John L. Bell | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Bell speaking in 2009 | |
| Born | (1949-11-20)November 20, 1949 (age 76) Kilmarnock,Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
| Notable work | Church Hymnary (Fourth Edition) |
| Rector of the University of Glasgow | |
| In office 1977–1980 | |
| Preceded by | Arthur Montford |
| Succeeded by | Reginald Bosanquet |
John Lamberton Bell (born 1949) is a Scottish hymn-writer andChurch of Scotlandminister. He is a member of theIona Community, a broadcaster, and former student activist. He works throughout the world, lecturing in theological colleges in the UK, Canada and the United States, but is primarily concerned with the renewal of congregationalworship at thegrass roots level.
Bell studied at theUniversity of Glasgow where in 1974 he was elected President of theStudents' Representative Council. His election represented a significant development as it was the start of a few years' control by the left wing of the SRC. Bell was quite open about his Christian religious beliefs, wearing a woodenpectoral cross.
In 1977 he was electedRector of the University of Glasgow,[1] while he was still a student. This was part of a trend for student rectors in Scotland at that time (which includedGordon Brown at theUniversity of Edinburgh) but the rules were later changed to prevent students from standing for this post.
After a period in theNetherlands and two posts in church youth work, Bell became employed full-time in the areas of music and worship with theWild Goose Resource Group. He is a past convener of theChurch of Scotland's Panel on Worship and also convened the committee to revise theChurch Hymnary. In 1987, he wrote the hymn "The Summons".
In 1999, Bell was honoured by thePresbyterian Church in Canada and theRoyal School of Church Music which bestowed a Fellowship on him. In 2002, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by theUniversity of Glasgow.
Bell has produced (sometimes in collaboration with Graham Maule) many collections of original hymns and songs and two collections of songs of the World Church. These are published by theIona Community in Scotland and by G.I.A. Publications (Chicago) in North America. Several collections of his work have been published in translation in Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Dutch, Frisian, Japanese and German.
He is a frequent broadcaster, and often presents programmes on theBBC, majoring on contemporary religious songs from various parts of the world. He is quite a regular contributor to "Thought for the Day", part ofRadio 4'sToday programme.
In 2005, the BBC apologised for a broadcast by Bell in which he said that a Muslim corporal he had met who had been conscripted into the Israeli army had been jailed for refusing to shoot Palestinian children. Neither the BBC nor the Israeli military were able to find any evidence supporting the story or the existence of a soldier fitting the description. It was further pointed out that Israeli Arabs are not subject to conscription. Bell acknowledged that two parts of his story were incorrect: the part about conscription had been an assumption on his part and he had misstated the person's age. He said: "I perfectly understand that at a time when Jewish sensitivity in Britain is running high because of anti-Semitism that part of my remarks might have been interpreted as furtive racism. However, such a conjecture would be completely untrue."[2]
Bell speaks to audiences across the world.In the UK, he has been associated with the Christian Arts FestivalGreenbelt for many years.[3]
In 2017, responding to the suicide of Lizzie Lowe[4] who was afraid to tell her parents about her sexuality, John Bell came out as gay during an address at Greenbelt Festival.[5] He had remained single because he believed that this enabled him to work without hindrance or compromise as a public Christian and fulfil his commitments in the area of worship in the Church of Scotland.[6]
Since 2021, Bell is a patron of theOpen Table Network, an ecumenical Christian community forLGBT people and their allies.[7]
In 2018, Bell received theCranmer Award for Worship fromJustin Welby,Archbishop of Canterbury, "for his outstanding Christian witness, through hymn-writing, broadcasting and social action."[8]
John Bell was the Convener (and music editor) of the committee which drafted theChurch of Scotland'sChurch Hymnary (Fourth Edition). The committee first met in 1994; the Fourth Edition was finally published in 2005. Music edition:ISBN 1-85311-613-0
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| Preceded by | Rector of the University of Glasgow 1977–1980 | Succeeded by |
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