David J. Dunn, PhD
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David J. Dunn holds multiple degrees in religion, as well as a masters in education. In 2011 he was awarded a Ph.D. in theological studies from Vanderbilt University after successfully defending his dissertation entitled, Symphonia in the Secular: An Ecclesiology for the Narthex.

With an expertise in political theology and theology of economy, David writes on intersections of church and culture from an Orthodox theological perspective. He has published several essays on topics including women’s ordination, re-thinking eucharistic discipline, and church-state relations in a secular society. He is currently developing his dissertation into a book on how the church can effectively engage secular culture.

David enjoys Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, reading novels, watching Dr. Who, and pretending to be the ancient forest monster Humbaba while his children hit him with foam swords. Read his blog at www.davidjdunn.com, and follow him on Twitter @DrDavidJDunn.

Blog Entries by David J. Dunn, PhD

Why Christian Activism Against Gay Marriage Is Not Very Christian

(113) Comments | Posted May 14, 2012 | 4:14 PM

North Carolina's recent decision to ban gay marriage (a term I use in a particular sense) and civil unions represents a remarkable failure of Christian political imagination. It should go without saying that conservative Christians have been at the forefront of such movements. Some of my...

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Great Lent: What Fasting, South Park and Your Inner Toddler Have in Common

(18) Comments | Posted February 25, 2012 | 9:38 PM

Lent began on Ash Wednesday for Catholics and many Protestant Christians. They mark this season by having the sign of the cross smudged onto their foreheads with the ashes of burnt palm fronds from the last Palm Sunday. It is a beautiful reminder of the Christian's never-ending journey to the...

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Why I Never Fail My Students

(18) Comments | Posted January 17, 2012 | 10:20 AM

I got an e-mail from a student the other day, asking if he could make up an assignment he did not turn in ... last semester! He had failed my class, and since he didn't own a TARDIS, he was hoping I could go back in time and change history...

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Dave Ramsey's Deism and the Economics of Jubilee

(33) Comments | Posted December 1, 2011 | 10:20 AM

Even though the Christian financial "guru" Dave Ramsey claims not to understand Occupy Wall Street, he does know why protesters (and by extension most Americans) want to raise taxes on the wealthy: We are sinners. "At the core of this demand [to raise taxes]," he says,...

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"It's the Democracy, Stupid!": The "Vague" Goals of the Other 99%

(8) Comments | Posted October 31, 2011 | 4:20 PM

Some conservative punditry has claimed to be flummoxed by the "vague" goals of the "Occupy" protests happening across the country. I will grant that there is some truth to this complaint. In their early days, "patchwork" protests often lack a clear and unified voice. Still, no...

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The West Memphis Three: Damien Echols, Capital Punishment, and Christian Hypocrisy

(53) Comments | Posted August 24, 2011 | 7:25 AM

Last Friday, the "West Memphis Three" were released after nearly twenty years in prison. Recently granted a new trial for the 1993 murder of three young boys, prosecutors felt there was not enough evidence to secure a conviction. At the original trial, it was claimed that the victims...

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Civil Unions by Another Name: An Eastern Orthodox Defense of Gay Marriage

(68) Comments | Posted July 13, 2011 | 11:23 AM

New York's recent legalization of gay marriage is being hailed by many as a watershed moment in the history of the fight for equal rights for same sex couples. Whatever the long-term consequences of this decision may be, chances are, in the near term, it will be met with increased...

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