The new Museum of the Bible three blocks from the Capitol has a political ambition. The Bible, says the museum’s chairman and the president of Hobby Lobby, Steve Green, needs to have a prominent voice in Washington.

“We think Congress ought to know the foundation of the nation that they are running today,” Green told TIME in an interview Tuesday afternoon.

“We would hope the White House, whether it is the current president, former presidents, future presidents, we would invite all people to come and know about this book,” he said.

Green said that the museum hopes to engage “all people” with the Bible, and that Washington was chosen because of its volume of tourists and concentration of museums. The museum’s leadership has repeatedly stated that the project is nonsectarian and does not espouse a faith perspective. The evangelical Green family has largely funded the $500 million museum, and its board is comprised of mostly white evangelical men. It opens to the public on Nov. 18.

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