Customer Reviews

Born Again (Colson, Charles)

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It's been 30 years since the events of Watergate started making history. A whole generation has grown up largely unaware, I suspect, of the significance of those events. I've followed Chuck Colson's work and writing almost since the beginning of Prison Fellowship and have developed a tremendous respect for the man. But only recently have I bothered to go back and read this book which tells how it all got started. I should not have waited so long.

This is the very inspiring and honest story of Colson's early career as chief counsel, confidant and friend to President Richard Nixon. As an insider, he gives his own account of the Watergate scandal and an honest confession of his own wrongdoings. This is also the story about how God can change the life of a man caught up in the corrupting influence of political power and bring great good out of evil. Since he was not directly involved in the Watergate doings, Colson probably could have easily avoided being convicted and sent to prison. But his encounter with Jesus Christ and conversion to Christianity strengthened his conscience and led him to plead guilty to an unrelated crime that he did commit. He went to prison and saw a different side of the "law and order" society that the Nixon Administration sought to promote. Even through the fear and despair of those times, the power of God became even more evident to Chuck Colson while in prison.

This is an amazing account of how a life submitted to Jesus Christ can reconcile enemies, create strong bonds of friendship, and heal terrible wounds in the hearts of both the rich and powerful and the poor and helpless. It's wonderful to read. If this book has an impact on you, then you will also want to read its sequel, "Life Sentence".

Born Again is a somewhat trite title, but the contents of the book are not so. There are so many biographies out there that are lists of events and facts that surround a person; this is not one of them. Colson explains to you what is happening in his mind and heart. It is not merely a book about his conversion, it is the story of the changing of his heart.

Throughout the story, you see the power of God working, not only in Colson, but in the lives of the people around him. I sometimes wonder if Colson painted too bright a picture of the Christians he met like Doug Coe and Tom Phillips, but even if he did, those lights are surely what Colson saw in the midst of his darkness. The changing power of God was evident in them in this work, as was the power in him. Also evident was the power of Christian community that is often lacking in the church. Hughes' offering that the bonds of Christianity overrided their political separation and that he would be willing to give Chuck anything and trust him with it was a powerful statement.

I read this book years ago and found it good. Having grown and come back to reread it, I found it better. It is very much worth reading.

If ever a gust of fresh air wafted out of the smog of Watergate, the story of Christ coming into the life of Chuck Colson has to be part of it. I loved this book. It is a simple, quick, and uplifting read. Colson rejected a full scholarship to Harvard on a matter of principle, and his grittiness, perseverance, and humbling transformation shine as examples of God's artistic handiwork. As other readers have mentioned, Colson is extremely forthright and honest, both in recounting his pre-Christian mentality and his post-conversion weaknesses. He does so to the point of making himself vulnerable and willingly so. I so much appreciate that decision, as I am sure do many others. He details the "obvious" at the risk of seeming simplistic, if only because those simple observations stuck with him and impacted him. One clear example can be found upon his entry to the prison at Maxwell Air Base: "Not only were all uniforms the same drab brown; so were the expressions on the faces. Something strange here. Then it struck me--no one was smiling." This is a fine book and worth reading. One final excerpt to encourage you: "My new friend then handed me a copy of the Phillips version of the New Testament, inscribed: To Charles--It is better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail--God bless you! Doug. Matthew 6:33. How those words were to haunt and lead me in the days to come!"

. . . as readers of my reviews have probably figured out. I have been familiar with this book for many years, but only recently have I taken the time to sit down and read it through.

"Born Again" is an honest and forthright admission of sinfulness and forgiveness, tracing Mr. Colson's path through Watergate and prison to the freedom in Christ he now enjoys.

To the best of my recollection, this is the first book to be published by one of the "Watergate figures". Magruder's book came out shortly afterward, and Haldeman wrote two (contradictory) books on the subject. I wonder if the Charles Colson of 2005 would view the events of 1972-1974 as the Charles Colson of 1976 did. I wonder if he would have made some of the same choices now as he did as a brand-new Christian (with a great deal of guilt on his conscience).

Regardless, both as an "insider's account" of the Nixon White House, and as a testimony of how Christ can change a life, "Born Again" is definitely worth a read.

This book is timeless. What transpired in the Nixon era is no different than what surely happens with every administration: legal issues, political adversaries, government policy and more. When you finish it, the odds are great that you'll want to pass it on to a friend!

Colson does not try to hide any of his sins from you. He tells the whole truth about how he turned from being Nixon's "Hatchet Man" to a follower of Christ. It shows that even in the hardest time's, God will prevail.

Charles Colson produced this book and it has become a classic. My mother doesn't like political books... is fascinated by it. Colson shows his initial path from a USMC person to a Christian person. He doesn't gloss over the sordid details of what he did or why he did them. As the subsequent years have shown, his conversion was both real and inspiring.

Chuck Colson details his rise and fall, during his association with the Nixon Administration as the Watergate drama unfolded. Colson's pain reflects that of the nation during this awful period in our history, and his conversion to Christianity is all the more gripping because of this. A great read, Colson takes the reader inside the Nixon White House, the courts, and the jails as he describes his very personal and moving experiences.

Chuck Colson never tries to hide the truth about what happened nor about the people in the book. But he helps us love everyone involved and see everything through the perspective of faith in God.

This is the self-told story of the complete bottoming out of a man, his search for truth, the rebuilding of that same man by God and his fitness for service in the Kingdom. Having a friend who this spoke volumes to who, at this writing is incarcerated, I can speak from first hand experience that God is the master, and it is He that broke Colson, built him back into a useable man and has equipped him to impact the sin-natured world, one heart at a time. In 1 Samuel I get the question of being useful vs. being useable by God. This is the story of one man's trek from pre-useful to useful and to useable. !!!