The 100-Minute Bible [Paperback]

Michael Hinton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2007

Who were the Twelve Tribes? What actually happened at the Last Supper? Many people are familiar with the Bible, but few have read it in depthlet alone in its entirety. Reverend Doctor Michael Hinton bridges the gap with this pocket-sized, modern summary, distilling the essential elements from Creation to Revelation into an accessible page-turner for today's time-pressed reader. An instant best-seller in Great Britain and translated into many languages, this 100-minute read covers all of the decisive moments and influential characters in short, straightforward chapters. This new way of looking at the Bible and the story of Christianity is the perfect companion for the airplane, bedtime, or the daily commute.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book was the No. 1 Best SELLER IN THE UK CHRISTIAN MARKET 2005, and No. 3 in the General Market Religious Books. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

This book was the No. 1 Best seller in the UK Christian market 2005, and No. 3 in the General Market Religious Books. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811856216
• ISBN-13: 978-0811856218
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 4.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,051,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sound Silly? It's not! This handy paperback is a great little tool for Bible Study, March 3, 2008

By 

David Crumm "Editor of ReadTheSpirit magazine" (Canton, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 100-Minute Bible (Paperback)

I'll admit it. After decades of covering the realm of religion as a journalist, I thought I'd seen just about every style of Bible imaginable -- even Bibles reduced to microdots on credit-card-sized rectangles of plastic!

So, when I heard that Chronicle Books was releasing "The 100-Minute Bible," I thought I'd take a look -- and likely have a chuckle.

Then, while sitting in on a Bible-study group recently, I spread out a whole series of new-style Bibles for the men and women in the group to examine. The "100-Minute Bible" was an unexpected hit! These busy people immediately "got" what I had missed at first glance -- they were fascinated by this helpful little window that looks out over "the big picture" of the Bible.

That's the phrase used to describe the accomplishment of this slim blue volume, prepared by former English school headmaster Michael Hinton (who has changed professions and now is an Anglican priest).

Word of clarification: The title of this paperback refers to the Christian Bible, not just the Hebrew scriptures. So, summaries of "The Old Testament" are Christian interpretations of those books. But, understand that about the book, you can judge your own interest. Christians likely will enjoy it and find it useful.

Having now spent the full 100 minutes with this "Bible" myself, I agree with the Bible-study group that liked the idea of the book so much. It's like taking a flight in a small plane high over the landscape of the Bible's lengthy narrative -- until we can glimpse the whole thing below us at a glance.

Obviously, it'll never replace the original, but it easily could be passed around in Bible-study groups to remind the class of what this book calls "the central Christian story" involved in the far bigger Bible.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The 100-Minute Bible, June 5, 2008

By 

Casey Jane "Casey Jane" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The 100-Minute Bible (Paperback)

I am not a religious person but I enjoy a good debate every once in a while and religion always seems to pop up now and then. And.. every time it does i shy away because I know NOTHING! Well I KNEW nothing.. The 100-minute bible is a wonderful way to "read" the bible without reading it.. It is pretty much ESSENTIAL for those of us who are not religious but still would like to know what we are talking about when confronted. It moves very quickly which was awkward at first but you get used to it. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who has wanted to understand the bible but will never have time to read it. I suppose I would also recommend this book for parents who would like to teach their children about the bible. I remember my grandma used to read us passages out of the bible when my brother and I were younger and we had NO idea what was going on.. The 100-Minute Bible puts everything into easy to understand chapters. Regardless of who you are or what you are into this book is not a waste of money. P.S. the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is due to the fact that occasionally the author tries to cram too much information into too few sentences and it gets confusing.. but read it one more time through and you got it!

-Casey Jane!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Innovative resource! Very Good, August 5, 2009

By 

T. Eldridge - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 100-Minute Bible (Paperback)

Are you a Christian who wishes they knew the bible better? Are you someone who knows Christians, and are slightly curious about that famous book that Christians read? Are you a seasoned bible reader who wants a succint summary of the overall big picture of the bible, in a pocket sized format?

If you are any of those, I'll bet that you benefit greatly from this little gem of a book. I was (still am) in the first category, but anyone who belongs to the latter two should also eat up this book.

It's basically a summary of the biblical story, from start to finish. Being so short, the authors need to focus in on the most important parts of the Bible in the context of the whole Christian story. And that they do, by spending a disproportionate amount of time of Jesus' life relative to the amount of pages in the Bible itself. However, do not fear- the key stories from the Old testament are explained as well, with references at the bottom of each page to the relevant chapters of the Bible to which they refer.

For an easy, succint, pocket sized big picture overview of the Bible look no further- THIS is it! Highly Recommended. And cheap too. And last but not least- it actually lives up to it's title- I read it within 100 minutes, and I think most people would get it done in that timeframe or thereabouts.

If anyone is looking to go a little further in their bible reading and gain a better understanding of how to make sense of the Bible, I'd recommend following this book up by reading Scot McKnight's The Blue Parakeet.