Dr. David Aune graduated from the University of Vermont with an undergraduate degree in English Literature. Aune received his Master of Theology in New Testament at Regent College, his Master of Divinity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in the History of Religions: Early Christianity at Brown University.

Aune is an ordained Minister in the United Church of Christ and previously served in the Lutheran Church.
He joined Ashland University in August of 1996 as an associate professor. He is a founding member of the Ashland Center for Nonviolence (ACN), currently serving on the Steering committee, the program committee, and as the Chair of the Department of Religion.

He has written several articles about Paul and the ancient world. As of right now, he has a book under contract, “Paul and the way of Nonviolence,” which talks about the apostle Paul as a resource for how we relate to people in more peaceful ways.
When he isn’t working on his book, he can be found teaching classes such as Biblical Studies, World Religions and Christian Literature.

He was hired at AU to be a professor mainly in Christian studies, however, when the Religion Department wanted to branch out and teach about other religions he received Postdoctoral training.
“[The] three-year consultation would meet every summer for a couple of weeks and then write papers and do things to learn how to teach religion in a church setting like this,” he remarked.

The training he received helped him to understand religions and become a better professor, but his travel has helped him “to see from others’ perspectives and understand the way people do things in other parts of the world.”He has traveled to 26 countries and three continents, but his most memorable one is the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, Italy.

“It’s so beautiful in that part of Italy and I had a really real moment of connection with the history,” he recalled.
The traveling he has done has helped to shape him into a professor who knows and respects his subject.
“I feel teaching other religions helps you become a better Christian and person,” he added.

Sophomore Kylie Anneshansley admires many different things about Aune, but the most admiral aspect was, “how educated he was on different religions, and how he respected them.”
“Aune never showed a biased side when talking about religions,” she said. “He always would tell us that he is a Christian, but still made sure that he was respectful about every religion. He always helped us understand religion as much as possible.”

Dr. Craig Hovey, a colleague of Aune stated, “He’s a real Christian man. He’s sharp and will challenge you, but you’re valued and supported.”
What really drives Aune as a professor is “the opportunity to broaden people’s minds.”
“Teaching about other religions, learning about other faiths and people is such a valuable part of being a Christian,” Aune concluded.