George Kennedy Allen Bell

Nationality

United Kingdom

Date of Birth

1883

Date of Death

1958

Political
Preference

Christian

George Bell studied at Christ Church, Oxford University. After the outbreak of the First World War, Bell was appointed chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He soon became actively involved in World Alliance for Promoting International Friendship through the Churches. Together with his close friend, Nathan Söderblom the head of the Lutheran Church in Sweden, he campaigned in the Life and Work Movement on issues as disarmament, the treatment of racial and religious minorities, and the creation of the League of Nations. Bell believed that the church should not be allowed to become simply a spiritual help to the state, but instead should be an advocate of peaceful international relations and make a stand against expulsion, enslavement and the destruction of morality.

When, shortly after the Nazi coup, Hitler tried to mould the churches into a mouthpiece for the national socialist state, Bell’s beliefs led him to robustly support the Confessing Church in Germany against the involvement of the state in ecclesial affairs. Bell used his authority as President of the Life and Work movement to influence public opinion in Britain and even the Nazi authorities in Berlin. For quite some time during the 1930s, for example, he corresponded with Rudolf Hess, the Deputy Führer on issues like the imprisonment of German Martin Niemöller.

Bell had become Bishop of Chichester in June 1929. His public standing grew, and he voiced his opinion on public matters through his written work, specifically through the book Christianity and World Order and via speeches in the House of Lords, which he entered in 1938. During the war years, Bell was a member of the Peace Aims Group. Together with William Temple, J.H. Oldman and William Paton, he argued incessantly for a united Europe with an understanding and empathy for Germany. Throughout the war, Bell saw a new Europe as one of the main goals for Britain to ensure peace.

Near the war’s end, Bell made himself unpopular after criticizing Churchills’ War Cabinet in February 1944. Bishop Bell called for negotiations to take place between Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler to bring an end to the policy of bombing civilian areas. In speaking in the House of Lords of the distinction between Hitler’s government and the German nation, he harvested a storm of criticism.

Post-war, Bell stayed determined to pursue international reconciliation. He joined the CCIA and was elected moderator of the Central Committee of the new World Council of Churches at its first assembly in 1948. In 1950 he spoke to the British Parliament in favour of the Schuman Plan. In 1954 Bell became president of the organization until his deathbed.