Audio files of the 2006 Hubert L. Dellinger Jr. Lecture are available in MP3 format free of charge on the Concordia Seminary, St. Louis Web site (http://itunes.www.csl.edu). The lecture, Things That Matter Most, was delivered on Tuesday, Sept. 19, by Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated columnist and broadcast journalist. It took place in Concordia Seminary’s Werner Auditorium and was met with a standing ovation from the audience.

Two versions of audio files are available. One version, designated “high quality,” is recommended for those with high-speed Internet connections. The other version, designated “low quality,” is designed specifically for those with lower-speed Internet connections.

In the lecture, Thomas gave an unqualified confession of his faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. Speaking of his career during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Thomas said, “My career was my god. We all have our gods. Even the atheists have their gods. Mine was my career -- feeling that fame and power and money, if I got them in great amounts, would give me peace, satisfaction and purpose in life.”

Thomas recounted how God utilized a conversation with a federal judge, who spoke with him about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, to change his perspective on life and God’s purpose for his life. “Jesus said that the standard of righteousness for entering the kingdom of God is this: ‘For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Sadducees and the Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.’ Mine doesn’t. Yours doesn’t. Only the righteousness of Jesus fulfills God’s requirements. He is our gateway to the kingdom of God.”

Thomas compared and contrasted the kingdom of God with the kingdom of this world and spoke about how he functions in both as a member of the news media who is also a Christian. “All of our agendas, political, social, political, and personal, are part of this earthly kingdom, which is passing away. They are not of the Kingdom of God, which is eternal.”

The Hubert L. Dellinger, Jr. Lecture Series, established in 1997, is designed to feature nationally-known speakers who address subjects which intersect the disciplines of theology, sociology, philosophy and law. Previous speakers have included United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Prof. Stephen L. Carter of Yale University, William F. Buckley, George Will, television political analyst Tony Snow, now serving as press secretary for President Bush, and Edwin Meese, former United States Attorney General.

For more information, contact Seminary Relations, Concordia Seminary, 801 Seminary Place, St. Louis, MO 63105; (314) 505-7370; semrelations@csl.edu.