WaPo: Separation of Church and State in Marriage?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:56 pm By Tony Jones

Eminent religion columnist Lisa Miller has written about, and disagreed with, my stance on marriage in the Washington Post: It isn’t exactly a movement, more of a blogosphere hubbub. In solidarity with his gay and lesbian brothers and sisters, one well-known evangelical pastor in Minneapolis is taking a stand. As long as his state won’t confer upon homosexuals the legal right to marry, Tony Jones won’t sign a marriage license. He will officiate at a Christian ceremony, what he calls... Read more

There Are Two Marriages – Conclusion and Video Chat

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:56 pm By Tony Jones

This brings me to the end of my series, “There Are Two Marriages.” Before my concluding thoughts, I want to thank so many of you for contributing to the conversation in the comments (and some of you on your own blogs). I’d also like to invite you to join me for a video chat discussion on Google+ at 10am CDT on Thursday, September 15 (tomorrow). If you go to my profile on Google+ at that time, you can join my... Read more

The Five Biggest Problems Facing America

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:56 pm By Tony Jones

I watched President Obama’s speech last week, and I’ve paid half-attention to the Republican presidential debates last week and this week (primarily though the eyes of Stewart and Colbert). And I disagree with all of them. I do not think that a 9.1% unemployment rate is the biggest problem facing America. In fact, I don’t even think it’s in the top five. IMHO, the five biggest problems facing America, about which I will blog during the balance of this week,... Read more

There Are Two Marriages – Part Five

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:56 pm By Tony Jones

The Problem for Clergy Whether one has a high view of ordained clergy, as many of my friends do, or a low view, as I do, performing marriage ceremonies that result in a legally binding contract is an extremely problematic role for a clergyperson to be in. When I was talking to Doug Pagitt about this last week, something became clear to us: there’s a higher bar to being a notary public than there is to being a member of the... Read more

The Funny Thing about Michele Bachmann and Jonathan

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:56 pm By Tony Jones

As reported by Eric Black at MinnPost, Michele Bachmann recently used a speech to make an extended analogy between herself and the biblical character, Jonathan. Black writes, Please, let me hasten to reiterate. I am not saying that Bachmann suffers from a literal delusion that she is the biblical Jonathan. Only that she is inspired by Jonathan and believes that, if the American people will play the role of Jonathan’s very trusting armor bearer, and will make her president, and... Read more

Church Planters Academy = WOMEN!

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:56 pm By Tony Jones

This November, I’ll be helping Doug Pagitt host the first-ever Church Planters Academy. We’re holding it at Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis, and highlighting some of the top church planters over the last decade: Tim Keel, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Bruce Reyes-Chow, Nanette Sawyer, Tim Conder, Don and Pam Heatley and more. There’s something in that list that I’d like you to pay heed to: we’ve got women church planters, a bunch of them, in fact. I often hear from people that they’d... Read more

Why I Avoided All 9/11 Coverage Yesterday

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:57 pm By Tony Jones

I had a media-free weekend. Well, electronic media, at least. I did read the newspaper. One of the nice things thing about the newspaper is that you can skip the stuff you don’t want to read, which is not possible with TV or radio. As tragic as 9/11 was — and it was — I find all of the commemorations to be too, too much, and that includes the fountains and the Freedom Tower in New York City. In his... Read more

Preaching Forgiveness on 9/11

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:57 pm By Tony Jones

The Gospel text in this week’s lectionary is — also the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks — is about forgiveness. Happy coincidence? Maybe so. At The Hardest Question, Nadia Bolz-Weber has some thoughts on how she’s going to preach it: Any of the above would be great candidates for most disturbing question for this text. But this isn’t “The Most Disturbing Question” blog. It’s “The Hardest Question.” And when it comes down to it none of these is the... Read more

If Jürgen Moltmann Planted a Church – Part Five

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:57 pm By Tony Jones

This is part of a series based on chapters four and five of my new book, The Church Is Flat: The Relational Ecclesiology of the Emerging Church Movement, in which I look at the ecclesiology of German theologian Jürgen Moltmann and put it into conversation with the ecclesial practices of the emerging church movement (ECM). Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four “Friend” as Christological Office One aspect of Moltmann’s early ecclesiology deserves special mention, both because it is a... Read more

Let’s Hear It for Execution!

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:57 pm By Tony Jones

It’s been getting lots of buzz today that last night, in a Republican presidential debate (that I did not watch), Rick Perry invoked the crowd to an ovation for…execution! Live blogging the debate, Andrew Sullivan wrote, 9.48 pm. A spontaneous round of applause for executing people! And Perry shows no remorse, not even a tiny smidgen of reflection, especially when we know for certain that he signed the death warrant for an innocent man. Here’s why I find it impossible... Read more