David J Dunn

The Gravitas of the Church

From time to time I post small snippets from my book (proposal to be completed by May 31), which is adapted from my doctoral dissertation. Here is a bit from Chapter 1.

This call to embody God’s righteousness implies not perfection but the struggle toward a goal, and it speaks to the particular universal quality of symphonia to be discussed later. The church has gravitas. Like a large celestial body, its faithfulness to Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom has a way of bending the fabric of reality toward that which is the source of its own life and the reason of its own existence. The kingdom makes the church what it is. Without it, we would not exist. Insofar as we live into the reality of this kingdom, the church brings the world with it.

Review: Lifted by Angels

Joel J. Miller, Lifted by Angels: The Presence and Power of our Heavenly Guides and Guardians (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012).

When I was 13, I read This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. The story is about the spiritual warfare that takes place between angels and demons in a small town. I was riveted. Only later did I realize how Manichean the whole thing was. In college, I questioned the very existence of angels. I asked myself, “Why does God need them?” If my flirtations with partial unbelief shock you, I just want to remind you: Frank Peretti! According to Joel Miller, the way angels have been packaged and marketed and, consequently, misrepresented in popular media is one reason people abandon belief in them (I do feel obliged to note the irony of the author’s statement juxtaposed against other products from his publisher. Continue reading “Review: Lifted by Angels”

Why I Voted for my Kids Instead of Mitt Romney

Last night I picked up Kyla and George from their after-school program. Kyla got into the car and announced that they were having a mock election at school tomorrow, and that she was going to vote for Mitt Romney, because Barack Obama would raise our taxes!

To which I responded, “What!”

Continue reading “Why I Voted for my Kids Instead of Mitt Romney”

Voting for Mani: Why the Lesser of Two Evils is still Good

Andrea_di_bonaiuto,_cappellone_degli_spagnoli_05 — Andrea di Bonaiuto (14th century), via Wikimedia Commons

Some evangelical Christians and black church leaders say we should not vote this election season because the choice is between a Mormon and a man who supports gay marriage. For them, “The lesser of two evils is still evil.” This saying implies that voting a candidate who is not Christian or moral enough would be sinful. This argument is straightforward, but it is also a modern version of the Manichean heresy.

Continue reading “Voting for Mani: Why the Lesser of Two Evils is still Good”

Three Reasons Why Market Liberalism is a Religion

Like all fundamentalist faiths, Chicago School economics is, for its true believers, a closed loop. The starting premise is that the free market is a perfect scientific system, one in which individuals, acting on their own self-interested desires, create the maximum benefits for all. It follows ineluctably that if something is wrong within a free market economy – high inflation or soaring unemployment – it has to be because the market is not truly free. There must be some interference, some distortion in the system. The Chicago solution is always the same: a stricter and more complete application of the fundamentals.

– Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

Several years ago I read Fr. Sergei Bulgakov’s claim that Marxism is not social science but a kind of religion. Recently I realized his argument could also be applied to the laissez-faire capitalism promoted by “market liberalism” (which is basically libertarianism). Beginning with Bulgakov, here are a few reasons why I think market liberalism is a religious movement. Continue reading “Three Reasons Why Market Liberalism is a Religion”

Balancing Public and Academic Theology

I received a call the other day, inviting me to participate in a panel on public theology in March. I said I would think about it. There was a time, not too long ago, when I would have said a resounding “Yes!” to that opportunity. But the past few months made me keenly aware of my tendency to overcommit. I still have several projects on my plate before I can really move on to other things. I have an essay on Bulgakov and Edwards, a review of McGuckin, possibly a proposal for the Sophia conference, and two courses to design. I am committed to my life as an academic theologian and a public theologian. Blogging reminds me who I am writing for. Essays help keep my work from getting “fluffy.” The trick is balancing my two roles. Here is my plan. Continue reading “Balancing Public and Academic Theology”