wfn.org | Colson urges Pro-Life group to light a candle against the darkness

[PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org]

30-June-1996 
 
GA96021 
 
 
    Colson urges Pro-Life group to light a candle against the darkness 
 
    Charles Colson urged listeners to light one candle against a world 
declining into chaotic moral darkness as he spoke to an enthusiastic and 
responsive crowd at the Presbyterians Pro-Life buffet on Saturday evening 
of the 208th General Assembly. 
 
    After outlining a society descending into chaos over life 
issues--abortion, assisted suicide, euthanasia--Colson told the large 
crowd, "Let me remind you that, even in the darkest moments, it's just one, 
little, candle of light that makes all the difference." 
 
    At the climax of a 45-minute speech full of engaging stories, he told 
one more, of a trip to Rumania in the `80s when he learned of a pastor 
there who was preaching the gospel in his church week after week, drawing 
so many people that eventually the secret police came and surrounded the 
church in the city square, then broke into the pastor's house and arrested 
him.  The authorities brought charges against him, but couldn't make them 
stick. 
 
    Colson said he kept preaching, week after week, and thousands came to 
hear the gospel.  Eventually there was a great confrontation.  The pastor 
woke up one morning, looked outside his windows and saw the square filled, 
surrounding his church.  In the crowd were not members only of his own 
church, but Orthodox Christians, Baptists and others--from every church in 
town.   This pastor felt all his prejudices falling away, and he saw the 
body of Christ surrounding his church.  Authorities had sent troops to 
contain the crowd, and a great confrontation took place. 
 
    Colson said that a young man, 23 years old, came into the crowd holding 
something under his coat.  His Baptist pastor said to him, "No. No 
weapons."  At which point the young man opened his coat and pulled out a 
candle.  He said, "No, I just want to light a candle."  He had a box of 
candles and  started to pass them out.  The 23-year-old lit the first 
candle and passed it to the first person.  The people began to sing hymns. 
The authorities could stand it no more and ordered the soldiers to fire 
into the crowd.  The young man was shot in the leg and woke up in the 
hospital with his leg missing. His pastor came to him and said he was sorry 
he'd lost his leg.  The young man said, "That's all right.  I lighted the 
first candle." 
 
    No matter how great the darkness, Colson said, light one candle. 
 
    Colson is president of Prison Fellowship and recipient of the Templeton 
Prize for progress in religion.  He is a former top staff member in the 
Nixon administration who was convicted of wrongdoing in the Watergate 
scandal. 
 
    Preceding Colson's talk, Barry Anderson, a man who had a homosexual 
orientation but overcame it through God's grace, spoke to the group. 
Anderson is director of Set Free, a ministry to homosexuals.  Following the 
talks, the group went to a buffet supper. 
 
 
Bill Lancaster 

------------
For more information contact Presbyterian News Service
  phone 502-569-5504             fax 502-569-8073  
  E-mail PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org   Web page: http://www.pcusa.org 

--