WASHINGTON (AP) – The long-awaited Museum of the Bible is opening in Washington.
The $500 million museum traces the history and extensive influence of the Bible. The building includes restaurants, a theater and clear views of the Washington Monument and Capitol.
The project is largely funded by the conservative Christian owners of the Hobby Lobby crafts chain. Hobby Lobby president Steve Green says the aim is to educate not evangelize. But skeptics call the project a Christian ministry disguised as a museum.
Green has amassed a collection of biblical artifacts. He paid a $3 million fine this year after federal prosecutors say he was caught up in an antiquities smuggling ring. Museum officials say the items involved were never destined for the museum.
The Museum of the Bible opens Friday. Admission is free, although donations are requested. Here are some details about what to expect:
KIDS
A first floor children’s area highlights acts of courage depicted in the Bible and has a high-tech feature that projects a watery surface with marine life below. Children can walk across the image, creating the illusion of walking on water.
THE THEATER
The theater will open with the show “Amazing Grace,” a musical that played briefly on Broadway about John Newton, a slave trader and Anglican priest who wrote the Christian hymn of the show’s title and denounced the slave trade.
JESUS’ WORLD
An extensive exhibit aims to recreate what Nazareth looked like during the time of Jesus, including a mikveh, or ritual bath, and a courtyard depicting village life. People in period costume will guide visitors through the section.
POP CULTURE
The museum aims to highlight how the Bible has influenced people in ways they may not realize. On television screens, videos will play pop music songs with an explanation of the Bible verse that inspired the lyrics. Another section has high fashion inspired by Scripture.
FIND THE VERSE
A motion simulator called “Washington Revelations” creates the sensation of flying over the nation’s capital to see Bible inscriptions and references in buildings and monuments throughout the city.
THE VIEW
Along with a rooftop garden, a glass-walled atrium provides clear views of the Washington Monument and the Capitol.
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