Customer Reviews

The 100-Minute Bible

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

This book is accurate, but I feel as if it skips over some important parts of the Bible that contributes to God's word. If you haven't read the Bible, I do not recommend this to you because you will not get the full story; however, if you need a refresher course, this will help jog your memory. I will say that it was hard to read because it is written informationally without any transition words; I felt as if I was reading a bulleted list.

This "book" is a 57 page pamphlet.

It is a short synopsis of the important bible stories, lessons, and prophecy summary. Its not meant to be a study guide at all, but is written to appeal to those who would never study the bible nor go to church but still want to familiarize themselves with what the bible contains.

I originally bought it for my teenage son and I hope he'll read it someday soon. Those with a short attention span will love this breeze-through book. For the price, it definitely won't hurt to buy it.

Talk about pithy! I'm amazed that anyone could compress the essential events and teachings of the Old and New Testaments into something readable so quickly. To be honest, so much was omitted that I was sometimes bored as I read, and glad only two hours were needed. On the other hand, brief as it was, the book brought me new insights into stories I thought I knew well - such as WHY Paul went to the Temple during his final trip to Jerusalem. It also included far more of the key verses than I'd expected it could.

I particularly appreciated the inclusion of the meaning of events and messages and even poetry, rather than dry facts alone. I was also surprised how seldom I wanted to shout at my Kindle that an important point had been omitted.

Who should read the 100 Minute Bible? At least three groups: 1) Christians who have yet to read the entire Bible; 2) Non-Christians who wonder what all the fuss is about; 3) Bible students who would benefit from a Cliff Notes overview.

Recommended.

This is a good addition to my Kindle. It is inspiring and easy to use, especially when I only have a short time such as when stuck in traffic or waiting at the doctor.
I recommend this for anyone. Helps to have a resource available at your fingertips anytime you need it.

If you just want a brief introduction to the content of the Bible this is the book for you.

Really liked it. I bought even more for some of my friends who were intreged by it.