Good and Faithful Servant: Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas once received a letter calling him a moron. He was amused by the fact that the word “moron” was misspelled.

Since 1984, Cal Thomas has published a bi-weekly conservative column which is now published in over 550 newspapers, and he is the author of over several books including The Things that Matter Most, The Death of Ethics in America, and Blinded by Might (with Dr. Edward Dobson). Also, he has traveled across the country speaking at schools and churches, defending his beliefs and offering advice. “I read the New York Times and my Bible every day so that I know what each side is doing,” Cal is fond of telling his audiences.

Cal Thomas first worked with NBC News as a copy boy. Then one Friday, his boss asked him if he had a minute and told Cal he was being laid off. Before that, Cal used to have a low opinion of people who lived on Welfare. “They’re lazy. They live off my tax money.” Then he found himself visiting the unemployment office and accepting Welfare checks. He called everyone he knew, looking for a job, but people who he thought were his friends didn’t return his calls. One day, sitting in the unemployment office he was struck by his situation. A few days earlier, he owned a press pass that allowed him to enter the White House and stand next to the President. That day he was sitting next to a truck driver with mud on his shoes. During this time, a friend told Cal and his wife about a prayer breakfast movement. At the prayer breakfast, Cal heard about having a relation with Jesus Christ. “Excuse me?” he thought. He had gone to church and all that, but he had only thought of Christianity as a religion. A speaker read a Living Bible at the breakfast. Cal realized that he had never read the Bible and quickly purchased a copy. He found out that God exists objectively, regardless of what people think, and that people are not basically good. In fact, people are basically bad! Fortunately, he also read about God’s forgiveness. Nobody told him all this; he learned it from reading the Bible.

What sets Cal apart from some other conservatives is that he doesn’t just poke fun at liberals, but he gives good advice to his religious audience. Christians would do well to remember his insights.

“Abortion is not the cause of America’s depravity, it is a reflection of it,” he has stated repeatedly. A common anti-life argument is that even if we illegalize abortion, abortions will still take place by the thousands. Of course, this “argument” isn’t an argument at all; it’s an assertion. We have laws against murder and drugs and child abuse, but all those things take place everyday! However, the assertion is true. Laws against abortion will not save many unborn lives. In order to do that, we have to change hearts. The same is true with many other issues Christians are passionate about: gay marriage, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, violence and depravity.

“Some people look upon elections as a salvation experience. That if we can just get the right people into office, then we can have what I call ‘trickle-down morality.’ How can government do that? The number-one problems in America are not economic and political! They are moral and spiritual! They are beyond the reach of political leadership,” Cal Thomas explains. Of course, this doesn’t mean that Christians should withdraw themselves from politics. “Elections are important, but they’re not decisive,” he continues. We can do all we can, but if America is going to change it must be God’s will. “God, make America worthy of your blessing again,” he concludes.