Page 24 - Holyland Magazine - 2016 Edition

The Bible is our foundation. It is the best-selling
book in history, and even though it was written
thousands of years ago, it is deeply relevant
to our own lives. This is why we are creating
programs to impart its wisdom and teachings to
a new generation.
One of these projects is the Museum of the Bible.
The museum in Washington, D.C., slated for grand
opening in the fall of 2017, will be housed in a
430,000-square-foot building just two blocks from
the National Mall and three blocks from the nation’s
Capitol. It will provide guests with an immersive and
personalized experience as they explore the history,
narrative and impact of the Bible.
Moreover, the Museum of the Bible is taking the next
step in Bible experience by creating an exciting new
tour program for young Christians to understand the
Bible in its home.
Every time we open our Bibles, the stories of
remarkable people come alive and exhort us to follow
in their footsteps.
Of all the biblical personalities, there is perhaps
nonemore remarkable and inspiring than the Patriarch
Abraham. At the beginning of Genesis, God tells him,
“Go from your country…..to the land that I will show
you." This was a great test of faith for Abraham, the
spiritual father of both the Jewish and Christian faiths, because of its all-encompassing nature in promoting
and his journey across the ancient Near East is a
theme that is constantly repeated throughout both
Old and New Testament (Acts 7:3, Hebrews 11:8) as
an example for all God’s people to follow.
God told Abraham that only in the Land of Canaan,
the Land of Israel, could he come closer to the divine
and understand his mission in the world.
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To the Jewish People, this command is a prescription
for a physical return to the Land, and one of the
pillars of practical Zionism throughout the ages, the
remarkable story of which was long ago foretold.
To Christians, this foundational episode tells us that
the Land of Israel is unique among all the nations of
the world, and by visiting it we can better understand
the God who selected it to reveal his plan to the world.
This is why a Christian, Steve Green, founder and
Chairman of the Museum of the Bible, and a Jew,
Paul Singer, a major donor of the Philos Project, have
come together to create an exciting opportunity for
young Christian college students to enact Abraham’s
journey of faith.
Steve Green has long placed the importance of Bible
literacy at the forefront of his agenda, especially in
his pioneering work with the Green Collection, an
assortment of around 40,000 objects that includes
some of the rarest and most significant biblical texts
and artifacts ever assembled under one roof, at the
Museum of the Bible.
Paul Singer, a philanthropist and a major donor to The
Philos Project, a group dedicated to promoting positive
Christian engagement in the Middle East, is dedicated
to strengthening ties between Jews and Christians.
Green and Singer are involved in this unique program
understanding of the shared basis and ethical
foundations of the two great faiths through a visit to
the land holy to both.
The bold vision behind the project is to bring the next
generation of Christian leaders on a unique touring
experience that will deepen their faith and transform
how they relate to modern-day Israel.
Group of students exploring Ein Gedi