Charles Colson was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 16, 1931. He received a B.A. from Brown University and a J.D. from George Washington University. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps, was partner in two law firms (Gadsby and Hannah (1961-1969) and Colson and Shapiro (1973-1974)), and was the administrative assistant to Senator Leverette Saltonstall (1956-1961). From 1969-1973 Charles Colson served as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon. In 1974, Colson became the first person from the Nixon administration to plead guilty to obstruction of justice in connection with the Watergate scandal. He was sentenced to one to three years in prison; he was released after serving only seven months in Maxwell Prison in Alabama. Based upon his conversion to Christianity prior to his incarceration and his experiences in prison, Colson discovered that there was a need to reach out to inmates and introduce them to Christian faith. Upon his release from prison in 1975, he started the Board for Prison Fellowship, the purpose of which was to help bring Christ into the lives of prisoners, victims of crimes, ex-prisoners, and the families of all these people. Colson has served as chairman of this group.

Colson also founded the Justice Fellowship program, which is designed to work with policy makers to address prison issues, as well as Neighbors Who Care, a support system for crime victims. Colson has written fifteen books, including his international best-seller, Born Again . In 1993, Colson received the Templeton Prize, an award given each year to one person who has done the most to forward the religious movement.