Favorite authors
"I have to say my three favorite Christadelphian authors
are Robert Roberts, Islip Collyer and 'George the Bookie'..."
*****
What a coincidence, Rachel! You have named two of MY three
favorites! My list of three would be: Robert Roberts, Islip Collyer, and Harry
Whittaker.
RR had the great facility of making himself clear, while
expressing himself powerfully, and his exhortations are dignified and filled
with the most profound insights; he sees God at work everywhere and in every way
("Ways of Providence"; "Visible Hand of God"!). And you have to admire a brother
who, as a boy of 14, drew up his own Bible reading plan and followed it
scrupulously, and then proceeded to share it with thousands of people!
IC sees the big picture, deals with practical day-to-day life,
and tells good stories. He is calm, balanced, and kindly. He manages to make his
ideas plain, and to show right and wrong as he sees it -- without attacking or
disparaging anyone. I would have loved to sit and talk with him, and his books
are the next best thing. ("Convictions and Conduct"; "Principles and
Proverbs"!)
HAW is fun, and challenging, and a little exasperating, but
altogether an "adventure" (as he was in person). He's the professor who cares
fanatically about his subject: he's always asking the tough questions, and
pushing you to think for yourself, and "work it out". He won't let you take the
easy way. Reading him made me want to study the Bible, REALLY study it, and make
it MY book, and not just THE book! ("Exploring the Bible", "Enjoying the Bible",
"Gospels"!)
I have, of course, read everything the Bookie fellow wrote,
but then I had to... he practically begs me to proofread it! And I do agree with
a lot of it. Sometimes he challenges me too, with things I haven't thought about
before -- which I think is a good thing generally (although we can perhaps have
too much of that sometimes). But I can always accept or reject what he writes,
after putting it alongside the Bible.
But -- just between you and me -- the proofreading is a tough
job: he gets so perturbed when I try to correct his mistakes!
George
