I read an article from my "Christianity Today" email called "Spiritual Fastfood". They were talking about a new Bible that came out in September called The 100-Minute Bible. It's basically a summary of the Bible that can be read in 100 minutes. They also mentioned The Bible in 90 Days that Zondervan publishes and The HCSB Light Speed Bible. "The Bible in 90 Days" takes you through the Bible in 90 days by reading twelve pages a day (taking approximately one hour to read). And the "HCSB Light Speed Bible" teaches the reader a "speed-reading technique" that enables the reader to read through the Bible in 24 hours. Although I don't so much have a problem with "The Bible in 90 Days" (although I don't recommend it), I have issues with the other two. The Bible is the WORD OF GOD, God's letter to His Children. It burns me that people settle for a summary of it or speed-read through it. Martin Luther read through the Bible so many times that he could give you a summary of every chapter in every book - that should convict us. To quote the article:
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.
I think Christians are way too content to read what other people have to say about the Bible instead of reading it for themselves. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for Bible Studies, but we should also dig into the Word of God for ourselves. I agree with Schultz:
"[The Bible] is intended to be read slowly, studied, memorized, and meditated upon, rather than becoming the object of a slick speed-reading course."
A Bible Reading Calendar that I recommend is Robert Murray M'Cheyne's. It takes you through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice in a year. If you haven't read the whole Bible, then I encourage you to.
2 comments:
I totally agree with your post. If we think of the Bible as just another book, then we discount the value of God's Words.
I would say that speed reading through the Bible is spawned out of either legalism or pride. It shows just how shallow we really are and our lack of desire to grow out of that shallowness.
That article grieves my heart. Thanks for pointing this out! I just love the "wisdom" in these Christian magazines.....
Kelly, thanks for pointing this out. It is hard work reading the bible for all its worth, thus most people choose the easy way around it, sadly. Church leaders and teachers should do more challenging in this area.
Post a Comment