The Rev. Truman Dunn offered this prepared statement to ministers at recent meeting to acknowledge and apologize for his part in the current difficulties and division in our denomination. He states  that he has changed since the Moses Lectures were presented, but offers vague description of his change, and convoluted details of his intentions.  To questions about his theology from fellow ministers and church leaders attending the meeting he responding that "he did not come to discuss his theology in a KANGAROO COURT". He will affirm the Ground of the Unity as the belief of the Church but wants to continue to maintain his own personal beliefs. PEC offers letter with their interpretation of Dunn's position as they proclaim their support for his continued ministry.
See PEC letter 


 

First of all, I am sharing prepared remarks with you, because I wanted to be brief, and I wanted to give some prayerful thought before-hand, to what I said to you.

In May of 1999, I was invited by the committee responsible for selecting the Walter Vivien Moses lecturer, to deliver the 2001 Moses Lectures. Now, nearly four years since that invitation and two years after delivering the Moses lectures, much has happened in my life, and in the life of the Moravian Church, particularly in the Southern Province. I must say that I did not anticipate the intensity of the conflict and division which has occurred, in part, by my delivery of the lectures and the subsequent publication of a summary of the lectures in The Hinge.

In the spirit of Resolution 54 from our Synod of last year, calling for dialogue and healing, I wish to acknowledge my part in our current difficulties and division, and in a spirit of humility and repentance, I will seek to do what I can to bring reconciliation and unity to our Province, my own congregation, and in my personal relationships within the church.

In terms of my personal relationships within the church, among the most important is my relationship with each of you as a fellow leader in the Moravian Church. I want to take this opportunity to express my sorrow for whatever ways my words and actions have brought hurt to you personally or to the place of ministry where you serve. I hope that, over the weeks and months ahead, where there is brokenness in my relationship with any of you, that together we will be able to re-build and restore mutual trust and a sense of sisterly or brotherly love. Since we can never know the full extent of our words and actions, I would ask those of you who need and want to do so, to seek me out so that we can begin the restoration of a relationship.

During the past year, in my conversations with Bishop Rights, members of the PEC, and many of you, there are a number of ways in which I have changed and grown since my delivery of the Moses Lectures two years ago. In the Moses Lectures, I often spoke in the extreme, at times for the purpose of provocation or polemics. While this can be a lively and useful way to spark discussion, I failed to give due consideration to the impact of my words on the larger church. For example, in expressing my own personal frustration with the Asia Ministry, I made some very sweeping comments about Moravian missions which understandably hurt many who have given their lives to mission work. I have expressed my regret over those comments to many involved in missions and will continue to do so with others.

Over the past year, through much prayer and reflection, I have found that I am in a different place theologically than I was two years ago when I delivered the Moses Lectures. The Moses Lectures reflected a very personal perspective about my convictions and my hopes for the Moravian Church. However, my life and faith as a Christian is not lived in isolation. I am a part of a larger faith community, the Moravian Church. And, I seek to stand within that larger tradition of the Moravian Church while still maintaining the integrity of my own personal belief and experience of the presence of God. While the Moses Lectures reflected my own personal belief at the time, the faith community in which I stand has also helped shape and, in places, re-shape where I am today.

As Moravians, we understand our faith to be, first and foremost, relational. And, all relationships change and grow, whether they are with Jesus, or with one another. As my relationship with the Lord has changed and grown over the past year, I have found that I indeed affirm the Ground of the Unity as the belief of our church, even as I seek to be a part of our continual search for sound doctrine.

Obviously, matters of theology and doctrine require more than just brief commentary, especially when there might be, or have been, differences in understanding. Such matters require one to one conversation

over time, as well as a willingness to listen and share openly and honestly with one another. I would be happy to do that with any of you who might wish to talk with me further .

Well, I said I would be brief, so I will simply close by saying that I am happy to be able to continue standing among you as a member of the Moravian clergy. I have a deep love for our church and for its history, its traditions, and our life together as Moravians, as I know each one of you do, as well. Our love for the Moravian Church, our love for God in Christ, and our love for one another are, I believe, the foundation for bringing us together in unity and in love.

 

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