[6] Though the museum claims it is nonsectarian and "is not political, and it will not proselytize",[7][8] members of the board of directors sign a "faith statement" regarding the truth of the Bible.

[9][10] In the year before its launch, the museum fielded questions about the acquisition of its collection, including a federal case over smuggled Iraqi antiquities and thousands of clay artifacts,[11] as well as the provenance of some of its exhibits.

[12] The museum's dedication ceremony received an official pontifical blessing from Pope Francis, and people in attendance included Cardinal Donald Wuerl, musician CeCe Winans, Senate Chaplain Barry Black, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer.

[15] The museum's building location and design were announced in 2012 when the Green family purchased the 1923 Terminal Refrigerating and Warehousing Co. building,[16] that used to be the Washington Design Center, two blocks from the National Mall in Washington D.C.[17][18] The primary donors to the museum at launch were Hobby Lobby and its owners, the Green family and the National Christian Foundation.

[8] In the initial nonprofit filing in 2010, the purpose of the museum was stated thus: "to bring to life the living word of God, to tell its compelling story of preservation, and to inspire confidence in the absolute authority and reliability of the Bible.

[31] On the first floor, guests may experience a virtual reality tour of significant locations in the Bible, such as the Sea of Galilee or the Temple Mount.

[34] The sixth floor consists of a rooftop viewing area overlooking the National Mall and U.S. Capitol, stained glass exhibits, and a ballroom that seats 1,000 guests.

[24][30] The museum's artifact research facility and reference library is located in a one-story addition to the roof of a neighboring office complex.

[36] The museum also exhibits significant archaeological artifacts owned by collaborating institutions and private collectors such as the Israel Antiquities Authority.

[26][41] In September 2024, the museum, in partnership with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), opened the special exhibition, The Megiddo Mosaic: Foundations of Faith.

1000), the Hours and Psalter of Elizabeth de Bohun, Countess of Northampton (1330–1340), the Lipnice Bible (1421), a Wycliffite New Testament (first half of the 15th century), the prayer book for young Charles V (1516–1519), and many others.

[45] Equinox owners and "The Jewish Table" authors Todd and Ellen Gray operate a 165-seat, Mediterranean-inspired, fine-dining restaurant inside the museum.

[41][47][48] Historians Kelly Gannon and Kimberly Wagner evaluated the museum as a "testament to the power of Evangelical impulses tempered by a desire to legitimate the Bible as a centerpiece of conversation in American life."

Likewise, the impressiveness of the technology cannot be overstated [...] Finally, the collection is notable for its size and breadth [...] Yet, despite all of this, MOTB remains a confusing amalgamation of historical and biblical scholarship, Evangelical influence, and the desire to be a modern attraction.

While MOTB's intent is not necessarily proselytization, its aims and purpose are often obscured by unspoken ideological and theological battles raging just under the surface.

"[53] John Knutsen, assistant director of the St. Thomas More Institute and coordinator for evangelization and adult faith formation, wrote a review of the museum for The Catholic Herald.

"[54] In contrast to these comments, Biblical scholars Joel Baden of Yale Divinity School and Candida Moss of University of Birmingham, who wrote the book Bible Nation: The United States of Hobby Lobby,[55] expressed concerns about the museum's mission, saying, "They have misled the public at large by promoting a curriculum and a museum that tell only the story that the Greens want to tell, without acknowledging that scholars and experts have spent decades, indeed centuries, laboring to provide very different accounts of the Bible and its history.

(Baden)[56]In contrast, Christopher Rollston, a professor at George Washington University and expert on the Old Testament, was pleased with the museum's efforts "to be quite historical in the wordings of the displays that they have," adding that "they have made it clear that they're willing to listen to scholars' critiques.

A similar exhibit was mounted in Philadelphia during the visit of Pope Francis, continuing the museum's process of courting Catholic leaders and press.

[61] Scott Thumma, a dean and professor of sociology of religion at Hartford Seminary, defended Hobby Lobby during the smuggling controversy.

Thuma stated: "Many of the collections of our great national museums and universities are full of the very objects that Hobby Lobby is being fined for smuggling and are seldom required to return or pay compensation.

"[67] In October 2019, officials from the British Egypt Exploration Society, a nonprofit organization that manages the Papyri Project, alleged that Oxford academic Dirk Obbink engaged in the theft and sale of "at least 11 ancient Bible fragments to the Green family, the Hobby Lobby owners who operate a Bible museum and charitable organization in Washington".

Manchester University papyrologist Roberta Mazza stated that the Green family "poured millions on the legal and illegal antiquities market without having a clue about the history, the material features, cultural value, fragilities, and problems of the objects.

[73][74] In July 2021 the United States Department of Justice announced it had seized the Gilgamesh tablet from Hobby Lobby for repatriation to Iraq.

Acting U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn M. Kasulis for the Eastern District of New York stated, "This office is committed to combating the black-market sale of cultural property and the smuggling of looted artifacts."

The museum subsequently enlisted the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und Prüfung) to analyze the scrolls.

[79] In her article covering the opening of the museum for ABC News, Veronica Stracqualursi recounts an interview with Christopher Rollston, a professor at George Washington University specializing on the Old Testament.