James M. Dunn Papers
James M. Dunn was a leader in the Baptist church, serving a number of organizations including the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs (1980-1999) and working as a professor at Wake Forest University (1999-2014). The collection (1949-2010) includes articles and essays written by Dunn, as well as personal letters addressed to Dunn from individuals such as United States Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Also included are newspaper clippings, interviews, and writings about Dunn's life, his numerous awards, his time as a professor at Wake Forest University, and his involvement in various issues such as religious liberty and the separation of church and state.
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Summary Information
- Repository
- Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives
- Title
- James M. Dunn Papers
- Date
- 1949-2010 (inclusive)
- Extent
- 2.52 linear feet / 6 document boxes
- ID
- MS632
Biographical and Historical Note
Baptist religious leader James M. Dunn was born on June 17, 1932, in Fort Worth, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas Wesleyan College and Bachelor of Divinity and Doctor of Theology degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dunn has worked as a pastor, a campus minister, and a college professor. From 1980 to 1999, Dunn served as the director of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs (now called the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty). Prior to his work at the Baptist Joint Committee, he spent twelve years as the executive director of the Christian Life Commission, the social action agency of Texas Baptists. Dunn also served as president of Bread for the World, a chair of the Ethics Commission of the Baptist World Alliance, and president of the Baptist Joint Committee Endowment. From 1999 until 2014, Dunn was a professor of Christianity and public policy at Wake Forest University School of Divinity.
Dunn wrote numerous books and contributed to several publications, and has also appeared on major network television programs including "The Today Show" and "Nightline." Throughout his life, he advocated for religious liberty and the separation of church and state. Dunn received various prestigious awards such as the T.B. Maston Christian Ethics Award (1995). The James and Marilyn Dunn Chair of Baptist Studies at WFU School of Divinity was established in 2011. He was married to Marilyn McNeely Dunn.
Collection Overview
This collection consists mainly of correspondence to and from James Dunn from 1950-2010, including letters from Bill Moyers, Bill and Hillary Clinton, George Mahon, and Joseph Dawson. It also includes news articles, essays, and writings written by or about Dunn. In addition, the collection features pamphlets and programs pertaining to events that Dunn attended or spoke at, as well as biographical materials. Some of the significant topics represented in these files are religious liberty, the separation of church and state, prayer in public schools, nuclear warfare, and world hunger.
Collection Arrangement
Organized into five series: Series 1. Articles, Subject Files, and Writings; Series 2. Awards; Series 3. Biographical Materials; Series 4. Correspondence; and Series 5. Events. Items within these series are arranged alphabetically with the exception of Series 4, Correspondence, which is ordered chronologically.
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Finding aid prepared by Processed by Kristin Weisse, 2014
- Revision Description
- Revised by Stephanie Bennett, 2015-2016
- Access Requirements
- Collection is open for researchers.
- Copyright Notice
- The nature of the WFU Z.Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. .
- Preferred Citation
- James M. Dunn Papers (MS 632), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.