Why people recommend it
The Holy Bible, published by Hendrickson Publishers, is a foundational religious text that has recently surfaced in contemporary cultural and political discourse. On an episode of Pod Save America, the hosts discussed the controversial sales of the Lee Greenwood Bible by Donald Trump, characterizing the venture as a self-serving scheme used to cover legal expenses and generate ongoing profit. The commentators critically noted Trump's assertions that the Bible is his favorite book and that every American household needs one, linking these promotional efforts to a broader pattern of commercialization and political posturing involving figures like foreign stakeholders holding copies of the publication. Separately, Freakonomics Radio explored the digital dissemination of the scripture through an interview with Steve Katina, the CEO of pray.com. Katina highlighted the platform's popular features, including nightly prayers, bedtime Bible stories that saw increased consumption following the COVID-19 pandemic, and audio versions narrated by notable public figures such as James Earl Jones. Through these diverse references, the text emerges not only as a traditional spiritual cornerstone but also as a frequent subject of modern commercial exploitation and digital accessibility discussions across popular podcasts.
Who recommended it
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 8
“He's selling Bibles, he's selling sneakers, he's selling NFTs, he's doing all these things; it's all part of the narrative you just laid out, which is he's in it for himself, not for any of you guys.”
“All they have to do is buy some shares of Truth Social or boxes of the Lee Greenwood Bibles, by the crate. It's just—the grift never ends.”
“We just see MBS wearing those Trump Air sneakers or whatever those are—the new, new majority—the minority huge stakeholder in Truth Social, MBS, holding up his Lee Greenwood Bible.”
“He hawks some Bibles to pay his legal bills, turns his back on Nikki Haley voters, and then Democratic strategist Liz Smith joins to talk about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s bizarre vice presidential choice.”
“Let’s take a listen: all Americans need a Bible in their home and I have many.”
“It's my favorite book; it's a lot of people's favorite book.”
“Usually, what we'll do is we'll get a really cool celebrity to narrate a Bible in a year, so you can download pray and listen to James Earl Jones read you the Bible. I listened to some of that, and I have to say it's really good; it's pretty cool, right?”
“One thing we see, and we see continuous growth really exacerbated from COVID, is the consumption of nightly prayers and bedtime Bible stories. Can you tell us what people are praying for?”