John M. Hull – författare

Touching the Rock is a unique exploration of that distant, infinitely strange ‘other world’ of blindness. John Hull writes of odd sounds and echoes, of people without faces, of a curious new relationship between waking and dreaming, of a changed perception of nature and human personality. He reveals a world in which every human experience – eating and lovemaking, playing with children and buying drinks in the bar – is transformed. ‘The incisiveness of Hull’s observation, the beauty of his language, make this book poetry; the depth of his reflection turns it into phenomenology or philosophy.’Oliver Sacks, neurologist and bestselling author (1933-2015)‘He lets us see with no trace of self-pity or self-praise how blindness has become for him a genuine acquisition, an unforeseeably rich gift that has made of him what so few of us are: excellent watchers and hearers of the world . . . triumphant in the teeth of ruin.’Reynolds Price, American novelist (1933–2011)Notes on Blindness, a feature film and virtual reality experience by Peter Middleton & James Spinney based on John's original audio diaries. The project is an Archer’s Mark Production in association with Fee Fie Foe Films and 104 Films in co-production with Agat Films & Cie/Ex Nihilo. www.notesonblindness.co.uk

Many adults in the churches find learning difficult. They may not be able to understand, for example, how the church has developed through history and in a time of rapid social change will continue to develop in many ways. They may find intellectual formulations of belief difficult to comprehend, attitudes — like those who argue that the church must be involved in politics — difficult to accept, and patterns of behaviour difficult to adopt. Evidence of this is the way in which after more than two centuries, some of the most basic assumptions of modern theology are alien to the average congregation. Adults who find learning difficult may be parents, who ought to be able to teach children; they may be clergy and teachers, who ought to be helping to remedy the situation. They are often criticized; they also need to be understood. This book is for them.What John Hull has written is a study in practical theology but it adopts an inter-disciplinary approach, drawing on sociology, social psychology and psychology, as well as theology. It considers the nature of Christian education; the problems of education in what is inevitably an ideological community; the deep-seated human need to be right and the pain of learning; and the way in which faith must evolve along with the self. There is no other book quite like it, and it represents a most important breakthrough relevant not only in church and school, but also in a wider social context.

Many people have written books about the Bible from feminist and black points of view, but prior to this exceptional book no one has interpreted the Bible from the perspective of blindness. When John Hull went blind he realised that the Bible was written by sighted people. Even Jesus shared in the attitudes of his day towards blindness. In writing the book, Hull ignored the printed text and listened to the Bible on tape. The result is a unique interpretation, which challenges the sighted monopoly yet brings new insights into the Bible for both sighted and blind. Examining some of the best known instances of blindness in the biblical stories, the author brings anecdotes from his own life and experience to bear on thesa. What emerges is that the image of God is stamped upon blindness since only blind people can say that they, like God, are beyond light and darkness. In the Beginning There was Darkness affords new perspectives to all who are unaware that they read the Bible from a sighted point of view and will draw the different worlds of sight and blindness into a deeper mutual understanding. A gripping testament to courage and faith, it makes a powerful contribution to burgeoning interest in theologies of disability and offers one of the most sinking fusions of the biblical and the personal yet to have appeared in print.

The Tactile Heart is a collection of theological essays on relating blindness and faith and developing a theology of blindness that makes a constructive contribution to the wider field of disability theology. John Hull looks at key texts in the Christian tradition, such as the Bible, written as a text for sighted people, and at hymns, which often use blindness as a metaphor for ignorance and explores how these can be read by blind people.

Thirty years ago John Hull wrote “What Prevents Christian Adults from Learning?”. This new book asks “What Prevents Christian Adults from Acting?” How has it come about that the Church appears to be so preoccupied with itself? What happened to the quest for the social justice of the Kingdom of God?John Hull's search for understanding took him back to the prophetic tradition of the Bible, and he discovered that this has become neglected and even betrayed. Christian discipleship must be more than church-going and prayer. Christians must resist the unjust structures of society in the prophetic tradition. Theological reflection is not enough!

First published in 1984. John M. Hull was a leading figure in the controversies which had surrounded religious education since the late 1960s. This book brings together in one volume 21 of his published papers and articles, which had previously appeared in journals, conferences, reports and books in Belgium, Australia, Canada, the United States, as well as the United Kingdom. This book is essential reading for all teachers, clergy, parents and students seriously concerned with the issues confronting religious education and Christian upbringing in our secular and pluralist world.