Papers and Publications

THESIS

James M. Dunn and Soul Freedom: A Paradigm for Baptist Political Engagement in the Public Arena

In the last half of the twentieth century, James Dunn has been the most aggressive Baptist proponent for religious liberty in the United States. As the leader of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, Dun’s understanding of church-state separation was a battleground in the Southern Baptist Controversy of the 1980s. “Conservative Resurgence” leaders opposed Dunn and the Southern Baptist Convention eventually withdrew from the BJC.

This thesis analyzes the public career of James Dunn, especially his views on religious liberty. Dunn embodied and articulated a paradigm for Baptist political engagement in the public arena which was based upon the concept of soul freedom: voluntary uncoerced faith and an unfettered individual conscience before God. Dunn defended soul freedom as the historic Baptist basis for religious liberty against critics whom he believed had forfeited their Baptist identity by aligning with the Religious Right and its rejection of church-state separation.

ARTICLES & REVIEWS

“The Consummated Marriage.” Baptists Today, Vol. 26, No. 7, July 2008.

“Fred Shuttlesworth: Prophet of Social Equality.” Ethics Daily. June 12, 2008.

“Soul Freedom and the New Baptist Covenant.” Report from the Capital, Vol. 62, No. 10, November-December 2007.

“Baptist Blogging.” The Whitsitt Journal, Vol. 15, No. 2, Spring 2007.

Review of Franklin, Jefferson, and Madison on Religion & the State, by Gregory Schaaf. Report from the Capital, Vol. 59, No. 10, November-December 2004.

Review of Christianity and the Social Crisis in the 21st Century by Walter Rauschenbusch, ed. Paul Rauschenbusch. The Whitsitt Journal, forthcoming Spring 2009.

Review of A Genealogy of Dissent: Southern Baptist Protest in the Twentieth Century, by David Stricklin. The Journal of Baptist Studies, forthcoming.

Review of A Matter of Conviction: A History of Southern Baptist Engagement with the Culture, by Jerry Sutton. The Journal of Baptist Studies, forthcoming.

“Why I Read Baptist Today.” Baptists Today, forthcoming.

Papers

“Baptists and Church-State Separation in the 20th Century.” Conference Paper, Fall 2008 (Baylor University: J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies): 1-15.

“The Greening of Baptists: A Survey of Statements On The Environment Made By Baptists.” Seminar Paper, Fall 2008 (Baylor University: J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies): 1-30.

“Charles The Baptist: The Church-State Jurisprudence of Charles Evans Hughes.” Seminar Paper, Fall 2008 (Baylor University, J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies): 1-31.

“Evangelical Centrists and Moderate Baptists: The Case For Incompatibility.” Seminar Paper, Spring 2008 (Baylor University: J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies): 1-30.

“James Dunn & Soul Freedom: A Paradigm for Baptist Engagement in Religious-Political Issues.” Fall 2007 (Baylor University: J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies): 1-31.

“The Impact of Social Progressive T.B. Maston Upon Southern Baptist Life in the 20th Century.” Seminar Paper, Spring 2007 (Baylor University: J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies): 1-28.

“Ain’t Nobody But Jesus Gonna Tell Me What To Believe: James Dunn’s Defense of Soul Freedom and the Separation of Church and State in the Southern Baptist Controversy.” Seminar Paper, Spring 2005 (Baylor University: J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies): 1-38.

“Church-State Views and the Protestant Reformation.” Spring 2008 (Baylor University: J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies): 1-12.

“An Introduction to Original Intent.” Fall 2007 (Baylor University: J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies): 1-9.

“A Brief History of the Free Exercise Clause.” Fall 2007 (Baylor University: J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies): 1-8.

“James Milton Dunn: An Historical Essay.” (Baylor University: J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies): 1-9.

“A 6-Book Dialogue: Churches in Cultural Captivity by John Lee Eighmy, A Genealogy of Dissent by David Stricklin, An Interpretive Study of the Christian Life Commission by David Stricklin, For The Healing of the Nations: Baptist Peacemakers by Paul Dekar, Getting Right With God by Mark Newman, Baptists in America by Bill Leonard.” Spring 2007 (Baylor University: J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies): 1-29.

Reviews and Summaries

Review of The Theology of John Smyth: Puritan, Separatist, Baptist, Anabaptist, by Jason Lee. Baylor University, Spring 2008.

Review of God’s Continent, by Philip Jenkins. Baylor University, Fall 2006.

Review of That Godless Court? Supreme Court Decisions on Church-State Relationships, by Ronald Flowers. Baylor University, Fall 2006.

Review of The Politics of the Spirit: The Political Implications of Pentecostalized Religion in Costa Rica and Guatemala, by Timothy J. Steigenga. Baylor University, Spring 2007.

Review of God’s Long Summer: Stories of Faith and Civil Rights, by Charles Marsh. Baylor University, Spring 2005.

Summary Review of The Democratization of American Christianity, by Nathan Hatch. Baylor University.

Summary Review of Religious Outsiders and the Making of Americans, by R. Laurence Moore. Baylor University, Fall 2006.

Summary Review of The Religious History of America, by Edwin Gaustad. Baylor University, Fall 2006.

Summary Review of The Puritan Experiment, by Francis Bremer. Baylor University, Fall 2006.

Summary Review of The Great Awakening, by Richard Bushman. Baylor University, Fall 2006.

Law Briefs

Ivan Hendrik v. Heather Fitzgerald. Brief of Appellee Heather Fitzgerald. Law School. Law School, Spring 2006.