It’s always a tragedy when evangelical Christians fall out, and the example of the Gideons seems particularly distressing.
As en reports, what everyone previously knew as ‘GideonsUK’ has just changed its name to Good News for Everyone (GNE). It was a change forced upon it after the US-based Gideons International won a trademark dispute.
GideonsUK – now GNE – were expelled by the international branch in 2018 for allowing full membership to women. Late last year, it was ruled that they could not use the label ‘GideonsUK,’ and they were forced to pay costs. The new name is the inevitable concomitant of that legal decision.