The Origin and Development of Prison Fellowship International: Pluralism, Ecumenism and American Leadership in the Evangelical World 1974–2006

Established in 1979 by Watergate felon Charles Colson, Prison Fellowship International (PFI) is now one of the largest para-church organizations in world evangelicalism. This article explains PFI's origins with reference to the existence of a transnational evangelical network, the compatibility...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of American studies 2017-11, Vol.51 (4), p.1221-1242
Main Author: OLIVER, KENDRICK
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African American literature
Archives & records
Authenticity
Christianity
Colson, Charles
Ecumenism
Evangelicalism
Fate
Leadership
Literary canon
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Narrative techniques
Outreach services
Prisons
Religious conversion
Religious right
Secularism
Websites
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:Established in 1979 by Watergate felon Charles Colson, Prison Fellowship International (PFI) is now one of the largest para-church organizations in world evangelicalism. This article explains PFI's origins with reference to the existence of a transnational evangelical network, the compatibility of PFI's mission with the emergent theme of evangelical social concern, and a general crisis of penology across a number of Western countries. It explores the creative tension between Colson's empire-building instincts and the desire of PFI affiliates to influence the direction of the organization, revealing the transactional manner in which American evangelicals exercised global leadership in the late twentieth century.
ISSN:0021-8758
1469-5154
DOI:10.1017/S0021875816001389