By CP Staff, Tuesday, March 19, 2024

A hospital system in Georgia is pushing back against claims that it banned Gideons International from distributing Bibles in its hospitals because of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Citing multiple anonymous sources with knowledge of the situation, The Daily Wire reported last week that Phoebe Putney Health System — which is one of the state's largest health care providers with hospitals, family medicine clinics, rehabilitation facilities and specialty doctors in more than 40 Georgia counties — has banned Gideons and their Bibles for months.

One source told the outlet that they were told their work was “a violation of the DEI policy and they would no longer be allowed.”

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Founded in 1899, Gideons describes itself as an association of Christian professionals who “distribute Scriptures in strategic locations so that they are available to those who want them as well as to those who may not know they need them,” according to their website. The organization has distributed more than 2 billion Bibles over the years, and is famous for placing them in many hotel rooms.

Sources have confirmed to The Daily Wire that Phoebe's move comes after DEI's push into the organization under the leadership of CEO Scott. Steinerwho the outlet noted has been in charge since 2019 and is part of the Georgia Diversity Council, which boasts of being the “leading resource for diversity best practices and leadership development in the state of Georgia.”

During the 2022 meeting, Steiner also expressed a commitment to “make a significant change” by making diversity more evident in management, according to the local. Albany Herald.

Ben Smith, who serves as Phoebe's director of public relations and communications, affirmed in a statement to The Christian Post that “any accusation that Phoebe is anti-Christian is objectively false and offensive.”

Smith referred to CP a video statement posted Monday afternoon to Phoebe's social media pages, in which Steiner both refuted the story's allegations of anti-Christian discrimination and disparaged The Daily Wire as an outlet “known for sensationalist headlines designed to excite people, incite controversy and get clicks.” “

Steiner characterized the story as “irresponsible, false and based solely on the uniformed opinion of a disgruntled anonymous source”, and claimed that the system has “a large supply of Bibles donated by the Gideons which we give to any patient, visitor or employee who. ask for one.”

The CEO went on to claim that a local Gideons chapter requested “unfettered access” to hospital halls and patient rooms, which he noted are not allowed to any outside group.

“The local Gideons group requested that access and expressed frustration that we cannot grant it,” he said. “That decision has nothing to do with any of our DEI initiatives. We need to ensure the privacy of our patients and the safety of our patients, visitors and staff.”

Steiner also noted that items such as books “cannot be sanitized” should not be left in patient rooms to prevent infection.

Gideons International did not respond to CP's request for comment by the time of publication. This article will be updated if a response is received.

“We all know that Phoebe is not anti-Christian,” Steiner continued, adding that they “start each day with a short devotional and a prayer over our PA system throughout our hospital led by our chaplain.”

“We start every event with a call, and we host and promote a prayer line that patients, visitors and staff can call at any time,” he said. “These are certainly not the actions of an organization that could reasonably be called 'anti-Christian'.”

Steiner, a self-described “middle-aged, Christian white man,” went on to express the importance of diversity and hearing different voices.

“Can you imagine what Phoebe would be like if everyone here looked and thought like me? What if every doctor and nurse, every executive, every transporter and clerk who greets our patients was just like me,” he said. “There is no way that type of Phoebe could effectively serve our community. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths and it is absolutely imperative that we meet the needs of our diverse region.”

Steiner also emphasized the importance of Phoebe remaining “a welcoming place for people of all backgrounds and beliefs. We are proud of our DEI initiatives that create a more inclusive environment at Phoebe.”

“We would never institute any policy that would exclude Christians or any other group. Our vision is to improve every life we ​​touch, and that is what we will continue to strive to do every day at Phoebe,” he added.