Ken Ham's Blog, page 363

Join a 2014 Grand Canyon Raft Trip Today!

It’s hard to believe, but it’s already time to reserve your spot on one of the 2014 AiG Grand Canyon raft trips. Every year, Answers in Genesis partners with Canyon Ministries to offer rafting trips through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. Our speakers and the guides at Canyon Ministries give the biblical creation perspective on the formation of Grand Canyon, which stands as a testimony of the global Flood of Noah’s day.

This year, we have four unforgettable trips to choose from, all guided by Jon Albert, executive director of Canyon Ministries. Various speakers and friends of AiG will be leading the trips, including Dr. Andrew Snelling, AiG’s geologist and director of research; Dr. John Whitmore, associate professor of geology at Cedarville University; Dr. Danny Faulker, AiG’s newest speaker and astronomer; and Dr. Bill Barrick, professor of Old Testament at The Master’s Seminary, will be teaching on the Foundation in Genesis college trip.

Here is how the canyon journey was described to me:

These raft trips travel around 190 river miles of Grand Canyon, and include day hikes, points of interest along the river corridor, and an exploration of how “the heavens declare the glory of God” by night (Psalm 19:1). You’ll enjoy beautiful sights, good food, and great fellowship.

As someone who took one of these raft trips (a short version a few years ago) and found it to be an incredible experience, I urge you to visit the raft trip page and reserve your spot on one of these spectacular tours today!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Many Nazarenes Helping Evolution’s Destructive Effects

Recently, the prominent theistic evolution group BioLogos published the testimony of Daniel Hamlin, who writes for Nazarenes Exploring Evolution. (I’ve blogged about this group before.) Now, many Nazarene universities have given in to the compromise that has swept so many of our churches and Christian schools. Their faculty members often accept and teach millions of years and even biological evolution.

For example, consider Dr. Darrel Falk, the former president of BioLogos and current professor of biology at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California. He stated in an interview with Test of Faith that he would teach a student who asked about the age of the earth that our planet is billions of years old and that the universe is billions of years old—despite what we know based on the genealogies in Scripture. (See my blog post for the video of this interview.)

With such disregard for the authority of God’s Word on creation by many Christian college professors, it’s no surprise when I read testimonies like Hamlin’s and see the destructive effects of evolutionary ideas on one’s Christian faith. As I’ve taught many times before, evolution comes out of a naturalistic worldview and is an attempt to explain the world without God.

Well, Hamlin shares that when he began reading about evolutionary ideas, he came to the conclusion that “Christianity is a lie and I’ve been duped.” He believed he had been “deceived” by Christian leaders, and he writes that he “chose science and for a time questioned the existence of God.” Wow! Those kinds of statements really demonstrate the way evolutionary ideas can undermine the authority of the Word of God and the gospel. Hamlin’s automatic conclusion was that Christianity had to be false if evolution and millions of years were true—these things are mutually exclusive!

Of course, a belief in a young earth is not necessary to salvation in Christ. And Hamlin did eventually return to the church—as a theistic evolutionist. Sadly, Hamlin chose to incorporate evolution and billions of years into Scripture. And who knows how many in the younger generation he will influence will go through what he did, though they may never return to the church (and most of those who leave the church don’t return)? He writes that just as Christ was both human and divine, “the Bible is both human and divine”:

The original authors recorded God’s self-revelation as he interacted with humanity and the people of Israel. As these interactions were recorded, they were written within the worldview of the author and in terms that the original audience could understand. Because of this, parts of scripture contain evidence of an ancient understanding of the world. However, God accommodated this understanding so that his story could be told, his message understood, and his love displayed.

This is a false argument, and it is certainly not a new argument. BioLogos regularly claims that God “accommodated” His Word to the supposed primitive understanding of the Israelites. In essence, all that means is that God lied to His people, that the One who created language wasn’t able to communicate His own message truthfully to humans in a way we could understand. This is a clear example of man’s word being lifted above God’s Word. Such a view also undermines the perspicuity of Scripture.

What’s more, if we actually examine the cultural and historical context in which the Bible was written, it’s clear that the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) not only teaches the truth about creation, the Fall, the Flood, and so on, but that Moses (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) wrote it in part to specifically counter the claims of the surrounding pagan nations’ mythology. I encourage you to read Dr. Abner Chou’s article in Answers magazine titled “Genesis—The Original Myth Buster.”

Hamlin also claims that he wanted to “balance the extremes of bibliolatry” in his understanding of origins. Now, the word bibliolatry refers to the worship of the Bible. And of course it is possible to literally worship the book itself or to engage in spiritual pride about one’s beliefs. But Hamlin seems to imply that those who take Genesis 1–11 as literal history are engaged in bibliolatry. But it’s not worshipping the Bible to take God at His Word—it’s honoring biblical authority over the fallible ideas of man. That’s the appropriate response for Christians.

Certainly we should celebrate when a person understands the gospel and is saved. But we should also pray for those fellow believers, such as Daniel Hamlin, who have not only left biblical authority behind when it comes to origins, but who also have influence and are using it to spread evolution and millions of years in the church. I believe such people are leading many away from the Christian faith, including this current generation of young people—something they will have to answer to God for one day. Yes, God will judge—and He will have the last word!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Nazarenes Helping Evolution’s Destructive Effects

Recently, the prominent theistic evolution group BioLogos published the testimony of Daniel Hamlin, who writes for Nazarenes Exploring Evolution. (I’ve blogged about this group before.) Now, many Nazarene universities have given in to the compromise that has swept so many of our churches and Christian schools. Their faculty members often accept and teach millions of years and even biological evolution.

For example, consider Dr. Darrel Falk, the former president of BioLogos and current professor of biology at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California. He stated in an interview with Test of Faith that he would teach a student who asked about the age of the earth that our planet is billions of years old and that the universe is billions of years old—despite what we know based on the genealogies in Scripture. (See my blog post for the video of this interview.)

With such disregard for the authority of God’s Word on creation by many Christian college professors, it’s no surprise when I read testimonies like Hamlin’s and see the destructive effects of evolutionary ideas on one’s Christian faith. As I’ve taught many times before, evolution comes out of a naturalistic worldview and is an attempt to explain the world without God.

Well, Hamlin shares that when he began reading about evolutionary ideas, he came to the conclusion that “Christianity is a lie and I’ve been duped.” He believed he had been “deceived” by Christian leaders, and he writes that he “chose science and for a time questioned the existence of God.” Wow! Those kinds of statements really demonstrate the way evolutionary ideas can undermine the authority of the Word of God and the gospel. Hamlin’s automatic conclusion was that Christianity had to be false if evolution and millions of years were true—these things are mutually exclusive!

Of course, a belief in a young earth is not necessary to salvation in Christ. And Hamlin did eventually return to the church—as a theistic evolutionist. Sadly, Hamlin chose to incorporate evolution and billions of years into Scripture. And who knows how many in the younger generation he will influence will go through what he did, though they may never return to the church (and most of those who leave the church don’t return)? He writes that just as Christ was both human and divine, “the Bible is both human and divine”:

The original authors recorded God’s self-revelation as he interacted with humanity and the people of Israel. As these interactions were recorded, they were written within the worldview of the author and in terms that the original audience could understand. Because of this, parts of scripture contain evidence of an ancient understanding of the world. However, God accommodated this understanding so that his story could be told, his message understood, and his love displayed.

This is a false argument, and it is certainly not a new argument. BioLogos regularly claims that God “accommodated” His Word to the supposed primitive understanding of the Israelites. In essence, all that means is that God lied to His people, that the One who created language wasn’t able to communicate His own message truthfully to humans in a way we could understand. This is a clear example of man’s word being lifted above God’s Word. Such a view also undermines the perspicuity of Scripture.

What’s more, if we actually examine the cultural and historical context in which the Bible was written, it’s clear that the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) not only teaches the truth about creation, the Fall, the Flood, and so on, but that Moses (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) wrote it in part to specifically counter the claims of the surrounding pagan nations’ mythology. I encourage you to read Dr. Abner Chou’s article in Answers magazine titled “Genesis—The Original Myth Buster.”

Hamlin also claims that he wanted to “balance the extremes of bibliolatry” in his understanding of origins. Now, the word bibliolatry refers to the worship of the Bible. And of course it is possible to literally worship the book itself or to engage in spiritual pride about one’s beliefs. But Hamlin seems to imply that those who take Genesis 1–11 as literal history are engaged in bibliolatry. But it’s not worshipping the Bible to take God at His Word—it’s honoring biblical authority over the fallible ideas of man. That’s the appropriate response for Christians.

Certainly we should celebrate when a person understands the gospel and is saved. But we should also pray for those fellow believers, such as Daniel Hamlin, who have not only left biblical authority behind when it comes to origins, but who also have influence and are using it to spread evolution and millions of years in the church. I believe such people are leading many away from the Christian faith, including this current generation of young people—something they will have to answer to God for one day. Yes, God will judge—and He will have the last word!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Answers for Pastors Conference Was a Great Success!

Last week, our fourth annual Answers for Pastors conference took place here at the Creation Museum. Themed “Steadfast Shepherds, Unshakable Sheep,” the conference drew attendees from 27 states across the U.S., including California, Washington state, Maine, Florida, and Texas.

I gave the opening and closing talks for the conference. In my talks, I dealt with the foundational messages of Answers in Genesis: biblical authority as it concerns the creation account in Genesis and witnessing to our secularized world. Attendees also heard from a variety of AiG speakers, including Dr. Andrew Snelling, Dr. Georgia Purdom, and Dr. Terry Mortenson.

What’s more, our special guest speakers Dr. John Whitcomb (one of the pioneers in the modern creation movement), Dr. Stuart Scott, Tim Challies, and Debbi Bryson (for the pastors’ wives) all gave compelling and insightful lectures on a variety of biblical authority and pastoring issues.

Here are a variety of pictures from the conference:

My opening talk

 

Dr. John Whitcomb

Dr. John Whitcomb

Dr. Stuart Scott

Dr. Stuart Scott

Steve Ham interviewing Tim Challies

Tim Challies

Time for lunch and conversation

Resource table outside Legacy Hall

Please encourage Christian leaders at your church to watch for next year’s Answers for Pastors conference, September 30–October 2, 2014.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

A Real Pioneer

In our staff meeting last week we had a very special guest speaker. Dr. John Whitcomb, one of the founders and pioneers of the modern-day creation movement, is nearly 90 years old. But even so, he delivered a powerful talk to the Answers in Genesis, Creation Museum, and Ark Encounter staff. What an honor and privilege it was for our staff to have this wonderful opportunity. Dr. Whitcomb also spoke at AiG’s Answers for Pastors conference last week. Here is a photo of me with Dr. Whitcomb as we were both interviewed by my brother Steve for a session at the Pastors’ Conference:

Dr. Whitcomb was a professor of Old Testament and theology for more than 50 years, having taught at Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana, from 1951 to 1990. Dr. Whitcomb’s most famous work was his section in The Genesis Flood coauthored in 1961 with the late Dr. Henry Morris. This publication is widely acknowledged to have started the modern biblical creation movement.

Dr. Whitcomb now serves as president of Whitcomb Ministries, Inc., and resides in Indianapolis with his wife Norma. His life and ministry may be summed up in this quotation: “I want to be in the full-time business of finding out what God says and telling as many people as I can.”

Our staff was incredibly blessed to hear Dr. Whitcomb’s talk and to see how God has used his ministry to reach people with the truth of the gospel. And I wanted to share this special talk with you as well. I urge you to listen to Dr. Whitcomb’s entire devotional below (about 20 minutes):

http://media.answersingenesis.org/Blog/2013-10-08_dr-whitcomb.mp3

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Cruise to Alaska and the Inside Passage—with an Insider!

Today, I want to tell you about a special trip you can take with Answers in Genesis next June—an Alaskan cruise!

According to our former international director, Dr. David Crandall, “There’s no better way for you and your family to take the AiG Alaskan Cruise than with Norwegian Cruise Line, which offers the youngest cruising fleet sailing the frontier.” Led by Dr. Crandall and Steve Ham (AiG’s senior director of outreach), this trip will feature amazing views and wildlife like nowhere else:

Seattle

Glacier near Juneau

Picturesque Skagway

Fjord

Quaint Victoria, Canada

On board, you’ll relax with AiG friends and attend the AiG Creation Conference at sea. Dr. Crandall and Steve Ham promise you the cruise of a lifetime!

The cruise departs from Seattle and will travel for seven days—from June 29–July 6, 2014. Each cabin will receive a $50 on-board credit, and guests will even get to enjoy the Fourth of July in Alaska and view fireworks from the ship.

This is the thirteenth cruise that Dr. Crandall has led—he is indeed a “cruise insider”—and his experience will make this a wonderful cruise on the sea. Be sure to review the price and room availability at the link below. There’s a $250 deposit per person to reserve a cabin. I urge you to reserve the cabin of your choice for this incredible trip today!

For the pricing and cabin information, or to sign up today, visit the cruise page.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

A New Atheist Billboard?

Yesterday’s Kentucky Enquirer newspaper included an article about our new billboard campaign (“To All Of Our Atheist Friends—Thank God You’re Wrong”).  You can read the article at this link.

I have written a previous blog post about that campaign, with billboards in New York City’s Times Square, the San Francisco Bay area, and soon in the Los Angeles metro area, and I encourage you to read my previous blog post if you haven’t done so.

In the newspaper article, Dave Silverman, President of the American Atheists, is quoted.  Now, I want to offer some free advice to the American Atheists, as I will outline later in this blog.  But first, let’s look at what the article reported.

The president of the American Atheists is quoted as  saying “the Answers in Genesis billboards are amateurish.”

The reporter then quoted Silverman as stating “No atheist is going to change their mind because Answers in Genesis came up with a cute, pithy multimillion dollar slogan [sic].”

The newspaper report continued, “Silverman said while he doesn’t see the Answers in Genesis billboard in Times Square as effective, his group is planning a response.  ‘We are considering an actual Cincinnati billboard to answer the Answers in Genesis ad.’”

I just shook my head and smiled as I read these quotes from the president of the American Atheists.  Think about it:

He states the “slogan” (as he calls it) on the billboard is a “pithy multimillion dollar slogan.” Such a comment suggests  that our billboards’ statement must exhibit high quality.  But he calls it “amateurish.” Also, our entire billboard campaign around the country is costing a fraction of what Silverman is claiming.
If he “doesn’t see the Answers in Genesis billboard in Times Square as effective” and it is “amateurish,” then why are the American Atheists even bothering to consider putting up a “Cincinnati billboard to answer the Answers in Genesis ad?” Obviously the AiG billboard is effective—in fact, very effective.  The campaign has been mentioned on numerous blogs, and both Christian and secular media have reported on it (including the New York Times).

Actually the Answers in Genesis billboard is a marketing campaign designed to drive people to the www.answersingenesis.org website where visitors will see a banner that connects with the billboard statement.  People are directed to an article and video related to the campaign to reach atheists, with access to thousands of articles on our website.  It is our prayer that visitors to the website will be challenged concerning the truth of God’s Word and the gospel.

The campaign is already exceeding our expectations—it has been extremely effective in just the few days since launching last Monday.  Even the American Atheists are considering countering it with their own billboard in our Cincinnati area and Times Square!

I would like to give the American Atheists a free marketing idea.  This idea will help them get across their ultimate message of what life and the universe are all about.  I suggest they put up the following billboard:

Yes, the board really says it all.  A blank board presents the ultimate message of atheists in regard to the question of the purpose and meaning of life and the universe.  Now, as I say this “tongue in cheek,” it still makes the point about what atheism is all about.

Think about it. For atheists, they believe that when they die, they  cease to exist. Eventually everyone dies and nobody will know they ever existed. So, what’s the point of atheists even opposing us then?  What a sad, purposeless message they have to share with the world.

But what a totally different message AiG has for people:

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)

I suggest the atheists put up the suggested billboard right beside the AiG board for a comparison:

As I’ve written this past week, the atheists do need to thank God they are wrong.  They need to thank God that He provided the way of salvation for them.  When atheists die, they don’t cease to exist—they will spend eternity separated from God.  As Christians, we don’t want to see any of our relatives (yes, we are all related—we all go back to Adam) separated from God.  That’s why we work hard to challenge people concerning the truth of God’s Word and the gospel.  We need to pray for these atheists—that the Lord will save them.

AiG cartoonist Dan Lietha decided to produce a special cartoon about our new AiG billboard campaign.  The cartoon is below and I’ve also included a special link so you can share it with others:

Here is the link to the cartoon so you can pass it around.

And God has given the atheists many signs.  For instance:

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).

I urge Christians to stand boldly against the secularists who are imposing their religion on this nation and are out to get our kids and convert them to their atheist religion. (Watch my video about rescuing children from the secularists on YouTube) Atheists are such a small minority in the culture, and yet they are forcing their meaningless religion on society in many ways.

Yes, lets “contend for the faith” (Jude 1:3) with more fervor than ever.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

The Naysayers

Well AiG’s new billboard outreach to atheists has certainly prompted a huge response.

There were those who mocked, of course, even using vile and blasphemous language on my Facebook page and through emails that have come into our offices.  Many blog posts and media reports have been written about the billboard campaign.  (The boards have been placed in the San Francisco Bay Area and in downtown New York City at Times Square, and soon they will be in the Los Angeles area.)

The overwhelming response from Christians has been one of support for AiG being bold in the culture and making a statement about those atheists who are trying to impose their anti-God religion on people.  But then there have been some Christians who have claimed that the campaign wouldn’t work—others who stated the message was negative. There were the atheists, of course, who said the campaign was a waste of time.

But actually the campaign has already greatly exceeded our expectation—and it’s just started!  Our website traffic is up significantly (30 percent).  In fact, that was the goal—to have the billboards be a marketing piece that would prompt people to visit our website, where they will get answers to skeptical questions, watch a video clip of mine, and hear the gospel clearly. And the media (the New York Times on Tuesday and our local paper The Enquirer today) have taken notice and have helped draw more attention to the boards and thus to the AiG website that is prominent on them. The naysayers can’t say the campaign has not accomplished its goal.

I wrote a commentary today about the billboard outreach, which is the lead article on the AiG website.  I urge you to read this article, which begins with the following paragraphs:

Our new “Thank God You’re Wrong” billboard campaign began with a big bang on Monday. The billboards are up in the San Francisco Bay Area, one large video board is seen in Times Square in downtown New York City, and six will be going up soon around Los Angeles and Hollywood. We praise the Lord for the great response we have received all this week, from media outlets like the New York Times and CNN to countless bloggers. As expected, many atheists revealed their real anger against God by posting some very nasty, vile comments on my Facebook page, so they were deleted and banned. Also some secularists (after some investigation) were found to be pretending to be Christians on Facebook and were complaining about the billboard campaign.

But it was sad to see some people whom I presume are Christians (or at least church-attenders) make all sorts of wild accusations against AiG because of the billboards’ direct challenge to atheism. Frankly, no matter what AiG does, we get criticized, including when we posted pro-life billboards around the country. A number of people calling themselves Christians considered the latest campaign to be unloving. Others believed the billboards should have had the gospel (or what they believe is the “gospel”), presented on the boards. I wonder if these same Christians would object to a billboard that presented some of the Ten Commandments or contained a pro-life message, which are not gospel-proclaiming messages. Furthermore, some Christians did not like the fact that we stated that the atheists are wrong in their worldview.

You can read the rest of the article on the AiG website.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Science Activities for Illustrating Bible Lessons

Today, I want to tell you about a special new resource designed especially for homeschooling families or any families who like to teach biblical lessons through science.

Dr. Donald DeYoung’s new book 77 Fairly Safe Science Activities for Illustrating Bible Lessons offers easy, hands-on science experiments intended to teach your children biblical lessons using scientific principles.

Here’s how the book was described to me:

Each activity includes a key verse from Scripture, a Bible lesson, an activity, and a science explanation. These easy experiments illustrate the laws of nature, teach biblical principles, and affirm God’s power as Creator. The book includes lessons on everything from God’s design in nature to music and the weather. Students will learn about salvation, trust in God, and patience with others.

The clearly explained demonstrations use common household objects, require little setup, and are illustrated with diagrams. With a presentation of Scripture and dramatic results, the science activities in this book make Bible truth unforgettable.

If you’re a homeschooling family or if your children enjoy science experiments, I encourage you to visit our web store and order this great new resource. Dr. DeYoung’s book is one the entire family will enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Answers “End-Caps” in Lifeway Christian Stores!

We praise the Lord for the special relationship we have with our publisher, Master Books. The president of this publishing company, Tim Dudley, has shared our burden and vision to produce high-quality creation books and general Bible apologetics books and to see them distributed widely through the culture.

Through the effort of Master Books, we have seen a variety of our publications sold in Sam’s Club, WalMart, Kroger, and many other places that we would not normally sell such resources. AiG resources are also available in many Christian outlets such as Family Christian stores, Mardel Christian and Educational Supply stores, and so on.

Well, here is another praise. On October 1, Lifeway Christian Stores began actively promoting the Answers Book series for adults, teens, and children through what are called “end-caps” in their stores. Lifeway currently has 160 stores across the U.S. and recently acquired an additional 17 stores that will be opening very soon. This promotion will feature our New Answers Book vols. 1–4, Answers Book for Teens vols. 1–2, and Answers Book for Kids vols. 1–6. Oh, by the way, did I mention we have three brand new Answers titles that just released: New Answers Book 4 and Answers Book for Kids vol. 5 and vol. 6? Here is a photograph from a Lifeway Christian store in Nashville, Tennessee:

The Answers series has been a powerful tool in equipping believers to share and defend their faith. Now the newest books in this landmark series take on hot-button topics like climate change, ancient man, dragons and dinosaurs, and many more. For those who desire a deeper Christian walk and a thriving faith in the face of a growing cultural adversity, they can now find the answers to questions about the Bible’s accuracy and authority.

Do you have a Lifeway Christian Store in your area? Use their store locator to find out. We encourage you to support your local Christian bookstores and appreciate their partnership as we work together to bring God’s Word to the nations.

And of course, all these resources are available online through Answers in Genesis as well.

One of My “Heroes of the Faith”

Yesterday, our annual Christian leaders’ conference “Answers for Pastors” got underway at the Creation Museum and Legacy Hall. Just before it started, one of the keynote speakers—and one of my spiritual heroes—Dr. John Whitcomb spoke to our staff and gave a message from Colossians 2 and 3. He is the coauthor with the late Dr. Henry Morris of the classic apologetics book The Genesis Flood. Here he poses with staff member Nathan Oertel after our staff meeting—with Nathan holding up his copy of The Genesis Flood.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken