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The 100-Minute Bible And Bible Study

In a CNN report dated September 21, 2005, a publishing company in Great Britain released a book entitled, “The 100-Minute Bible.” According to its author, Michael Hinton, the 100-Minute Bible summarizes “every teaching from the Creation to the Revelation” in a format designed to be read in a little more than an hour and a half.

The Book’s Official Web Site

The book’s official Web site states, “The Bible is primarily intended for people who have an interest in Christianity but not the time (nor tenacity!) to read the whole Bible. As the title indicates, most people will only take 100 minutes to read it, making it ideal for an upcoming rail or aeroplane journey.”

This Writer’s Observation

When this writer first heard about the 100-Minute Bible, I immediately thought about the exchange Jesus had with Peter, James, and John at Gethsemane on the night He was betrayed. As you recall, the Master took three close friends with Him into the depths of the garden as He prayed to the Father (Matthew 26:37-39). When He returned to them, they had fallen asleep. Jesus said to the three men:

“What, could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:40-41 NKJV).

The Time Factor Regarding Bible Class And Worship

Perhaps the “flesh” has improved its devotion since then, in that now we can wait a whole hour and forty minutes! I have the same reaction to the mindset of the 100-Minute Bible folks as I do of members who complain that Bible study class and Sunday worship services are too long. Brethren, are we in so much of a hurry that we can’t spare the Lord two hours on the Lord’s Day (assuming we bother to attend Bible study)? Can we not sit and meditate upon His word for a mere 45 minutes? If the answer to these questions is “no,” what does that say about the quality of our faith, or of our commitment to Christ?

In This Writer’s Mind

In this writer’s mind, if God took 1,700 years from Moses to John to inspire His complete revelation to mankind, shouldn’t His Book deserve more than 100 minutes of our attention? If the Son of God could spend roughly three and a half years on earth, doesn’t the account of His life deserve more than 100 minutes?

The very idea of the 100-Minute Bible, perfectly symbolizes today’s culture which demands “instant” gratification. Today’s mindset says, “Sure, I’d like to know more about God’s plan for my salvation, but if it takes longer than an hour and forty minutes to read about it, forget it!”

What Worthwhile Activity Could We Learn In 100 Minutes?

Let’s ask ourselves, “Is there any worthwhile activity in life that one could successfully learn about in 100 minutes? What occupation could one master in that time? What skill could one develop? In what field of scholarship could one become educated?” Even watching a movie on commercial television takes two full hours. Is God’s Word not even worth that much time?

Conclusion:

Brethren and friends, if Jesus could spend six hours on a cross dying for our sins, is it too much to ask that we spend at least that much time reading and reflecting upon what He willingly did for our benefit? (John 10:15-18; Romans 5:6-10).

It’s indeed sad that we live in a world where someone would think a 100-minute “summary” of the Scriptures would be all the Bible some people would tolerate. It’s even more sad to realize that they might be right.