Los Gideones are prohibited from distributing Bibles in US hospitals

Gideons International, an organization that distributes Bibles in various parts of the world, has been prohibited from donating copies of Scriptures in a major chain of hospitals in rural Georgia, United States.

According to The Daily Wire, Phoebe Putney Health System, which serves thousands of people in over 40 counties, has banned the distribution of Bibles due to their new diversity, equity, and inclusion policy.

The prohibition began during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, even after the restrictions were lifted, the Gideons were not allowed to resume their work of sharing the Word of God with patients, many of whom were on their deathbed.

The organization was informed at that time that Bible distribution was “a violation of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Policy and would no longer be allowed” to enter the Phoebe network hospitals.

According to an anonymous source at The Daily Wire, the policy was “blatantly anti-Christian,” and restricting the Gideons based on DEI did not make sense because Christians were being excluded rather than included.

The source stated that the health network’s policy became progressive after Steiner took the oath as CEO of Phoebe in 2019. He is a member of the Georgia Diversity Council and advocates for diversity.

The hindrance of the evangelistic action of the Gideons comes at a time when healthcare institutions in the United States are criticized for paying more attention to progressive policies than to healthcare itself.

This is not the first time the organization has been prohibited in the country. In 2020, a court prohibited the Gideons from distributing Bibles in a school district in Georgia after a lawsuit filed by a group of atheists.

Founded in 1898, Gideons International is a Christian association formed by men and women in business, dedicated to distributing Bibles in hotels, schools, hospitals, public civil and military offices, prisons, law offices, medical practices, planes, and ships in over 200 countries.

There are approximately 285,000 missionary ministries worldwide, making the organization the largest evangelistic movement on the planet.