Bible Nation: The United States of Hobby Lobby

After revealing arts and crafts giant Hobby Lobby's procurement of biblical antiquities in a 2016 article in The Atlantic, Moss (New Testament & early Christianity, Univ. of Notre Dame; The Myth of Persecution) and Baden (Hebrew Bible, Yale Divinity Sch.; The Historical David) conduct a full investigation of how company founder David Green "…aspires to personal cosmic impact" by steering the populace toward conservative Christianity. In 2009, the Green family began collecting biblical antiquarian manuscripts, now possessing the largest private collection in the world. The company promotes "Bible-focused initiatives," such as Bible curriculum advocacy and the Museum of the Bible, a charitable organization owned by Hobby Lobby to advocate a private belief system while claiming it is a "nonsectarian independent organization." This weighty tome is the first look into the heated academic debate over Hobby Lobby's activities aside from their pending judicial cases. Moss and Baden's meticulous research will stand up to the most rigorous scrutiny, as they manage to stay dispassionate without judgement. This book raises serious ethical questions, and the dense prose will be of most interest to researchers.