–by Julie Jeffery Manwarren
The son of a church planter, pastor and Bible college professor, Dr. David Gunn (’23) grew up in California, surrounded by the gospel. That gospel became personal to him at the age of 15.
Encouraged by his father, Dr. Gunn attended college with the intention of taking their one-year Bible certificate program.
While at college, Dr. Gunn took an interest in academics. He also had a love for music. Dr. Gunn’s plan for a one-year Bible program soon turned into a four-year Bachelor of Arts in Musical Studies. “Music was something I was passionate about,” he said. “So that pursuit seemed natural.”
During his sophomore year of college, Dr. Gunn found his interests beginning to shift.
“It wasn’t that I was becoming less interested in music, it was that I was becoming more interested in theology, particularly systematic theology,” said Dr. Gunn. “As I was sitting under the teaching of sound doctrine and beginning to see the truths of God in a whole new light, I found that I was developing a passion to study those things more. I thought that nothing would be better than to spend my life teaching theology to others.”
Although he didn’t have a clear view on what his life would be, vocational ministry began to sound a lot more interesting to him.
“As I took courses in Bible and theology, I was fascinated,” said Dr. Gunn. “And because I believe these things are true, I recognized that they had ultimate significance.”
Clear Course
Giving his life to share the truth of God’s Word became more significant to Dr. Gunn than any other aspiration. He transferred from the music program to pursue a Bible and theology degree with the intention of going into full-time ministry. He graduated from Shasta Bible College in 2008 with a minor in music.
He married his wife Sarah in 2007; they have two sons. After Bible college, Dr. Gunn wanted to learn more. He earned his Master of Divinity at Corbin University 2011. He was ordained for ministry that same year by Grace Baptist Church in Redding, California.
Dr. Gunn says those years “took that foundation that had been established in my Bible college years and took it so much deeper. I gained an appreciation for biblical languages and also had a chance to use my music minor while I was in Washington. I served as a worship pastor at a church there.”
Dr. Gunn earned a Master of Theology from Liberty University in 2012 with a dual emphasis in Systematic Theology and Church History. The Gunns moved to the Johnstown-Altoona area of Pennsylvania to be close to his wife’s parents. While living there, Dr. Gunn decided to pursue more education. That goal came largely at his wife’s suggestion. “I’ve often wondered if she later kicked herself for it,” laughed Dr. Gunn.
“At that point, my wife Sarah said to me, ‘I think you have the potential to be a professor. You ought to think about getting your Ph.D.’ It wasn’t on my radar at the time, but at her encouragement, I looked into it. And Baptist Bible Seminary was the school that rose to the top as I was looking at Ph.D. programs in theology…It’s not necessarily easy to find Ph.D. programs that take a traditional dispensational view of theology, that value the biblical languages as highly as this school does, and have a strong emphasis on theological method. That was all attractive to me, and those things made the choice to continue my education at BBS clear.”
Although Dr. Gunn’s path took him on a journey from the West to East Coast, to study at different schools, and serve in many vocational ministry positions, early on he recognized clear direction from God to teach. Throughout his life, Dr. Gunn has sought to learn all he can about God and His Word and to share those truths with others.
Clear Direction: Career Changes
In 2012, he began teaching online and in local public schools. During that time of working on his doctoral degree, a conversation with John Greening led him to apply to Regular Baptist Press in Chicago, Illinois. “I had never considered Christian publishing,” said Dr. Gunn. “But that prospect interested me because I have always loved writing and that part of academia.”
Dr. Gunn accepted a position in 2014 at RBP to oversee half of their editorial department. He oversaw the publication of books, Bible studies and Sunday school materials. He also served as managing editor of their bi-monthly magazine, “The Baptist Bulletin.” In 2017, he was promoted to director of Regular Baptist Press. “That is a good ministry, and I enjoyed my time there. It was a fulfilling ministry,” said Dr. Gunn. “At the same time, I knew that I had an interest in hands-on teaching.”
In 2017 he began teaching biblical apologetics courses online for BBS while still serving at RBP. He wasn’t actively looking for a change, but Dr. Gunn said that, “If God wanted me in some kind of full-time teaching position, then I was interested in that. I was perfectly content at RBP and teaching classes online. But out of the blue, in early 2022, I got a phone call from BBS.”
A position to teach systematic theology opened up at the seminary. “My wife and I prayed about it,” said Dr. Gunn. “I felt it would be cool to teach theology in a setting like this. I really enjoy teaching in a Christian higher education environment, and it became clear that this is where God would have us.”
Dr. Gunn completed his Doctor of Philosophy in 2023 and serves as the associate professor of systematic theology at Baptist Bible Seminary.
Clear Pursuit: To Make God Known
As he steps back to look on his own life, Dr. Gunn sees many changes and chapters, but all have lead him to one clear pursuit.
“The two most important things in life are to know God and to make Him known,” said Dr. Gunn. “I’ve observed when those are the things that I am giving myself to and when those are the activities that I am most involved in, that’s when I feel most complete as a person. That is when I feel I am achieving my highest call and the purpose for which God has placed me here. And that is when life is at its most joyful. It’s easy to get distracted. There is so much in our sound-byte driven culture and our busy schedules that can distract from that. I’ve known so many Christians who got off track because they became perpetually distracted by things that are good but not the best. I guess that has been the theme in my teaching, in my preaching, and in my life. Knowing God and making God known.
“I think that is what we were created for. Not everyone is called to full-time ministry. But that two-fold emphasis can exist as a privilege and responsibility of every believer. It’s an achievable goal—no less for the Christian bus driver or the Christian businesswoman. Whatever vocation you find yourself in, we are all called to know God and make him known. That is where you find ultimate meaning and satisfaction in life. Not that I have already achieved it. We are all in process. We are all on a journey—but that is the goal, as Paul said, that we press on for in this life.”
Dr. Gunn says the times he has given himself fully to knowing God and making Him known have been most fulfiling. From the west coast to the east coast, the journey hasn’t been linear, but the call on his life has been clear.
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