Editing The Gideons International

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox non-profit
| name            = The Gideons International
| image           = Gideon Emblem 3 Color RGB reduced res.jpg
| image_size      = 
| caption         =
| founder         = Samuel E. Hill<br />John H. Nicholson<br />William J. Knights
| type            =
| tax_id          = 36-2270051
| registration_id =
| founded_date    = {{Start date|1899|07|01}}
| location        = P.O. Box 140800, Nashville, TN 37214-0800
| coordinates     = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LON|display=inline,title}} -->
| origins         =
| key_people      = Dan Heighway (Executive Director)
| area_served     = 200 countries and territories
| products        =
| services        =
| focus           =
| mission         =
| method          =
| endowment       =
| num_volunteers  =
| num_employees   =
| num_members     = 269,500 Gideons and auxiliary members (wives of Gideons)
| subsid          =
| owner           =
| motto           =
| former name     =
| homepage        = {{URL|gideons.org}}
| dissolved       =
| footnotes       =
}}
{{short description|Evangelical Christian organization known for distributing free Bibles}}{{Redirect|Gideon Bible|the biblical figure|Gideon}}

'''Gideons International''' is an [[Evangelical Christian]] association for men founded in 1899 in [[Janesville, Wisconsin]]. The Gideons' primary activity, along with their wives in the Auxiliary, is "encouraging each other to do the work of the Lord, focusing on who they are before God, and strengthening the power of their personal testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ". They are most recognized for distributing copies of scripture free of charge, paid for by freewill offerings from local churches and from members themselves. This Bible distribution is a worldwide enterprise taking place in around 200 countries, territories and possessions. The association's members focus on distributing complete [[Bible]]s, [[New Testament]]s, or portions thereof. These copies are printed in over 108 languages. The association is most widely known for its Bibles placed in [[lodging]] rooms. The Gideons also distribute to hospitals and other medical offices, schools (usually in first year) and colleges, military bases, as well as jails and prisons. The association was named after the Biblical figure [[Gideon]] depicted in the [[Book of Judges]] (chapters 6–8).

In 1908, the Gideons began distributing free Bibles. The first Bibles were placed in rooms of the Superior Hotel in [[Superior, Montana]]. Members of The Gideons International currently average distribution of over 70 million Bibles annually. On average, more than two copies of the Bible are distributed per second through Gideons International.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gideons.org/AboutUs/WorldwideImpact.aspx|title=Worldwide Impact|access-date=April 1, 2016}}</ref> As of April 2015, Gideons International has distributed over 2.5 billion Bibles. 

The headquarters of Gideons International is in [[Nashville, Tennessee]].

==History==

[[File:Room19.jpg|upright|thumb|left|The interior of Room 19, [[Central House Hotel]], [[Boscobel, Wisconsin]], kept in the style it was in 1898 when the founders of the Gideons met there]]
The organization began in the fall of 1898, when two traveling salesmen, John H. Nicholson of [[Janesville, Wisconsin]], and Samuel E. Hill of [[Beloit, Wisconsin]], met in a hotel room they shared at the [[Central House Hotel]] in [[Boscobel, Wisconsin]], and discussed the formation of an association.<ref>Edward E. Hindson, Daniel R. Mitchell. ''The Popular Encyclopedia of Church History: The People, Places, and Events That Shaped Christianity''. Harvest House Publishers, 2013, p. 156.</ref><ref name="about">The Gideons International. [https://www2.gideons.org/about About Us].</ref> In May 1899, the two met again in [[Beaver Dam, Wisconsin]], where they decided the goal of their association would be to unite traveling salesmen for evangelism.<ref name="about"/> In July 1899, Nicholson, Hill, and Will J. Knights met at the YMCA in Janesville.<ref>George Thomas Kurian, Mark A. Lamport, ''[[Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States]], Volume 5'', Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2016, p. 962</ref><ref name="about"/> Two of them continued with the distribution of the Bibles.<ref>Cornerstone of Religious Freedom in America</ref> Gideons began distributing free Bibles, the work they are most known for, in 1908, when the first Bibles were placed in the rooms of the Superior Hotel in [[Superior, Montana]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.workersforjesus.com/chrs-nw17.htm |title=Christianity in the News |publisher=Workersforjesus.com |access-date=November 10, 2011}}</ref>

The organization describes its connection to the story of [[Gideon]]:

<blockquote>"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."<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=http://www.gideons.org/history.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981206145802/http://www.gideons.org/history.html |archive-date=1998-12-06 |website=Gideons International}}</ref></blockquote>

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

==Membership==

As of 2022, The Gideons reported having 269,500 members in 200 countries and territories.<ref>Gideons International, [https://www.gideons.org/about ABOUT US], gideons.org, USA, retrieved January 29, 2022.</ref>

Membership in The Gideons International generally consists of current or retired business or professional men (except clergy) aged 21 or older who are members in good standing of an evangelical or Protestant church, and adhere to the core spiritual beliefs of the organization.<ref>Gideons International. [http://www.gideons.org/FAQ/FAQ.aspx Frequently Asked Questions]</ref> Wives of Gideons may similarly join the Auxiliary of The Gideons International.

==Programs==

In addition to their well-known hotel room Bibles, members of The Gideons International also distribute Bibles to members of the [[military]] of various countries, to [[hospital]]s, [[nursing home]]s, [[prison]]s, [[Member of Parliament|MPs]] and [[student]]s.<ref> Gideons International, [https://www.gideons.org/about ABOUT US], gideons.org, USA, retrieved January 29, 2022 </ref>

==Testaments distributed==

A typical Bible or [[New Testament]] from The Gideons International contains:
* a short preface;
* a pamphlet suggesting Bible verses that may be of assistance in various sorts of trouble;
* [[Bible translation|translations]] of [[John 3:16]] into a variety of languages and scripts;
* the Bible text itself, 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), or just the New Testament, [[Psalms]], and [[Book of Proverbs|Proverbs]] (typical of the copies handed out as gifts to individuals);
* a short description of the evangelical understanding of salvation, with biblical quotations, and a place for the reader to sign and date their confession of [[Jesus]] as their savior (this is especially common in the shorter editions featuring the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs).

===Colors of Testaments distributed===

[[File:Gideon member distributing scripture in motel room.jpg|right|thumb|A Gideon member placing a Bible in a motel room]]
[[File:Gideon's Bible beside a Book of Mormon in a JW Marriott Hotel.jpg|right|thumb|Gideon's Bible beside a [[Book of Mormon]] in a [[JW Marriott Hotels|JW Marriott Hotel]] found in [[Las Vegas, Nevada]]]]
[[File:Gideons International Orange New Testament.jpg|thumb|New Testament with an orange cover handed out to the general public by the Gideons International]]
The covers of the New Testaments distributed by Gideons are color-coded based on which groups they are meant for:
* Orange: given in sidewalk distribution<ref name=Hersh>{{cite web|url=http://www.publicopiniononline.com/ci_11946628 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140622031329/http://www.publicopiniononline.com/ci_11946628 |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 June 2014 |title=Gideons celebrate a century of evangelism |last=Hersh |first=Iris |date=19 March 2009 |publisher=Chambersburg Public Opinion |access-date=22 June 2014 |quote=The deep blue cover means it was printed in a language other than English; brown testaments are given to someone personally; orange testaments are given to a stranger on the sidewalk; testaments with camouflage or dark green covers are intended for the military; and the auxiliary gives out light blue testaments. }}</ref>
* Green: for college/university students
* Red: for in-school distribution to middle/high school students
* [[Military camouflage|Digital camouflage/desert camouflage]]: for the military<ref name=Hersh/>
* Dark blue: printed in a language other than [[English language|English]], some also went to county jails<ref name=Hersh/>
* White: for medical professionals
* Light blue: for distribution by the Auxiliary only<ref name=Hersh/>
* Brown: for jail and prison facilities
* [[Burgundy (color)|Burgundy]]: personal worker's testaments (for individual witnessing by Gideons)<ref name=Hersh/>{{Failed verification|date=August 2019}}
* [[Periwinkle (color)|Periwinkle]]: personal worker's testaments (for individual witnessing by the Auxiliary)

During World War II there were military-issued New Testaments, brown for Army and blue for Navy, distributed by the Gideons. In addition to desert camouflage and digital camouflage, there are also woodland camouflage editions for the military.<ref>{{cite journal|year=1941|title=The Gideons International|journal=The Churchman|publisher=Churchman Company|volume=155|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xmsgAQAAMAAJ&q=Gideons+New+Testaments,+brown+for+Army+and+blue+for+Navy|quote=Distribution to the United States Army and Navy of a million copies of a vest-pocket size New Testament and Psalms, in a service edition, is planned for this year by Gideon's International. The book, which is published by the National Bible Press, Philadelphia, includes the Lord's prayer, a selection of national anthems and hymns, and sixteen pages of special help. It is bound with "Fabrikoid" pyroxylin-coated fabric in brown for army use, in blue for the navy, and in white for Hawaiian forces.}}</ref>

==Distribution of Bibles on public school grounds==

The distribution of Bibles on public school grounds has been an issue because of the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the [[Establishment Clause]] in the Constitution. Five [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] cases discuss this issue: [[Everson v. Board of Education|''Everson'']], [[McCollum v. Board of Education|''McCollum'']], [[Zorach v. Clauson|''Zorach'']], [[Engel v. Vitale|''Engel'']], and [[Abington School District v. Schempp|''Schempp'']].<ref>The five cases are ''Everson v. Board of Education Ewing Township'', 330 U.S. 1 (1947); Illinois ex rel. ''McCollum v. Board of Education'' 330 U.S. 203 (1948); ''Zorach v. Clauson'' 343 U.S. 306 (1952); ''Engel v. Vitale'', 370 U.S. 421 (1962); and ''Abington School District v. Schempp'', 374 U.S. 203 (1963). Kevin M. Schultz, [http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/aq/summary/v059/59.3schultz.html "Favoritism Cannot Be Tolerated": Challenging Protestantism in America's Public Schools and Promoting the Neutral State"], ''American Quarterly'', vol. 59, no. 3, (Sep 2007), pp. 565-591.</ref>

In 2008, [[Americans United for Separation of Church and State]] brought suit against the South Iron R-1 School District in Missouri for allowing the Gideons to distribute Bibles during class time.<ref>[http://www.au.org/site/News2?abbr=pr&page=NewsArticle&id=10011 "Missouri Public School Must Stop Distribution of Bibles To Fifth-Graders, AU Tells Court".] Retrieved on September 5, 2008.</ref> In 2009, the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit|8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals]] in St. Louis upheld a lower court ruling that found the South Iron district's distribution of Bibles to the schoolchildren in their classrooms was unconstitutional. An "attorney representing the South Iron School District in Annapolis, Mo., said the decision allows a new policy to finally be implemented, one that allows any group to hand out literature at the rural district, including information on how children can obtain Bibles."<ref>{{cite news|author=Jim Salter|agency=The Associated Press|url=http://www.semissourian.com/story/1555377.html |title=State News: Injunction upheld in Iron County Bibles case; both sides claim victory|publisher=seMissourian.com |work=[[Southeast Missourian]]|date=July 17, 2009 |access-date=November 10, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=The Public Schools and the Bible|journal=Duke Bar Journal|volume=4|issue=2|pages=127–131|jstor = 1370845|last1 = McKee|first1 = Duncan O.|year=1954|doi=10.2307/1370845}}</ref>

The Gideons International continues to contact youth in America through The Life Book, coordinating with churches and their youth to distribute copies of the Bible in high schools.<ref>Beth Patch, [http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/ChurchAndMinistry/evangelism/blunt-the-life-book-interview.aspx "No High School Student Left Behind - 'The Life Book' Movement"], Christian Broadcasting Network. Retrieved December 4, 2013.</ref> The [[Alliance Defending Freedom]], as of 2013, maintains that there are "constitutionally permissible ways in which Gideons Bibles may be distributed," and attorneys Rory Gray and Jeremy Tedesco write that the Alliance Defending Freedom sent letters to 174 school districts in Kentucky stating: "Federal caselaw overwhelmingly supports the decision to grant religious and non-religious community groups an equal opportunity to provide literature to willing students."<ref name=Weber>{{cite web|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/aclu-says-school-districts-bible-distribution-steps-onto-shaky-constitutional-ground-119737/|title=ACLU Says School District's Bible Distribution Steps Onto 'Shaky Constitutional Ground'|last=Weber|first=Katherine|date=14 May 2014|publisher=[[The Christian Post]]|access-date=22 June 2014|quote=In response, the Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom sent its own letter to the school districts, disagreeing with the ACLU's claims that the Bible distribution was unconstitutional. "We write to correct several misrepresentations made in the ACLU's letter and to inform you that allowing religious community groups, like the Gideons, to distribute literature at tables in the school hallways or by the entrances and exits on an equal basis with their secular counterparts fully complies with the Establishment Clause," the letter read. "Indeed, banning only religious community groups from distributing literature at public schools is clearly forbidden by the Free Speech and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment." The Gideons International again distributed Bibles at a public elementary school in Kentucky earlier this year.}}</ref> In early 2014, the "Gideons International again distributed Bibles at a public elementary school in Kentucky."<ref name=Weber/>

==Cultural references==
{{trivia|date=August 2023}}
* The [[Beatles]] mentioned the Gideon Bible in their 1968 song "[[Rocky Raccoon]]".
* The musician [[John Cale]] has a song called "Gideon's Bible" in his 1970 debut solo album ''[[Vintage Violence]]''.
* The band [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]] mentioned a Gideons Bible open at page 1 in their 1971 song "[[Locomotive Breath]]".
* The band [[Clutch (band)|Clutch]] references the Gideons in their 2004 song "Profits of Doom" on their album ''[[Blast Tyrant]]''.
* The band [[Corb Lund|Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans]] references grabbing a Gideons Bible from a hotel desk in their 2012 song "Bible On The Dash" on their album ''[[Cabin Fever (Corb Lund album)|Cabin Fever]]''.
* [[Red Dwarf]] crewmates Lister and Rimmer find a Gideons Bible in their prison welcome pack in the season 8 episode [[Back In The Red]], prompting Lister to observe that "he follows me everywhere that guy. I was staying in a hotel once, he left his bible there too!"

==See also==

{{Portal|Christianity|Evangelical Christianity}}
* [[Pocket Testament League]]
*[[Tijuana bible]]

{{clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

* [http://www.gideons.org/ The Gideons International official site]
* {{cite web |url=http://www.ministrywatch.com/profile/Gideons-International.aspx#balance |title=Profile of Gideons International |work=MinistryWatch.com |year=2012 |access-date=August 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818174502/http://www.ministrywatch.com/profile/gideons-international.aspx#balance |archive-date=August 18, 2012 |df=mdy }}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gideons International, The}}
[[Category:Bible societies]]
[[Category:Christian organizations established in the 19th century]]
[[Category:Evangelical organizations established in the 19th century]]
[[Category:History of Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Christian organizations established in 1899]]
[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in Tennessee]]
[[Category:International non-profit organizations]]
[[Category:Evangelical Christian missions]]
[[Category:1899 establishments in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Christian organizations based in the United States]]