(Faith Wire) The Christian-owned retailer Hobby Lobby faced atheist scorn this week over its Independence Day ad, which ran in newspapers nationwide.
Featured prominently on the advertisement — which depicted a child running with an American flag — were the words, “One nation under God,” alongside a reference to Psalm 33:12, which states, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”
The full-page ad includes a series of quotes from American founders, U.S. lawmakers, and Supreme Court justices, most of the reflections pointing to the country’s religious roots and its ties to Scripture.
At the bottom of the ad, Hobby Lobby included a prompt for those interested in learning more about becoming a Christian.
“If you would like to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, visit Need Him Ministry at www.chataboutjesus.com,” it states. “To download a free Bible for your phone, go to www.mardel.com/bible.”
The retailer also shared the ad to its social media channels.
The atheist advocacy organization the Freedom From Religion Foundation launched its own rebuttal site, condemning Hobby Lobby’s ad. The title page of its site states: “In Hobby Lobby We Don’t Trust.”
“Do these quotes prove we are a Christian nation? Click them to find out,” wrote the FFRF, which calls for a strict separation of church and state.
One former Republican turned left-leaning Democrat said Hobby Lobby should be ashamed of its newspaper advertisement while another critic condemned it as “dominionist propaganda.”
Faithwire reached out to Hobby Lobby for comment. If a representative for the company responds, this story will be updated.
The Rev. Franklin Graham came to the brand’s defense.
In a Facebook post of his own, the humanitarian said Hobby Lobby “is being attacked for running some beautiful full-page newspaper ads on July 4.”
“These positive advertisements have outraged enemies of God’s Word such as the Freedom from Religion Foundation,” wrote Graham. “I hope this exposure for their ads, even though it was intended for harm, will actually allow even more people to read the message and appreciate what Hobby Lobby’s owners, the Green family stand for.”
“I thank God for the Green family, their Christian-run business, and their strong public stand for the Word of God and biblical values,” he added.
