Fred Thompson's Record

Court Ruling Strikes Down Evangelical Prison Ministry Program with Connections to the Religious Right in West Michigan

Colson’s Prison Fellowship Ministries is heavily funded by a variety of prominent conservative foundations based in West Michigan. The Holland-based DeWitt Families Conduit Foundation—funded by money from the Bil Mar slaughterhouse operations—contributed to $12,000 to the organization from 2002 to 2004 while the Cook Charitable Foundation, based in Grand Rapids and founded by Peter C. Cook, founder of Great Lakes Mazda, contributed $10,000 in 2003. However, it is two of the area’s wealthiest and most right-leaning families—the Grand Rapids area DeVos family and Holland’s Prince family—that have made the most substantial contributions to the organization. The Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation—established by Amway (Alticor) co-founder Richard DeVos—contributed $1,000,000 annually to the organization from 2002-2004. Additionally, the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation—established by Richard “Dick” DeVos, Junior (and Republican candidate for governor this year)—contributed $50,000 in 2002 and 2003 to Prison Fellowship Ministries. Holland’s Prince family—which made money in the auto parts industry—contributed $680,000 from 2001 through two family foundations, the Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation ($30,000 in 2003, $50,000 in 2004, $50,000 in 2005) and the Freiheit Foundation—established by Erik Prince, brother of Betsy DeVos and founder of the security contractor Blackwater.

Who Would Jesus Bomb? The Brookings Insitution according to watergate felon and Evangelical hot pack Chuck Colson

n its cover story earlier this year, Time, a publication that cast doubts about Colson's post-Watergate/pre-prison religious conversion three decades ago, named him one of "The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals In America." Under the headline, "Reborn and Rehabilitated," Time pointed out that Colson, the man who once advocated bombing the Brookings Institution, had found religion and founded Prison Fellowship Ministries "a $50 million organization that operates in all 50 states and 110 countries." The magazine also noted that Colson's "campaign for humane prison conditions helped define compassionate conservatism and served as a model for the faith-based initiatives that Bush favors."

On May 19, the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Calvin Theological Seminary announced the Charles W. Colson Presidential Chair, which will fund the president's office of the Christian Reformed Church seminary for 10 years. According to the Grand Rapids Press, the $1.5 needed for the endowment came from a grant by the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation. While neither the Devos Foundation nor the seminary would divulge the exact amount given, the Rev. Cornelius Planting Jr., the seminary's president, told the local newspaper that it was the largest single gift the seminary had ever been given.