Tony Jones on Abortion and Obama

Posted: October 1, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Questions & Answers, Tony Jones | Leave a comment

Question: What does Tony Jones think about Obama & Abortion?

Answer: There has been a robust conversation in the comments section of my previous post on abortion.  There are clearly some policy wonks who read my blog, and I’m not one of them.  I mean, I’m not a policy wonk; not that I don’t read my blog.  Anyway, I appreciate those of you who can quote particular pieces of legislation and particular votes.  My interest is more on the overarching principles at hand, although it does seem to me that BO made it abundantly clear that his most odious vote to pro-lifers was because he thought the bill would be struck down as unconstitutional (HT: Keith).

I am thankful that my friend, Carla Jo, fought the good fight in the comments.  For those of you who don’t know her, CJ has a raft of evangelical credentials.  In other words, she’s no leftist idealogue.  She’s simply trying to deal with the complexity of the issue — I must say, much as BO does.

And I am particularly indebted to the two women who posted about their own abortions.  In the wake of that terrible decision, they’ve come to different conclusions about the issue, but their journeys to those conclusions, IMHO, seem a lot more honest than some others who commented.  Honestly, I cannot imagine either of them, though they stand on different sides of the debate, referring to someone as a “faggot” or “callous, selfish, and unrepentant.”

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Interview with Tony Jones from Emergent Village

Posted: June 20, 2007 | Author: | Filed under: Emergent Church, Interviews, Tony Jones | 1 Comment

1. Tell me a little about your family and kids?
Tony: I am 39 years old, I have 3 kids, and been married for 10 years. I grew up Minnesota and I live there now.
I went to a public high school then on to Dartmouth College and from there went to Fuller seminary in California. Now I am working on a PhD at Princeton Seminary.

2. What exactly is your ministry/job?
Tony: I am the National coordinator of the emergent village, and I am also a speaker and writer.

3. Who were some of your mentors or idols in life?
Tony: My youth pastor, my Latin and Greek professor, also a guy named Bob Guelich who wrote a great commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, and others are Nancey Murphy, Jim McLendon, and Miroslav Volf.

4. How do you view the gospel?
Tony: I would say, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Actually, Genesis through maps, it is the whole bible. It’s all about the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the story of that event.

5. Do you believe the gospel is meant for believers or unbelievers?
Tony: I would say that it is meant for all of creation. It is made to be our liberation and transformation. It’s for everyone

6. What do you think the emergent village is doing in helping the means of the gospel in today’s culture?
Tony: We are opening up space to help the people in today’s culture act or live out the gospel. Today’s people have problems with 20th century church and we are trying to make space on what it means to be a Christian so that they can live that out.

7. What are these means in getting out the gospel?
Tony: We use media, and blogs, cell phones and social networking sites. It’s always been the poor and women that didn’t have a voice. So we want to give everyone a chance to be heard. We also have people getting together at events, parties, face to face conversations, and just talk with one another. Christianity has always been an ongoing conversation, about who Jesus is and what theology is. So we are just trying to make that happen.

8. Have you heard of Tim Keller before?
Tony: Yes, I have had some contact with him and have a great deal of respect for him.

9. How would you say that what the emergent church does with the missinional church idea is different?
Tony: I would say that there are a lot of emergent churches that follow Tim Keller’s approach. Since the emergent church does have just one method, we tend to take after others such as Dr. Keller.

10. Lastly, what do you believe the emergent village has to offer this country in America, that we so badly need?
Tony: Off the top of my head, the American culture needs to see the way we understand God, bible and truth, is a fluid thing. It is a process of ever changing thought, and it continues to grow constantly through history. The American culture needs to see God the best way they can, and we are all on the quest to figure out who God is.

For more on Tony Jones you can visit his blog at: http://theoblogy.blogspot.com/