Earlier this week, Kelly Ogle set down with Steve Green, president of Hobby Lobby, to talk about that big $400-million Museum of the Bible the arts and crafts moguls are building in DC.
The interview was quite a sweeps score for the My Two Cents Ogle. If you remember correctly, Steve Green and his family came under fire back in October when it was revealed they were under federal investigation for allegedly trying to smuggle ancient clay tablets into the US. This would be Steve's first TV interview with a legitimate news organization since the scandal broke.
Let's check it out:
It's the most banned, burned and debated book, but it's also considered by many as the most influential book. Now, one Oklahoman is bringing a new coming attraction dedicated to this single book - the Bible.
"We really can only scratch the surface on telling the Bible story," said Hobby Lobby owner Steve Green.
Green says he has had a love for the Bible for as long as he can remember.
"I just had been taught growing up that the Bible was a book we patterned our lives after and our business after," he said.
The Green's successful Oklahoma-based business enabled the family to secure one of the world's largest private collections of rare biblical texts and artifacts, known as the Green Collection. Green purchased his first biblical artifact in 2009 and never dreamed his collection would grow to more than 40,000 pieces.
"As our collection grew, the family just felt a sense of responsibility that we own this collection, we need to be good stewards of it," Green said.
I like that setup. Kelly Ogle really is a pro. Make the guy feel comfortable, let him go over his PR talking points, and once he lets his guard down and says something ridiculous, like for example, bragging about the "sense of responsibility" to be "good stewards" of artifacts that may or may not have been stolen and smuggled into the country, hit him with the tough "Gotchya!" question.
Check it out:
That responsibility has led the family to Washington, D.C., where they plan to share their collection with the world. In 2012, the family purchased a historic building for $50 million, located just three blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The former refrigeration warehouse and interior design showcase site is being restored, adapted and enhanced to create the newest addition to D.C.'s pantheon of museums, The Museum of the Bible.
"What we're doing here is essentially making a museum of museums, which is appropriate for the book of books," said Dan Murphy, Principal at The PRD Group.http://www.theprdgroup.com/
A book with a history so rich, 12 creative design teams are assigned to work on the three central exhibit floors -- that will interactively tell the impact, narrative and history of the Bible.
"One thing that's been compelling for all of us is we're just really trying to create access to the Bible, give people different ways to give the Bible a chance and once we can engage them through the exhibits, we think what they will find, on their own, is a story that's going to change their lives," Murphy said.
Okay, so he dragged on the PR stuff a little farther than I would have, but that's fine. Kelly Ogle does have a 25-year-track record of being a well-respected journalist. He obviously knows what he's doing. He's not going to let Steve Green get by without a few questions about those artifacts:
The museum also will feature a 200-foot LED ceiling in the lobby with changing murals, an interactive video recording booth and top floor views of the National Mall and Memorials. The museum's critics say its location is no accident, just a short walk to the Supreme Court and U.S. Capitol Hill.
"Some have used that as a negative 'oh you just did it because of Congress,' I think for Congress to understand the foundation of our nation is biblical is a good thing, you know, to educate Congress, but it's not just Congress that's there, the world comes to DC, we can have influence on people all over the world by a museum in Washington, D.C.," said Green.
Uhm, that's not exactly the "controversy" I thought Kelly would cover. In fact, who's really complaining about the museum being in D.C? As long as it's not on government property, who cares where they put it? D.C. seems as good of a place as any. The only catch is they can't get mad if some sheik builds the Museum of the Koran across the street.
The report continues. Maybe this is where Kelly turns on his inner-Mike Wallace:
Dr. John Harrison is a professor of the New Testament at Oklahoma Christian University and says the museum will offer a unique opportunity for people of all faiths and cultures.
"It does have a very rich history in terms of its construction," Harrison said. "Scholars from all stripes, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, you know all of them can't appreciate historically what we have here and just having an opportunity to be able to see a firsthand look at some of these artifacts," Harrison said.
We get it. It's going to be a big, awesome museum. The history of the Bible is interesting. That point has been established very well. Obviously, this is the point where Kelly brings up those smuggling allegations.
Green says he extends that invitation to explore the history of the Bible to the world.
"We want to invite all people to engage with this book," Green said. "There are certain lines that we don't cross. This is not a faith venture, it's a fact venture. I think people will become believers in this book, not because I say so, because the evidence is overwhelming."
The plans also include a restaurant featuring biblical foods.
Find out more about the Museum of the Bible here: http://www.museumofthebible.org/
Yeah, there are certain lines they won't cross. I wonder if mislabeling paperwork in an effort to sneak ancient, valuable artifacts into the country is one of them?
Anyway, this is ridiculous. How can Kelly Ogle say with a straight face that he's a journalist and not ask one question about the investigation? That would be like interviewing the CEO of Chesapeake and not quizzing him about ruining Christmas. Did Hobby Lobby offer half-priced frames to Kelly for the rest of his life?
Apparently someone at News 9 realized how bad this probably looks, so after the report was finished, they included this "Oh, by the way" statement.
The museum of the bible is scheduled to open in November 2017 amid some controversy, though.
In recent weeks, News 9 has learned about allegations claiming the Green family purchased hundreds of ancient clay tablets and illegally imported them from the Middle East.
As for the federal investigation, Hobby Lobby released this statement:
"Hobby Lobby is cooperating with the investigation related to certain biblical artifacts. The Museum of the Bible is a separate not-for-profit entity made possible, in part, by the generous charitable contributions of the Green family."
Yep, even though the story received a lot of national attention less than a month ago, Channel 9 just learned about the allegations and were not able to ask a question about them. Golly shucks. At least they were able to get that nice quote about the Green family at the end.
Anyway, I guess this concludes this week's edition of "Dear God, we really depend on the Ogles to report the news." Tune in next week when we examine Abigail Ogle's very scientific sweeps story about a magical eastern berry that cures cancer and diabetes.
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