The Bible in the U.S. Capital:
Inviting All People to Engage with the Transformative Power of the Bible
Christian Askeland, Ashley Carter,
Jerry Pattengale, and Amy Van Dyke
Publisher : Tyndale House Publishers
(November 22, 2022)
Language : English
Hardcover : 160 pages
ISBN-10 : 1496482220
ISBN-13 : 978-1496482228
Different buildings on America’s landscape become iconic. Others become convening spaces. And some surface on bucket lists. All three traits are manifest in the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC. From its signature entrance and striking skyline silhouette to its gathering rooms overlooking the Capitol’s rotunda, thousands of artifacts, and high-tech experiences, it’s become an international destination. Millions have toured it, including hundreds of leaders and influencers from various countries and professions’ and millions more are coming. This high-image book captures the overview of this amazing story, from its genesis in 2010 to its opening in 2017 and its first five years in Washington, DC. It affords a pleasant look into the museum’s mission, to invite all people to engage with the transformative power of the Bible, by authors who have had a front-row seat in this journey.
Authors
Christian Askeland is a New Testament scholar, whose research interests include New Testament textual criticism, Coptic manuscripts, and digital humanities. He has held academic positions at Southern Wesleyan University, the Protestant University Wuppertal, Indiana Wesleyan University, and Museum of the Bible. Over the last 10 years, he has participated in collaborative research projects funded by the Lilly Endowment, the European Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (United Kingdom), the German Research Foundation, and the German Academy.
Jerry Pattengale was one of the two founding scholars behind the Museum of the Bible (DC), where he served as Exec. Dir. of Education until “retiring” in Dec. 2018, but returned in spring of 2020 as Senior Advisor to the President. On Feb.14, 2020, he also spoke at the United Nations on “How to Protect Religious Spaces.” He served as interim president of the Religious News Service (and CEO) in 2019/2020, and in 2022 spoke on Capitol Hill on his book, “Public Intellectuals and the Common Good.” He is a pioneer in Purpose-Guided Education and has made various contributions to history or biblical resources, including co-authoring the 2020 TV documentary series, “Inexplicable: How Christianity Spread to the Ends of the Earth” (winner of three Telly Awards), and a book by the same title.
Ashley Carter lead the development and project management of the Museum of the Bible’s archival department and collections’ website and she additionally chairs their office culture committee.
Amy Van Dyke has coordinated, written, or assisted with over fifty exhibitions. Her current work as Lead Curator of Art and Exhibitions involves developing content and curating exhibitions for the museum in Washington, DC, coordinating and curating domestic and international traveling exhibitions, researching, lecturing, and curating the art within the Museum Collections. Her previous experience as an educator and curriculum developer aid in the implementation of exhibitions that engage with all audiences and learning styles.