Goodbye, Gideons
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 11/13/2007 at 11:13 AM
I was disappointed to read this Newsweek article about trendy hotel chains replacing Gideon Bibles with...ahem, less wholesome amenities. According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the inclusion of those trusty hotel Bibles is down 18 percent in the last six years.
In the rooms of Manhattan's trendy Soho Grand Hotel guests can enjoy an eclectic selection of underground music, iPod docking stations, flat-screen TVs and even the living company of a complimentary goldfish. But, alas, the word of God is nowhere to be found. Unlike traditional hotels, the 10-year-old boutique has never put Bibles in its guest rooms, because "society evolves," says hotel spokeswoman Lori DeBlois. Providing Bibles would mean the hotel "would have to take care of every guest's belief."
The Nashville-based Gideons International first began distributing copies of the Christian scripture to hotels in 1908 after two businessmen staying at the same hotel shared a devotion together.
I would call the new amenities "distraction kits." Part of the success of Gideon Bibles (there are testimonies of halted suicides and miraculous conversions) is based in the fact that a person staying alone in a hotel room may be doing some soul searching. Now, instead of contemplating his life, Joe hotel guest can put in his earbuds and rock out as he watches his fish swim circles. Some hotels even provide "intimacy kits," which include condoms and other sexual products.
The new Indigo hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz., a "branded boutique" launched by InterContinental, also has no Bibles, but it does offer a "One Night Stand" package for guests seeking VIP treatment at local nightclubs and late checkout for the hazy morning after.
The trend toward sexier amenities is, in part, due to the fact that leisure travel is up and business travel is down. Even chains with a conservative bent, such as the Marriott (founded by a Mormon), are scrambling to join the trend. Marriott's response to including Bibles in it's yet-unopened boutique chain says it all:
Marriott spokesman John Wolf says the Bible question is premature for the new venture, which he describes as "cutting-edge," "more urban" and "less values-oriented." Now, there's a marketing slogan no one's tried yet: "Sleep with us. Leave the values at home."
HT: Al Mohler
1. John D. said the following at 11:27 AM on Nov 13:
The customer is always right.
If you want hotels to maintain Gideon Bibles, write to them and tell them as much. Better yet, write a letter of thanks to those hotels that still do keep them in the drawer. (I would not recommend writing nasty letters, however. Keep it positive, for now.)
2. Adam Sloope said the following at 1:17 PM on Nov 13:
I find it a little odd that we expect the hotels to have Bibles in them. We live in a world that rejects God so we should not expect for them to want to open up their drawer to read a Bible. I think Gideon Bibles are great though so don't get me wrong. Heb 4:12 says the word is living and active (NIV). The spirit makes it living and active and as an extension it lives and becomes active within those that the Word has changed. We, as followers of Christ, should be aware that we are fortunate enough to have several opportunities in a day to share this Word with them through our lives and words. So maybe next time someone has a layover in St Lois or Atlanta, instead of sitting on their laptop listening to music and checking emails they will look for people who God has already prompted to search for Him. So maybe that Bible in the drawer shouldn't just be in a drawer around the states, maybe it should be inescapable because they way it will live in us. That's my thought. I just think as Christians we are quick to presume that a world that does not know God should do things that we do. The bible doesn't matter to someone who won't read it, it is in seeing it lived out and then believing upon Christ that it becomes significant.
3. Raj Sharma said the following at 1:23 PM on Nov 13:
I just want to point out something interesting here.
Today, 70% of all Limited Service Hotels in the US are owned by Indians (and most of them are Hindus). Yet there is no push by the Indian hotel owners to get rid of the Bible.
As an immigrant (and a relative outsider looking in) I find it interesting that Americans are the first ones to ditch (to quote Michael Savage)their own borders, culture and language.
4. Jethro said the following at 1:58 PM on Nov 13:
If there is some apparent 'right' to place Bibles in hotels, must not there also a 'right' to place the Quoran, the Torah and the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?
5. Ken said the following at 2:01 PM on Nov 13:
I work right around the corner from the SOHO Grand and can't say I'm really surprised.
The place is just oozing hipster wannabe vibe.
6. Kit said the following at 2:37 PM on Nov 13:
I think Adam hit the nail on the head when he said, "We can't expect the world to live as we do." Well said. I am glad for the Gideon Bibles, but I also have to say that I am surprised they have lasted as long as they have in contemporary America--I'm surprised this didn't happen much sooner.
7. erin said the following at 3:29 PM on Nov 13:
Yes, I know I'm always looking for things that are "less value-oriented." Sheesh.
I can understand, if not be glad about, the removal of Bibles, but to replace them with "intimacy kits"? That really saddens me.
8. Jeff said the following at 4:53 PM on Nov 13:
As I understand it, the Bibles are free to the hotel - the Gideons are only asking that the hotel keep it in the drawer with the phonebook and whatnot.
That hotels would have to accommodate all religions strikes me as a bromide. I don't think that anyone would have a problem with the Koran or other texts being included if there were other religious societies supplying the texts for free.
The issue is that these hotels are excluding free Bibles, which (on the surface) really seems like a shame. But on the other hand, maybe people can learn what Christianity is really all about when we strip out the kitschy, lukewarm religiosity in our culture.
I'm not saying that the idea of a Gideon Bible is cheesy or overplayed - I find its presence uniquely comforting on business trips (though I think the message would get across a little better if we moved on from NKJV). But maybe a little cultural hostility towards Christianity is exactly what we need to spread the Gospel a little more effectively.
9. Rachael said the following at 8:03 PM on Nov 13:
Hopefully the Gideon Bibles will continue to be placed in hotel drawers. I have nothing but the highest respect for the people who pass out those Bibles. You never know who might read one! I teach ESL at a community college, and there was a day when Gideons were passing out Bibles. Granted, I saw some just lying around classrooms, but you just never know who might take one home and start reading it, and who might be exposed to the saving message of the gospel for the first time, including those who may be from a country with few Christians! The Word of God is living and active, sharper than a 2-edged sword!
10. Leah said the following at 10:12 PM on Nov 13:
I must admit I had to stifle a laugh when I read "Sleep with us. Leave the values at home." Yeah, it might be kinda wrong, but you have to admit it's clever :P
I agree with Adam Sloope- while the Gideons are wonderful, and it's great that bibles are in some hotels, we can't expect the world to be accommodating to Christianity. The bible tells us explicitly that the world will reject us- so to have any hotels keeping bibles is a blessing.
However I must disagree with what Jethro implied- nowhere did Suzanne say bibles have a right to be in hotels. She simply said it was sad they were getting ditched.
And please- let's not place Message bibles. If you want to move on from NKJV, let's go NIV. The Message is, simply, inaccurate. (eg. it translates the beatitudes as "Happy are the meek" etc, when blessed does NOT mean happy.)
And hey, intimacy kits might not be a bad idea for honeymooning couples :P
11. John D. said the following at 7:14 AM on Nov 14:
Of course, there's nothing stopping any of us from buying a few inexpensive Bibles and leaving them in a hotel or motel room when we happen to be travelling. It could be that the maid will remove it when she cleans the room, but maybe she needs to read it too.
12. Tami said the following at 8:36 AM on Nov 14:
I found a Gideon Bible in the drawer of my desk at a Christian camp. Thought that was sort of funny... but it did remind me of the work the Gideons do, and how many people have been comforted and/or saved by the presence of God's Word in their otherwise lonely rooms.
I will be praying for their work. I'm sad to hear that fewer and fewer hotels are placing their Bibles; but as others have mentioned, given the times, I'm not surprised.
13. Robert J Espe said the following at 8:38 AM on Nov 14:
The solution, if you really feel called to make a difference, would be to only stay at hotels that have Gideon Bibles (even if the one with out is cheaper, and if it's not worth that much, then quit whining). The hotel is a business, if a market block wants something, you'll get it. No good getting angry at unbelievers for acting like unbelievers.
14. Suzanne said the following at 8:42 AM on Nov 14:
John D.,
Can I just say I like the way you think? :) I hear people saying, "We shouldn't be surprised." This is true, but it is no reason to not cherish and protect grace-filled opportunities the Lord has provided instead of apathetically watching them slip away. Of course, there may be new and better ways to reach out to people than Gideon Bibles, but let's make sure we're doing them!
15. Kit said the following at 9:29 AM on Nov 14:
Good idea, John D. The message is a nice compliment to the Biblical texts, but I agree if we would leave the Bibles it might be more beneficial to leave NIV or NRSV. A little easier to read that KJV, but more accurate than the Message.
16. John said the following at 8:53 PM on Nov 19:
Never leave the message, because it's not the bible, but simply a heretical text.
The Geneva bible is the best.
Cultural redemption is a biblical mandate!
Raj, you're 100% right. At the risk of "sounding" like Tancredo on immigration (appearing to tie everything back to a single problem), the reason Americans are so quick to give up their culture, lanaguage and borders, is because they're taught that in the government indoctrination centers.
17. Ron said the following at 1:04 PM on Nov 12:
The bibles are free, and the Gideons have been putting them in hotels for over 100 years. Millions of lives as well as souls have been saved just because God word was in that room at a time of crisis in their life. Regardless the ACLU, or up scale hotel owners can't stop the spread of the gospel. Last year over 76 million bibles were placed in 187 countries all over the world. The Gideons want no spot light, no pat on the back, and no money, except the funds it takes to buy and place the Holy word of God. THey give of their time, money, and resources to see that anyone who wants a bible has one. People in other lands are not so hard, and humanistic that they would ever reject the offer, in fact they plead for the book.......