The curious history behind the Bible tucked in your hotel bedside drawer
In short: If you have stayed in a hotel, you have likely spotted a Bible in the nightstand. These books are not provided by the hotel staff, but by a specific group of missionaries who turned a simple religious mission into a global logistical feat.
An American Christian evangelical group, Gideons International, is largely responsible for these volumes, having been established in 1899. The group, composed of Christian businessmen and male missionaries, began their specific hotel initiative in 1908. The movement’s first official placement occurred in a small, 25-room hotel located in Montana.
The rapid expansion of this practice was driven by a simple economic incentive: the Gideons and similar organizations provided and replaced the Bibles entirely free of charge. This made the arrangement effortless for hotel proprietors. While some owners participated to support the group's Christian mission, others saw the presence of scripture as a way to impart an air of morality and respectability to their establishments.
The scale of the operation is immense. Since its inception, the organization claims to have distributed over 2.5 billion Bibles and New Testaments. Today, these texts are available in approximately 90 languages and reach across some 190 countries. The New King James Version and English Standard Version are now being distributed alongside the long-standing King James Version standard.
However, the ubiquity of the 'Gideon Bible' is changing. In recent decades, the practice has become less common as some hotels move away from single-religion texts, others provide scriptures from multiple faiths, or simply offer them upon request. Critics also point out that a single religious text may not reflect the diverse backgrounds of modern international travelers.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Why are There Bibles in Hotel Rooms
- Also: Why Do Hotels Have Bibles? | Gideons International, Christianity, & Facts | Britannica
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