By Bradley Taylor.

Every other Friday I get to share with you and interview I did with Jonathan earlier in the week. I have enjoyed this opportunity to learn from him over the past year. Sad to say that I am resigning my position with God’s Heart due to the demands of family life and a new position at work. I will miss these interviews. This week we talked about Jonathan’s Book project, Music and Shawshank Redemption.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy.

Q. So, this is my last Faulkner on the Fifth, I am a little in shock about the fact that I will not get to do this again. I have learned a lot from you and hope to continue to learn from you as you continue writing. What is one piece of advice you would give to people like me who are entering into a busier season of life.

A. Well, I think of Brooks Hatlen (James Whitmore 1921-2009) from the movie Shawshank Redemption who, upon being released from Shawshank Prison writes his friends on the inside. During that time he says “The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry.” In reference to seeing cars travel back and forth, rushing to and fro. After 50+ years on the inside he could not adjust to life on the outside, he could not handle the fast season and it caused him to take his own life. He did not know God, or at least the movie does not tell us otherwise and so he got lost in the hustle and bustle of a world that had forgotten about him.

My advice is this then: Do not get lost in the hustle and bustle of your life. Remember that God is always walking with you, even when life gets busy, work on making time for what is of the utmost importance, your relationship with our heavenly father, and your wife and kids. Remember that the Spirit of God is always dwelling inside of you, always guiding you to the son and always reminding you that you are loved by the father. You are never alone my brothers and sisters, even in the busy times.

Q. Recently we have talked a lot about “Subtrinitarian Theology” with all the discourse in the public arena and within the SBC and from everyone’s favorite “Popular Facebook Evangelist” can you tell us what this would be?

A. Subtrinitarian Theology would be anything that lessons the role of one member of the trinity, such as the Subordination Doctrine currently being debated in the SBC. Or any teaching that either emphasizes one part of the trinity over the other or focuses on one part over or the exclusion of the others such as when Joshua Feuerstien says: “We don’t need father, son, holy ghost for salvation, only Jesus.” Both forms of the doctrine are Heretical. The Subordination doctrine because it says that Christ was merely subordinate to the other members of the Trinity, thus making him unequal and making him less than the other two instead of Christ’s Death being the Son fulfilling his role in the Trinity. Subordination has become an argument for Complimentarianism, which further makes me question that particular doctrine. In the case of Feuerstien’s teachings it becomes strictly Unitarian and thus Modelism because for Feuerstien to even talk about the Holy Spirit he has to make him a different manifestation of God.

God is one, but he is three, He is three in one. Each member of the Trinity is equal with the other parts. Three members in One each fulfilling their role in salvation and sanctification. The Godhead is one in three and three in one, equal in power and unified in purpose but distinct in presentation and role.

Q. How has your summer been thus far?

A. My summer has been really good so far, God has placed a very special person in my life and I look forward to what He is going to do with this gift He has given. I have done a lot of traveling and by the end of the summer will have been back to Ohio twice (getting their once a year was difficult out in Kansas) and will have been out to Western Mass several times where he countryside is beautiful and the seeds of evangelistic American Christianity were first planted in Puritanism and so on. This summer has been and should continue to be a whirlwind adventure, and I am so blessed to be a part of it with the woman I am getting to share it with.

Q. Any updates on what is going on with the music?

A. Well, I am working hard on getting new music written and the band that I have been leading chapel with has been getting together with a great amount of regularity to get ready for Gordon-Conwell’s Clam Festival in September where we will be playing a 45 minute set. I am also hoping to be able to upgrade my recording system so I can get more music to you, but I will have to wait for the fall and I may have other expenses then that will keep me from that. There is a single officially being released in October for “Joy Everlasting (A Christmas Song). I am really excited about that and we may try to do a music video for it.

Q. And the book projects?

A. I can tell you that book one is in the editing phase while I continue to look into publishing options. If we go through Kindle the release date will be sometime late 2016 – early 2017. The second book is still in the writing phase, I have reached chapter 4, the second book is a bit more involved than the first as there is a lot more happening that needs to be unpacked. I cannot comment on the state of characters in the second novel because it would give away a lot about the first.

GOT A QUESTION FOR JONATHAN?

Bradly Taylor is the Content editor for Godsheartforthose.com