chuck began broadcasting
BreakPoint Radio, educating Christians to understand their faith as both
personal trust and public witness, including the support of life, marriage and
religious freedom. So he called upon all who have faith in the Lord, and indeed
on all men and women of good will, to support the sanctity of life, the culture
of marriage, religious freedom and the rights of conscience.
And in 2009 the Manhattan Declaration
was born in the heart of Chuck Colson. You are among the now more than 525,000
persons who have committed themselves to this statement of conscience. Chuck
regarded the Manhattan Declaration as a vital act of Christian obedience at this
moment in history when foundational principles of our faith and culture are in
jeopardy at home and abroad.
The two of us are committed to devoting
our lives to carrying forth the vision and advancing the cause to which Chuck
gave himself with unstinted vigor. His life stands as a testimony to God’s
power to transform culture and make a difference.
Please join us in continuing to pray for
Patty and the entire Colson family. While we all deeply feel this loss, we take
heart in the welcoming words of Jesus to all who follow his commands and share
his love, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
Let us celebrate the life of Chuck
Colson – a man of integrity, fidelity, and true Christian faith whose legacy
inspires us to ever greater devotion to the principles of the Manhattan
Declaration.
Robert P. George
Timothy George
