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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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