John L. Bell
|
|
John Lamberton Bell is a Church of Scotland minister, a member of the Iona Community, a broadcaster, and former student activist.
He first emerged as a significant figure in 1974 when he was elected as president of Glasgow University Students' Representative Council. His election represented a significant breakthrough as it was the start of a few years' control by the left wing of GU SRC. Bell was quite open about his Christian religious beliefs, wearing a wooden cross-shaped pendant. Curiously, he even looked a bit like the traditional representation of Jesus in art, with his hair and beard. He was generally regarded as an able president, even by people who did not share all his political and religious views.
In 1977 when he was elected as Lord Rector of Glasgow University, while he was still a student. This was part of a trend for student rectors, which included e.g. Gordon Brown, but the rules were changed to prevent students from standing for this post.
After a period in the Netherlands and two posts in church youth work, he became employed full time in the areas of music and worship with the Wild Goose Resource Group. He is a past convenor of the Church of Scotland’s Panel on Worship and presently convenes the Committee revising the Church Hymnary.
In 1999 he was honoured by the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the Royal School of Church Music which bestowed a Fellowship on him, and in 2002 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Glasgow.
John has produced (some 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 the Iona Community in Scotland and by G.I.A. Publications (Chicago) in North America.
He is an occasional broadcaster, and has presented a programme Songs of God's People on BBC, which included religious songs from various parts of the world. He lectures in theological colleges in Britain and U.S., but is primarily concerned with the renewal of congregational worship at grass roots level.
External links
- Iona Community (http://www.iona.org.uk)
- Wild Goose Resource Group (http://www.iona.org.uk/wgrg/wild.htm)
- Wild Goose Publications (http://www.ionabooks.com)
- G.I.A. Publications (http://www.giamusic.com/)