Church Army Backs 100-Minute Bible as Tool for Evangelism

|PIC1|The 100 Minute Bible released last month at Canterbury Cathedral is being backed as a tool for evangelism by the Church Army.

"The 100 Minute Bible gives readers the central plot without the many subplots," says Church Army Board Member Rt Revd John Pritchard, Bishop of Jarrow.

Revd Pritchard told how it isn't meant to replace the Bible but to be a way in, a taster. It keeps its eye on the explosive event in the middle of the world's history - the Jesus-event - and doesn't get too tied up with the debris left lying around. If it encourages people to follow up their interest with the full Monty version of the Bible that will be great!"

Rev Michael Hinton, who compiled the newest Bible said, “We have majored on Jesus, because he is the central figure in the Bible.”

Rev Hinton has taken more than two years to compile the book and to cut down the Bible from its traditional 66 books into the 100-Minute version.

|QUOTE|The reverend has stated that readers would of course be able to find the familiar Bible stories. The Rt Rev Hinton said, “We majored on the ones that have entered the common consciousness, like Noah's Ark, Jonah and so on.”

Church Army evangelist Graham Nunn says: "People seem to either love or hate the idea of a 100 minute Bible. For me if it encourages people to read and get the main thrust of the message then that must be a good thing. All this controversy has brought the scriptures and the name of God and Jesus to the forefront of a busy media agenda and that gives evangelists opportunity to speak about God’s love and His word.”

|TOP|The 100 Minute Bible has had more than 11,000 copies created, which are approximately the size of a notebook, and it is hoped that they will be given out by churches across the UK.

Published by the 100-Minute Press, the 100 Minute Bible is available for direct purchase at www.the100-minutepress.com. It will soon be launched in all Christian and mainstream bookshops.

The proprietor of the 100-Minute Press, Len Budd said, “This is a book for adults and has been written in a style to encourage readers to keep turning the pages, but without resorting to any literary gimmicks.”