Perhaps you’ve been in a hotel room and found a Bible on the dresser or in a drawer. Or maybe someone’s given you a small pocket Bible with a Gideon impression. While not as common as it used to be, most people have encountered a Gideon Bible. Millions have been given away over more than a century.
But where did all these Gideon Bibles come from?
What is the History of the Gideons?
The Gideon Bibles come from a group known as Gideons International, which started around 1898. Two traveling salesmen, John H. Nicholson and Samuel E. Hill, met at a hotel in Wisconsin. Both loved Jesus, and during their time there, they shared their faith and a desire to help others grow spiritually. This discussion led to a joint vision of creating an organization to unite traveling Christian businessmen for community and spreading the Gospel.
The next year, the two men held their first meeting with a third man, Will J. Knights, in Janesville, Wisconsin. The trio began the organization there, choosing the name “The Gideons” from the biblical Gideon (Judges 6-7). For the men, Gideon became a model of faith and obedience.
At first, the Gideons fostered fellowship with Christian businessmen, providing spiritual encouragement for growth. Due to their love for the Bible, they decided to start distributing free bibles, believing in the power of God’s Word. The Gideons partnered with a church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1908 to place their first Bibles in hotel rooms.
The Gideons grew over time and established branches and members who shared their mission. By the mid-1900s, they distributed Bibles beyond hotels to hospitals, schools, prisons, and military bases. They wanted to make the Scripture available to anyone. The Bible in hotel rooms remains what the Gideons are known for.
Gideons International has spread across the globe with branches in several countries in the world. By the 1950s they had reached every continent. Today they give Bibles in over 100 languages and more than 200 nations and territories. The Gideons still limit membership to Christian businessmen or professionals. Wives or women can be involved with the Auxiliary, a branch that gives Bibles to women and children. The Gideons rely upon donations from organizations and individuals to fund providing Scriptures free of charge.
Over the years, the Gideons have distributed billions of copies of the Bible, touching countless lives. They remain committed to their original purpose of sharing the Word of God, believing that it has the power to transform lives. Their story, rooted in faith and a chance meeting, continues to inspire Christians worldwide to support and participate in their mission.
What Are the Beliefs and Mission of the Gideons?
At the core of the Gideons’ belief is the authority and inspiration of the Bible. They affirm the Scriptures are the Word of God, inspired by the Spirit, inerrant, and empowered to guide people in their faith and daily lives. Their doctrinal stance aligns with traditional Evangelical Christianity—salvation by grace through faith in Christ, belief in the Trinity, and the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ as the foundation for Christian faith.
The organization’s mission is simple: to win men, women, and children to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. As the first outgrowth of this, the Gideons distribute full Bibles and pocket type New Testaments in places where people pass through, trying to put the Word where it can reach everyone in daily life. Second, personal witness is another part of their mission. Members learn how to actively share their faith with others and give out New Testaments during discussions. Connected with their belief in the Bible, they seek to fulfill the Great Commission as found in Matthew 28:19-20, to make disciples of all nations. The Gideon commitment to spreading the Gospel through giving out Bibles leads them to other countries and using different translations.
Why Do Gideons Give Out So Many Bibles?
Gideons International firmly believes in the power of the written Word of God as contained in the biblical canon. Driven by their mission to transform lives by the Gospel, they trust any exposure to Scripture has a profound impact, whether questions or salvation or a deeper relationship. As Isaiah 55:11 records God stating, “So is my word that goes out from my mouth; It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire.”
God creates things through speaking. He said, “Let there be light,” and light emanated from him. The Gospel of John identifies the person of Jesus as God’s message, his Word, and since the whole biblical canon points people to Christ (John 5:39-40), the Gideons place an emphasis on getting Bibles out to people no matter their status or background.
For many people, encountering the Bible might be their first or only opportunity to learn about Jesus. The Gideons' vision incudes placing Scripture where people can find it in times of need or meditation. And the Bible becomes available to people from all walks of life—parents, children, prisoners, travelers, soldiers, and more. Just as salvation is God’s free gift, they want to give Bibles free of charge, making sure money is no object for those seeking truth.
Hotels remain the primary place where Gideons distribute Bibles. Since 1908, countless guests have found Bibles left in the room, in a drawer or laid out on a dresser, to discover spiritual answers to real problems and questions. The organization encourages people to take the Bibles from the room if they like. They’ll simply give the hotel more. Along with static places like hospitals and schools, the Gideons respond to disasters by giving out Bibles in troubled areas to bring comfort to people facing loss.
Over the years, the Gideons have made an amazing impact. Since their beginning, they’ve given away 2.5 billion Bibles and New Testaments worldwide. Again, they only pay for these efforts with donations from people and churches, and the Gideons' members personally deliver the Bibles.
What Can Christians Today Learn from the Gideons?
The Gideons have important lessons for all Christians.
To begin with, they desire to share the Gospel with everyone in the world, as the Great Commission instructs us. The Gideons believe salvation from death and hell is only available through faith in Jesus Christ, and they developed a love for all people to read and hear that Good News. As a result, their organization has impacted millions of people, possibly in the billions, over the past century. And it all started with two men and a passion to empower and leverage professional men for the Kingdom.
Every Christian has been called to be a witness to Jesus and spread the Good News. Each one of us should examine our hearts and lives and discover how we’re involved in preaching the Gospel in our own context and calling. This could include relationships in our neighborhoods, starting Bible studies at work or school, or more. The Gideons provide an easy gift (the Bible) to freely engage with others and point to Jesus.
Flowing from the Great Commission and discipling all nations (teaching them to observe what Jesus teaches), the Gideons have a deep love for the Scripture. We should show how we value the written revelation of God by intentionally reading and studying the Bible. The truths of God inform and change how we live and relate to others, as we apply what God tells us.
The Gideons rest in the power of the Holy Spirit to lead people to himself. God uses us, for sure, and seeks to do so more, but salvation remains a complete work of God he asks us to participate in. God’s Word is living, active, and capable of accomplishing what the Father purposes (Hebrews 4:12). They trust that when someone encounters a Bible, even alone, God can and will use that moment to speak and lead people to greater intimacy with himself.
We should also have the same mindset, doing what God calls us to do but trusting him for the results. God may ask us to give a certain encouragement or act with generosity to the poor, but we can’t control people’s responses to our actions. Even Jesus would teach and say, “For those with ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15 and many others) Christ left the results up to his Father. He submitted and obeyed, trusting the Word wouldn’t return without any impact. So should we be at peace in loving and obeying, not seeking to control the outcome.
The Gideons have been incredibly generous in spreading the Gospel. By giving away 2.5 billion Bibles free of charge, they model God’s love without expecting anything in return. We can follow this example in our own ways through local giving and charity. This could include giving to missions or donating to a foodbank. “For God so loved the world he gave his only Son.” Our generosity reveals God’s love and further shows how we trust him to provide as we give our time and possessions.
Since 1908, the Gideons have stayed faithful in their mission to distribute Bibles and share the Gospel. They remain committed to serve and sacrifice for others. We may not be called to give to the Gideons, but God has called every born-again believer to use their gift in the faith community and reach out to others with the hope of the Gospel through talents and individual opportunities. We have each been placed in unique and specific situations for our time and location to speak life and love through Jesus to the people around us. May we be as faithful with our individual calling within the larger commission as the Gideons have been.
By adopting these biblical values from the Gideons, we can honor God and make an eternal impact with his light in a broken and lost world desperate for truth.
Peace.
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