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Former Virginia attorney general named Colson successor
Prison Fellowship founder Charles Colson says former Virginia attorney general (and unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate) Mark Earley "in due course will assume the responsibility I now have as principal spokesperson and leader of this ministry." Will Earley's old job be a problem in ministering to convicts? Colson doesn't think so. "I don't think it matters that you were a law-and-order attorney general," he tells The Washington Post. "I think it matters that you're a Christian." Still, Post writer Fredrick Kunkle notes, "As attorney general, Earley often supported policies that put him in a position squarely opposed to the interests of the people to whom he will minister. He was an unwavering supporter of the death penalty. His office fought against granting new DNA tests in some high-profile capital cases, although he ultimately endorsed legislation allowing prisoners to go to court seeking new DNA tests. As a state senator, Earley led the fight to abolish parole … " Before he succeeds Colson, however, Earley succeeds Thomas Pratt, who has served as president and CEO since 1989.

Charles Colson is also attacking both liberals who see prison as rehabilitating and conservatives who see prison as a crime deterrent. Both, he says, are wrong. "If we understand that prisons are not therapeutic and that they don't deter, then we understand that their only purpose is to remove those who are dangerous from the rest of society," Colson said at a recent Calvin College lecture. "If you have the wrong view of human nature and try to cure people, they are going to turn around and kill you."

In related news, yesterday was "Re-Entry Sunday" for 39 D.C.-area churches, reports The Washington Times. The congregations will be working to help parolees and ex-convicts find housing, education, and employment. "Churches, mosques and temples are the cornerstones of community," the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency director says. "If the returning offender can find a welcome there, then he is not alone. He can tap into the strength of the community and use it to reinforce his resolve to establish a life that is free from drugs and crime."

Because there's just not enough pro-gay programming on TV now
TV Guide reports that MTV and Showtime are planning to launch a gay TV channel by the end of the year. Viewers would have to pay extra for it, like Showtime or HBO, The New York Times says, to "eliminate any potential protest from those who might oppose the content." "No one who doesn't want this will ever see this channel," says Gene Falk, the senior vice president for the MTV digital media group. But will homosexuals watch it? There are already myriad Christian television stations and networks out there, but they don't necessarily pull in viewership. (Plus, there's already tons of gay programming on other channels—check out Gay.com's Gaywatch for examples. Or don't, if the racy gay ads will bother you.) Do you watch Christian television? Vote in our poll.

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January (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46