Sacrifice In Charles Colson's Born Again

Words: 1770
Pages: 8

Chess is probably the most well known game in the world. Some people have dedicated their entire lives, trying to master the game. Many of these advanced chess players will sacrifice smaller units, like pawns or rooks, to achieve a higher goal, such as putting the enemy king in checkmate. This sacrifice for a higher goal mirrors the ordeal of the Watergate scandal, as described in the book Born Again, by Charles “Chuck” Colson. Charles Colson was one of President Richard Nixon’s closest advisors and friends. This turned out to be harmful, though, as the press and the CIA had leaked out information about burglaries, thefts, and sabotages, and all of the accusations and the investigations thereof circled back to Charles Colson. Colson and his …show more content…
Colson, when he first came to the ranks of the White House under Nixon, held the then-president in very high esteem. However, until the White House tapes were revealed, he would not see the darker side to Nixon. Also unbeknownst to him, this unseen dark side had begun to infect him, as well, causing him to find justification in acts with questionable legality and morality. He was the main politician who authorized the exposure of damaging files on Daniel Ellsberg to further sabotage his trial for espionage. Colson even hired E. Howard Hunt, a “White House Consultant” that ended up burglarizing the Watergate Hotel Democratic Offices, which had an uncanny connection to Nixon himself. Colson himself was known nationwide for his unorthodox methods of political termination and exposure, being called Nixon’s “Hatchet Man.” Well after these events, Colson turned to Christ, and became a christian. Soon, however, the Watergate scandal and Ellsberg Sabotage began to rise back to the surface, as rumors of scandalous acts on the White House’s part were dominating the media. Colson soon saw what corruption and misconduct had taken place in the White House, even by him. Admission of the Ellsberg case would be a crucial move that would further expose unscrupulous acts committed in the Nixon presidency. This was a time in which we were in the middle of a brutal, seemingly interminable war against a foreign army far away, our politicians were hacking away at each others’ conduct and credibility daily, and our economy was facing decline. By exposing the corruption in the government, Colson would pave the way for the cleansing of the government and the economy. In chess, an attraction is where a player sacrifices a lower unit, such as a pawn, to expose the enemy king. This is exactly what Charles Colson was doing. By sacrificing himself, a pawn, he would expose the enemy’s king,