Museum of the Bible Announces Grant Award for Major Exhibition on Science and the Bible
Washington, April 1, 2019– Museum of the Bible, announced plans for a large-scale, year-long temporary exhibition exploring the complex relationship between science and the Bible. The project will be funded by significant grants from the John Templeton Foundation and the Templeton Religion Trust. Scheduled to open in the summer of 2020, the multimedia and thematic experience will utilize artifacts from the museum’s collection and on loan from institutions around the world to examine how people have turned to science and the Bible to answer the fundamental questions of existence. The museum is working with an international advisory panel with over a dozen scientists and scholars to develop the content and associated educational programs. By exploring historical interactions between science and the Bible, this exhibition will shed light on contemporary debates and foster a greater understanding of the shared curiosity about our world that stimulates both scientific inquiry and biblical interpretation. Past discoveries such as Copernicus’ heliocentric model, Newton’s laws of motion and Darwin’s theory of natural selection, along with current topics like the origin of the cosmos and the debate surrounding the ideas of life and health, will be featured.
Much of the gallery will be divided into six content pods, asking six existential questions:
1) How did it all begin?
2) What keeps the universe running?
3) Are we different from animals?
4) What are we made of?
5) Where are we going?
6) Are we alone?
Through artifacts, interactives and design features, past explanations for these questions and the ever-evolving relationship between science and the Bible will be explored.
“Museum of the Bible is honored to be in partnership with the prestigious Templeton Foundation on this ambitious project,” said Museum of the Bible President and CEO Ken McKenzie. “In keeping with the museum’s intent to cater to all learning styles, this exhibition will not only be informative but engaging. Through this exhibit and accompanying initiatives, we hope guests will leave with a deeper appreciation for humanity’s shared curiosity in the big questions that ultimately inspire both scientific inquiry and biblical exploration.”
In addition to the exhibition, the museum will host speaker programs and academic conferences, create educational materials for classroom use, organize a travel exhibition and produce an online exhibition.