Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, is to send every MP in the country some summer reading - the 100 Minute Bible and a guide to slowing down.

The guide, written by the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Rev Stephen Cottrell, and released earlier this year, is entitled Do Nothing to Change Your Life. The book urges its readers to create pauses in daily life to benefit their own, and society's, health and well being. The book argues this fresh perspective of relishing every moment with a greater attentiveness will improve our relationship with God.

"Do Nothing to Change Your Life is a passionate plea for the nation to ditch endless 'to do' lists, constant streams of emails, and an increasingly '24/7' culture," said the Church of England. The book was published following an international study that showed that the pace of life in our cities has increased by 10 per cent in the last decade.

"The Bishop's warning about the danger of not taking rest and play seriously is a timely one," said the Church of England.

The 100 Minute Bible gives a synopsis of every book in the Bible and takes less than two hours to read.

Dr Sentamu said: "I wanted to encourage our nation's elected representatives to slow down during their holiday and in that place of quiet and stillness to enter into the presence of God.

"One of these books is about creating that quiet in our lives. The other is an introduction to the world's best-seller which introduces the reader to Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

"There is a pressing need for more quiet and reflection than in our 24/7 culture. There has never been a more important time in our public life to discover or re-discover the importance of faith."