The Gospel According to Hobby Lobby by Michael Blanding

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Gospel According to Hobby Lobby:

Crafts be thy name.

Quick synopsis:

A look at the Green Family who created Hobby Lobby and used the proceeds in very specific ways.

Fact for Non-History People:

Hobby Lobby was founded in 1970 with a $600 loan.

Fact for History Nerds:

Hobby Lobby generates approximately $8 billion in sales.

My Take on The Gospel According to Hobby Lobby:

Okay, let’s get this out of the way first. Yes, this is about the craft store Hobby Lobby. If you didn’t know, the family who owns the stores is VERY Christian. Or, as I like to say, very Jesus-y. This is not a statement of judgment, but of fact. If you don’t think so, well, just go ahead and read The Gospel According to Hobby Lobby by Michael Blanding. By the end, you will also agree that the Greens, who own Hobby Lobby, are true believers. They are also obsessive relic collectors, top-notch business people, and real estate moguls who donate more than they keep.

First, I think it is important to address the elephant in the room (which is technically a pun in this case), politics will be a part of this book. That said, I hate contemporary politics, but I think Blanding does an exceptional job staying on task. This task is explaining how the Greens are involved in all of this. You know whose side Blanding is on, but he stays in his lane as the author who is imparting the information to you. He never makes himself part of this story.

And he doesn’t need to because goodness gracious the Greens are interesting. You can decide whether it is a good or bad interesting, but this book kept my attention straight through. Hobby Lobby was built from nothing and then became basically a bank and real estate dispenser for various evangelical Christian causes. In fact, probably all of the causes. Blanding starts from the beginning and explains where patriarch David Green came from, and how he built a crafts empire. This alone would be an interesting case study, but that would be to ignore the massive influence the Green family has on a sizeable portion of the American electorate. Oh, and how they run around grabbing up artifacts of dubious provenance like a less-informed Indiana Jones. Oh, and the media empire. I could go on.

As I said, there is a version of this book which is a tiresome screed against religion and evangelical politics. Blanding will call out inconsistencies when he sees them and that goes for both sides of the religious and political divide. However, the author never doubts the sincerity of the Greens. Yes, they may make some truly bad choices, but they are true believers who are trying to do what they believe to be right. They are not looking for power or an angle to better their lives at the expense of other people. They want to help people in their own very specific way.

Now, if their “help” is helping or harming, well that’s why you should read this book. And to be clear, you should definitely read this book.

(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by PublicAffairs and NetGalley.)

Verdict:

A fascinating must-read. Buy it here!