This week, on the third anniversary of the death of Charles W. “Chuck” Colson, one of the most eloquent and influential evangelical Christian leaders of our time, Zondervan announced the upcoming release of Colson’s last published work.

Colson’s book, My Final Word: Holding Tight to the Issues that Matter Most, is set to release in early August.

“Chuck Colson was ahead of his time—he understood the crucial issues facing our culture and how they might influence the world as we know it," says Zondervan Senior Vice President and Publisher Stan Gundry. “We are honored to have worked with Colson and The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview on My Final Word, a fitting end to Colson's distinguished publishing career.”

Composed during the last years of his ministry, My Final Word issues a clarion call for Christians to think critically about today’s most pressing issues. Longtime Colson co-author Anne Morse has selected and arranged pieces written mostly during the last decade of Colson's life, spotlighting what he saw as key topics of ongoing importance for Christian cultural engagement.

Some of these issues include:

• The rise of Islam
• Same-sex marriage
• The persecution of Christians
• Crime and punishment
• Natural law

“We are excited for Chuck’s wisdom, vision and insight to once again reach readers through his own words in this last book,” says David Carlson, Vice President of Communications for The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. My Final Word is a behind-the-scenes encounter with an influential thinker, and a needed call to an ongoing and relevant Christian public witness.”

The infamous convicted Nixon adviser who became famous for his ministry to prisoners through Prison Fellowship, evangelical-Catholic dialogue, and his Christian worldview, Colson spent the final years of his life and ministry leading The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, a research and training center focused on Christian worldview teaching.

Colson was a popular and widely known author, speaker and radio commentator. He wrote several books that have shaped Christian thinking on a variety of subjects, including Born Again, Loving God, How Now Shall We Live?, The Good Life and The Faith. Colson founded Prison Fellowship and The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and donated all of his royalties, awards and speaking fees to these ministries.