Contact: Patricia Swindle, 630-752-5714, [email protected]
CHUCK COLSON TO ADDRESS WHEATON'S CLASS OF 2000
Leading Christian author and commentator Charles W. Colson will speak to graduates and their families at Commencement ceremonies May 6 and 7 at Wheaton College.
On Saturday the 134 graduates of the Graduate school will hear him speak about "The Corruption of Conscience." On Sunday he will share with 550 graduating seniors his views on "The Christian Mind in the New Millennium."
Both ceremonies will take place in Edman Memorial Chapel and will begin at 3:00 p.m. They will be broadcast locally on WETN radio (88.1 FM) and televised on Wheaton Community Cable, Channel 62. They also may be viewed on the Wheaton College Web site at www.wheaton.edu.
Dr. Colson founded Prison Fellowship Ministries in 1976 after serving seven months in prison on Watergate-related charges. Today PFM is the largest prison outreach and criminal justice organization in the world. Its 50,000 volunteers and 400 staff in all 50 states support the efforts of prisoners and ex-prisoners to reject crime and become contributing members of their families and communities.
Dr. Colson presented the papers of this organization to the Archives of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College in 1984, along with his personal papers dating to his days as Special Counsel to President Richard M. Nixon White (1969-73). He visited Wheaton again in 1988 to deliver the commencement address to graduating seniors.
He received his undergraduate degree from Brown University in 1953, then completed the J.D. with honors at George Washington University in 1959.
He is the holder of numerous honorary degrees and distinguished service awards, including the $1 million Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion which he received in 1993. He accepted this award on behalf of Prison Fellowship and added it to Prison Fellowship's Endowment Fund.
An international speaker and radio commentator of note, he is also the author of 15 popular books, five million copies of which have sold over the past 20 years. These include Born Again, A Practical View of Christianity, A Dangerous Grace, and How Now Shall We Live?
"Chuck Colson brings a timely message for our graduates and all others who earnestly strive to integrate their faith with their professional calling," said Wheaton College president Dr. Duane Litfin. "He understands education's key role in this process." Dr. Litfin will introduce Dr. Colson at both ceremonies.
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