Looking for a soulful museum to visit during Spring Break? How about one that weaves together the ideas of foundational faith and American history into a cord uneasily broken? The new Faith and Liberty Discovery Center on Independence Ave in Philadelphia reflects on the biblical themes of unity, liberty, love, and faith through the narrative of America’s birth.

If you grab a 10:31 train at Langhorne station and stop at Jefferson, you’ll find the FLDC a few blocks from the fashion district. It’s a straight walk from 10^th and Market to the center; locate the building with the white abstract sculpture and you’ve made it! For ya’ll who rushed out the door and didn’t get to grab a coffee on the way to the train station, no worries– there’s a great coffeeshop to the right of the FLDC called La Colombe and trust me, it’s better than Starbucks. When you’ve finished that sweet latte, simply stride across the street and enter the center.

Faith and Liberty has that feel of quiet reverence, so vastly different from the swiftness of the city surrounding it. Upon entering, the choir music echoes through the lobby—a comforting sound for people of many faiths.

The admissions team welcomes you, takes your ticket, and leaves you to your adventure. Through incorporating the newest technology and the oldest story in the world, the FLDC creates an immersive experience that you’ll remember for years to come.

“Remember for years to come?” You ask, “I always want to remember what I learn at museums, but I never seem to recall much.”

FLDC understands that struggle, so rather than leaving you to the mercy of frantically scribbling down notes about Jane Addams that you’ll have to squint to understand later, they created a “looking back” website personal to what inspired you at the museum!

How it works: You receive a little lantern at the beginning of your tour. As you travel through the exhibit, whatever “sparks” your interest and inspires you—be they stories of faith and determination from individuals like Sojourner Truth and Benjamin Franklin, or one of the personal reflection questions posed throughout—you can bring back with you! Touching the lamp to the information sensor collects all your favorite stories throughout your visit, and when you leave, you receive a QR code specific to your FLDC experience. For us Christians, the lantern one carries throughout the exhibit stands for not only personal reflection, but ideas for how to shine our light for others—like Martin Luther King Jr., and Harriet Tubman.

In another one of the exhibits, you are invited to “meet” with people who have stories to share about God’s work in their lives, and the resulting impact on their community. (For those of you introverts who might find this idea slightly uncomfortable, never

fear: these are screens, playing the videos on a loop. There’s a bench for you to sit on to make it more interactive). After that, you can reflect in the meditation dome, and pray with God about His work in your life, and the lives of others around you.

Faith and Liberty Discovery Center remains unique and immersive– not just its innovative technology, but because it brings We, the People together while also celebrating God’s work in you personally.

That’s not to say that the FLDC glosses over the issues that are also part of our nation’s founding, though. Humans are, and will remain, inherently sinful. While it’s true that many pronounced Christians and Deists helped make our country great, there were many of them who added to the suffering of others. FLDC does not shy away from discussing the religious abuse and racism that has plagued our nation. The exhibits acknowledge those aspects head-on and seek to inspire change under God’s idea of freedom, rather than man’s. 

This exhibit is so significant considering our current national climate. The polarization of our country remains a growing and troubling threat. During this time, it seems easy to either walk away or make pronouncements (perhaps posting an angry Tweet will make things better?). This center, located in the beating heart of Philadelphia, reminds us what it means to live so close to the City of Brotherly Love. Only through Christ can faith, liberty, and unity flourish, and the more we cling to Him, the more He promises to bring about change for His glory.

Learn about how the faith and liberty of those who came before us helped create a nation Under God, and be inspired for what He might have for us next.