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Unless you’ve been living under a rock–or avoiding the major news outlets–the last few days, you likely know that Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges this week.  Those familiar with Illinois/Chicago politics have probably given this little more than a shoulder shrug and a “So what’s new?”.  We already have the previous governor serving time here.  Barack Obama believes Blagojevich should step down (even while possible ties between the Obama team and Blagojevich are under consideration, though the federal case does not charge Obama with any wrongdoing).  What a mess.

In the midst of all the punditry and commentary, I stumbled upon this essay by Chuck Colson.  Colson served in the Nixon administration and went to prison for playing a part in the Watergate scandal.  Interestingly, Colson says he “never regretted” his time in prison.  It was during that transforming time that he became a follower of Jesus Christ and renounced the self-indulgence and pride that led him to make the poor decisions that ultimately resulted in his downfall.  After his release from prison, however, Colson founded Prison Fellowship Ministry in 1976, a non-profit volunteer organization that serves prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families.  Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by this ministry.  Last year alone, almost 440,000 children were assigned to churches through the ministry’s annual Angel Tree program.  The Angel Tree program helps ensure that the children of prisoners receive gifts at Christmas.

Colson concludes his essay in this way:

If Blagojevich is guilty, the best thing that could happen to him is to be tried and convicted. He’s going to have to reach rock bottom — just as I did — before he will be able to escape his own prison of pride, self-delusion and self-righteousness. But that’s a transformation we can never accomplish on our own. I can vouch for the fact that human pride is simply too strong.

Chuck Colson’s encounter with God brought about change that in turn has changed the lives of thousands of people.  Could Rod Blagojevich’s disgraced political career be redeemed by a similar transformation?

Filed under: Everything Else by Michael