Daily Scroll blogger interview: Tony Jones

[From Tony's site:] “Tony is the national coordinator of Emergent Village (www.emergentvillage.org), and a doctoral fellow in practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of many books, including The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life, and he is a sought after speaker and consultant in the areas of emerging church, postmodernism, and Christian spirituality. Tony lives with his wife, Julie, and their three children in Edina, Minnesota.”

DS: What compelled you to start blogging?

“I was actually one of the last emergents to blog (and to Twitter, and to buy a Mac).  I was skeptical at first, but I ultimately became very fond of the type of communication that it allows.  It allows you to be quick, opinionated, and engaged with your readers.  I finally became a fan in 2006, when I was commuting to Princeton for PhD work and spending lots of lonely nights in an apartment.  Those are still some of my best posts.”

DS: How would you describe the purpose of your blog?

“It’s a forum to express my opinion on any number of things: the church, religion, politics, etc.  My friends say they also like the more personal posts, which I sometimes write.  My blogging hero is Andrew Sullivan.  He writes in the first person, and I feel that I have really come to know him through his blog.  But his blog isn’t about personal matters, it’s about politics.  So he’s really gifted in that way.”

DS: What unique responsibilities do you think Christian bloggers have?

“None.  ‘Christian bloggers’ and bloggers who happen to be Christian have the same responsibility as any bloggers: contribute to the depth and civility of our society; don’t detract from it.”

DS: What are your own favorite blogs or news sites?

“I subscribe to about 250 blogs via Google Reader.  I check GR about 5 times per day on weekdays, once or twice on weekends.  My favorites include Andrew Sullivan and Mark Ambinder for politics.  I like reading Mark Oestreicher — I think he ‘gets’ blogging; he writes two short posts a day.  Scot McKnight, of course, is a rock star, but I’ll admit that I don’t often follow the multi-post series he does on books.  I have Google feeds out there on all my book titles, so I see what people are writing about me.  And I read the New York Times opinion page online every day.”

DS: How would you be spending your extra time, if you didn’t blog?

“Well, I actually consider blogging to be part of my vocation, so I don’t consider it to take away from things I do in my extra time.  Outside of writing and speaking, I spend time with my kids, exercise everyday, and read as much as I can.”