John Martin Hull (22 April 1935 – 28 July 2015) was Emeritus Professor of Religious Education at the University of Birmingham. He was the author of a number of books and many articles in the fields of religious education, practical theology and disability. The latter interest arose from his experiences, and personal and theological reflections, on becoming blind in mid-career. He edited the British Journal of Religious Education for 25 years, and co-founded the International Seminar on Religious Education and Values, of which he was general secretary for 32 years, and president emeritus at the time of his death. After retirement he pursued a further interest as Honorary Professor of Practical Theology at the Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, Birmingham, England.
Early life
John Hull was born in Corryong, Victoria, Australia, the son of John Eaglesfield Hull (born in Leicester, England, U.K.), a Methodist minister, and Madge Enid Hull, a teacher. He received a general arts degree from the University of Melbourne and became a school teacher, but after three years teaching at Caulfield Grammar School, Melbourne, whilst also obtaining a post-graduate BEd, he moved to England in 1959 to study theology at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, followed by Cheshunt College. He became domiciled in the UK in 1962.
Work on religious education
After Cambridge and four years as head of religious education at a London grammar school, Hull moved to Birmingham to train religious education teachers, first at Westhill College, then at the University of Birmingham, which awarded him a PhD in theology in 1969.
From 1971 to 1996 he was editor of the British Journal of Religious Education, and he remained a member of its UK editorial board until 2009. He served two terms as president of the National Christian Education Council. In 1978 he was the co-founder with John H. Peatling (US) of the International Seminar on Religious Education and Values, by its 2012 session an association of over 240 religious education scholars from 36 countries, which meets in a different country every other year. He was its general secretary from 1978 to 2010, when he was appointed president emeritus.
In 1989, Hull was appointed to a personal chair as Professor of Religious Education in the University of Birmingham, the first such in the United Kingdom. In 1990 he was also appointed dean of its Faculty of Education and Continuing Studies. In his time in Birmingham, he wrote many papers and contributed over 50 chapters to books. Books on religious education which he wrote or edited include: Sense and Nonsense about God (1974). Study guide for older secondary and college students on the philosophy of religion. School Worship: An Obituary (1975). Seminal discussion of the philosophy and practice of school worship; arguing that it should be replaced by an assembly devoted to spiritual and moral development of the school. New Directions in Religious Education (1982). Seventeen outstanding articles from the British Journal of Religious Education, selected and commented on by Journal Editor John Hull. Studies in Religion and Education (1984). A collection of Hull's academic articles published between 1969 and 1982. What Prevents Christian Adults from Learning? (1985). "When we find that Christian adults often seem to stop learning and developing in their faith, one must ask why." The Act Unpacked: The Meaning of the 1988 Education Reform Act for Religious Education (1989). Drew attention to the world religions approach of the legislation, whereas publicity had focussed on the Christianity aspect. Mishmash: Religious Education in Multi-Cultural Britain, a study in metaphor (1991). The debate on the 1988 Education Reform Act had used this metaphor of disgusting food to attack a world religions approach to religious education. This booklet analyses this rhetoric, tracing it back to an elitist view. God-Talk With Young Children: Notes for Parents & Teachers (1991). Thirty-three conversations with children, mostly about God; with interpretation and suggestions. A Gift to the Child (1991)(with others). Teachers' Source Book. Utopian Whispers: Moral, Religious and Spiritual Values in School (1998). BJRE editorials, originally written and now selected by John Hull; covering a period of major changes in religious education in Britain. Glaube und Bildung (2000). Some of Hull's writings on 'Faith and Education', edited and translated into German. (Book not available in English.)