Controversy doesn’t hurt Bible museum

Bad publicity surrounding Hobby Lobby after the Green family had to recently return 5,500 artifacts to Iraq and pay a $3 million fine hasn’t dimmed enthusiasm for their Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. The museum announced last week that it had attracted 565,000 visitors since it opened just over six months ago. 

“As we enter the peak of the tourist season, we look forward to welcoming new and returning guests to engage with the history, narrative and impact of the most influential book ever written,” President Cary Summers told Religion News Service reporter Adelle Banks.

By comparison, RNS said the Broad, a new contemporary art museum in Los Angeles, attracted less than 500,000 visitors within six months of its opening in 2015.

Located just three blocks south of the U.S. Capitol, the eight-floor museum includes a $42 million self-guided digital tour, 3-D interactivity with biblical artifacts, and other high-tech features. They include a gaming studio aimed at youngsters 12 and under, which pairs them with a robotic companion to create a story about a time traveler collecting historical artifacts.