Brave Soul

Cherie Bell relays the purpose of life to the spiritual. With humor and grace, she shares for the first time her experience living as a Pentecostal teen-ager in the 1970s. At first happy her chaotic family life would be tamed by church membership, she finds her parents' choice too strict. After a few years of learning the reasons for the 'holiness' lifestyle, she joins, following the plan of salvation and conforms to the church's teachings. An enthused youth, she lives the Pentecostal life with gusto. But as she grows into an independent young woman, with a curiosity toward world religions, she begins to break from the strict church. Influenced by the New Age movement during the 1980s, she studied the teachings of Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and the Gnostic gospels with teachings from Christ more suited to modern times. Using old-time gospel and contemporary Christian songs titles to set off each segment of her spiritual evolution, from conservative Christian to a free-thinker who finds spiritual enlightenment in all world religions, Ms. Bell writes as one who knows the Pentecostal experience firsthand, and yet she does not argue her views today. Indeed she concludes everyone's path in life is unique. Hers is an interesting story that leaves readers thinking about religious fundamentalism and its impact on the world today.