Rev. David A. Hart, Union Alumnus ’79, Dies at 69
David Hart died in “Paradise” (as he called Sri Lanka) on March 1st, 2024, one month before his 70th birthday. He was a very liberal Anglo-Catholic priest, gay activist, teacher, writer, and inter-faith enthusiast. While an Anglican chaplain at Loughborough University, he attended the second Sea of Faith Conference and became an eager disciple of Don Cupitt and his “non-realist” approach to religion.
David was never vicar of a parish church but was a teacher and chaplain at various schools and universities. At Derby University, he was the founder and first Acting Director of its new Multi-Faith Centre.
He tried to understand Hinduism and Islam from as close to the inside as he could, visiting Kerala with its temples and mosques frequently, and at last retiring to Sri Lanka to live with a Muslim family.
He published several books on religion, the earliest, “Faith in Doubt” and “One Faith?” being the best. “Linking Up,” with its acceptance of “polyamory,” became notorious. He attended international conferences organized by the Unification Church (“the Moonies”), as well as R.C., Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Quaker, and Unitarian meetings. He was well able to believe six impossible things before breakfast, and his students always enjoyed his joie-de-vivre and valued his encouragement.
David’s eccentric enthusiasm will be greatly missed by his many friends worldwide.