The Gideons International facts for kids
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| Founder(s) | Samuel E. Hill John H. Nicholson William J. Knights |
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| Tax ID No. | 36-2270051 |
| Founded | July 1, 1899 |
| Headquarters | P.O. Box 140800, Nashville, TN 37214-0800 |
| Key people | Dan Heighway (Executive Director) |
| Area served | 200 countries and territories |
| Members | 269,500 Gideons and auxiliary members (wives of Gideons) |
The Gideons International is a Christian group for men. It was started in 1899 in Janesville, Wisconsin. Their main goal is to give away free copies of the Bible all over the world.
They share Bibles or parts of them in more than 100 languages. You might have seen their Bibles in hotel rooms. They also place them in hospitals, schools, military bases, and even in jails. The group is named after a Bible character called Gideon from the Book of Judges.
The Gideons started giving away free Bibles in 1908. The first Bibles were placed in rooms at the Superior Hotel in Superior, Montana. As of 2025, members of The Gideons International give out over 70 million Bibles each year. This means more than two Bibles are given away every second! By April 2015, they had given out over 2.5 billion Bibles. The main office for Gideons International is in Nashville, Tennessee.
Contents
How the Gideons Started
The organization began in the fall of 1898. Two traveling salesmen, John H. Nicholson and Samuel E. Hill, met in a hotel room. They were staying at the Central House Hotel in Boscobel, Wisconsin. They talked about starting a group.
In May 1899, they met again and decided their group would help traveling salesmen share their faith. In July 1899, Nicholson, Hill, and Will J. Knights met at the YMCA in Janesville. Two of them continued with the Bible distribution. The Gideons became famous for giving away free Bibles starting in 1908.
The Gideons chose their name from the Bible story of Gideon. They say Gideon was a man who did exactly what God wanted. He was humble, faithful, and obedient. The Gideons want their members to be like Gideon. They want each member to be ready to do God's will anytime, anywhere.
The symbol of the Gideons is a pitcher with two handles and a torch. This reminds people of Gideon's victory over the Midianites, which is told in the Bible in Judges 7.
Who Can Join the Gideons?
As of 2022, The Gideons reported having 269,500 members. These members are in 200 different countries and areas around the world.
To join The Gideons International, a person usually needs to be a current or retired businessman or professional. They must be 21 years old or older. They also need to be a member of a Christian church and believe in the group's core spiritual ideas. Wives of Gideons can also join a group called the Auxiliary of The Gideons International.
Besides their well-known Bibles in hotel rooms, Gideons also give Bibles to many other groups. They share them with members of the military in different countries. They also give Bibles to hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and students.
What's Inside a Gideon Bible?
A typical Bible or New Testament from The Gideons International usually has a few special parts:
- It starts with a short introduction.
- There's a small guide that suggests Bible verses for different kinds of problems.
- It includes John 3:16 translated into many different languages.
- The main part is the Bible text itself. It doesn't have extra notes or references, just the chapters and verses.
- Some copies have the full Bible, which are often found in hotel rooms.
- Other copies are shorter, with just the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. These are often given as gifts to individuals.
- There's a short explanation of how Christians understand salvation. It includes Bible quotes and a space for the reader to sign if they choose to follow Jesus. This is common in the shorter versions.
Colors of Gideon Bibles
The New Testaments given out by Gideons have different colored covers. These colors show which groups they are meant for:
- Orange: Given out on sidewalks to the general public.
- Green: For college and university students.
- Red: For middle and high school students.
- Digital camouflage/desert camouflage: For military members.
- Dark blue: Printed in a language other than English. Some also go to county jails.
- White: For medical professionals.
- Light blue: Given out only by the Auxiliary (wives of Gideons).
- Brown: For jail and prison facilities.
- Burgundy: Used by Gideons for sharing their faith one-on-one.
- Periwinkle: Used by the Auxiliary for sharing their faith one-on-one.
During World War II, there were special military New Testaments. Brown ones were for the Army, and blue ones were for the Navy. Besides desert and digital camouflage, there are also woodland camouflage editions for the military.
Sharing Bibles in Public Schools
Giving out Bibles on public school grounds has been a topic of discussion in the United States. This is because of how the U.S. Supreme Court understands the Establishment Clause in the Constitution. This clause is about keeping government separate from religion. Several Supreme Court cases have looked at this issue.
In 2008, a group called Americans United for Separation of Church and State sued a school district in Missouri. They said the school allowed Gideons to give out Bibles during class time. In 2009, a court ruled that giving Bibles to students in classrooms was against the Constitution. However, the court's decision also allowed a new rule. This rule lets any group, including religious ones, hand out information to students at the school.
The Gideons International still connects with young people in the United States. They do this through "The Life Book" program. They work with churches and their youth groups to give out Bibles in high schools. A group called the Alliance Defending Freedom believes there are ways to give out Gideons Bibles that follow the Constitution. In 2014, the Gideons International again gave out Bibles at a public elementary school in Kentucky.
See also
In Spanish: Gedeones Internacionales para niños
- Pocket Testament League
