Hobby Lobby's Steve Green Warns of Future Challenges to Religious Liberty: 'We Need to Continue to Stand'

Hobby Lobby CEO Steve Green
Hobby Lobby CEO Steve Green  Scott L. Huck/Cedarville University

Steve Green, president of Hobby Lobby, has encouraged Christians to continue fighting for religious liberty, warning that there will always be those who attempt to take those freedoms away.

Speaking to The Gospel Herald just after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on religious liberty, Green, CEO of the Oklahoma-based Christian crafts store chain, asserted that "religious freedom is an issue for us to always stand for."

"This nation was built on principles found in the Bible, and one of those concepts was our religious freedom," he told GH. "There are and will be challenges to the religious freedoms of Americans that we'll have to face in the future, and we'll have to continue to stand for those. And, even in other parts of the world, we need to stand for the religious freedoms of people all over the world."

Driving his point home, Green, who also serves as chairman of the board of Museum of the Bible, quoted Thomas Jefferson: "No provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil authority."

A committed Christian, Green is no stranger to fighting for religious freedom. In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled in Hobby Lobby's favor in the case over whether employers who run their businesses on Christian principles had to provide insurance coverage for abortifacients under the Affordable Care Act.

In the majority opinion, authored by Justice Samuel Alito, the high court concluded that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act applied to businesses whose owners held a religious objection to the HHS mandate.

"The Government has failed to satisfy RFRA's least-restrictive means standard. HHS has not shown that it lacks other means of achieving its desired goal without imposing a substantial burden on the exercise of religion," wrote Justice Alito.

Reflecting on the groundbreaking Burwell v. Hobby Lobby decision, the "Faith in America" author called the Obamacare contraception mandate a "violation of conscience".

"We didn't want to be a part of taking life," he explained. "We wound up having to sue this government that we love. We won in the court, and it showed that a for-profit company does have religious freedoms, which was the ultimate argument. That put us in the same category as non-profits; in non-profits, there was an accommodation that was offered."

Meanwhile, Trump's order, entitled "Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty", aims to extend political speech protections for pastors and religious organizations, allowing them to talk about politics without penalty. Additionally, the order "provides regulatory relief" and instructs the Department of Health and Human Services to "consider" granting religious exemptions to the Obamacare contraception mandate that violates the beliefs of religious organizations and companies like Hobby Lobby.

"With this executive order, we also make clear that the federal government will never penalize any person for their protected religious beliefs," Trump said after signing the order, revealing that he also instructed the Department of Justice to "develop new rules to ensure these religious protections are afforded to all Americans."

"There are more than 50 religious Americans and groups that sued the previous administration for violating their religious freedom," Trump said. "The abuses were widespread, the abuses were all over."

Last month, Green released his memoir, Giving It All Away...and Getting It All Back Again: The Way of Living Generously.

"Green tells the story of caring for the small things and starting Hobby Lobby in their garage. He shares the difference between the worlds of 'having and hoarding' and a world of 'giving and generosity,' the principle of working for God and not for men, and that now is not too soon to consider what you want your legacy to be," noted the book's Amazon description.

"As proof of how living by those principles can change your life, Green shares that when Hobby Lobby came close to bankruptcy in 1986 and when the Supreme Court challenged the Hobby Lobby's right to life beliefs in 2014, the company emerged with its integrity intact."

    Most Popular
  • Is 'The Last Supper' worth watching? Audience and critics weigh in

    Is 'The Last Supper' worth watching? Audience and critics weigh in

    Faith-based films often receive mixed reactions, and The Last Supper is no exception. The movie attempts to bring a fresh perspective to one of the most iconic moments in Christian history, but does it succeed? Some reviews from critics and audiences provide insight into its strengths and shortcomings.

  • ‘The Chosen’ Season 5: The darkest season yet—What to know before watching

    The wait is over—The Chosen is back with its fifth season, and this time, things are getting intense. The new episodes dive straight into the final days of Jesus’ life, covering some of the most emotional and dramatic moments in the Bible. If you’ve been following the series, you already know that The Chosen isn’t just about retelling familiar stories—it’s about bringing them to life in a way that feels real.

  • Massacres in Syria: Over 1,000 dead, including Christians and Alawites

    Syria’s coastal regions have been devastated by a series of massacres, with reports indicating that over 1,000 people—many from Christian and Alawite communities—have been killed in brutal attacks. Entire families have been wiped out, and survivors are fleeing in search of safety as sectarian violence escalates.

  • Kim Sae-ron and Wheesung: The tragic irony of Korean society and the principles of happiness

    Not long ago, the media was in an uproar over actress Kim Sae-ron’s passing. Just months before, the same people who had relentlessly criticized her for her DUI incident were now expressing sympathy, saying, "The world was too harsh on her." The irony is impossible to ignore.

  • Newsboys move forward as a quartet after Michael Tait’s departure

    After more than a decade as the lead singer of the Newsboys, Michael Tait has officially parted ways with the band, marking a significant shift in the Christian rock group’s lineup. The remaining members—Jeff Frankenstein, Jody Davis, Duncan Phillips, and Adam Agee—have assured fans that they will continue forward, embracing a new season of music and ministry.