Böcker av Jr. Bell

Rethinking Justice lifts up and restores an idea of justice found in classical writers as well as more recent thinkers. Justice deals with righting wrongs and restoring peace to individuals and communities. We have lost sight of this and must return to it in mind and practice.

Bell introduces readers to the complexity of Africa, the legacy of colonialism, the challenges of post-independence Africa and other developments. He also discusses the concepts of negritude, African socialism and race.

This analysis of the social and political thought of Simone Weil pays particular attention to Weil's concept of justice as compassion. It describes the ways in which Weil's concept of justice stands in contrast with liberal "rights-based" views of justice and focuses upon aspects of Weil's thought.

Parsifal, Wagner's final opera, is considered by many to be one of the greatest religious musical works ever composed; but it is also one of the most difficult to understand and many have questioned whether it can be considered a "Christian" work at all. Added to this is the furious debate that has surrounded the composer as an anti-Semite, racist, and inspiration for Hitler. Richard Bell addresses such issues and argues that despite any personal failings Wagner makes a fundamental theological contribution through his many writings and ultimately in Parsifal which, he argues, preaches Christ crucified in a way that can never be captured by words alone. He argues that Wagner offers a vision of the divine and a "theology of Good Friday" that can both function as profound therapy and address current theological controversies.