Columnist Cal Thomas lives 15 minutes from the Pentagon, making the last three weeks since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks one of the most difficult times of his life.

Just two weeks ago Thomas toured Ground Zero, looking at the devastation left from the attacks. While there he talked to a firefighter who agreed with him that the attacks were the result of America's multiculturalism, having lost its sense of right and wrong and being soft on crime.

Thomas spoke heavily about the terrorist attacks as the featured speaker Saturday at Rodeheaver Auditorium, Winona Lake. His appearance is part of the American Lyceum Lecture Series presented by Grace College and The Village At Winona.

"I love this country more than ever before," Thomas said, and it is good to see America coming together in this time of crisis. He said he has a great love for this country as an American, not as a "hyphenated" American. America is a country of immigrants, he said, but previous immigrants came to be Americans "fully and completely."

Today, he said, citizens are no longer taught to be Americans and there is a need to get back to being taught how to be Americans.

"America is the best last hope," he said, and even though the country has been wounded, the country will fight back and get back on top.

Before the Sept. 11 attacks, Americans had no knowledge of how bad it could be. The worse the current generation suffered through was watching Internet companies fail. After Sept. 11, while Americans may have no knowledge of what to do now, Thomas said, it should be clear that both good and evil have not gone away.

Americans have been preserved these years in peace and prosperity, he said, "but we have forgotten God." Americans were intoxicated with unbroken success and too confident in that success. Now, he said, it's fashionable to be serious and it's good that people are becoming serious because "more is coming."

Those in the know, he said, say whether or not America strikes, there is a 100 percent chance of another strike. Terrorists, he said, see America as weak, not militarily but morally.

"Those of us unapologetic about Jesus Christ and who can identify with that relationship," he said, "have something else to discuss tonight: What we should be doing and how our priorities should change."

He said the terrorist attacks robbed America of thousands of its citizens and the sense of safety, liberty and freedom. "Yet in Jesus Christ, we have never been more free, more secure."

But, he asked, what is there to do now? What's there to say now? What's there to focus on?

Of course the government needs to continue to protect Americans from harm - that's government's purpose, he said.

As for religion, Thomas said he doesn't like that word. He said he used to be deeply religious, now he just loves Jesus Christ. He said he doesn't like words like religion or denomination. On religion, he said, "Jesus had nothing to do with that."

Jesus established an organism that must be fed. People, he said, have established an institution they are worried about preserving. Most money spent to preserve that institution goes toward fund-raising, appearances and other means that have no connection to Jesus.

"Think about how we've become so like the world and its practices," he suggested to the full capacity crowd. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ, he said, will transform the world. Those influenced by the word of Christ will then change culture.

In America's culture today, he said, "we work toward things we say we're against." Integrity, honor and virtue have been torn down during the last generation. Those values, he said, need to be retaught.

He said there are too many leaders in the world today and not enough followers of the leaders who really matter. Muslims know the Quran well but few Christians really know the Bible.

Instead of sending money to the institutions of religion, he told the crowd to keep in it their local community.

He said he saw the corruptive nature of political power in the church first-hand and put it in his new book. Many people did not want his book read for that reason he said.

The terrorist attacks, he said, are only the beginning of things to come. Instead of going to church in times of crisis, he said, people need to get back to church full time.

Those who died Sept. 11 went to work not knowing they would die that day. No one knows when they will die. Death is inevitable so people need to be prepared to be judged before God.

"Folks," he said, "this is the warm-up. You haven't seen anything yet."

He encouraged the crowd to start living life like real followers of Jesus Christ. If Americans do as Christ said, and model themselves after him, America can have an amazing power. But the trappings of the church need to be avoided.

He concluded by saying, "I'm deeply grieved by what I've seen. I pray God will give us another chance." [[In-content Ad]]