New York, New York The Jewish Museum of New York is the oldest and largest institution of its kind in the world. Founded in the early years of the 20th century, it became the prototype on which hundreds of future Jewish museums around the world would be modeled. An integral part of New York City’s famous museum mile, this century-old collection boasts well over twenty … [Read more...]
JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY LIBRARY
New York, New York The Jewish Theological Seminary of America is the premier seminary of Conservative Judaism in the United States and one of the most imporant Jewish universities in the Western Hemisphere. A successor school to the Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau in Poland (previously in Germany), it has been a major Jewish institution in New York since the late 19th … [Read more...]
BOB JONES UNIVERSITY MUSEUM AND GALLERY
Greenville, South Carolina Bob Jones University is one of the best known Christian colleges in the South. Among other things it is home to a hidden gem, the BJU Museum and Gallery, which houses an excellent collection of religious artwork and books. Although also a secular art museum, it is famous for its variety of religious exhibits which include antique Bibles, Orthodox … [Read more...]
BILLY GRAHAM LIBRARY
Charlotte, North Carolina Billy Graham, among the most famous and influential Protestant ministers in recent history, has made a major and lasting impact on modern-day Christianity in America. Nowhere is this more strongly felt than in Charlotte, North Carolina, Graham’s hometown, and the site of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The association, which was formed … [Read more...]
SALVATION ARMY MUSEUMS
West Nyack, New York; Des Plaines, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Rancho Palos Verdes, California The Salvation Army is arguably the most famous of all Protestant missionary organizations. Founded by William Booth in London in the 1860s, it made its way across the Atlantic in 1880, where it has since become the largest charitable institution in the United States. Hundreds of … [Read more...]
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY & MUSEUM OF BIBLICAL ART
New York, New York The American Bible Society is a non-denominational organization with the mission to publish and distribute Bibles and related materials in the United States. For nearly two centuries they have maintained their headquarters in New York City. For years they also ran a gallery of religious artwork and artifacts in the headquarters building. In 2005 the large … [Read more...]
CHRISTIAN HERITAGE MUSEUM
Hagerstown, Maryland The United States has many museums and exhibit spaces featuring the history, culture and art of the Christian faith. The vast majority of these are tied to colleges and universities, large churches or religious institutions. There are relatively few independent Christian exhibition spaces, and one of the hidden gems is the privately run Christian … [Read more...]
LUTHERAN MUSEUMS
St. Louis, Missouri The Lutheran Church has long been cognizant of its history, and in recent decades museums dedicated to Lutheran religion and culture have begun to spring up around the country. Thanks to the presence of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod headquarters in St. Louis, some of the best Lutheran museum sites can be found in the area of east-central Missouri. … [Read more...]
SHAKER VILLAGE MUSEUM
Canterbury, New Hampshire The Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire is probably the best surviving Shaker community in the United States. Founded in the late 18th century, it was one of several idealized religious communities to be established at the time. It is undoubtedly one of the best preserved, with over two dozen of its original buildings still standing and in … [Read more...]
SCHOOLS OF THE BOSTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE
Boston, Massachusetts The Boston Theological Institute is possibly the largest religious education institution in the world. Not itself a school, it is a consortium of ten of the most preeminent theology colleges and departments in the United States. Some of the oldest divinity schools in the country are part of BTI, including the oldest, Andover Newton Theological … [Read more...]