As the lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 drags on, questions regarding the nature and place of the Eucharist are becoming more and more important. Christians in all traditions are now forced to grapple with the reality that it may be some months before congregations and church families can meet again in person. Churches have had to scramble to figure out how they can keep on meeting, many turning to digital mediums like Zoom or Facebook Live to do so. However, the issue of whether the Eucharist may be celebrated by all members of the congregation in their homes remains hotly debated.
Getting a PhD is tough. What are the unique challenges that come with getting a PhD in theology? In particular, how can we maintain a vital devotional life in the midst of the stresses of a PhD program? In this episode John Anthony Dunne talks with The Two Cities team member Brandon Hurlbert to discuss this tricky subject; John went through a PhD program in New Testament at the University of St Andrews (Scotland), and...
If there’s one unifying factor for our divided planet, it’s that people all around the world love celebrations of joy. People in every nation love to join in celebrating so many joyous occasions. We love births, weddings, graduations, promotions, anniversaries – basically any reason to celebrate our life achievements in great joy and togetherness. What ALL people equally dislike is bad news. And Ash Wednesday is bad news for too many people. Rather than celebrating a...
Here is a recording of a sermon I gave at Bethel University’s chapel during a series on The Very Good Gospel. I focused on how in the gospel we receive God through the person of the Spirit who is our gift and guide in ordinary time. Bethel University Chapel 2019 – John Dunne from Bethel University Chapel on Vimeo.
Over here at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, MN we recently had an Apologetics event where we discussed the topic of Mormonism. Specifically, we wanted to help people think through the common question of whether Mormonism is really just another Christian denomination. Here’s a video of the event with three discrete talks and a question and answer time that follows: The talks include an introduction by Campus Pastor at Bethel University, Rev. Laurel Bunker, on...
I’ve recently been reading on how shame relates to the fear of failure (McGregor & Elliot, 2005). They argue that shame is core to the fear of failure, as those who have a fear of failure also tend to experience higher levels of shame. I also recently watched this interview with journalist Lisa Ling by the Fung brothers. She comments on how Asian Americans often have a fear of failure, so that they tend to...
It’s been seven months since I have been involved in Biblical-Academic pursuit. In that time I’ve transitioned to a fairly normal blue-collar job, taken up interest in a career path in fitness (shameless plug: if you’re looking for coaching, I do Powerlifting, Bodybuilding and General Fitness!), got engaged and started planning a wedding. My primary focus has shifted away from scouring through libraries to making long-term financial goals, figuring out how to plan a date...
In James Cone’s revolutionary work, Black Theology & Black Power, Cone depicts a theological system that is truly black in its methodology and biblical in its exegetical foundation. Prior to his work, there was no theology by and for black people, and the prevailing theology of the day, a burgeoning evangelical theology, was decidedly white and colonial in its foundation and methodology. This theology originated with the fundamentalist movement and persisted through the Jesus movement...
This past week, I had a few conversations with people who have recently lost loved ones or communities. Grief is always a difficult thing to talk about. The loss of a person who is dear to someone’s life or a loss of a community due to moving or other circumstances is so deeply painful. Our fast-paced modern-day culture often does not give space for grief as we can so easily distract ourselves from facing these...
If there’s anything I’ve been habitually bad at, it’s resting. This has always seemed full of irony to me, given that I’m a Biblical Studies student. All over Scripture is talking of rest, not violating the Sabbath, looking forward to the true Sabbath, and basically a whole lot about learning that the world doesn’t depend on us, and that taking a break is necessary. Nonetheless, I’ve always caught myself inside of a catch-22: if I...
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