Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Spiritual Fast Food

Spiritual Fast Food

Reading God's Word need not take an eternity, say publishers of speedy Bibles.

by Emily Louise Zimbrick

"The Bible has long been one of the world's least-read bestsellers. According to pollster George Barna's January 2005 survey of more than 1,000 adults, 45 percent said they read the Bible during a typical week. But publisher Zondervan said that while 91 percent of Americans own at least one Bible, only 22 percent have read through the entire text. Fewer still seem to understand it. About 12 percent of Americans think Noah's wife was Joan of Arc, according to a Gallup poll.

Proponents of a new trend, however, hope to make God's word digestible for the masses not in years, but in weeks, days, and—yes—even minutes. The BBC reported that The 100-Minute Bible, published last September, has already sold 100,000 copies...."
Hmmm. Wasn't there a "Reader's Digest Condensed Bible many years ago? This seems to take it a step or two further.

How much of the richness of Scripture can be shoehorned into 100 minutes of reading material?

One thing is certain -- Biblical literacy is pretty low in the USA, and if this gets people in the door, as it were, then hopefully they will want to read the real thing.

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