John Hull, an accomplished religious education writer, editor, and researcher, passed away at the age of 80. Despite becoming completely blind in 1980, he maintained an impressive career and made notable contributions to blindness studies through his book Touching the Rock (1990). Oliver Sacks praised it as a masterpiece, describing it as an extraordinary, precise, deep, and beautiful account of blindness.
Hull’s work had a profound impact on blind individuals, including Peter White, presenter of Radio 4’s In Touch program, who commended Hull’s analytical understanding of blindness. One of Hull’s short audio diaries inspired the short film, Notes on Blindness, commissioned by the New York Times and premiered at the Sundance film festival. The documentary won the Encounters Short Film Festival and an Emmy award.
Hull also continued to write about blindness while working in religious education, including a radical critique of materialism and what he termed as the money culture. After retiring in 2002 from the University of Birmingham, where he served as a professor emeritus, he became an honorary professor and continued teaching, writing, and participating in social action related to the church’s prophetic role in society, particularly in opposing nuclear weapons and the money culture.
Hull was the second of four children and was born in Corryong, Victoria, Australia, to Jack, a Methodist minister, and Madge (nee Hutley). He faced poor health as a child, chronic eczema, and eye problems that began at the age of 13. Hull trained as a teacher at the University of Melbourne and later studied at Cambridge University, which sparked a crisis of faith and led to his liberal/radical theological position.
Hull’s unique approach to religious education combined an impartial study of religions with the development of students’ personal views. He presented religious education as a combination of studying different religions critically and openly while critiquing social and political values of different religions. He also opposed compulsory worship in inclusive schools and served on the Birmingham Agreed Syllabus of 1975 and the Groundplan for the Study of Religion, published by the Schools Council in 1977. Hull became the first full professor in religious education at a UK university and served as dean of the faculty of education and continuing studies.
Hull had a passion for open and critical religious education that was accessible to all, and he was deeply invested in fostering a nurturing environment for both children and adults within religious contexts. Drawing inspiration from discussions with his own children, Hull wrote God Talk with Young Children (1991), which explored how to approach religious conversations with young people, and What Prevents Christian Adults from Learning? (1991), which examined the challenges facing adult learners in a religious setting. Hull’s ideas also had a significant influence on the British Council of Churches’ reports The Child in the Church (1976) and Understanding Christian Nurture (1981).
Hull was twice elected president of the National Christian Education Council. In 1988, he founded Cathedrals Through Touch and Hearing, a project that installed facilities in cathedrals aimed at providing blind visitors with an appreciation of the architecture. From 1971 until 1996, Hull served as the editor of Learning for Living, which he transformed into the prominent international journal renamed as the British Journal of Religious Education in 1978.
Among Hull’s most notable accomplishments were his contributions to the International Seminar on Religious Education and Values (Isrev), which he co-founded with John Peatling in 1978. Isrev brought together scholars from across the world at biennial conferences, initially held alternately in Europe and North America. Hull served as general secretary for 32 years and remained president emeritus at the time of his death.
Hull was one of only 12 scholars to be awarded the William Rainey Harper Award from the Religious Education Association of the US and Canada. This recognition is bestowed upon "outstanding leaders whose work in other fields has had a profound impact upon religious education" and includes a distinguished group of recipients such as Marshall McLuhan, Margaret Mead, and Paolo Freire.
A deeply spiritual and intellectual man, Hull had a prophetic vision that was complemented by his political savvy, charisma, and sharp sense of humor. He maintained a close and loving relationship with his family and friends throughout his life. He is survived by his second wife, Marilyn (nee Gasson), whom he married in 1979; their children, Thomas, Elizabeth, Gabriel, and Joshua; as well as his daughter, Imogen, from his first marriage to Daphne Brewer, which ended in divorce.