The Colson Way by Owen Strachan

This book is about the example and legacy left by Chuck Colson to the Christian community, weaving together the story of Colson’s life and work with the exhortation to particularly young evangelicals to take up the causes and course of action laid out before them by Colson. Chuck Colson’s life was a fascinating one, where a gifted man, through ability and assertiveness rose to the pinnacle of power in the Nixon White House and then crashed to the bottom of the heap by way of Watergate. Colson was imprisoned in on of the most ignominious falls from grace in recent American history. But before Colson went to prison, he heard the gospel and came into a personal relationship with Jesus. After serving his sentence, Colson was called to work with prisoners, bringing the gospel to them. Prison Fellowship began, growing into a global ministry to which Colson dedicated the rest of his life. In addition to this broad calling, Colson deeply believed in what the author describes as engaging in discourse in the public square, defining and defending traditional biblical beliefs. Strachan gives a good summary of Colson’s life and then issues a call, mainly aimed at the millennial generation, to enter into the public square, continuing the discourse. The book is well written, although at times it belabors the summary of Colson’s effectiveness. The last chapter, though, is a masterpiece of writing, a call to arms for this generation to engage with and address current American culture. I would recommend this book to others. It is thought provoking and inspiring. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.