H. Ray Dunning

Hubert Ray Dunning (born October 26, 1926) is an American Wesleyan theologian, pastor, and educator affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene. He is best known for his systematic theology Grace, Faith & Holiness, a major theological work within the Holiness tradition. Dunning served for more than three decades on the faculty of Trevecca Nazarene University, where he taught theology and philosophy and later became professor emeritus. He also served as president of the Wesleyan Theological Society and became an influential figure in modern Wesleyan-Holiness theology.

Early life and education Dunning was born on October 26, 1926, in Clarksville, Tennessee. He was raised in Tennessee and joined the Church of the Nazarene after his conversion experience in 1942. In 1952, he married Bettye Dunning, with whom he had three children.

He enrolled at Trevecca Nazarene College in 1944 and graduated in 1948. He later earned a Bachelor of Divinity from Nazarene Theological Seminary, followed by a Master of Arts and a PhD in theology from Vanderbilt University. His doctoral dissertation, completed in 1969, was titled Nazarene Ethics as Seen in a Theological, Historical and Sociological Context.

Career Before entering full-time academic work, Dunning served for more than a decade as a pastor in the Church of the Nazarene. In 1964, he joined the faculty of Trevecca Nazarene University, where he taught theology, philosophy, and Christian ethics until his retirement in 1995. During his tenure, he chaired the department of religion and philosophy and directed the university's graduate religion program.

Dunning became widely known within Wesleyan theological circles through the publication of Grace, Faith & Holiness: A Wesleyan Systematic Theology in 1988. The work was commissioned by the Church of the Nazarene and became one of the denomination's most influential twentieth-century theological texts. Scholars have identified the volume as an important contribution to modern Wesleyan-Holiness theology. Dunning also served as president of the Wesleyan Theological Society in 1985 and later received the society's lifetime achievement award in 2004.

Theology Dunning’s theology is rooted in the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition and the Holiness movement. It emphasized the interconnected themes of prevenient grace, faith, justification, and sanctification as central to Wesleyan doctrine. Influenced by Paul Tillich and Nazarene theologian William M. Greathouse, his theological method combined historical theology and philosophical reflection. He also contributed to discussions on Christian discipleship, Christian ethics, ecclesiology, biblical theology and eschatology within the Church of the Nazarene. Several of his works were translated into Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, and other languages.