Bishop George Bell and the Cold War
The essay examines how Bishop George Bell's attempts to make the Church relevant, especially in the realm of international affairs, resulted in his becoming a Cold Warrior. Bell was part of a courageous generation of ecumenically minded Christians committed to meaningful participation in world...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2008
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| In: |
Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte
Year: 2008, Volume: 21, Issue: 2, Pages: 349-372 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The essay examines how Bishop George Bell's attempts to make the Church relevant, especially in the realm of international affairs, resulted in his becoming a Cold Warrior. Bell was part of a courageous generation of ecumenically minded Christians committed to meaningful participation in world problems. He was convinced Christian ideas could provide the common moral code required for a just and humane world order. Bell initially saw the Cold War as an opportunity for the Church to reassert its influence and work toward a Christian civilisation. However, President Harry Truman's 1950 decision to authorise the production of the hydrogen bomb brought Bell out forcefully against nuclear weapons, fragmenting the unity of the Anglican hierarchy around the Cold War consensus that had meant largely undeviating support for British foreign policy. British nuclear policy, in tandem with its American ally, shifted Bell to a more objective analysis of East-West rivalry. Hence, in the final years of his life Bell challenged the very consensus he had helped build. |
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| ISSN: | 2196-808X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.13109/kize.2008.21.2.349 |