Gideons marking 100 years of distributing Bibles

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Long before cable television, spa treatments and eco-friendly shampoos became staples in hotel rooms, there was the Bible — the Gideon Bible.

And the book with the familiar two-handled pitcher and torch on its cover that most guests find inside hotel nightstands doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Gideons International is celebrating its 100th anniversary distributing Bibles and has begun efforts to hand out more Bibles in the U.S. to boost a distribution rate that's remained relatively flat in recent years.

Nearly 76.9 million Gideon Bibles were given out in nearly 85 languages in 187 countries last year. Close to 1.5 billion Bibles have been distributed since 1908, when the Gideons first began to place Bibles in hotel rooms.

Since then, the nondenominational evangelical group run by businessmen has spread its tremendous reach, also giving out free Scriptures at hospitals, schools, prisons and in the military.

The admittedly media-shy Gideons rarely seek outside attention, but leaders agreed to an interview with The Associated Press at the group's Nashville headquarters to mark the anniversary.

"We've never been an association that necessarily dwelt on the past," said Gideons executive director Jerry Burden. "We always work in the present and look to the future. We're a very low-profile organization. That's been our underlining philosophy. For us, we look to be around another 100 years."

Because the Gideons were founded by Christian traveling salesmen who spent a lot of time away from home, the group sought to put Bibles in hotel bedrooms to spiritually nurture themselves and others.

Around 1916, the group started distributing Bibles within hospitals, followed by the military, public schools, prisons and colleges and universities.

The Gideons have about 176,000 members, plus their wives, who distribute Bibles around the world, and their numbers have remained steady over the years. The group only allows for evangelical business and professional men to hand out Bibles to its targeted groups, although Gideons allow their wives to hand out Bibles as well in health-care settings and in prisons for women.

Elliott Osowitt, 59, pastor at Faith Fellowship in Jefferson, N.C., said when he used to work in the tourism industry, the life he led "involved loose living and immorality." His wife eventually kicked him out of the house on Christmas Eve in 1996.