Work On Practical Theology
John Hull had read theology at Cambridge University from 1959 to 1962, and received a PhD in theology from the University of Birmingham in 1969, for a study of the background to the miracles of Jesus, in the magical world of the first century; which was the basis of his book of the same title, Hellenistic Magic and the Synoptic Tradition (1974).
Alongside his work on religious education, he has been concerned with the theology of education, the theology of disability, and the theology of Christian mission, including a critique of money. Some of Hull's writings on the last subject have been edited and translated into German, and published as Gott und Geld ('God and Money') (2000). (Book not available in English.)
After becoming Professor Emeritus at the University of Birmingham, his research and teaching interests turned to issues of practical theology. In 2004 he took up a post at the Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, Birmingham, as Honorary Professor in Practical Theology. Here he is involved with the training of students for the Anglican and Methodist ministries, particularly in the area of prophetic ministry, which concerns leadership on questions of social justice – questioning and criticising society in the name of the God of justice and peace. His website gives details of a number of public acts of prophetic witness which have been organised by the Queen's Foundation.
He is the author of Mission-Shaped Church: A Theological Response (2006). This is a serious theological evaluation of the framework within which the Anglican policy document 'Mission-Shaped Church' is presented, raising questions about the concepts of Kingdom, Church, Gospel and Mission.
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