*UPDATE* In responding to a comment at the post “Julie Jones puts Rev. Silva in his place” Julie says:

Julie Mc Jones on 13 Dec 2007 at 2:29 pm

wow. that is some strong stuff Paula.

http://www.purposedrivel.com/2007/12/tony-jones-anklebiter-wife.html

Again, your page lacks a comment function so, I will post here.

I have been advised by counsel not to comment on the above.

You may be interested in knowing that your friend Ken has crossed the legal limits of the 5th amendment [sic]. Defamation of character, which you seem unclear about, is not an opinion but use of slanderous speech as fact which in turn defames ones character and is illegal under internet law.

Tony, I assure you, and contradictory to your blog post which has no comment feature, does not describe himself as “guru, cult leader, satan worshipper, hindu, buddist, heretic” or other unsavory slanderous terms culminating in years of character defamation…enough already. Let’s move on to helping the and meeting where our great passions collide with the worlds greatest needs.

Further, defamation has occurred because Tony’s words have been cut and pasted by ken thus driving up his hits with high traffic tags and then he adds his opinion and too inaccurate and inflammatory [sic], derogative [sic] and often slanderous words which defame Tony’s charater [sic]. the legel [sic] limits are breeched when Ken states them as fact. For example, Tony does not use a bible is a bold face lie and a lawsuit is appropriate and a strong case for defamation of character under internet law.

Are you sure you want to give your support to Mr. Silva? If to follow christ [sic] is to love your neighbor as yourself then this would be incongruent with Christs’ [sic] teaching wouldn’t it? Speaking unkind of others isn’t the Jesus I know. Spreading vicious rumors that are untrue isn’t the Jesus I strive to be like. The Jesus I seek to emulate had righteous anger. More importantly, he is a truth teller. Get comment functions you people. To hurl lies and have no accountability is very unhealthy. Comment functions help keep you honest.

I would like an apology for calling me a nasty name. I wrote to Ken independent of Tony and this is my deal. I had no idea Tony knew him. Sorry, Ken he never mentioned you. That nastiness on your blog was not kind, Paula.

Peace,

Julie (Online source)

My response:

# Ken Silva on 13 Dec 2007 at 2:41 pm

Julie Jones said: “Ken has crossed the legal limits of the 5th ammendment. Defamation of character, which you seem unclear about, is not an opinion but use of slanderous speech as fact which in turn defames ones character and is illegal under internet law.”

Just so we’re all clear now; there is Julie’s confirmation that she has indeed threatened me with a lawsuit, just as I said in my piece TONY JONES DEFENDER (Online source)

The letter below sent to Apprising Ministries begins: “In the spirit of Christmas, I ask you to do the righteous thing and post this” and it ends with these words: “Merry Christmas because I am sure I won't hear from you but if I do...good for you.” Well then, it’s good for me because the author of this letter Julie McMahon Jones, wife of Tony Jones of the emerging church, did hear from me.

I have no reservation publishing this letter with no further comment below but since via email anyone can say they are anyone I first wanted to verify that it was indeed the Julie Jones. You may recall that last January Emergent Church leader Tony Jones called me and we had a nice...um...*ahem* conversation, which he wrote about in his post Ken Silva.

Long story short, since we know how to get hold of one another Julie and I have also now spoken on the phone. She told me the letter to follow was written by her. Julie also shared that she is quite upset with what I have written about Tony and she did threaten me with a “defamation of character” lawsuit if I didn’t stop. So this is what led to today’s Tony Jones Emergent Church Divine Intervention.

You see, I’m not one easily intimidated...

To Whom it May Concern:

In the spirit of Christmas, I ask you to do the righteous thing and post this. Please post at once or don’t you all want anyone of your readers to think Tony Jones might be a regular nice Christian guy. You don’t have a place for people to comment on your web page. You do have a place to donate. How come? I think if you are going to slander my husband as a devil worshiper it would be prudent to provide an avenue for others to paint with a broader stroke.

Tony Jones, my husband of ten years, loves the Lord Jesus Christ Almighty. I am sorry that may be a bitter pill for your group to swallow but it is true. Our family aims to be the hands and feet of Jesus and strive daily to bring up our three children as disciples of Christ and we didn’t even have to “spank them hard” to do it as Dr. Dobson suggests. In fact, that is called child abuse.

Above our threshold before we leave the house is our family verse, “Be the light of the world.”

We both can love Jesus in different expressions and both work for good and to fulfill his kingdom here on earth. It can look very different and yet how dare you say you have the corner market on my Lord and Savior...No, we share Him. I can go to Ashtanga yoga, which I love and enjoy the benefits of the practice and at the same time can faithfully follow Jesus. I can walk a prayer labyrinth and have in my mind over and over, “Be still and know that I am.”

The sheer effrontery makes you look pretty ignorant, if you don’t mind me saying.

I usually don’t respond to such nonsense but this is the father of my children who I fell in love with as he was living amongst the poorest of the poor on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Tony so authentically lived and worked among them that they gave him the highest honor of an Indian name: “He who takes others into his heart.”

Have you ever even met Tony? Come to our house in Minneapolis and sit in our kitchen and let us agree to follow Christ perhaps differently with differing outward expressions but no less faithfully following and hopefully maturing to love all humankind more and more.

Groups like this just reek of fear. That must not be not at all liberating to be in such a tight box. Don’t you think our Lord is bigger than that? He loves gays; you bet he does! He wants a gifted woman up front or in our church in the middle and delivering the Good News. Humans have limited God to what she can and cannot do. Emergent tries to re imagine the essence of following Christ in its purest form. Free from all the trappings of human fear.

May the Lord Jesus Christ touch you mightily today.

Come on, be different than just one of the many Emergent opponents that never takes me up on the invitation for dinner and a shared love of Christ and never posts my posts and never has a function for comments.

Merry Christmas because I am sure I won’t hear from you but if I do...good for you.

Julie McMahon Jones

See also:

TONY JONES OF THE EMERGENT CHURCH SAYS: “THE BIBLE IS AN F***KING SCARY BOOK”

TONY JONES AND THE EMERGENT CHURCH: “CHRISTIAN” GAY IS A-OK

TONY JONES ISN'T TELLING THE TRUTH

TONY JONES: EMERGENT CHURCH “SOUL SHAPER”