God and Nature 2025 #4
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By Kent Ratajeski
What is a museum?
According to the International Council of Museums (ICOM), “a museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets, and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage” (1).
The modern definition of a museum doesn’t capture the institution’s history. The etymology of the word “museum” is from the Greek μουσεῖον (mouseion), an altar or temple dedicated to the Muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. It seems that from their earliest days, museums had a strong religious basis: they were originally places of worship set apart for study and the arts, and “the avenues of acquisition and exhibition were often intertwined with sacred purposes” (2). Later, even during ancient times, and increasingly with the advent of the Enlightenment and the rise of secular culture, this religious component faded and was largely replaced with other, humanistic goals (3) including research, collection, conservation, interpretation, exhibition, education, and enjoyment. Still, the question bears asking: might the idea of a Christian museum be in some way a fulfillment of the original design and purpose of museums?
The renowned author C.S. Lewis highlighted the correspondence between pagan mythology and Christian theology and argued that pagan mythology carried the seeds of its later fulfillment in Christianity (4, 5). Seen in this light, a museum whose primary purpose is religious and dedicated to the worship of God is by no means an incoherent concept, at least historically. The Christian perspective also provides a solid basis for linking learning and the arts with God’s good gifts to His created image bearers, and in so doing, points the way to a grander purpose for museums and the full flourishment of other human activity and endeavor: the glory and worship of God.
What about young-earth creationist “museums”?
The Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter are just two of at least 24 creationist museums in the United States (6; see below). Are these museums in the sense of the ICOM definition? In her essay “Why Creationist Museums are not Museums”, Gretchen Jennings discounts these centers of display as museums because of “the lack of valid connection with current worldwide thinking on their chosen discipline” (7). She writes that a museum that “misuses and misrepresents scientific thinking to support Biblical accounts so that visitors…‘leave misled and intellectually deceived’” would not be in keeping with a museum’s goal of knowledge sharing.
While religious organizations like Answers in Genesis are fully protected by values of free speech, they have a larger existential problem when it comes to the nature and source of truth. Not only is truth obtainable from Scripture, but any truth, including that which can be apprehended from creation, is God’s truth. This is a bedrock principle that has enjoyed widespread support throughout Church history. This principle assumes that we can know truth (at least in part) by means apart from the Scriptures, and that general revelation is a valid means of apprehending this truth. Anyone—or any organization—that does not value all of this truth but, in fact, actively works to devalue or even subvert it, is not operating under this time-honored Christian principle. Because all truth is God’s truth, a proper foundation for a Christian museum must include a commitment to truth wherever it can be found.
What is a museum?
According to the International Council of Museums (ICOM), “a museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets, and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage” (1).
The modern definition of a museum doesn’t capture the institution’s history. The etymology of the word “museum” is from the Greek μουσεῖον (mouseion), an altar or temple dedicated to the Muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. It seems that from their earliest days, museums had a strong religious basis: they were originally places of worship set apart for study and the arts, and “the avenues of acquisition and exhibition were often intertwined with sacred purposes” (2). Later, even during ancient times, and increasingly with the advent of the Enlightenment and the rise of secular culture, this religious component faded and was largely replaced with other, humanistic goals (3) including research, collection, conservation, interpretation, exhibition, education, and enjoyment. Still, the question bears asking: might the idea of a Christian museum be in some way a fulfillment of the original design and purpose of museums?
The renowned author C.S. Lewis highlighted the correspondence between pagan mythology and Christian theology and argued that pagan mythology carried the seeds of its later fulfillment in Christianity (4, 5). Seen in this light, a museum whose primary purpose is religious and dedicated to the worship of God is by no means an incoherent concept, at least historically. The Christian perspective also provides a solid basis for linking learning and the arts with God’s good gifts to His created image bearers, and in so doing, points the way to a grander purpose for museums and the full flourishment of other human activity and endeavor: the glory and worship of God.
What about young-earth creationist “museums”?
The Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter are just two of at least 24 creationist museums in the United States (6; see below). Are these museums in the sense of the ICOM definition? In her essay “Why Creationist Museums are not Museums”, Gretchen Jennings discounts these centers of display as museums because of “the lack of valid connection with current worldwide thinking on their chosen discipline” (7). She writes that a museum that “misuses and misrepresents scientific thinking to support Biblical accounts so that visitors…‘leave misled and intellectually deceived’” would not be in keeping with a museum’s goal of knowledge sharing.
While religious organizations like Answers in Genesis are fully protected by values of free speech, they have a larger existential problem when it comes to the nature and source of truth. Not only is truth obtainable from Scripture, but any truth, including that which can be apprehended from creation, is God’s truth. This is a bedrock principle that has enjoyed widespread support throughout Church history. This principle assumes that we can know truth (at least in part) by means apart from the Scriptures, and that general revelation is a valid means of apprehending this truth. Anyone—or any organization—that does not value all of this truth but, in fact, actively works to devalue or even subvert it, is not operating under this time-honored Christian principle. Because all truth is God’s truth, a proper foundation for a Christian museum must include a commitment to truth wherever it can be found.
From this vantage, the whole universe is a museum built for the worship and enjoyment of the Creator! |
Religiously affiliated science and natural history museums in the United States
Young-earth creationist museums in the United States
The Purpose of a Christian museum
If Christian museums exist, what should they be doing and why? In addition to various activities shared with their secular counterparts (e.g., education, cultural engagement, research and scholarship, entertainment, and community building), Christian museums should foster spiritual enrichment for their visitors. From a Reformed perspective, the chief end of human existence is not about human-centered activities—it is ultimately directed in service of God’s glory. On this basis, Christian museums should primarily be focused on pointing visitors to encounter God’s glory within various corners of His creation and encouraging the worshipful and joyful response that results from such an encounter.
Education vs. entertainment
Should the primary focus of a Christian museum be one of promoting intellectual knowledge or, rather, one of eliciting feeling? Secular museums have grappled with this question, and exhibits have been redesigned in an attempt to reduce scientific or intellectual content and increase feelings of wonder.
Philosopher Beth Lord writes that when museums emphasize emotional experiences, “such encounters are unlikely to cause visitors to think, to make connections between objects, or to understand their own commonalities with those objects” (8). She continues, “Imagine, then, a natural history museum that starts by…asking us to reflect on what it means to be part of nature….In this way, visitors might be encouraged to learn by showing us how scientific explanations are connected to us and our own perspective as human beings in nature….(S)uch understanding would be accompanied by the active joy of gaining adequate knowledge about ourselves, and the active desire to understand more” (8). For Lord, “museums…promote knowledge and wellbeing neither by presenting nature as a scientific or moral learning object, nor by encouraging wonder at the unfamiliar. Instead, museums should give us opportunities to feel active joy through our connections and commonalities with plants and animals. This replaces wonder at the contingent complexity of the world with an understanding of some of the world’s necessary interconnections – an understanding that is both rationally known and joyfully felt” (8).
A Reformed Christian perspective may be less pessimistic about the prospect of wonder to open the door to knowledge than Lord’s philosophical critique. The doctrine of creation would suggest that wonder at even unfamiliar parts of God’s creation is by no means a hopeless or empty endeavor because we as humans are made in the Creator’s image with the ability to comprehend and interact with His world, an interaction that leads to the very heights of knowledge—the knowledge of God Himself (Psalm 19:1-2).
Further, to restrict joyful encounters to those leading only to knowledge about ourselves seems an unnecessarily limited, self-absorbed, and rather bleak view of joy. For the Christian, interacting with God’s good creation provides enough impetus to elicit joy, as it reorients our perspective away from ourselves to consider God’s good work in creation, the person of God Himself, and our relationship with Him (Psalm 8:3-9). The object of joy doesn’t always have to be about us—it is properly rooted in a far greater reality, one in which humans can find their ultimate value. As Augustine famously said: You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you (9).
The practice of a Christian museum
What practices best align with the museum’s core mission to serve society? Nina Simon, a leading activist in the effort to make museums more participatory, sees a parallel between museums and churches in terms of how they succeed or fail at welcoming visitors: “I often think museums are like church—passionately loved by staff and devout audiences, irrelevant or off-putting to lapsed or uninterested adults, alien and overwhelming to newcomers (10). Simon asks, ”What is the appropriate way to evangelize cultural institution use to the unconverted? Is it the "mission" of cultural professionals to help people connect to what we see as positive personal and community outcomes, and if so, how should we go about it?... How can cultural professionals practice "doable evangelism"—making new visitors feel welcome and encouraged without resorting to activities that are not mission-relevant?”
Is anything that brings visitors in the door a good thing? Simon rejects this notion and argues that museums that are too focused on boosting attendance at the expense of their core mission emulate the worst practices of some churches that offer a bait-and-switch that don’t serve their communities well over the long run. Instead of resorting to shallow, entertainment-driven ploys to boost attendance, Simon advises museum staff to do what churches should be doing: further their evangelistic mission by engaging with their visitors on a personal level. This is done by welcoming new visitors with genuine affection and interest, helping people understand why museums do the work they do, listening to what visitors say about their institution, thanking people for visiting and encouraging them to reflect on the visit’s outcomes, as well as clearly communicating their core ideas in other community venues. Christian and secular museums share a common goal: to serve society by making the world a better place.
A wider notion of the Christian museum
Are Christian museums the only place where Christian principles are at work helping people better appreciate God’s creation? Of course not. Christian museums do not have a monopoly on proclaiming God’s glory, nor is it only Christians who apprehend and experience the truth and beauty that stem from God’s good creation. God’s glory is on display throughout His creation and is there for all to enjoy as a means of common grace! Wherever that glory is on display, wherever truth is valued, and wherever joy and wonder are experienced are places where worship can happen. From this vantage, the whole universe is a museum built for the worship and enjoyment of the Creator!
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah, 6:3, ESV).
References
1. International Council of Museums. “Museum Definition.” https://icom.museum/en/resources/standards-guidelines/museum-definition (accessed November 2025).
2. Gahtan, M.W. (2022). “Museums and exhibitions: overview and history.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion. https://oxfordre.com/religion/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-939 (accessed April 2024).
3. Findlen, P. (1989). “The Museum: Its Classical Etymology and Renaissance Genealogy.” Journal of the History of Collections, v. 1, no. 1, p. 59–78, https://doi.org/10.1093/jhc/1.1.59 (accessed March 2024).
4. Lewis, C.S. (1998). “Myth Became Fact,” in God in the Dock. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans), p. 66-67.
5. C.S. Lewis Institute (July 2022). “Reflections: Myth Became Fact.” https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/reflections-july-2022/ (accessed March 2024).
6. Creation Network. “Visit Creation”, https://visitcreation.org/ (accessed April 2025).
7. Jennings, G. (2011). “Creationist ‘Museums’ are not Museums.” Exhibitionist, Spring 2011, p. 72-74.
8. Lord, B. (2016). “A Sudden Surprise of the Soul”, in Philosophy and Museums: Essays on the Philosophy of Museums. Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement, v. 79, p. 95-116.
9. Augustine, of Hippo, Saint, 354-430. The Confessions of Saint Augustine. Book I. Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3296/3296-h/3296-h.htm (accessed March 2024).
10. Simon, N. “Museums, Church, and Doable Evangelism.” Museums 2.0, https://museumtwo.blogspot.com/2009/11/museums-church-and-doable-evangelism.html (accessed Nov. 25, 2024).
Kent Ratajeski. BS, MS, and PhD in Geology. is a Lecturer at the Department of Geology, Geography, and Environment and the Director of the Bruce Dice Mineralogical Museum at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.