Hobby Lobby and "Christian" values

Hobby Lobby is supposedly a poster child for Christian values. President and owner Steve Green has long played the faith card in marketing the company and taking legal action against laws he does not believe in. Maybe his values need more attention.

The Hobby Lobby chain seems to have a values problem with Judaism. Inquiries into why the store does not stock items related to Jewish religious holidays were greeted with responses like this:

“Because Mr. Green is the owner of the company, he’s a Christian, and those are his values.”

I find this interesting for several reasons. Green's stores happily stock junk related to Christmas. In other words, Hobby Lobby is a strong proponent of the crass commercialization of the birth of Christ. Reindeer, Santa Claus, and other gaudy decorations are welcome on the shelves. You can find those items already on display in Hobby Lobby store in early October. And yet carrying cards and decorations related to Jewish holidays (which Jesus celebrated) is a violation of Green's Christian values.

The billions in profits generated by Hobby Lobby have made Steve Green a wealthy man. One of his favorite hobbies is to collect biblical artifacts, most of which happen to be Jewish.

He’s also known for holding one of the country’s largest collections of ancient biblical artifacts, including what’s believed to be the oldest known copy of a Hebrew prayer book. In unveiling the book on Thursday, Green dated the item to 840 C.E., declining to use the more Christian-sounding 840 A.D. so as not to offend Jews.

Perhaps Green's ethics are formed in part by his wealth. He spends millions of dollars for religious artifacts for his personal collection. Many of these items should be on display in a Jewish museum rather than displayed in the home of rich man that does not practice or even respect Judaism. It is something of a sacrilege.

I had to laugh at the pathetic attempt at political correctness as Green referred to the item dating as 840 CE instead of AD. The meaning is the same. The prayer book would have been used in services celebrating 4600/4601 in the Hebrew calender.

A rabbi pointed out that Green has a right not to sell items related to Jewish holidays in his stores. That is true. It is also true that synagogue congregational shops and other Jewish sources are the best places to get items to celebrate Jewish holidays. In fact, the quality and beauty of items carried in many congregational shops is often far superior to those sold in retail shops.

Rabbi Donald A. Weber of Marlboro’s Temple Rodeph Torah says Hobby Lobby has the right not to stock Hanukkah items, and everybody else has the right not to shop there. His advice for people looking to buy Hanukkah goods: Start with the congregation’s sisterhood group, which sells Judaica.

And yes, it is also true that people have a right not to shop in Hobby Lobby. There are too many sources of craft products in this day and age to bother with Hobby Lobby.

Let's all not forget the irony in all of this. Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of his arrest to celebrate Passover. Steve Green refuses to sell items that commemorate the religious holidays that Jesus celebrated because it violates his Christian "values." Go figure.

The Green family are successful entrepreneurs. They market craft supplies, home decorations, books, office supplies, and entertainment to evangelical Christians. It is a business model that has made them quite rich. Good for them. However, you do tread a fine line when you invoke Christ to market products to Christians. It is something of a slippery slope. If you are not careful you start to look like all the folks selling products and changing money in the square around the Temple in Jerusalem way back around the start of the Common Era. Jesus took issue with their exploitation of the name of God for personal profit. I am sure the Green family is far too smart to ever cross any such lines.