2 out of 2 found this review helpful.
Excellent
Great book by Steve Green, the son of Hobby Lobby's founder (David Green), and current owner of the company. Before going to a local Hobby Lobby store for some soapmaking supplies, I just thought Hobby Lobby was a store my wife really liked spending money in to get artsy little knickknacks, or supplies to make little craft projects, etc. When I found out about their soapmaking, candlemaking, and stained glass supplies, I was a little more receptive to the store (now if they can just add blacksmithing supplies...). At the checkout counter was a stack of hardcover books called "Faith in America" with pictures of Founding Fathers on the cover. Skimming through it, I decided to buy it, and I am so glad I did!
This is the story of Hobby Lobby's full-page inspirational ads that the company takes out (at considerable cost) every year at Easter, 4th of July, and Christmas in newspapers around the country. More than that, though, it is also the story of the reactions they got from people, both for and against, and the journey of discovery this led Steve to go on as he tried to answer his critics. He goes to interview leading historians, theologians, and researchers to seek out reasonable answers for the arguments raised by the opponents of their ads. The book has beautiful full-page copies of all of their holiday messages they've put out since 1997 and many of the actual responses that they received over the years, including ones that will make you laugh, cry, or just puzzle you.
I had never seen any of the holiday messages until now, but it just impressed me so much to see a successful business operating in a Christian way, and unashamedly proclaiming their beliefs, that I have to tell others about it. Then to find out that this family not only started Hobby Lobby, but also Mardel, a Christian bookstore/educational supply store, and that Steve's brother Mart (founder of Mardel) was the driving force behind the amazing movie "End of the Spear" blew me away.
Do I have any complaints about the book? Yes. He has several spelling and grammatical errors, particularly in the last half of the book. What can I say? It's a pet peeve of mine, and an author shouldn't an editor to correct stuff like that, but there's really no excuse if has one.
As of this writing, you won't find the book on Amazon, but you can get it in Hobby Lobby stores or at their website. Enjoy!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Report inappropriate review