What Folks Thought about Reading the Entire Bible Quickly

This year, 28 people completed our Bible reading challenge and entered the drawing for a top grain leather ESV Bible. Many thanks once again to Crossway for sponsoring this year’s grand prize giveaway. The good people at Crossway really want to help you read God’s word, and they have generously supported our efforts to promote rambunctious Bible reading.

Some Stats

50% of those who entered used a combination of reading and audio. 29% used a physical Bible alone. About 10% used audio alone, and about 10% used e-Bibles or Bible apps.

The most common reading plan was canonical (54%). 14% followed a chronological plan, and the rest used a wide variety of reading plans.

54% read the ESV. 14% read the NLT. The rest read the NIV, NKJV, HCSB, CSB, NASB, or LSB.

Over a third of the entries were from folks who have completed this challenge more than once. One said he enjoyed it so much that he is going to keep reading the entire Bible every 3 months for the rest of the year.

Some Liked It

Here’s what some others had to say, identified by the number of days it took:

• 88 days: It was amazing. So many things were made so much clearer by reading different parts of the bible so close together in time.
• 88 days: It was kinda nice having that time set aside for the word.
• 72 days: Love it! So easy to see the big picture.
• 69 days: This is now my 7th year and I enjoy the challenge! … I so enjoy as I read to make note of books and certain chapters I want to go back to later and do more “digging.” It is a wonderful way to “see” and “hear” the full counsel of God… I have ended every year with the book of Deuteronomy. I need to be reminded of God’s faithfulness and amazing love to His people, and to take to heart the words of Moses in Chapter 32:46-47 “Take to heart all these words I am giving you as a warning…they are not meaningless…they are your life..”
• 66 days: It was a very inspirational and enjoyable experience as I read large chunks of scripture. I was able to make some connections between different books. As some of the readings would be still fresh in my mind.
• 70 days: It is a great thing to read the entire Bible because it really puts it into perspective. There are parts I didn’t know about untill I read them. It also familirizes myself with some of the most unkown books of the Bible. Reading it fast is way different than meditating but I was still able to absorb some of the information.
• 60 days: I really enjoy this experience and find it helpful. I am better able to see the big picture and link passages together. This challenge has also helped with my Bible reading in general. In the past, I struggled to read through the Bible completely in a year. Now it isn’t difficult to read it more than once a year. Last year I read it twice. Now that I’ve finished this challenge, I’m ready to start over at a slower pace. I also really appreciate reader’s versions for this challenge, they are very helpful.
• 76 days: I enjoyed reading large chunks of text at a time. The narratives were more cohesive. I noticed repeated words and themes. There was less time to procrastinate or get behind schedule. Psalms and Proverbs were difficult to read in large chunks. Hebrews and Revelation were fascinating to as a whole text. Reading large chunks generated questions that I will now chase down and also created ‘ah-ha’ connections between prophets, history and then carried into the NT writings.
• 76 days: I am so glad I did this again the year. It is a great way to wrap up 2023 and plunge into 2024. Seeing the connections and single thread of God’s hand throughout the entire Word is very encouraging. As I read, I created a list of questions and topics to launch my deeper study for 2024.
• 63 days: Every year I do this (eight years running), the consistency and coordination of the Word is reinforced and illuminated for me. This is a VERY doable challenge for almost anyone and I encourage my friends and family to take up the challenge.
• 84 days: Challenging, required a good bit of discipline initially. It now makes reading through the bible in one year almost like a “walk in the park”. Using the Crossway ESV Chronological Bible gave a better understanding, and detail, of passages that get repeated eg in Kings and Chronicles, and also the 4 gospels with repeated events. Seeing God’s redemptive plan throughout the bible from Genesis to Revelation was a real blessing.

Some Didn’t Like It

I don’t mind mentioning that this sort of reading is not for everyone. Nor is it the best way to read at all times. I have high respect for those who persisted to complete the challenge even when it wasn’t their favorite thing:

• 89 days: Honestly, I felt that I was speed-reading, and I did not have time to meditate on what I was reading.
• 90 days: It felt rushed to read completely on 90 days.
• 90 days: I’m glad I did it but it’s not my favorite way to read through Scripture. I don’t feel like I was really spending quality time in the word, but just reading to read.
• 83 days: It was hard, but very satisfying! However, I’m ready to read slowly through one book 🙂
• 90 days: It was like drinking out of a fire hydrant. This was my first time ever reading the whole Bible straight through. I liked it. My parents did it too, so I got to do it with them. I’d like to do it a little bit slower next time.

Looking Ahead to Next Year’s Challenge

Thanks to all who participated. If you thought about it, or got started but didn’t finish, we hope to be back at it again next year. Expect to hear from us in November to launch the 10th annual reading challenge.

I’d love to hear your ideas for how to make next year’s challenge more grand. So far, a number of folks have requested continued prizes of reader’s Bibles or Scripture journals. But the most commonly requested prize so far is a Logos package.

Many have also suggested generating a broader social media presence to advertise the Bible reading challenge. We would be delighted to do so, but could really use some help with that. If that is something you might like to help with, please contact me.