August 7 2018

John speaks on songs he has written while part of a Christian group that focused on the Trinity and the "process" of the two "becomings" of John 1:14 and 1 Corinthians 15:45. He talks of the many depictions of the Spirit in the NT (Spirit of Christ, Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead, the Seven Spirits, the Holy Spirit, etc.). He went on to talk about Athanasius ("the Divine became man that man might become Divine") and the Arian controversy that resulted in the Council of Nicea (325 AD). He speaks on the development through Ignatius' promotion of a "monarchial" bishop among the elders in a church and the resultant hierarchy of the papacy (whereas Polycarp, a contemporary, is not seen endorsing Ignatius' idea). The ministry John was under for 30 years took interest in the Arian Controversy due to its emphasis on the relationship of the Three in the Trinity and John came to admire Athanasius' resolute stand, which resulted in his repeatedly being exiled (hence coming to be known as Athanasius Contra Mundum). The Nicean Council was composed of those who had survived the Diocletian Persecution, and the wording that resulted illustrates how central the Arian Controversy was at the time (i.e., homoousion vs. homoiousion) and the analogous difference between Jehovah Witnesses' belief and the "orthodox" view with regards to the Person of the Son. John mentions verses in the NT such as John 7:39 ("the Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified") and how Jesus breathed into the disciples on the day of His resurrection, as opposed to how the Spirit was "poured out" on the day of Pentecost. John also speaks of the Seven Spirits in the book of Revelation, and how they are the seven eyes of the Lamb and the seven torches/lamps upon the seven golden lampstands, which are the seven churches to which John writes. The relationship between Spirit, the Son and the Father in the Trinity is not straightforward matter! John also talks about the impact of the teachings of the Plymouth Brethren upon American theology via such institutions as Dallas Theological Seminary. John mentions Isaiah 9:6, where the Son is called the Father, etc. He plays a tune he wrote to Galatians 2:20 ("I live and yet not I"). John launches into a discussion about the seminal All Saved Freak Band, and those who were primary players (Joe and Randy Markko, leader Larry Hill, noted guitarist Glenn Schwartz, and the classically trained Massman sisters) based on his reading of "When Someday Comes: Memoirs of a Survivor" by Joe Markko and "Fortney Road: Life, Death, and Deception in a Christian Cult" by Jeff C. Stevenson. He particularly speaks of tragic events surrounding Joe and Randy Markko. John notes how he personally knows someone who lived for two years as a part of the Christian commune known as Church of the Risen Christ Farm of which the ASFB was an outreach. John mentions how friends Joe Walsh and Glenn Schwartz had recently joined up for some collaborative guitar work. John concludes speaking of the seventy weeks in Daniel and by playing songs by Matisyahu, and how they were related via the seventy weeks prophecy, broken up as it was into 62 weeks and 7 weeks and one FINAL WEEK, and how the rebuilding of the temple is thus something longed for by both Christians and Jews.