FATAL DISTRACTIONS Conquering Destructive Temptations Bible Study Kay Arthur Christian Book Review

Fatal Distractions
Conquering Destructive Temptations
40-Minute Bible Studies
Precept Ministries International 2011
WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group
ISBN 978-0-307-72981-1
Retail price $7.99
Kay Arthur, David & BJ Lawson, authors

A six-week, no homework Bible study

Reviewed by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com.

Fatal Distractions: Conquering Destructive Temptations is a Bible study by the creator of the Inductive Bible Study Method, Kay Arthur, and David and BJ Lawson.  The cover tells us that the six lessons are each designed to last forty minutes, and that there will be no homework.  The first pages give directions on how to use the information, and also tells us who the study is for--new Christians, as the first sentence of the introduction begins, if you are a Christian... .

This study is on the seven deadly sins as noted in Scripture, actually the study is on only six of the seven.  They are not called the deadly sins by the authors, but instead are labeled as capital sins, and I supposed in the 21st century in which we live, this will suit the public in general and the unlearned Christian without yet much information, who doesn't like to be known for sin any longer.  The introduction goes on to say that one of the seven sins, lust, is left off since it has been addressed in other studies, though I suspect it was left off because that would have made a study lasting seven weeks instead of six, and most likely that was just too many for the formula this series fits--that, and the fact that then if the student wants to address lust another book must be purchased to do so.

All of this being said, there is really nothing wrong with the actual study as put forth in this book. The student reads, fills in the blanks, thinks awhile--but not too much, since there are only 40 minutes and no homework, and then is done for a week.  I am certain that for some new Christians, and some long time Christians, this will be enough.  The cover tells that more that one million copies in this 40 Minute Bible Studies Series have been sold, which tells us that for a lot of Christians this much is enough.

I would hope that at some point in time, this type of study wouldn't be enough.  I would hope that at some point the Christian would want to take more time in the Living Word, known as the Holy Bible.  I would hope that at some point in the Christian's life there would never be enough of Scripture, and that Christian maturity would be the goal.

My recommendation for studying the seven deadly sins would be an old book, The Seven Deadly Sins, authored by Billy Graham, that is not extremely deep but will inspire thought and growth in a different way that this book, Fatal Distractions, will. You will find the book for sale through the link provided in the paragraph as well as on other internet book sites, and most likely your local public or church library.  Published in 1955 by Zondervan, it is out of print though still readily available.