Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow / Livestream
The significance of the Bible wasn’t lost on Hobby Lobby president Steve Green, the guest speaker at Grand Canyyon University's Chapel on Monday at Global Credit Union Arena.
In reviewing LIFE magazine’s Millennium Edition of "The 100 Most Important Events and People of the Past 1,000 Years," Green singled out Gutenberg’s printing of the Bible as the top event.
At the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., founded by Green and his wife, Jackie, one floor is devoted to the "The Impact of the Bible" exhibit.
“That is what the goal is of the Impact Floor. It is to show, whether it’s art, literature, music, science, government education – in all areas of life – the Bible has had an impact,” Green told GCU students. “And when followed as God intended, that impact has been for good.”
Green said this was his first trip to GCU in about 10 years, and he was even more impressed. His campus visit on Monday, the first day of the Honors College-led Integrity Week, not only included Chapel but hosting the “Symposium for Faith and Corporate Philanthropy” at Sunset Auditorium. The symposium also included GCU President Brian Mueller; Dr. R. Scott Pyle, founder and CEO of Pyle Financial Services; Dr. Pamela Prince Pyle, physician, author and speaker; and Flip and Susan Flippen of the Flippen Group, a leadership and organizational development company.
Toward the end of his Chapel address, Green emphasized the importance of students reading the Bible, a “collection of books” from 40 writers from various backgrounds over a 1,500-year period who come together to tell a story.
“There is one event in all of Scripture, and I will argue it is THE event in all of history. And it is what Christ did for me and you on the cross,” Green said. “If God had warned the children of Israel one less time to trust or obey, the story doesn’t change. If David had written one less psalm, the story doesn’t change. … If Jesus did one less miracle, the story doesn’t change.
“There is one event in all of Scripture you cannot do without. It is what Christ did for you and me on the cross. It is the event in all of Scripture.”
Green presented a challenge to GCU students regarding the Bible.
“My challenge is for you to devour it. Get into it,” said Green, whose company, founded by his father, David Green, overcame nearly folding in 1986 and was at the center of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court religious liberties case from 2012-14, a time when Hobby Lobby was faced with paying $1.3 million of daily fines for defying the Department of Health and Human Services’ contraception mandate.
“There are times you hear God speaking through His Word. My challenge is, engage with God’s Word. Let it be your guide, feed from it each and every day.”
Green took great pride in describing how his father started Hobby Lobby in 1972 in Oklahoma City before quitting his day job with TG&Y discount store three years later to open his second Hobby Lobby store.
The family-owned business, whose mission statement includes running the company in a manner consistent with biblical principles, has grown to about 1,040 stores in 48 states and is adding between 30-40 stores a year.
The company, which specializes in arts and crafts, faced dark times in 1986, shortly after it lost money for the first time and faced a slow summer.
Steve Green shared how his father avoided answering telephone calls, fearing creditors would be on the other end asking for payments he couldn’t fund, and how his father hid under his desk, crying for God – something his father wrote about in his book, “More than a Hobby”
“God, if you want this business to succeed, you need to intervene,” Steve Green recalled of his father’s plea.
Hobby Lobby rebounded, regained its store growth, doubled its profits, and David Green regained his confidence.
God replied, “Oh, you can (succeed). Let’s see how you can do it on your own.”
That was God’s check on David Green’s pride.
“Without God's help, we cannot do anything,” Steve Green said.
The second lesson the elder Green learned was that it’s God’s business and that we are only the stewards of what He has entrusted to us.
He called a meeting of about 18 family members to inform them that the government told Hobby Lobby to provide life-ending contraceptives to employees. Every family member had a chance to express their opinion.
“We were convinced God would not have us be a part of taking life,” Steve Green said.
Hobby Lobby sued the government, and “we need to understand there are times that God allows suffering as part of his plan,” said Steve Green, recalling that Joseph was sold to slavery and that Jesus died on the cross.
“Our nation is built on principles founded on God’s Word, and we are grateful for those principles,” Green said.
The family won the case, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, in a 5-4 vote, and Green was grateful for the U.S. Constitution and God’s Word.
The Museum of the Bible opened in 2017. Its mission is to invite all people to engage with the transformative power of the Bible, Green said.
A four-hour visit merely scratches the surface of the Bible story, said Green, stressing that the Bible has stood true, despite manipulations and criticisms.
“Not only is God’s Word true, it is divine,” Green said. “It is God’s Word for you and me. Don’t blame the Bible for man’s misuse of it. This book is exactly what God claimed.
“… It doesn’t matter what you and I think. What did God intend? And when we’re willing to follow the Book as God intended, it has been good for mankind in every area of life, and it would be good for your life, as well.”
Next Chapel speaker: Sean Myers, Pella Communities pastor, 11 a.m. Feb. 24, Global Credit Union Arena
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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