Yesterday, Tony Jones reacted to this video, basically saying that so many people claim to be “missional” that it has no meaning.  Tony, whose Patheos blog seems the loudest remaining voice of the Emergent Church movement, seems miffed that people he has worked with in the past are now trying to differentiate themselves from (among other things) Emergent.  So what’s the big deal about all these labels?

I came across the emergent church when I was living as Colorado transplant in the BIble belt during my college days in the early 2000s.  It was an unexpected culture shock, this parallel universe where everyone smiled all the time, went to church every Sunday and seemed proud to have zero relationships with non-Christians.  Christianity was their culture, not their purpose. Continue Reading…