John M. Hull
1935-2015
Professor of Religious Education
and Practical Theology
BLINDNESS & DISABILITY
Publisher: SPCK Publishing
ISBN: 9780281077472
Published: 2016
Touching the Rock
An Experience of Blindness
John M. Hull
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 observation is minute, and it is also profound: everything is pondered, explored, to its limit - every experience turned this way and that until it yields its full harvest of meanings. The incisiveness of Hull's observation, the beauty of his language, make this book poetry. . ."
Oliver Sacks, from the foreword.
On Sight and Insight
A journey into the World of Blindness
John M. Hull
‘On Sight and Insight’ is an expanded version of ‘Touching the Rock’. It contains the full text of the earlier book together with much additional material.
This work portrays the experience of being blind, and gives a heightened awareness of the role of sight in everyday life. The author describes how his perception of things has altered since he became blind, and describes his relationships and the practical details of his changed life.
Publisher: One World Publications
ISBN: 978-1851681419
Published: 1997
Publisher: Profile
ISBN: 9781781258590
Published: 2017
Notes on Blindness
A journey through the dark
John M. Hull
Days before the birth of his first son, writer and academic John M. Hull started to go blind. He would lose his sight entirely, plunged into darkness, unable to distinguish any sense of light or shadow. Isolated and claustrophobic, he sank into a deep depression. Soon, he had forgotten what his wife and daughter looked like.
In Notes on Blindness, John reveals his profound sense of loss, his altered perceptions of time and space, of waking and sleeping, love and companionship. With astonishing lucidity of thought and no self-pity, he describes the horror of being faceless, and asks what it truly means to be a husband and father. And eventually, he finds a new way of experiencing the world, of seeing the light despite the darkness. Based on John's diaries recorded on audio tape, this is a profoundly moving, wise and life-affirming account of one man's journey into blindness.
This book contains the original text of Hull’s earlier classic ‘Touching the Rock’, together with a new introduction and an epilogue written after his death by his wife, Marilyn.
Disability
The Inclusive Church Resource
John M. Hull
There is a huge need for churches to be more inclusive - some might be more inclusive in some areas than others (both in attitude and resources), but on the whole this is a massive failing of churches. Most church leaders recognise this failing but lack the resources and understanding to effect meaningful change.
The Inclusive Church Resources aim to educate, to reflect theologically and to provide practical advice and guidance. Each book contains first-hand personal experiences of people from the marginalised group, a theological reflection by John Hull and a resource section containing addresses, websites and practical advice on improving your church's inclusivity.
Publisher: Darton, Longman & Todd
ISBN: 978-0232530650
Published: 2014
The Tactile Heart
Blindness and Faith
John M. Hull
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.
Publisher: SCM Press
ISBN: 978-0334049333
Published: 2013
Publisher: SCM Press
ISBN: 978-0334028215
Published: 2001
In the Beginning There was Darkness
John M. Hull
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 this exceptional book, Hull ignored the printed text and listened to the Bible on tape. The result is an entirely novel interpretation, which challenges the sighted monopology yet brings fresh insights into the Bible for both sighted and blind. This book makes a powerful contribution to the burgeoning interest in theologies of disability.