Kathleen Bliss

Kathleen Mary Amelia Bliss (; 5 July 190813 September 1989) was an English theologian, missionary and official of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Early life Bliss was born in Fulham. She attended Girton College, Cambridge, graduating in theology (First Class, 1931) and history (Second Class, 1929).

Bliss left for an extended missionary trip to Tamil Nadu in 1932 under the auspices of the London Missionary Society. She went with her husband Rupert, whom she married that year, and they remained in India until 1939.

Literary career Upon her return to England, Bliss began working at the Christian News Letter, then managed by J. H. Oldham. She became assistant editor in 1942 and editor in 1945, in which capacity she served until the publication folded in 1949. From 1950 to 1955, she worked at the BBC as a producer.

World Council of Churches In the 1940s and 1950s, Bliss served in various capacities in the WCC, an ecumenical organisation founded in 1948. She became a member of WCC's executive committee in 1954. Her work with WCC focused particularly on the role of women in the church. She published a monograph on the subject in 1952.

Academic career From 1967/8 to 1972, Bliss was a senior lecturer in religious studies at the University of Sussex.

Religious views Originally a Congregationalist, Bliss had become a member of the Church of England by 1948.

Works In addition to the published works listed below, Bliss prepared, but never finished, a book-length biography of J. H. Oldham.