Earlier this week, UK-based Hotel Indigo announced that it is placing Kindle e-readers pre-loaded with a free copy of the Bible inside its rooms at a new location in Newcastle, England. According to the official Hotel Indigo press release, the move is inspired by Newcastle’s literary history.
This week, many have asked how this move at Hotel Indigo’s Newcastle location impacts The Gideons International.
Sharing God’s Word In The Digital Age
“The Gideons International appreciates that we live in a digital age and that more and more people are accessing information online,” says Craig Warner, Executive Director of The Gideons International. “In fact, 1 in 6 adults in the U.S. use an e-reader, according to a July 2011 survey by Harris Poll. And 24% of those who use e-readers said they use them to read what they classified as ‘religious’ books.”
We rejoice in the hotel’s decision to make God’s Word available free to guests at their Newcastle location. Similarly, Bibles placed in hotels by Gideons are made available at no charge to guests and at no charge to the hotels where we are permitted to place them. That is thanks to the generosity and prayers of our supporters, and of course, the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
But whether it’s e-readers or a printed Bible, anything that puts God’s Word into people’s hands is a good thing. As we’re told in Isaiah 55:11, God’s Word will not return void.
Many In The World Cannot Afford A Bible, Let Alone An E-Reader
With more than 294 thousand Gideons and Auxiliary members, The Gideons International places God’s Word in over 190 countries. How people access reading material is very different in many of those countries than in the U.S.
“We distribute Scriptures in schools in Africa where even the school itself cannot afford to purchase a single textbook,” says Warner. “When we arrive at those schools with a copy of God’s Word for every single teacher and student that wants one, we see teachers and kids alike rejoicing, even to the point of tears, because now, they actually not only have a physical book but they also a copy of God’s Word.”
In the past year, more than 1.9 million Scriptures were placed in hotels through The Gideons International.
We believe there is a need for the printed Word of God. Not every hotel can justify the cost of placing Kindles in the rooms. They can get copies of God’s Word from us at no charge, and if they wish, Gideons will even take care of placing them in the nightstands. If the guests take our Bibles with them when they leave, we have replacements for the hotel, again, at no charge to them. Also, we replace the Bibles when they become visibly worn with fresh, new copies. This helps the hotel maintain a fresh, clean appearance for its guests. We then refurbish the worn copies and place them in prisons, where they will continue to have an impact in reaching people with the good news of Jesus Christ.
An e-reader copy of the Bible would likely appeal to a hotel guest who is intentionally seeking to read a copy of God’s Word. But we have many, many testimonies of people who had little or no awareness of God’s Word, who by coming into contact with it through a copy placed through The Gideons International, came to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And the result for each person who came to that saving faith was a dramatic transformation of their life and of course, their eternal destiny. In fact, we have received testimonies of people who checked into a hotel to commit suicide only to be confronted with God’s Word instead, and radically changing their lives.
The Need For Sharing God’s Word Is Global
Last year we distributed over 84 million printed copies of God’s Word, and every single one of those Scriptures was made available at no cost to the recipients.
We realize there are mobile apps featuring God’s Word online. But we still know that God is using printed copies of His Word to reach the lost. In fact, we see that through the testimonies that continue to pour into our headquarters.
We will continue to distribute copies of God’s Word in the printed form as that need remains great. In fact, our goal is to be distributing 120 million Scriptures annually by 2020, and we are on target to reach that goal.
Last year we placed more than 1.9 million Scriptures in hotels.
A young boys prays with his New Testament received from Gideons in The Philippines International Scripture Blitz, 2011. © 2011 The Gideons International
With an estimated more than 4 billion unsaved people in the world, the need for sharing God’s Word is greater than ever. Our mission today is the same it was when we were founded over 100 years ago. That mission is to share God’s Word so that men, women, boys and girls can come to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks to Craig for that excellent explantion of this ministry and the availability of the Word of God from those who care about the “Lost” to have a copy free. God Bless
This position statement as well as the one quoted in national news from Ken Stephens has underscored the purpose that we serve in the Gideons … to reach the lost for Christ.
This digital content delivery of the Word of God will likely appeal to many younger and more digital savy visitors to this hotel. As long as they “read” the Word of God , it can impact their lives and make an everlasting difference in the reader.
May God continue to richly bless the work that He has called us to do for Him in the world while we are here. May we also enthusiastically fullfill this mission for His glory.
In Christ’s Service,
Jim Taylor
Murray, Kentucky
Thank you and may God bless you to share the Word of Gos online. I pray that God continue to touch everyone who receive The Copy of Word of God, that be saved.
Robert.
A quick search returned more than a dozen different iPhone Bible applications that are free to download and use in many translations and paraphrases. Many include daily Bible reading strategies.
Electronic/paperless delivery methods are on the increase while newspapers and other printed delivery systems are on the decrease. What is the message for The Gideons?
The discussion about Kindle E-Readers in Hotels reminds me of the questions I used to receive when I was a federal narcotics agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. After the arrest of a large group of drug traffickers and the seizure of multi kilos of cocaine, people would ask, “Do you think you will ever work yourself out of a job?” I can tell you that during my brief 27 year career in six U.S. cities, there was never any talk of disbanding federal drug enforcement. So it is with the Word of God. There are still some 4 million souls that need to come to faith in the Lord Jesus and receive salvation. I know that the villages I visit as a RFO in West Africa don’t have these Kindles. In fact, the schools don’t even have books. And when you give a Testament, a brand new book, to a 5th grader in one of those schools, that student is overwhelmed with gratitude. Compared to the masses that still need to receive the Word in the form of a Testament or Bible, these few Hotels that invest in Kindles will be miniscule, but we know that God is going to get His Word out one way or the other. I thank God that He has entrusted TGI to be on the front line of this worldwide distribution of His precious Word. And if every hotel adopts the idea of using Kindles, we will still have our hands full in spreading the Word to countless millions who will never check in to a hotel.
In a recent World Magazine article (May 19, 2012) a story appeared describing the activities of an organizations known as the “Digital Bible Society” which makes the Bible and other Christian materials such as hymns, concordances, study guides etc. that are obtained copyright-free from partnering organizations available on small chips for use in mobile phones, computers, pocket projectors etc. DBS formats the materials on a microchips or flash drives so that they might be distributed in places and countries that might otherwise not be permitted to receive or distribute them. Maybe not every person can afford a Kindle or IPod but I can tell you that from the ISB’s that I have been on to so called “third world” countries, everyone seems to have a cell phone.
For myself, nothing beats a hard copy Bible that I can meditate on and make margin notes, however , I have heard it told and I agree that “the purpose and reason for the Gideon Ministry will never change but our techniques and methods must!
In His Service,
Bill Buchalter
Middletown, NY
Are we as Gideons being proactive in providing these hotels with the digital Bibles that have the current helps for these Kindles? Seems like in our college distributions, a CD with several Bibles and a program with helps would be a great idea as well. We are in the digital age.
James Dewald
Fruitport, Mi
although we need to adapt to the changing world with the I-phone , kindel, E-bible,ect, we need to remenber a lot of people in real need are poor, brook, homeless ,have little or no income and no I-phone ect. and remenber all the testamonies of people finding discarded Bibles? theres not going to be as many lost I-phones , kindels, ect to be found by the ones who need it!
Our goal as Gideons is to win souls to the Lord and one of the ways is by making available the gospel in every traffic lane of life (i.e. gospel to everyone). The printed copy is a means while the electronic version is another. Knowing fully the positive impact of the printed copy which we must continue without waning. However, with the recent growth in electronic means of accessing information, The Gideons International should compliment the exiting hard copy with electronic version. All these methods are to give room to everyone to have access to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yours in Him,
Ebenezer Olajuyigbe
Nigeria
Glory be to God! What a merciful and gracious God we serve. ” For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse”. The electronic version of the Bible must be seen as additional opportunity offered by our God, so that no one will have an excuse! It can never be a substitute.
Glory be to God! What a merciful and gracious God we serve. ” For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse”. Rom.1: 20. The electronic version of the Bible must be seen as additional opportunity offered by our God, so that no one will have an excuse! It can never be a substitute
The Gideons Carry out special divine assignment of heavenly kingdom by distributing and placing God’s printed word (the Bibles) in different and many human passages To make sure that everyone gains access to reading it. We are today in an electronic world and any electronic gadget appeals to the mind especially the young ones. The introduction of electronic Bible is an added advantage to the spreading of the gospel that leaves no tenable excuse for nobody not to prepare for the kingdom of heaven.