‘This Dangerous Book’: Hobby Lobby Founder, Wife Share Story Behind Bible Museum

November 28, 2017

WRITER

Hobby Lobby president Steve Green and his wife, Jackie Green, shared their passion for the Bible as a sacred text and a crucial part of history on today’s show, discussing their new book, “This Dangerous Book: How the Bible Has Shaped Our World and Why It Still Matters Today.”

The Green family is backing the privately funded Museum of the Bible, which recently opened in Washington, D.C. just a couple of blocks from the National Mall. Entry to the museum and its Bible Garden is free.

Pony Express Bible Proves How Much America's Priorities Have Shifted Since the 1800s

Glenn shared a quote from one of his kids, who asked why a museum about the Bible was in Washington, D.C., where it doesn’t seem likely that many people would want to see it.

“I said, ‘I think that’s the point,’” Glenn said.

“It was the right place for us to be,” Steve Green added.

This article provided courtesy of TheBlaze.

GLENN: You know, most families don't impact people over multiple generations as much as this family has impacted our world in one and two generations.

Steve and Jackie green join us. They're the founding family of the museum of the Bible in Washington, DC. And the author of this dangerous book. How the Bible shaped our world. And why it still matters today.

Steve and Jackie, welcome.

STEVE: Thank you, Glenn. It's good to be here.

GLENN: So I was just in Hobby Lobby over the weekend. And we were talking as a family. And one of my older children was there. And we were talking about the museum of the Bible. And they -- and she said, how did this all begin, Dad? How did this -- how did this happen?

And I said, well, I know Hobby Lobby started with, you know, frames in a garage. And the family just kind of grew up in it.

But Steve and Jackie, how did the Bible part of it start?

STEVE: Well, for me, it started in my home. My parents grew up in a Christian home. My grandfather was a minister himself. My dad's dad. And, you know, my parents took us to church and taught us to love God's word. And follow his ways in our lives. And in our family. And so we -- we just -- that was part of our life. And my wife was the same. She grew up in a Christian home as well. And the Bible just being a part of our life from when we were born.

GLENN: So, Jackie, you guys have a remarkable family. And you have seen what money usually does to a family. I just read a book.

I can't remember the name of it. But it was about Jay Paul Getty and his family. And how the money just destroyed them.

What is it that keeps your family on the track?

JACKIE: Well, I think that, first of all, I would just say, you know, God helps us to realize and remember that everything we have, we've given to him. And he gave to us. And we just give it back to him.

And so our blessings come from above. And there's great joy in realizing that, you know, we don't really have all the ownership. That it really belongs to God.

So being a family of faith, thankfully, we -- we have a family that everyone has embraced their own faith. And embraces the teachings of the Bible for themselves. And I think that's paramount in where we are today.

GLENN: Do you think you could have done -- do you guys think you could have accomplished, just as a family, I don't even mean business, just as a family, do you guys think you could have accomplished what you accomplished if you lived in New York City?

JACKIE: I don't know. I mean, I think God can do anything anywhere. But it would be -- we would have different challenges, of course. We live in a great part of the country, in the Bible Belt. And, you know, it's a great place to raise a family and to, you know, work hard and run a business.

GLENN: So we are -- you know, we were talking as we were walking through Hobby Lobby. And we were talking about the museum of the Bible. And my daughter said, why wouldn't they build it where people would want to go see it? I mean, it's in Washington, DC. Nobody wants the Bible.

And I said, I think that's the point.

What's the reaction that you guys have seen?

STEVE: Well, when we first started looking, we were actually looking in your town in Dallas. And then one opened up -- said, what if God does one in Dallas?

And when I looked up at the top two -- ten metros, the other two that stood out to me was New York City and Washington DC. And we did a survey. The survey showed, it would be best attended in DC, which really makes sense. Because that's the hub of museums in our country. Where museum goers go.

So we just feel like that God knew best. That ever that this facility we acquired was a great location. Just two blocks from one of the most attended museums in our country. And that it was the right place for us to be.

Some kind of chide us thinking that our intent is to impact politics. And, of course, I'm sitting here thinking, who isn't in this town to impact politics? And what would be wrong if that was our motive?

GLENN: Yeah.

STEVE: But it was really because this is where the best attended it -- a lot of visitors here are international, who will have an international impact. And we just think that our -- our legislators ought to know the foundation of our nation and its biblical roots. And, hopefully, they would come in and it would impact them as well.

GLENN: Are you surprised at the number of people in Washington that -- that -- they really have no clue as to our real heritage?

STEVE: Yeah. You know, I -- I think that that is a sad commentary not just here, but in our nation, is the lack of understanding of biblical influence that -- the Bible had on our Founders. And how that it shaped our nation, our freedoms, our economy, our government.

It just had a huge impact.

And I think we probably know it less today than ever, partly because we don't teach the Bible in our schools like we once did. And so there's a great need to educate America on the Bible's impact on our world.

GLENN: So how do you -- how do you do that with -- I mean, even Christopher Hitchens, you know, who was a huge atheist, he said, if you want to understand western culture, you must understand the Bible. You won't understand Shakespeare if you haven't read the Bible.

You know, it is the cornerstone. And he said that it should be taught as -- as literary in a literary class.

But you're not going to get that now. How do we make this shift?

STEVE: Well, and he's not the only -- even Richard Dawkins in his book, The God Delusion, says something very similar. He said to be culturally literate, you need to know it. And he lists over 100 examples of phrases just in our everyday language that comes from the Bible. Good Samaritan, eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, and so forth.

GLENN: Yeah.

STEVE: So even they recognize to be educated in our world, you need to know this book, because it's had such an impact. And that's one of the reasons why we've taken the position in the museum of not espousing our faith. We're just teaching the facts of the book because we are interested in having a curriculum to educate students in our schools about the Bible, in a nonsectarian way, not espousing faith, just teaching the facts of this book.

Because we agree with Christopher Hitchens, that it ought to be a part of our educational system.

GLENN: You -- the name of the book that you guys have just put out is this dangerous book.

And I look at what's happening in the Middle East. People won't recognize that the group of people that are probably rivalling the first century, that are under attack now, more than anybody else, are Christians. And it is for that dangerous book.

They seem to -- I know you guys travel all over the world. The people I have met in the Middle East, have a very different view of their responsibility as a Christian, to that book and to those words and to their faith, than I think most Americans do.

STEVE: Yeah. In our nation, it is just easy. And I think that as a society starts down a path of persecuting Christians, it really separates those that are serious about their faith and those that are just pretending. And it's easy to pretend, to have a faith and attend church from time to time. But there are parts of our world where it's a life and death situation if a person wants to follow the principles of this book.

And part of why we called it this dangerous book. We talk about those that have given their life, because of their life for this book. And it's no different today. I understand there's probably more people that are suffering for their faith today than ever before. Because it's a challenging world. And there are people that love this book. And there are people that hate it. And it shows up in our news from time to time.

STU: Jackie, you talk a lot in the book about something I think Christians have a difficult time with, as I think everybody does, which is tithing and giving -- giving your money away. And it's not just about being charitable. It's also about leading with the charity. Giving that money away first. Giving the money to God first. Can you talk about that a little bit?

JACKIE: Well, yeah, sure. I think as a family, that we -- as I mentioned earlier, we do feel like our blessings come from God. And when you can -- when you realize that, when you know that in your heart, it makes it a lot easier to understand it. We also -- you know, we're taught in the Bible to give to the -- to take care of the widow, the orphan, and to help those in need. And feed the hungry. And, you know, clothing.

And that sort of thing. And I think that when you embrace the principles taught in the Bible, it becomes much easier to do that. Recognizing everything we do comes from God. And we share some of that. We share some of our personal experiences with the Bible, in our book. And we look at the impact of the Bible and its influence in our world, in our culture, every day. All around us.

And then, you know, we feel like it's important for people to understand and be encouraged to read the Bible and learn more about it. Because it's the best-selling book of all time. Consistently, year after year.

STU: More than Harry Potter. That's confirmed.

GLENN: Listen to this. This is in the book. I love this. Let's see. Da Vinci Code. C.S. Lewis. Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. Estimated about 80 million each.

Don Quixote, 150 million. Catcher in the Rye, 65 million. Black Beauty, 50 million. Harry Potter, 100 million, along with The Little Princess, 100 million. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, 150 million copies. The Bible is estimated to be 5 billion copies. Five billion.

STU: It seems like it deserves a museum. It really does.

JACKIE: We think.

STEVE: Well, and some have said, why now? And, of course, more times, you get the question, why hasn't this been done before? I think we have the best material of any museum here in DC because this book has impacted our world unlike anything else.

So its story needs to be told, and that's why we wanted to tell it, in a state-of-the-art, first class museum.

GLENN: And I appreciate the book that you guys have just put out too, because it talks about your personal life. I'm fascinated by how grounded your family is. And you talk about -- you know, you talk about the adoption in your family and -- and just a lot of stuff that I can really relate to. And I appreciate you sharing the personal side as well. Thank you so much. God bless, guys.

STEVE: Well, and one of those is just that we feel like it was providential. And our Founders in this nation felt the same thing, time and time again. They just felt like God was in the middle of it. And we feel that with this museum and our adoption, and those are some of the stories that we share.

GLENN: Thank you, guys. God bless you. Have a good holiday.

Critical theory destroys truth and justice

Editor's note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

Critical theory once stood out as the absurd progressive notion that it is. Now, its maxims are becoming an integral part of ordinary political discourse. The more you repeat a lie, the more you will believe it, and this is the very dangerous place in which we find ourselves today.

Take this critical theory maxim as an example: If we desire justice, we must sometimes champion what may appear superficially as injustice. It's a necessary evil, if you will, the necessity of “controlled injustice.”

By using truth through fabrication and controlled injustice for justice, we’ll save the republic. We’ll be acting in a noble way.

This definition of justice is defined by the “oppressed,” not the “oppressor.” It is the greatest happiness for the greatest number. To achieve this justice, however, we need to endorse acts on occasion that, while seemingly unjust, serve a higher purpose. It will ensure the stability and the unity of our republic, and this may manifest in ways that seem contradictory to our values. But these are the necessary shadows to cast light on “true justice.”

And isn’t that what we are all after, anyway?

Here’s another critical theory maxim: Sometimes we find the truth through fabrication. Our pursuit of truth sometimes requires a strategic use of falsehoods. The truth is a construct that has been shaped and tailored to promote the well-being of the collective.

We sometimes need to accept and propagate lies designed by "the system” — not the old system, but the system that we’re now using to replace the old to get more justice through injustice and more truth through fabrication.

We’re engaging in a higher form of honesty. When we fabricate, it’s for the right reason. We are reaching up to the heavens fighting for a higher sort of honesty. To fortify the truth, we occasionally must weave a tapestry of lies. Each thread, essential for the greater picture, will ultimately define our understanding and ensure our unity under this infallible wisdom.

The election is coming up. Does this maxim sound familiar? Many think it is imperative that we secure our republic through election control to maintain our republic. Sometimes, we might need to take actions that by traditional standards might be questionable.

The act of securing elections requires cheating. It's not mere deception. It is a noble act of safeguarding our way of life. We're on the verge of losing this democracy, and without deception, we will lose it.

To ensure it doesn't fall into the hands of those we know will destroy it, we may have to make a few fabrications. We're fabricating stories to be able to control or secure the republic through our elections. By using truth through fabrication and controlled injustice for justice, we'll save the republic. Therefore, we'll be acting in a noble way. Stealing an election from those who wish to harm our society is truly an act of valor and an essential measure to protect our values and ensure the continuation of our just society.

If we desire justice, we must sometimes champion what may appear superficially as injustice.

I know it's a paradox of honor through dishonor. But in this context, by embracing the dishonor, we achieve the highest form of honor, ensuring the stability and the continuation of our great republic.

Let this be heard, far and wide, as a great call to patriotic action. As we advance, let each of us, citizens of this great and honorable republic, consider these principles. Not as abstract or paradoxical but as practical guides to daily life. Embrace the necessity of controlled injustice, the utility of lies, the duty to secure our electoral process, and the honor and apparent dishonor. These are not merely strategies for survival. They are prerequisites for our prosperity.

We all have to remember that justice is what our leaders define, that truth is what our party tells us. Our republic stands strong on the values of injustice for justice, honor through dishonor, and the fabrication of truths. To deviate from this path is to jeopardize the very fabric of our society. Strength through unity; unity through strength.

We've heard this nonsense for so long. But now, this nonsense is becoming an instituted reality, and we are entering perilous times. Don't be fooled by the narratives you will hear during the march to November. Never let someone convince you that the ends justify the means, that a little bit of injustice is needed to achieve a broader, collective vision of justice, that truth sometimes requires fabricated lies and narratives. If we do, justice will cease to be justice, truth will cease to be truth, and our republic will be lost.

Top 5 MOST EVIL taxes the government extorts from you

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"In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." -Ben Franklin

The injustice of taxation has been a core issue for Americans since the very beginning of our country, and it's a problem we have yet to resolve. This belief was recently reignited in many Americans earlier this month on tax day when the numbers were crunched and it was discovered that the government was somehow owed even more hard-earned money. As Glenn recently discussed on his show, it's getting to be impossible for most Americans to afford to live comfortably, inflation is rising, and our politicians keep getting richer.

The taxpayer's burden is heavier than ever.

The government is not above some real low blows either. While taxes are a necessary evil, some taxes stretch the definition of "necessary" and emphasize the "evil." Here are the top five most despicable taxes that are designed to line the IRS coffers at your expense:

Income Tax

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"It would be a hard government that should tax its people one-tenth part of their income." -Ben Franklin

On February 24th, 2024 we hit a very unfortunate milestone, the 101st anniversary of the 16th Amendment, which authorized federal income tax. Where does the government get the right to steal directly out of your paycheck?

Death Taxes

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"Now my advice for those who die, Declare the pennies on your eyes" -George Harrison

Not even in death can you escape the cold pursuit of the tax collector. It's not good enough that you have to pay taxes on everything you buy and every penny you make your entire life. Now the feds want a nice slice, based on the entire value of your estate, that can be as much as 40 percent. Then the state government gets to stick their slimy fingers all over whatever remains before your family is left with the crumbs. It's practically grave-robbery.

Payroll

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"The power to tax is the power to destroy." -John Marshall

What's that? The nice chunk of your paycheck the government nabs before you can even get it to the bank wasn't enough? What if the government taxed your employer just for paying you? In essence, you make less than what your agreed pay rate is and it costs your employer more! Absolutely abominable.

Social Security

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"We don't have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven't taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much." -Ronald Reagan

Everyone knows the collapse of Social Security is imminent. It has limped along for years, only sustained by a torrent of tax dollars and the desperate actions of politicians. For decades, people have unwillingly forked over money into the system they will never see again.

FICA

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"What at first was plunder assumed the softer name of revenue." -Thomas Paine

FICA is the payroll equivalent of Social Security. Your employer has to match however much you pay. It means it costs your employer even more to pay you—again, you'll NEVER see that money. At this point, are you even working for yourself, or are you just here to generate money for the government to frivolously throw away?

5 DISTURBING ways World War III will be different from previous wars

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Has World War III begun?

Over the weekend, Iran launched an unprecedented attack against Israel involving over 300 missiles and drones. This marked the first direct attack on Israel originating from Iranian territory. Fortunately, according to an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, 99 percent of missiles and drones were successfully neutralized by Israeli defense systems. Iran claimed that the operation against Israel had concluded and that no further offensive was planned, although the possibility of another attack is still present.

This has left many people, including Glenn, wondering the same thing: did we just witness the start of World War III?

Glenn recently had a World War II Air Force Veteran as a guest on his TV special, who told stories of the horrors he and his brothers-in-arms faced in the skies over war-torn Europe. This was a timely reminder of the terrors of war and a warning that our future, if it leads to another world war, is a dark one.

But, if Glenn's coverage of the Iranian attack revealed one thing, it's that World War III will look nothing like the world wars of the twentieth century. Long gone are the days of John "Lucky" Luckadoo and his "Bloody Hundredth" bravely flying their B-17s into battle. Over the weekend, we saw hundreds of autonomous drones and missiles clashing with extreme speed and precision over several different fronts (including space) simultaneously. This ain't your grandfather's war.

From EMP strikes to cyber attacks, here are FIVE ways the face of war has changed:

EMP attacks

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The entire modern world, on every level, is completely dependent on electricity. From your home refrigerator to international trade, the world would come to a grinding halt without power. And as Glenn has pointed out, it wouldn't even be that hard to pull off. All it would take is 3 strategically placed, high-altitude nuclear detonations and the entire continental U.S. would be without power for months if not years. This would cause mass panic across the country, which would be devastating enough on its own, but the chaos could be a perfect opportunity for a U.S. land invasion.

Nuclear strikes

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Nuclear war is nothing new. Many of us grew up during the Cold War, built fallout shelters, and learned to duck and cover. But times have changed. The Berlin Wall fell and so did the preparedness of the average American to weather a nuclear attack. As technology has advanced, more of our adversaries than ever have U.S. cities within their crosshairs, and as Glenn has pointed out, these adversaries are not exactly shy about that fact. Unfortunately, the possibility of an atomic apocalypse is as real as ever.

Immigration warfare

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The strategy of strangling an opposing nation's economy to gain the upper hand is a wartime tactic as old as time. That's why the Border Crisis is so alarming. What better way to damage an opponent's economy than by overburdening it with millions of undocumented immigrants? As Glenn has covered, these immigrants are not making the trek unaided. There is a wide selection of organizations that facilitate this growing disaster. These organizations are receiving backing from around the globe, such as the WEF, the UN, and U.S. Democrats! Americans are already feeling the effects of the border crisis. Imagine how this tactic could be exploited in war.

Cyber shutdowns

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Cyber attacks will be a major tactic in future wars. We've already experienced relatively minor cyber strikes from Russia, China, and North Korea, and it is a very real possibility that one of our adversaries inflicts a larger attack with devastating consequences on the United States. In fact, the WEF has already predicted a "catastrophic" cyber attack is imminent, and Glenn suggests that it is time to start preparing ourselves. A cyber attack could be every bit as devastating as an EMP, and in a world run by computers, nothing is safe.

Biological assault

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Don't trust the "experts." That was the takeaway many of us had from the pandemic, but something less talked about is the revelation that China has manufactured viruses that are capable of spreading across the globe. We now know that the lab leak hypothesis is true and that the Wuhan lab manufactured the virus that infected the entire world. That was only ONE virus from ONE lab. Imagine what else the enemies of America might be cooking up.

The government is WAGING WAR against these 3 basic needs

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The government has launched a full-on assault against our basic needs, and people are starting to take notice.

As long-time followers of Glenn are probably aware, our right to food, water, and power is under siege. The government no longer cares about our general welfare. Instead, our money lines the pockets of our politicians, funds overseas wars, or goes towards some woke-ESG-climate-Great Reset bullcrap. And when they do care, it's not in a way that benefits the American people.

From cracking down on meat production to blocking affordable power, this is how the government is attacking your basic needs:

Food

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Glenn had Rep. Thomas Massie on his show where he sounded the alarm about the attack on our food. The government has been waging war against our food since the thirties when Congress passed the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938. They started by setting strict limits on how many crops a farmer could grow in a season and punishing anyone who grew more—even if it was intended for personal use, not for sale on the market. This sort of autocratic behavior has continued into the modern day and has only gotten more draconian. Today, not only are you forced to buy meat that a USDA-approved facility has processed, but the elites want meat in general off the menu. Cow farts are too dangerous to the environment, so the WEF wants you to eat climate-friendly alternatives—like bugs.

Water

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As Glenn discussed during a recent Glenn TV special, the government has been encroaching on our water for years. It all started when Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, which gave the government the ability to regulate large bodies of water. As the name suggests, the act was primarily intended to keep large waterways clear of pollution, but over time it has allowed the feds to assume more and more control over the country's water supply. Most recently, the Biden administration attempted to expand the reach of the Clean Water Act to include even more water and was only stopped by the Supreme Court.

Electricity