I hate to argue about anything, particularly doctrine.

A good brother called me this morning. A pastor. Honestly, I don't know what to say. He had read an article of mine in the End-time News Digest called "Jesus, the Ticket or the Way?"

He wanted to know if a person who had been "saved," born again, was a new creature in Christ, could then lose his salvation.

I spoke to him about Peter's words concerning the result of turning from the way of righteousness like a dog to his vomit. He responded by saying he held the Calvinist point of view, I suppose viewing me as an Arminian.

I said, "Since the Bible clearly teaches both Divine election and freedom to choose Christ, how can you take a position? They both are equally true and do not contradict each other."

He apparently ignored this fact, treating me in a kindly, gentle fashion, and we concluded with the fact that I had a good heart but apparently didn't understand his position.

Then my wife just got back from Germany where she went to the ceremonies honoring that modern saint, Basilea Schlink of the Evangelical Sisters of Mary. Come to find out, some dissenting members had just published a book with derogatory remarks about Sister Schlink (a saint if there ever was one!) and sent copies to the Canaan friends at the time when Sister Schlink was to be honored. (From appearances, at least, a mean trick!)

To add to my distress, I found out last night that a good Christian girl had put out on the Net a familiar quotation: "If you were arrested for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?"

This obviously was meant as a friendly quote intended to exhort her fellow Christians according to the commandment, "Exhort one another daily lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."

Instead she got a response from someone about the thief on the cross, "proving" that no evidence of righteous behavior is needed because we are saved by belief alone. Can you imagine?

The unkind and uncalled-for response by someone who was threatened by even this pleasant quotation shows beyond doubt, to me at least, that there is a spirit at work in Evangelical circles. That spirit is distressed whenever the "state of grace" position is questioned.

Satan knows the mental beliefs of Christians present no threat to his kingdom. Righteous behavior, on the other hand, is God's ultimate intention. The only valid witness of Christian people is righteous behavior. Only this will cause the unsaved to glorify God.

If you want to know how Christians should behave, do not ask a fellow Christian. Ask someone who is unsaved. They will tell you clearly and unequivocally. The Christian is liable to talk about grace.

I have come to the conclusion that the historical "state of grace" doctrine is unscriptural and the most fearfully destructive heresy ever to influence Christian thinking. It has rendered invalid, irrelevant, immaterial, and incompetent (and anything else you can think of that is bad) most of the text of the New Testament.

To be continued.