Ken Ham's Blog, page 359

Grand Canyon Creationist Tours Continue

Recently, Jonathan Albert, the new executive director of Canyon Ministries in Arizona, spoke to the Answers in Genesis, Creation Museum, and Ark Encounter staff. Now, we love to help support quality ministries that stand on the authority of God’s Word beginning in Genesis—and Canyon Ministries absolutely does!

Formerly directed by Tom Vail, Canyon Ministries offers rafting trips through the Grand Canyon from a biblical creation perspective. Under Jonathan Albert’s leadership, the ministry will continue the mission of equipping people to counter the claims of evolutionists.

In our staff meeting, Jonathan shared his testimony and his love of teaching the truth of creation according to Genesis to people on his trips. Jonathan shared from the books of Proverbs and 2 Peter, reminding us that when we use God’s Word as the foundation for our worldview, we can better understand the world around us:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5–6)

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue (2 Peter 1:2–3)

In 2014, AiG and Canyon Ministries will partner for a number of special rafting trips, led by a variety of biblical creationists, including AiG researchers and speakers Dr. Andrew Snelling and Dr. Danny Faulkner. To learn more about these unforgettable trips (I have been on one of these raft trips), see my previous blog post.

I encourage you to visit the AiG Grand Canyon raft trip page and book your trip today. You won’t regret it!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Steve Golden assisted in the writing of this blog post.

Atheist Churches—Even Secularists See the Problems!

Not long ago, I blogged about a movement led by British comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans to establish atheist “churches” across the globe. They’ve been on a world tour covering Great Britain, the U.S., and currently my homeland Australia, helping atheist groups establish “Sunday Assemblies”—basically, churches for atheists. (You can read my prior blog posts on these atheist churches at the following links: Atheist Church (Yes!) Now Meets on Sunday and Why Would They Do This?)

Now, I’ve said before that the reason these atheists feel the need to establish some sort of church-like gathering is because they know there is a God and they want a system that copies Christian worship.

Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. (Romans 1:19)

Romans 1–3 makes it plain that the knowledge of God is written on our hearts—every human being knows there is a God and every human being is “without excuse” (Romans 1:20). So there are no true atheists. So why are atheists so active in the pursuit of the religion and in opposing Christianity?  Well, to try to squelch the voice crying out within them, they “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). God’s Word tells us that those who reject God “suppress the truth”—they actively suppress what they know to be true. Because they know there is a God, they have to work hard to try to actively suppress the truth.

Well, now even secularists are pointing out the problems with the idea of an atheist “church.” USA Today reported that there are some atheists who disagree with this project:

That impulse, however, has raised the ire of those who have spent years pushing back against the idea that atheism itself is a religion.

“The idea that you’re building an entire organization based on what you don’t believe, to me, sounds like an offense against sensibility,” said Michael Luciano, a self-described atheist who was raised Roman Catholic but left when he became disillusioned.

“There’s something not OK with appropriating all of this religious language, imagery and ritual for atheism.”

Really, there’s no reason for atheists to have a “church,” unless it is a religion. (And I teach clearly in my book The Lie: Evolution/Millions of Years that atheism and evolution are a religion.) What’s more, atheists teach that life is purposeless and meaningless? Why set up a church in the midst of a purposeless, meaningless existence anyway?

Christ came to give us true life—life with meaning and purpose, found in Him alone. I urge you to pray for these atheists, that they would hear the gospel message and repent and believe today.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Steve Golden assisted in the writing of this blog post.

Does Christianity + Submissive Wives = Domestic Violence?

This is a portion of a blog post by AiG speaker and researcher, Dr. Georgia Purdom:

Although this equation might seem strange to most of my readers, it was an equation being promoted in a recent article in the Washington Post titled “Five Christian Theologies Scarier than Halloween.” The author, Susan Brooks Thistlewaite, professor of theology and former president of Chicago Theological Seminary, stated the following:

Theologies that emphasize a hierarchy in creation, i.e. that women were created second and Eve is to blame for the sin that got Adam and Eve kicked out of the Garden of Eden, are scary to me because they are literally responsible for a lot of violence against women

“Submission” is a scary theology that justifies abuse in the name of Christian obedience by women.

Wow, where to start!? First of all, we know from Genesis that Adam was created first from the dust of the ground, and Eve was created second from Adam’s rib (Genesis 2:7, 21–22). This in no way implies that Eve was inferior to Adam because she was created second.

I encourage you to read the rest of Dr. Purdom’s blog post.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

AiG Reaches Out to Bible Scholars

Just this week, my research assistant Steve Golden and AiG speaker/researcher Dr. Terry Mortenson attended the meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS). Now, this is a yearly gathering of hundreds of prominent Bible scholars and church leaders—and most of them have compromised on Genesis with views like theistic evolution, the gap theory, the day-age view, the cosmic temple view, and so on. Answers in Genesis had a booth at the conference held in Baltimore, so I asked Steve (with Dr. Mortenson) to write a report on their time at the conference. I’ve included it below.

This year at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, Answers in Genesis once again had a booth in the exhibitor hall. Hundreds of Bible scholars, students, and other church leaders were given free AiG materials—including the pocket guides on ape-men and the best evidences for a young earth.  We pray that those who hold to old-earth and evolutionary positions on Genesis will be challenged by these materials to reconsider their views on the authority of God’s Word in Genesis.

Resources at the Answers in Genesis booth were very popular. We sold out of many resources over the three days of the conference, with many scholars purchasing copies of Coming to Grips with Genesis and Dr. Andrew Snelling’s two-volume work Earth’s Catastrophic Past. These technical works address many of the theological and scientific questions scholars have about origins and the age of the earth. It was encouraging to hear that some of these scholars are solid biblical creationists and that they are teaching from a young-earth creation perspective in their college and seminary courses.

Because of the prominence of old-earth creation ministries at ETS, it was incredibly important that AiG have a presence as well. I was able to engage a number of scholars and church leaders about their views on creation. Some were old-earthers who wanted to know how biblical creationists reach their conclusions, while others were very supportive young-earth creationists who needed strengthening in their view. Overall, it was encouraging to hear just how much Answers in Genesis has impacted the faith of many Christians who have had to cope with millions of years or evolutionary ideas in the church.

Each year during the ETS meeting, Dr. Mortenson organizes a lunchtime meeting of young-earth creationist members of ETS, which he calls the ETS Creation Fellowship.  He has about 175 men on his email list, though they don’t all come to ETS, and the ones who attend this meeting are not the same each year. This time, about 25 attended the ETSCF (more than usual) to share what they are doing in their spheres of influence to teach and defend the truth of Genesis. Many of the men expressed their appreciation for Terry’s efforts to organize this meeting each year. Over the past 15 years, it has also helped to encourage these men to present papers at ETS defending the young-earth view.

Dr. Mortenson is also the co-chairman of the Creation Study Group at ETS. This is a section of four consecutive 40-minute sessions at the conference where invited papers are presented on some theme related to Genesis. It is a scholarly “debate”/discussion format with three papers representing different views (both young-earth and old-earth) on a particular theme. This year, Dr. Mortenson moderated the sessions on the topic of the role of ancient Near Eastern pagan literature in the interpretation of Genesis. Dr. Todd Beall, Old Testament professor at Capital Bible Seminary, gave a strong young-earth creationist response to the three papers presented.

Besides this, there were several other particularly good papers by young-earth creationists on subjects related to Genesis. Dr. Bill Barrick, OT professor at The Master’s Seminary, gave an excellent paper defending the existence of a literal Adam and literal Fall in response to three other papers that to a greater or lesser degree denied or doubted those truths of Genesis. Dr. Beall also gave a very insightful paper exposing the significant drift of evangelical Old Testament scholars toward liberal views of Scripture even though they still claim to believe in inerrancy. One area of drift that he discussed was on the interpretation of Genesis 1-11.

We thank the Lord for these and other gifted scholars who are standing strong for the truth of Genesis, even though most of their ETS colleagues do not.

I’m always encouraged to find out about the Bible scholars who are standing firmly on the authority of God’s Word in Genesis. And we at Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum sincerely pray that those scholars and leaders at ETS who don’t stand on the authority of Scripture (the majority of attendees) would be challenged to reconsider their views and to take God at His Word from the very first verse.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Doritos at the Creation Museum!

Here is a link to a 30-second Doritos commercial. Why am I linking to it on my blog? Well, it was filmed entirely inside the Creation Museum a few weeks ago. (Note: on some smartphones and tablets, you may not be able to go directly to this Pharaoh-themed Doritos commercial—try your laptop/computer if needed.)

Now, we had nothing to do with the commercial’s scripting and filming. We just allowed a film crew to be here for many hours before the museum opened. In the video you’ll see hints of our Palm Plaza in the museum, which was styled after an Egyptian temple.

This creative commercial has been entered into the $1 million Doritos commercial competition. The winning entry gets shown during the Super Bowl football game next year, plus gets the $1 million cash prize. Independent filmmakers are submitting their commercials now to a special Doritos website, and the entry above is there and ready to be voted on through this link.

If you think it’s a creative spot, forward the video link to others. Right under the video, you will see five stars—click on the star of your choice, which will turn red, and that action records your vote.

Our museum will probably get some publicity if this Doritos commercial does well because it was all filmed here (except for the one-second stock footage of the Egyptian pyramid). You can vote here.

Helping Students Choose a Christian College

Last weekend while I was in South America to speak, we had the privilege of hosting 29 Christian colleges at the Creation Museum for our third annual College Expo. We had over 300 high school students, plus parents and youth leaders, visit the Expo and Creation Museum. They met one-on-one with representatives from schools from around the country that hold to biblical authority in Genesis.*

It was encouraging to read some of the feedback from both students and colleges about this event:

“Phenomenal!”
“Keep it going!”
“Great to meet so many different colleges in one place.”
“Loved the like-mindedness and congeniality of all the colleges.”
“The opportunity for my student to talk with the variety of schools and options available.”

Attendees also had the opportunity to hear three great speakers who encouraged them to stand on the authority of Scripture, how to present and defend their faith in a world of social media and so-called “tolerance,” and were challenged to obey when God tells them to “go.”

Here are some photos taken late last week at the College Expo:

Please plan to attend next year’s College Expo, November 14 and 15.

AiG has published a list of colleges that indicate they teach creation—which is a starting point for parents and students to begin their search for a Christian college that stands on the authority of God’s God. These are colleges where the president has signed a statement that they have agreed with AiG’s statement of faith.* Go to this list at CreationColleges.com

Speaking in the UK

Today I begin speaking at a series of conferences in the United Kingdom. As you look at the itinerary, please pray for our outreaches in Darwin’s homeland.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

*That is not to say that every professor on each campus agrees with AiG’s statement of faith. Parents and students need to exercise discernment and ask questions about the department that interests them.

Is Ted Turner Going to Heaven?

I’m sure many of us have heard of Ted Turner, the founder of CNN. He is also well known for helping to bring bison back from the brink of extinction, for his restaurants that sell bison burgers, owning a baseball team, sailing his yacht in competitions, etc.

CNN published a very long article on Ted Turner with the headline, “Ted Turner wants to go to heaven.” You can read the entire (very long) article at this link.

Towards the end of the article we read this:

‘I don’t want to go to hell’

Even though he is a son of the Bible Belt, Ted Turner and God haven’t been on the best of terms. Despite his strong stance against religion in the past, he’s not an atheist. He’s an agnostic, trying to make sense of it all — his way.

He revised the Ten Commandments, which he considered outdated, coming up instead with his Eleven Voluntary Initiatives, which he printed on cards small enough to carry in a wallet. He tossed out the commandments that struck him as outdated — a host of the “thou shalt nots,” particularly the one banning adultery. “People have had a lot of fun breaking that one. I know I did.”

Then the author of the article writes about Turner and the issue of death and suffering. I’ve read before that this topic of death and suffering, particularly in regard to what happened to his late sister, was a major reason Turner rejected belief in a loving God. If only Ted Turner had understood that death and suffering is our fault because we rebelled against God—that we sinned in Adam! Death is the penalty for sin. As sinners, we don’t even deserve to exist—but God is a gracious God, a God of salvation. Knowing man would sin, God had worked out a plan of salvation from eternity: God’s Son would step into history to pay the penalty for our sin and offers a free gift of salvation.

Here is what the author states in the CNN article:

As with most things, Turner’s rocky relationship with his supreme being, assuming there is one, stems back to childhood. When he was very young, he dreamed of being a missionary. Then his little sister, Mary Jean, got sick at age 12. He watched as she suffered terribly from a rare form of lupus and complications that left her with brain damage and screaming in pain for years until she died. It shook his faith profoundly.

He could not understand why any God would let an innocent suffer.

“She was sick for five years before she passed away. And it just seemed so unfair, because she hadn’t done anything wrong,” he said. “What had she done wrong? And I couldn’t get any answers. Christianity couldn’t give me any answers to that. So my faith got shaken somewhat.”

I’m not sure what Turner meant when he said, “Christianity couldn’t give me any answers to that. So my faith got shaken somewhat.” Actually, sadly today, many Christian leaders couldn’t answer Turner’s questions about the death and suffering issue because they’ve compromised millions of years with Genesis! (For more on this, see our booklet Why Is There Death and Suffering?)

What a reminder of how important it is to give answers and defend the Christian faith and stand on the authority of the Word! Who knows? Maybe the right answers about the origin of death may have had a positive impact on Turner had he been given them.

Then we read a quote from one of his ex-wives, actress Jane Fonda:

“Given his childhood,” Fonda said, “he should’ve become a dictator. He should’ve become a not nice person. The miracle is that he became what he is. A man who will go to heaven, and there’ll be a lot of animals up there welcoming him, animals that have been brought back from the edge of extinction because of Ted. He’s turned out to be a good guy. And he says he’s not religious. But he, the whole time I was with him, every speech — and he likes to give speeches — he always ends his speech with ‘God bless.’ And he’ll get into heaven. He’s a miracle.”

The reporter continues with the following:

Turner listened intently. There was a long pause. Was he tearing up? Finally, he spoke.

“She said that?”

Another long pause.

“Well, I sure don’t want to go to hell.”

Pause.

“Did she say I was gonna buy my way in?”

The old Ted Turner — the one who made billions and won the America’s Cup and the World Series and launched CNN — probably would have tried to buy his way in. But the do-gooder Ted is earning his way in by saving bison and other endangered species and fighting for the oceans and preserving 2 million acres of ranch land and standing up for women and supporting causes near and dear to the United Nations.

That Ted Turner gets into heaven, by Jane Fonda’s accounting.

What a sad article. So can Ted Turner earn his way into heaven? The truth is that no matter how many billions of dollars Ted Turner (or any one for that matter) gives away, no matter how many animals he saves, and no matter what great things he does for people and this planet—none of this can get him to heaven. None of it!

There is only one way to heaven:

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

No one can buy their way into heaven:

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3–5)

Salvation is a gift—it is free—we cannot earn it or buy it:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8)

If we receive the free gift of salvation—then we can know we will spend eternity in heaven with the Lord:

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9)

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

Ted Turner’s millions can’t buy his way into heaven, but God offers a free gift of salvation. Today let’s all pray specially for Ted Turner, that he will receive this free gift.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Thoughts on AiG’s Bolivian Outreach

In our main article on the web today, Dr. Terry Mortenson and I summarize the incredible speaking engagements we had in Bolivia late last week—reaching several thousand people. We were joined by our own translator, Joe Owen of AiG’s worldwide outreach.

Three secular TV stations and one Christian radio station were at our press conference last Thursday. It lasted much longer than anticipated as the reporters continued to ask their questions—they seemed genuinely interested and fascinated by our answers. I wish the U.S. media were as friendly and interested! Here is a photograph taken at the press conference on Thursday:

On Thursday evening, the conference organizers were overwhelmed by the response. The meeting was held at in a hotel—and nearly 2000 packed into the room with many standing at the back and the sides. Sadly, the organizers had to turn away about 500 people who just couldn’t get in!

Here is a photo of Mally and me in Santa Cruz:

Please pray for the conference cohost, the Evangelical University of Bolivia, that it will be able to follow up with people who may have questions about what they heard.

Here is a link to our lead article today about this incredible outreach AiG was blessed to hold in this South American country.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Don’t Be Taken in by the Noah Movie’s Promotion

Is the movie trailer promoting the blockbuster film Noah—to be released in March—part of a Hollywood con?

Why would I even suggest that? Well, if you watch the movie’s trailer, it seems that the film might be compatible with the biblical account of the Flood and Ark of Noah. But I believe the trailer was put together very carefully and cleverly to attract Christians and Jews—those who might be inclined to pay to see the film and not speak out against it. In fact, many Christians and Christian organizations have already come out publicly to say they can’t wait to see this movie. But what will Noah, with movie star Russell Crowe, really show? Should Christians promote this movie just based on what Hollywood is letting them see?

We have heard from various sources—including two close friends of AiG who watched a rough cut of the film—that it is not at all faithful to the biblical account in Genesis. The final movie will probably be very unbiblical in some bizarre and shocking ways.

For example, the main characters of the movie are Noah, his wife, and three sons—and one little girl they rescued after all in her family were murdered by an evil tribe. She was badly injured when they found her, but Noah’s wife placed healing nectar on her stomach and she later grew up to become the eldest son’s wife. For the longest time she was barren in the womb until Noah’s wife convinced Methuselah to bless her womb—against Noah’s wishes.

Noah at first is portrayed as a humble yet strong good man—a father and husband who protected his family from the evil that had come upon the world. But as he helped build the Ark, he was portrayed more like a basket-case who was convinced that his family was the last generation. He repeated over and over again that God would not let them repopulate since God would replant Eden without man and perfection would be reestablished with the “innocent animals” God brought on the Ark. Even when Noah’s eldest son brought news to the family on the Ark that his wife was expecting, the movie’s Noah said essentially, “If it is a male, he shall live. If a girl, I will kill her because it is not God’s will for man to repopulate.”

Here are a few more problem areas seen in the rough cut of the film, most of which I expect to be in the final film:

In the film, Noah was robbed of his birthright by Tubal-Cain. The serpent’s body (i.e., Satan), which was shed in Eden, was their “birthright reminder.” It also doubled with magical power that they would wrap around their arm. So weird!
Noah’s family only consists of his wife, three sons, and one daughter-in-law, contrary to the Bible.
It appears as if every species was crammed in the Ark instead of just the kinds of animals, thus mocking the Ark account the same way secularists do today.
“Rocks” (that seem to be fallen angels) build the Ark with Noah!
Methuselah (Noah’s grandfather) is a type of witch-doctor, whose mental health is questionable.
Tubal-Cain defeats the Rocks who were protecting the finished Ark.
A wounded Tubal-Cain axes his way inside the Ark in only about ten minutes and then hides inside. Tubal-Cain then convinces the middle son to lure Noah to the bottom of the Ark in order to murder him (because he was not allowed a wife in the Ark). Tubal-Cain stays alive by eating hibernating lizards. The middle son of Noah has a change of heart and helps kill Tubal-Cain instead.
Noah becomes almost crazy as he believes the only purpose to his family’s existence was to help build the Ark for the “innocent” animals (this is a worship of creation).
Noah repeatedly tells his family that they were the last generation and were never to procreate. So when his daughter-in-law becomes pregnant, he vows to murder his own grandchild. But he finally has a change of heart.
Noah does not have a relationship with God but rather with circumstances and has deadly visions of the Flood.
The Ark lands on a cliff next to a beach.
After the Flood Noah becomes so distant from his family that he lives in a cave, getting drunk by the beach.

There were many other bizarre, unbiblical aspects in the preview cut. Though it’s possible that some of these elements may not make the final cut (though we suspect most will), compare the above list to the trailer that has just been released! The comparison should be very revealing for you. You wouldn’t get much of a hint of most of the biblical problems in the list above based on watching on this cleverly-put-together trailer. A real con job, to be frank!

Do you really want your family/children to see such an unbiblical Hollywood portrayal of a very sobering event in Scripture, one that was a result of man’s wickedness? Do you want your kids to see Noah’s Ark portrayed by Hollywood as above, instead of the fact it was an Ark of salvation because of the grace of God—reminding us that as Noah and his family went through a door to be saved, so we need to go through a door?

[Jesus said,] “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9)

Do you really want your family/children to see Noah portrayed by Hollywood as it is in the above summary, instead of how God’s Word describes him in the “Hall of Fame” in Hebrews 11?

By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. (Hebrews 11:7)

Again, we don’t know what will be in the final cut of the film. But this list we have presented should be enough for Christians to understand that this movie is unbiblical!

Now, I do recognize that God is Sovereign and He can even use this Hollywood production to cause people be directed to His Word. Let’s pray that despite the unbiblical nature of this movie, that God will move hearts to seek Him.

As for AiG, we will continue to focus on the ministry the Lord has called us to, including building the Ark Encounter that will be as biblically accurate as we can make it—all in an effort to share the truth of God’s Word and the gospel with the world.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

A “Revealing” TV Series on the Bible

I strongly encourage you to read our lead article on the web today. It’s a review of the first episode of a new History Channel TV series titled Bible Secrets Revealed. I have received so many Facebook comments from people asking AiG to comment on this series, so Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell has written an excellent critique of the initial episode, concluding that the program contains many misrepresentations.

While the program states that the Bible is the most influential book ever written, it also declares that it is a compilation of 66 books that contain flawed accounts together with fictional stories—yet with a good purpose, they say! Even the Dead Sea Scrolls are put forward as evidence that the Bible has errors. But as we have stated often on this website and elsewhere, the Scrolls are actually a testimony as to how the Old Testament was accurately preserved. Dr. Mitchell discusses this in her article.

Furthermore, the program doubts the authorship of the first five books of the Old Testament (the Pentateuch, as it’s called) and says that Moses’s authorship is now “questioned by most scholars.” Of course, Jesus Christ the Word told us who wrote these five books (see John 5:45–47).

Not surprisingly, the program’s “expert” on the creation account in Genesis declares that since nobody was present at creation, it can’t be historical because there were no eyewitnesses. Well, what about God the Creator who was there as the only eyewitness? And He told us about His creation in His book, the Bible. Other parts of Genesis are also dismissed by the “experts” as not historical (e.g., Adam and Eve).

As Dr. Mitchell shares in her review, if the Bible is really reliable (and it is), then those who reject its truths are not only wrong in their opinions, but they are also commanded by Scripture to repent and trust the Savior who is presented in the Bible. Not taking God at His Word has eternal consequences.

You can read the article on our website.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

It’s Definitely a Small (and Young) World!

Not only is the earth a young world, as the Bible teaches, but a small one as the saying goes. Of all the people I know, the phrase “it’s a small world” applies to Mark Looy of our staff as much as anyone. His travels and frequent interaction with people have made it possible for AiG to connect to so many Christian leaders, friends of the ministry, and countless media.

This really hit home recently when Mark and I were chatting in our offices, and a couple, Bill and Judy Coon of Long Beach, California, were walking through.

Bill and Judy flew all the way from California (over 2,000 miles each way) to celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary here at the museum! One of our staff members who was escorting them through the AiG offices thought it would be good for Mark and me to say hello to these AiG supporters who were walking by. Before you know it, Mark recognized their last name, and he asked if they might be from California. You see, Mark recalled a teacher at his small Christian school with the same last name. Bill replied that it was his mother who was that teacher, and lo and behold Bill attended the same small school as Mark, Brethren High School! Small world.

Here is what Bill and Judy wrote to Mark after their visit:

Judy and I had such a great time at the Creation Museum to celebrate our 54th anniversary. Patrice got us to meet Ken and you—what a special encounter. Thank you for your gracious spirit during that interruption in your discussion with Ken. We appreciated so much the opportunity to have a few minutes to talk. It was great to find out we both graduated from Brethren High School.

We were so excited to have the opportunity to visit the Ark Encounter site with Andy the day after we met you. We certainly hope to come to the Ark when it opens. Here are some photos taken during our time at the Creation Museum and the Ark site:

National Bible Bee in Tennessee

AiG is pleased to promote the National Bible Bee each year. For the fifth year, families will be gathering from around the nation for this Bible-based Bee. The families of the top 120 contestants in each of the three age categories will meet in Sevierville, Tennessee, to celebrate God’s Word as they speak (from memory) passages they have been memorizing since the beginning of the summer. They will also be tested on their general Bible knowledge and on their study of the books of Ephesians and 1 John. While they are competing for prizes and awards, the National Bible Bee is centered on promoting family discipleship founded firmly on the Bible and pointing everyone to the hope we have in Christ. AiG will offer Creation Museum discount vouchers to all participants, and the top five winners in each of the three age categories will receive some wonderful AiG resources as awards.

Roger Patterson of AiG’s Educational Resources Department will be there representing AiG by presenting awards and running a booth to promote the Creation Museum and our popular, exciting Sunday school program Answers Bible Curriculum. Not only that, but two of Roger’s children are competing in the national contest. We will be looking forward to a report on the event, which takes place this week, Wednesday through Saturday.

AiG is pleased to be a sponsor of this event and encourages everyone to become involved in this great program. If you would like to join in the celebration, you can travel to Sevierville (at the northern end of the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains or watch the events on the live webcast). You can find all of those details and more information about the National Bible Bee at BibleBee.org.

I have just gotten back from Bolivia after a series of great speaking events with huge crowds—see yesterday’s blog post with photos. Then in a few days it’s off to the UK for more speaking. Busy days, so please pray for these outreaches.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken