Yours grudgingly,

I was reluctant but I signed up for the TEE Methodism class that will be held this coming two weekends. I cannot exactly pin it down why but maybe it is because I am not so particular about being a Methodist. Maybe you could call me an indifferent one.

Oh! Don't misunderstand me, I am proud of John Wesley and utterly moved by his Aldersgate experience. But being Methodist isn't so important to me as compared to being Christian, and so I am still wondering why I signed up. I suppose part of me is being pulled in by the heritage of who I am.

But something interesting came out of it today. We received a long reading list and a long one it is, with books I have no idea where to get my hands on. I was a tad irritated because according to the initial notice, there were only 2 required books and I got them already. And now I have to read sections in these 12 books before turning up for classes.

I eyed the first one in the list, "Davies, Chapter 2 to 3."

"Now, this is required for the first lesson. Where in the world can I get a copy of it?"

In the bibliography, I found the full title, "Davies, Rupert E. Methodism. Epworth Press, 1985."

"Rupert E.?"

"Hey, don't I have a copy of this?!"

What an interesting name, Rupert. I remembered the book because of the name. I have it because a couple of years ago, the librarian in my former church was literally throwing books he thought was no longer relevant; in other words old books; in other words, those not in line with his thought. There were piles and piles of them outside the church office then and I screamed to myself, "What? Throw books? Sacrilegious!" and I started picking up books I thought were valuable.

And this was one of them.



It is a 1964 publication by Penguin Books - and interestingly I don't know what the "Pelican Original" refer to. It is old, the pages have changed colour and turned brown at the sides but I am now one proud owner of it.

Anyone? Any more books you want to throw?

pearlie

p/s Alex just revealed to me that "Pelican original are the first original materials to be published by Penguin books (before that, Penguin was publishing reprints)." Wow ... and I didn't even know.