A Giant Project that Began in Montana
"The Montana connection dates to 1908, when the young organization began distributing Bibles. It happened at the Superior Hotel in the Mineral County town of Superior, Montana, where the Gideons placed their first 25 Bibles."
One organization is responsible for distributing more than 2.5 billion copies of a book in over a hundred languages to about 200 nations, territories, and possessions. Its members accomplished this remarkable feat in barely a hundred years, and it all started right here in the state of Montana.
Gideons International is the organization. You probably saw a copy of the book in almost every hotel you’ve ever stayed in, whether you opened and read it or not. The book, of course, is the so-called “Gideon Bible,” nothing more than the King James Version of the entire Bible, or sometimes just the New Testament plus the Books of Psalms and Proverbs, and often with a short preface and suggested passages for particular needs or moments.
No taxpayer funds financed those 2-1/2 billion books. They were made possible by the free will offerings of the organization’s quarter-million members and other private donors. With appropriate permission, the Gideons place them not just in hotels and motels, but also in hospitals, nursing homes, jails and prisons, domestic violence shelters, doctor offices, police and fire departments, military installations, schools, and other public places.
By any measure, this is an incredible achievement. I know of nothing comparable, and you’re not required to be a Christian to appreciate it. On its website, Gideons International explains the purpose:
We believe distributing copies of God’s Word plants powerful seeds God can use according to His own timing (I Corinthians 3:6), allows many to read the truth for themselves (John 8:32), provides a lasting witness (Hebrews 4:12), and makes it easier for those we reach to boldly spread the Good News (II Timothy 2:2).
The organization takes its name from a genuine Biblical figure, one of at least a dozen military and administrative leaders known as the “judges” who governed the ancient Israelites some three thousand years ago. Gideon is often regarded as the greatest of the judges for at least two reasons: 1) He led barely 300 men to victory against 10,000 Midianite enemies; and 2) When the Israelites implored him to become their king and start a dynasty of rulers, he refused. His response is recorded in the Book of Judges, verse 23, as “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.”
How many times has anyone been offered massive earthly power and walked away from it? That speaks volumes about Gideon’s character.
Gideons International was founded in Wisconsin in 1898 to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Montana connection dates to 1908, when the young organization began distributing Bibles. It happened at the Superior Hotel in the Mineral County town of Superior, Montana, where the Gideons placed their first 25 Bibles. Today, a plaque commemorates the event on the site where the hotel once stood. It’s about 60 miles northwest of Missoula.
From that humble start—just 25 Bibles in the guest rooms of the Superior Hotel in Montana—two Gideon Bibles are placed somewhere today every single second. That works out to be more than 70 million in a year.
The next time you open a drawer in a hotel room and spot a Gideon Bible, remember that the first one appeared in Montana.
Lawrence W. Reed writes a monthly column for the Frontier Institute in Helena, on whose board he serves. He is president emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education and blogs at www.lawrencewreed.com.