By Larry Ray Hafley
Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura are two of the most widely known conservative talk show hosts in the country. They have millions of admirers. William Bennett, Robert Bork, Chuck Colson, and other well known political figures are famous for their religious and moral conservatism. Many religious leaders across the country, such as Donald Wildmon, advocate moral and spiritual values. With much of what these folks say, I am in agreement, for I believe they often express the truth on social and moral issues of our day.
However, let me sound a note of caution. They are not our standard, our guide, our models of truth and righteousness. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Ps. 119:105). While we may obtain some good from the insights and comments of men, let us remember that our Savior is our perfect and complete example. We are to walk as he walked and to talk as he talked (1 Pet. 2:21, 22; 1 John 2:6).
Dr. Laura is a Jew. William Bennett is a Catholic. Chuck Colson is a Billy Graham styled Baptist. Whose law do we follow? “There is one lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy,” the Lord Jesus Christ (Jas. 4:12). We are not under intellectual bondage to any human philosopher or moral advocate except him — “Him only shalt thou serve”! “Take heed,” therefore, “lest there be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. . . . Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom” (Col. 2:8; 3:16).
If Christians would be as passionate about the revolutionary revelation of the Redeemer as they are about the programs and pronouncements of men, perhaps they could again turn the world upside down (Acts 8:4; 17:6).