Yes—and no. Yes, we are placing the the Word of God into the hands of boys and girls with the hope that it will be opened and read so that their lives can be transformed. Very often, even though they may not fully understand it at that age, they will hang onto it for many years and draw hope from it later in life.

However, giving New Testaments to students is also placing a well known “text book” into their hands—a book that teaches a great deal about morality and about early church history. The New Testament is the most reliable ancient document. Its textual integrity is more certain than that of Plato's writings or Homer's Iliad—books that are willingly accepted in school systems.

The World Wide Web offers a virtually endless body of information through millions of websites. Some of those websites reflect reliable organizations and institutions while others consist of random thoughts by obscure individuals. Students today are faced with an incredible challenge: what is true? Receiving a print version of the Bible in their hands adds legitimacy to the book and allows them to take it with them wherever they go. For those who want to explore different translations of the Bible, those versions are available online.

The Gideons began as an association of Christian commercial, business and professional men in the United States in 1899. The Canadian chapter was organized in 1911. It has historically involved men but has included women as auxiliary members. Globally, the organization still consists mainly of professional men. Women have played an increasing role in the distribution of Bibles, especially in women’s prisons and other female-dominated areas. The North American cultural context is shifting, and that will also impact the culture within The Gideons.

No. The Gideons are an association that works with Protestant or Evangelical churches. Our members come from many denominations and share a desire to see the lost come to Christ.

Yes! Each Bible placed in a hotel room has the potential to reach up to 2,300 people in its estimated six-year life span. Research from the hotel industry tells us that approximately 25% of travellers read the Bibles in their hotel rooms. When older Bibles are replaced in hotels, we often see messages written in the Bibles, thanking The Gideons for placing it, or encouraging other hotel guests to read it.

*http://www.everystudent.com/features/bible.html

No, The Gideons is not in the business of Bible translation. It never has been. A century ago, it used the King James Version. Today it primarily uses the New American Standard Bible. What is often referred to as The Gideons’ Little Red Bible is the small New Testament given to students. It includes the books of Psalms and Proverbs from the Old Testament. An introductory section designed to help students find Bible passages around specific themes and topics is included.

Every school board handles this issue separately, but generally other religions already have that right. Boards of education are encouraged to teach about a wide range of world religions and to be neutral in their stance. The Gideons International In Canada has been giving New Testaments to grade 5 students, as well as university and college students, for about 100 years. That distribution is being done through hundreds of volunteers across the province, the country and the world and it is always being done with the approval of boards of education, principals and teachers. Other religions have the same freedom to distribute their books of faith in a similar fashion.