If you've been following the Emerging Church at all, you'll have noticed that the word emergence was probably not the happiest choice to describe this religious innovation. It appears that sustainability was just not in the cards.

This whole gag began with an already outmoded idea and one which probably would not have been useful even in the hands of competent leaders. In the hands of McLaren, Jones, Pagitt, Trucker Frank, McKnight, and Burke, inter alios, it became a slow-motion calamity. Over in The Village the highest ranking stooges abandoned the movement to create their own little enterprises, and to this day their blogs are works of patent vanity and personal ambition.

Tony Jones vacated his position at EV and JoPaproductions made room for women—at least some women—to emerge. (And in that there is another irony that now threatens to come to light.)

EV is making Haiti look like an attractive vacation destination.

Tim Hartman and Danielle Shroyer tried to do their Weekend at Bernie's schtick: they promised that EV would sponsor theology in the grass and barbecues of people. They spoke of "things they hoped to plan".

The excitable Danielle was enthusiastic about the "energy" and "intentionality" as they all worked together for "God's Kingdom in our own context". She was eager to hear from many of you about your experiences and about your "places of emergence".

As it happens, tsk (tallskinnykiwi, A.K.A. Andrew Jones) has said his goodbyes.

I wasn't at Christianity21 but I have been watching as new theological emphases and sectarian attitudes towards church emerge and it is just not something that I can lend my name to or my time.

"Theological emphases" and "sectarian attitudes"?! At EV? So much for the vibe and the ethos. It's somehow become all theological and sectarian.

You just gotta laugh.

My favorite preacherette responded by asking what happened to their sexy revolution, and in the comments below you can read some desperate attempts at crisis management. Phyllis Tickle weighs in with a typically gaseous observation, and following that rumble A. Jones responds by saying:

It never ceases to amaze me how my poorly worded miscommunications can produce such clarity and depth of thought.

Yes, I'm sure that's what all that was: clarity and depth of thought. Perhaps that is just some antipodean humor there.

Over on tsk's blog, Dennis Coles wrote disparagingly of Tony Jones:

Note the binary: all/nothing. This kind of thinking pervades T. Jones' book, whereby he reveals himself a modern wolf in a postmodern wool vest.

So it is about personalities as well; personalities, theological emphases and sectarian attitudes.

It couldn't have happened to a more naïve bunch of platitudinarians.

And there go my hopes for the Kingdom, world peace, and a goat for every Burundi family.