Gideons International

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A copy of a Bible distributed by Gideons International.

Gideons International is an evangelical Christian organization dedicated to distributing copies of the Bible in over 80 languages and more than 180 countries of the world to those who might not otherwise encounter it, most famously in hotel and motel rooms. The organization was founded in 1899 in Boscobel, Wisconsin as an early American parachurch organization dedicated to Christian evangelism. It began distributing free Bibles, the work it is chiefly known for, in 1908, when the first Bibles were placed in the rooms of the Superior Hotel in Superior, Montana. ^[1] The local railway station at the time was named Iron Mountain, causing confusion as to the name of the town. ^[2]

The organization describes its link to the story of Gideon thus:

"Gideon was a man who was willing to do exactly what God wanted him to do, regardless of his own judgment as to the plans or results. Humility, faith, and obedience were his great elements of character. This is the standard that The Gideons International is trying to establish in all its members, each man to be ready to do God's will at any time, at any place, and in any way that the Holy Spirit leads."

In keeping with this symbolism, the symbol of the Gideons is a two handled pitcher and torch, recalling Gideon's victory over the Midianites as described in Judges, Chapter 7.

In addition to their well-known hotel-room Bibles, the Gideons also distribute Bibles to members of the military of various countries, to hospitals, nursing homes, prisons and also to students. A typical Gideon Bible or New Testament will contain:

a short preface;
an apparatus suggesting Bible verses which may be of assistance in various sorts of trouble;
translations of John 3:16 into a variety of different languages and scripts;
the Bible text itself (the New King James Version translation is currently favored), without notes, references, or any other reference matter other than chapter and verse headings — this can either be the full Bible (typical of the copies placed in hotel rooms with the expectation the copy will remain in that room, rather than be taken by any one guest), or just the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs (typical of the copies handed out as gifts to particular individuals);
a short description of biblical salvation, with biblical quotations, and generally a place for the reader to sign and date his confession of Jesus (this is especially common in the shorter editions of just the New Testament and Psalms).

1 Popular culture references
- 1.1 Music
- 1.2 Film
2 Trivia
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Popular culture references

The placement of Gideon Bibles in hotel rooms has made the Gideon Bible a frequent subject for comment in popular culture.

[edit] Music

The Beatles – song – "Rocky Raccoon"
Bill Hicks - comedy album - Rant in E-Minor, He speculates how Gideons operate and considers capturing and studying them as hobby.
Jethro Tull – song – "Locomotive Breath"
John Cale, – song – "Gideon's Bible"
Manic Street Preachers – album – The Holy Bible. It included the lyrics "I know I believe in nothing but it is my nothing" and "All I preach is extinction". Of the album title, Richey Edwards (lyricist) said "In every hotel in the world, the only constant is the Holy Bible." ^[3]
My Morning Jacket – song – "Gideon"
The Hold Steady – song – "Cattle and the Creeping Things".

[edit] Film

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In the 1996 film Mission: Impossible, Ethan Hunt stumbles upon a clue to unraveling who is conspiring against him when he notices that the Bible in his hotel room is a Gideons Bible but stamped from a hotel in a different city. When this clue is later revealed to the conspirator (played by Jon Voight), he remarks, "They stamped it didn't they, those damn Gideons."

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Trivia

On Christmas Eve 1968, the astronauts of the Apollo 8 mission read from the first part of Genesis during a live television broadcast from lunar orbit. A Japanese correspondent staying at a Houston hotel while covering the mission called NASA Public Affairs to request a copy of the speech that the astronauts were reading. The Public Affairs official asked where he was staying and then told him that if he opened the desk drawer in his room he would find a book and that he should open it to page one. The reporter found the Gideon Bible and later reported that "NASA Public Affairs is very efficient - they had a mission transcript waiting in my hotel room."^[4]