Hobby Lobby: Crafting a Christian Nation with Michael Blanding
Summary
Investigative journalist Michael Bland discusses his book on the Green family, revealing how Hobby Lobby’s wealth fuels Christian nationalism. The episode covers their controversial acquisition of looted biblical artifacts for the Museum of the Bible and their strategic funding of right-wing legal groups like Alliance Defending Freedom. Bland explores the contradiction between the family’s public image of kindness and their aggressive political agenda to reshape American law according to evangelical principles.
Topics discussed
Introduction: The Gospel According to Hobby Lobby
Origins: The Green family's religious roots
Founding Hobby Lobby as a spiritual vessel
Business growth and the 1980s oil crash
Early evangelism and the birth control lawsuit
The Museum of the Bible and artifact acquisition
Controversy over looted and forged artifacts
Funding Christian nationalism and the ADF
True believers vs. political grifters
Biblical interpretation and historical revisionism
Conclusion: Understanding the movement's psychology
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