Bill Moyers has weighed in over the years and Brent Walker and Aaron Weaver have done good jobs in their tribute bios of Dunn.
I like what Weaver did with Dunn's early inspiration from Stewart Newman;
Dunn just a boy of 16 when he took the January Bible Study class with Newman.
Last week I was reading a piece in Theatlantic.com, review of severalrecent books about Nixon, one by Even Thomas, Being Nixon. One of those analyses tookstronglook at a darker side of Nixon's legacy, the Southern Strategy of Harry Dent which in part was a piece of the troubles Helms, Pressler and Patterson engaged to make America a struggle for the likes of James Dunn.
I knew Dent's daughter at Furman. Dolly named her first son after Billy Graham, Graham is his name.
I've talked to her sisiter Ginny over the last several years about many facts of Baptist history of last 30 years.
Dunn was upaginst some big forces,from the anti Civilrights resentments of Pressler and Helms, to Nixon's legacy in the Southern Strategy and the pettifoggery of Billy Graha. Even now locally in Alabama Collinsville pastor John Morgan has abused the wintess of Obadiah Holmes unwittingly perhaps for Tea Party Gains in our small pocket of the world.
At furman in the early 90s I tried toset up a donversation between Dunn and Harry Dent. Dunn Wasn't pleased. I 've come to understand why. Maybe it was the timing but it woulda been an interesting conversation to have been on the record.
Maybe Moyers yet has a little time toshedsome morelight.
In the big picture, someknew George Truett. Some MartinLutherKingand DietrichBonhoeffer.In our lifetime many of us got to knowJames Dunn and we are better people for it; better Baptists for sure.