I did a little bit of reading about the Gideons recently. I got Rocky Racoon stuck in my head as a result.
They have a curious doctrinal basis. It doesn't touch a whole lot of topics, but a few ones that in their focus and wording mark out the particular cultural background to the movement:
"The Gideons International is a diverse association in that our members come from many Protestant denominations with a common interest in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. All Gideons also hold important core beliefs:
The Bible is the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God.Members must also:
Have received Jesus as their personal Savior.
Endeavor to follow Him in their daily lives.
Be members in good standing in their Protestant/evangelical churches.
Have the recommendation of their pastors."
They also emphasise belief in "the endless lake of fire for the unsaved" and the resolve to "follow Christ in your daily life".
What is good about these brief doctrinal markers? What is lacking?
They distributed the NKJV for a long time. But they have recently moved to the ESV. But it turns out they have a peculiar attachment to the Textus Receptus, and so the ESV publishers have produced a special Gideons version.
via Blog - Christian Reflections http://ift.tt/1zOFxz3 (NB: to comment go to http://ift.tt/1joromF)
