Charlie Bell is a force of nature. Dogged, passionate, intelligent,
and grounded – these are some of the virtues and characteristics
that have shaped his learning and writing. A qualified psychiatrist
lecturing in medicine in the University of Cambridge, he also found
the time to be formed for ordination. He serves as a curate in
Kennington in the Diocese of Southwark. Many have been enriched
by his commitment to inclusion and his fearless calling out of
some of the thinking and practices that diminish and disfigure the
Christian community. He wants to make a difference to the quality
and life of Christian witness, and especially by putting theology to
work for our mutual flourishing.
This book is multifaceted and interdisciplinary. Two core
questions are explored. The first relates to the concept of total pain
and how we might enable ourselves and others to embrace the
darkness that pain can bring. This pervading reality is then situated
within an invitation and affirmation to live within the Christian
tradition. Bell describes this as the interrelationship between
doctrine and prayer, a tapestry of light within the witness of the
Saints. In these nuanced and generous nine chapters, the book
seeks to argue that a belief in the communion of Saints can help
us to understand, embrace and deal with the pain that comes from
human trauma. Bell moves between the narratives and experiences
of his formation as a priest, doctor, and teacher to show his reader
what pastoral presence and engagement looks like in the face of
our human condition.
All writers are shaped by the lives and work of others, and
Bell acknowledges those individuals and communities that have
supported him in the academy, the National Health Service, and
the Church. He is honest about the way in which the loss of his
father simulated years of thinking about the meanings of death and
dying. It could be that much of our theology is rooted within our
own perplexities and vulnerabilities as part of the way we search
for truth and make meaning. This is a strand of Bell’s exploration
here, combined with a conviction of the relevance of Christian
belief and doctrine.