Ken Ham's Blog, page 366

So What?

What should you do when you read an article like this one on the NBC news website titled “Ice-blasting test proves that comet impacts can spark life’s ingredients”? This article begins as follows:

Scientists fired steel balls into blocks of ice with a glorified BB gun to prove that cometary impacts could have created the chemical building blocks of life on ancient Earth. Or on the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter, for that matter.

The experiment provided further support for the idea that the stuff of comets, plus the heat of impact, would be enough to cook up amino acids.

“This process demonstrates a very simple mechanism whereby we can go from a mix of simple molecules, such as water and carbon dioxide ice, to a more complicated molecule, such as an amino acid,” the University of Kent’s Mark Price, one of the leaders of the experiment, said in a news release. “This is the first step toward life. The next step is to work out how to go from an amino acid to even more complex molecules such as proteins.”

Well, had you obtained copies of AiG’s The New Answers Books you would know that this new article is just dealing with the same old arguments that have been answered time and time again. So, they produced amino acids? So what? Life is built on so much more: a code and information.

If you read this bizarre article—reporting that steel balls fired into ice gives evidence of how life evolved—then make sure you read the chapter from The New Answers Book 2 titled “Can Natural Processes Explain the Origin of Life?”

You will also want to read a related web article we posted on Monday by AiG’s Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell titled “Sutter’s Mill Meteorite Harbors a Wealth of Elusive Organics.”

I find that, time and time again, evolutionists are really not coming up with much that’s new. They just try to push the same old arguments that have often been answered.

This is a great reminder that AiG already knows the most-asked questions people have about evolution and creation, and we already have answers to the top 100 or so in the three New Answers Books. (By the way, keep watch: The New Answers Book 4 will be available in our web store very soon.)

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

So Who Is Defending Real Child Abuse?

Last week Salon.com published an article about famed evolutionist Richard Dawkins titled “Richard Dawkins defends ‘mild pedophilia,’ says it does not cause ‘lasting harm.’”

The article began, “In a recent interview with the Times magazine, Richard Dawkins attempted to defend what he called ‘mild pedophilia,’ which, he says, he personally experienced as a young child and does not believe causes ‘lasting harm.’”

Now, Dawkins has previously accused Christians of child abuse because they teach children Christianity, yet he defends real child abuse! But then again, he is an atheist, and as such has no basis for moral standards except his own opinion.

I want to recap what we have written about Richard Dawkins’s “child abuse” allegations in the past. In May of this year, AiG writer Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell wrote the following:

Call it “child abuse” and you get everybody’s attention. That’s the latest headline-gaining tactic employed by atheists whose agenda is to “protect” children from their parents’ religion. The Daily Mail has tweaked the “twitters” once again by its article opening with “Professor Richard Dawkins has claimed that forcing a religion on children without questioning its merits is as bad as ‘child abuse.’”

Atheist Richard Dawkins claims that teaching children to accept their families’ religious beliefs is child abuse. He considers this form of “abuse” to be more devastatingly and permanently harmful than sexual abuse. Though he has said this before, his remarks returned to headline status after he reiterated these claims April 21 at the Chipping Norton Literary Festival.

And back in 2006, I wrote this:

In a TV program broadcast . . . recently throughout the United Kingdom (and no doubt soon to be shown on American television as well), the world’s leading spokesperson on evolution, atheist Dr. Richard Dawkins of Oxford University, made these remarkable and shocking statements:

I’m very concerned about the religious indoctrination of children. I want to show how faith acts like a virus that attacks the young and infects generation after generation. . . .

It’s time to question the abuse of childhood innocence with superstitious ideas of hellfire and damnation. And I want to show how the scriptural roots of the Judeo-Christian moral edifice are cruel and brutish.

What in the 21st century are we doing venerating a book [i.e., the Bible] that contains such stuff?

After saying that religion is a form of child abuse, Dawkins’s tirade (he became very angry at times on the program) against Christianity did not wane:

The God of the Old Testament has got to be the most unpleasant character in all fiction—jealous and proud of it, petty, vindictive, unjust, unforgiving, racist, an ethnic cleanser urging His people on to acts of genocide.

When it comes to children, I think of religion as a dangerous virus. It’s a virus which is transmitted partly through teachers and clergy, but also down the generations from parent to child to grandchild. Children are especially vulnerable to infection by the virus of religion.

Well, what more can I say except that Richard Dawkins needs the Lord! I know many of you have prayed for him over the years. Let’s all make an effort to especially pray for him today. God saved the “chief of sinners”*—let’s pray for Richard Dawkins’s salvation.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

*I.e., the Apostle Paul, who wrote, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15).

Steadfast Pastors

As I wrote last week, one of AiG’s major events of the year will take place next month inside our Legacy Hall at the Creation Museum. Open to any Christian leader, the “Answers for Pastors” conference will be held October 8–10.

Our theme this year is Steadfast Shepherds, Unshakable Sheep. For churches to have strong flocks, pastors and other church leaders must be steadfast. Shepherds must have their beliefs founded in God’s Word. At Answers for Pastors, we will equip pastors and other Christian leaders to be bold in proclaiming an unshakable faith.

This year one of our conference speakers is Dr. Stuart Scott, associate professor of biblical counseling at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. For our Answers Conversation podcast today (and next Monday), Dr. Scott is interviewed by Steve Ham. You can listen to the dialogue and hear Dr. Scott continually affirm the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. He shares how God’s Word can help real people with real problems.

With Answers for Pastors and its theme of Steadfast Shepherds, Unshakeable Sheep, pastors, deacons, elders, or other Christian leaders in your church will have a truth-affirming experience. Furthermore they will experience the Creation Museum—admission is included in the conference fee. They will leave the conference knowing that the Bible is truly sufficient for leadership ministry in the church.

So, I encourage you to listen or subscribe to the Answers Conversation podcast and then consider sponsoring your pastor or other church leader to attend our national Answers for Pastors conference next month.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

More on Our Outreach to Spanish Speakers!

Last weekend, AiG had a booth at the Cincinnati Hispanic Fest—held about a 20-minute drive from our northern Kentucky offices and Creation Museum. As I reported on Monday, staff and volunteers passed out a lot of literature, including free copies our twelve new witnessing booklet in Spanish.  Here is a sample of a booklet Where Did Cain Get His Wife? that drew the most interest at the Fest:

Also, staff and volunteers engaged people of all ages in conversation. We also invited people to the Creation Museum for our Latin Day on November 2. Our Spanish ministry coordinator Joe Owen, who speaks fluent Spanish, manned the booth, along with some volunteers. Here is a photo of Joe:

He sent me this exciting report about the two-day event, and some prayer requests:

The Hispanic Outreach of Answers in Genesis, after some initial baby steps, took its first real step into the Spanish-speaking world by engaging the visitors of Hamilton County’s “Hispanic Fest Cincinnati” this past weekend, Sept. 7–8. On Saturday and Sunday, Steve Ham, Steve Fazekas, and I (with my wife Maria and two daughters), and three members of my church, introduced hundreds of Spanish-speaking folks to our Creation Museum and gave out rack cards with a $10 museum entrance coupon on them. About 95 percent of the people we spoke to had never heard of such a place—and so close to home! At least 10 people said that they have seen our zip line billboards all around the region and indicated that they had wanted to visit.

Sparks of hope lit up the fairgrounds as I witnessed many people wandering around the tents holding Creation Museum rack cards and tri-folds in their hands. Such a view translates to me well, and it should to you: a people group of which 85 to 90 percent has never heard the gospel message were seen holding a Creation Museum coupon that, if redeemed, will further expose them to a message upholding the authority of the Bible and pointing to salvation in Christ alone.

On November 2, the Creation Museum’s “Latin Day” will be full of fun, information, and wonder . . . in Spanish! At 1 PM, the guests will hear a talk that connects Genesis to Jesus Christ, which will be presented clearly and biblically.

Steve Ham and I had the pleasure of meeting a 20-year-old man from Spain at the fest. He came to our booth to find out where we stand on evolution and spirituality. Steve and I spoke with him for quite some time, only to find out that he is from a family that is half Mormon. He had left his homeland and was adverse to any religiosity. He had very mystical, New Age views of the world. It was a learning experience for me to watch Steve Ham walk him from his subjective metaphysical “foundation” to an objective, biblical approach on which to firmly stand. I do not believe that it would be an exaggeration to say that he was at our booth for an hour, with many “light-bulb” moments. He left with a Bible in one hand, booklets and a prepaid museum ticket in the other, a smile on his face, and a few new friends. Please pray for the salvation of Chris as he searches through the Scriptures.

Steve Fazekas, my wife, and I came upon a vender who decided to drill us for 20 minutes about the only name by which God should be called: Jehovah. We allowed her to get it off of her chest without interruption and then opened the Gospel of John. It never ceases to amaze me how God pins people with His Word. Lilia has been studying with the Jehovah’s Witnesses for 15 years and has never heard of being born again! We spoke with her for as long as her male coworker allowed (until he gently told her to go back to work), and we left a pensive lady at her booth who was obviously impacted by the two-edged Sword.

There were many other encounters, such as the crowds forming around my wife as she walked people through the gospel by engaging them with pointed questions before opening the Word and (bless her heart) sharing the gospel with a local bishop!

These are only a few examples of the many opportunities that God created for us. All that was done was bathed in prayer, in His name, for His glory, and is being followed up with more prayer.

Thank you for praying with us about ministry reaching out to the Hispanic community. Please pray that God would bless the museum’s “creation evangelism” outreach on November 2.  Also pray that the many Hispanic churches that come to the museum would be strengthened in their faith and more equipped to evangelize their communities.

At our Thursday staff meeting, my brother Steve shared more about our outreaches to Spanish speakers. That includes my upcoming speaking ministry in Bolivia and Mexico. Last Monday, I blogged about the many new resources we have in Spanish.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Special Christian Leaders Visit the Museum

Last weekend as I was preparing to fly back to America from Australia, special friends of AiG and our Creation Museum came by to pay a visit. Most of you are probably familiar with the children’s outreach called Awana. Awana is a ministry that helps parents and churches educate children and teens to follow Christ and have them be discipled through Bible-affirming resources. It was founded more than 60 years ago by our good friend Art Rorheim, and it is estimated that more than two million children and teens have participated—in more than 100 countries.

Awana is best known for its clubs in churches. In this outreach, young people who attend those churches (but also neighborhood children who are invited to participate) can further be taught gospel truths. I have been encouraged to learn from Awana leaders that the vast majority of the young people who have participated in Awana for six or more years are still attending church. You see, as the coauthor of a book called Already Gone, where we document why almost two-thirds of our young people growing up in evangelical churches will leave the church when they become adults, that is good news from Awana.

In this photo, you can see Jack Eggar and his wife Dona at the museum. Jack is the president and CEO of Awana.

In the photo, he is pointing to a name on a list of museum charter members (which can be found on a wall towards the end of the Creation Museum). He is pointing to Dona’s mother, Pat, who was supporting the museum even before it opened.

The verse that Pat wanted to put next to her name comes from Isaiah 46:4:

Even to your old age, I am He,

And even to gray hairs I will carry you!

I have made, and I will bear;

Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

For more information about the children’s outreach of Awana, go to www.awana.org. Here is the link to Jack’s bio on the Awana website.

Also visiting last Saturday was a long-time supporter of AiG, Pastor Bill Boldt of Southern Heights Baptist Church of Lexington. He was here with his wife Diane and grandson Jordan. See the photo below.

Bill used to live two hours away, but even then managed to visit the Creation Museum over 40 times. He estimates that he has personally brought about 500 guests here!

I was told that on that Saturday when our special guests visited, museum attendance was quite strong. Given the fact that school has already started throughout most of the United States, I was pleased to learn that over 1,100 visitors toured the museum on Saturday. To plan your visit, and to see all the new activities and exhibits at the museum—like a large zip-line course, a new exhibit on dragons, a world-class insectorium, and so on—go to www.creationmuseum.org.

Flood Interest

On Wednesday evening, some of our ministry friends in California had the opportunity to watch a sneak preview of the big-budget movie “Noah,” starring Australian actor Russell Crowe. It will be released in 2014. Now, we’re not at liberty to reveal much of what was shown Wednesday (in addition, it was not a final cut of the movie), but we can say that the filmmakers took a lot of liberty with the Genesis account of the Flood. But the 2014 release of such a major film mirrors the interest that the U.S. population has in the Ark of Noah, and that should help us in drawing more attention to the Ark we will be building. For an update on what’s happening with our Ark Encounter project, featuring a full-size Noah’s Ark to be built in northern Kentucky and south of Cincinnati, go to ArkEncounter.com.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

A Prayer of Death in the Religion of Death

Would you believe me if I told you there were people who were praying—yes, praying—that God would help them to murder children? I’m sure you would be horrified at such a suggestion and say that this could not be so—but it is!

Last month Iowa Democrats gathered at the state capitol for a rally, and they opened the rally in prayer. They prayed that God would expand abortion rights.

Midge Slater, a liberal political activist who offered the prayer, thanked God for abortion rights and asked for the protection of doctors who perform abortions. Here is some of what she said during her prayer:

We give thanks, O Lord, for the doctors, both current and future, who provide quality abortion care, and pray that they may be kept safe.

We pray for the 45 million American women who have had safe, legal abortions. May they stand tall and refuse shame.

We pray for elected officials, that they may always support a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions.

Now abortion is killing a human being. So this prayer is nothing less than asking God to help mothers murder their babies!

You may be shocked by this prayer—but really, should we be so shocked in today’s world?

I highly suspect that the person who offered this “prayer,” and those with her, believe in evolution. After all, this is taught as fact in most public school classes, museums, newspapers, and in many TV documentaries.

Now think about it: Evolution teaches that death is part of how life evolved—death has always been here. The evolutionary belief is that over millions of years of death, disease, violence, and suffering, life evolved. For those who claim to be Christians yet believe in evolution, they are therefore saying that God used death, disease, violence, and suffering over millions of years to evolve humans. This means God called that “very good” because God describes everything He created as “very good” in Genesis 1:31.

Actually, I call evolution “the religion of death” because that is what it is! And for those Christians (or those who claim to be Christians) who believe in evolution, they are blaming God for death, disease, and suffering—instead of blaming our sin. The true God is a God of life! The god of death is not the Creator God of the Bible.

So think about it: If God evolved humans over millions of years using death as a part of the process, and called that “very good,” then why not call the killing of babies in their wombs “very good” also! So why not pray to God and ask for His blessing to kill more babies!

Today, AiG researcher and writer Steve Golden has written a detailed article titled “An Abortionist’s Prayer—Asking the God of Life to Favor Death.” He will share more about this abortionist’s prayer. Steve states the following in his article:

Humanity was created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26–28), and that includes unborn babies. The Bible presents no line concerning when a human becomes a person made in the image of God; babies are in the image of God from the moment of fertilization. Therefore, the choice to abort an unborn baby is not a “blessing.” No, abortion is a marring of the image of God in a human being. It is the embrace of death rather than life.

I encourage you to read this entire article posted to the AiG website today, and pray that God would convict those who worship the god of death and bring them to surrender fully to the God of life—the true God, the Creator God, the God who sent his Son to step into history to suffer death and be raised from the dead so that those who trust in Him for salvation will have eternal life with Him.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Join the War on Christmas Launch Team

Our very own Bodie Hodge has recently finished editing a new book on our celebration of Christmas. Here is what our publisher Master Books (a division of New Leaf Publishing Group) shared this week:

Is Christmas just a bunch of pagan symbols “Christianized” for the celebration? Is it about the birth of Jesus or simply celebrating the earthly gifts we give ourselves?

Hodge addressees these questions and more in the soon-to-be released book from Master Books, The War on Christmas: Battles in Faith, Tradition, and Religious Expression. We want you to be a part of spreading this message. (We’ll make it worth your while — we promise.)

The launch

A lot of work goes into successfully launching a book and we can’t do it alone. We need your help . . .

You are invited to be part of a special “insiders” group, where you get access to everything before the rest of the world. We want to enable you to spread this important message.

It’s going to be fun!

What you get

If you sign up to join the War on Christmas Insider Team (and get accepted), here’s what you’ll get for your time:

An advanced electronic copy (PDF) of the typeset manuscript that you can read a month before anyone else will get a copy.
A free copy of the hardcover before it releases.
Exclusive access to a private Facebook group, where we’ll share promotion ideas.
The opportunity to interact with other launch team members and see the behind-the-scenes of a book launch.
A free digital copy of Tower of Babel by Bodie Hodge.
A free digital copy of Fall of Satan by Bodie Hodge.
Some other great surprises we can’t tell you about yet.

What we’re asking from you

If you’re picked to be a part of this team, we ask that you agree to:

Read and review the book online (e.g. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and/or your blog).
Spread the word any way you can during release week (October).
Interact with the rest of the launch team and participate in the community to help come up with promotion ideas (we’re open to experimenting).

We’re excited and honored for you to be a part of the team and we ask that you take it seriously. Please don’t apply if you don’t have the time or energy to dedicate to helping get the word out.

Apply now

Because of the time invested, we need to keep the group to a manageable size. Therefore, we won’t be accepting everyone who applies. Applications close Wednesday, Sept. 18th at 5p CST.

Click here to apply for the insider team.

We’ll be emailing individuals to let you know if you made the team. If you don’t hear from us in a week, you can assume you didn’t make it. Don’t worry; there will be other opportunities to get involved in the launch.

You are probably aware that Answers in Genesis and Master Books team up often to defend the authority of Scripture and bring the truth of God’s Word to our culture. This is another way you can get involved and help make a difference! I encourage you to prayerfully consider joining this important team.

You can find out more information about the book and preorder your copy on our online store.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Answers for Pastors

At next month’s “Answers for Pastors” conference (which is open to any Christian leader), our theme is Steadfast Shepherds – Unshakable Sheep. So what does that title really mean?

The apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 11:1 that we should “imitate me as I imitate Christ.” In order for Christian leaders like our pastors to have strong flocks as unshakable sheep, they must first be modeling that strength and steadfastness. The shepherd must be grounded on the foundation of God’s Word. They must be solid in their beliefs founded in Scripture.

At Answers for Pastors, October 8–10 here at the Creation Museum, we will equip pastors and other Christian leaders to remain strong in their faith and be bold in their proclamation of God’s Word to lead their church—their flock—to be unshakable.

Register today at www.answersforpastors.org and join speakers Dr. John Whitcomb, Dr. Stuart Scott, Tim Challies, and me for a wonderful Christian leaders’ conference:

        

I want to remind pastors that there will be special sessions for wives. Wives and additional staff from the same church can register and save an additional 40 percent off the rate. So, I hope you will bring a staff member or two for a great time of fellowship, encouragement, and teaching. In addition, general admission to the Creation Museum is included in the conference registration.

We have also worked with two local hotels to arrange special discounts for conference attendees. We encourage you to reserve your room right away:

Comfort Suites $72

859-980-0555
Double Tree $89.95

859-371-6166

Discount code: AIG

Dr. Terry Mortenson spoke at last year’s “Answers for Pastors” conference:

Register at www.answersforpastors.org

9/11 Remembered

Today in the USA, this is a very poignant time to remember the four terrorist attacks 12 years ago on U.S. soil that killed thousands of Americans. A few hours after the September 11, 2001 attacks, I wrote a special commentary for our website on why horrible things happen in this world and related them all to Genesis 3. We decided to expand on that article and turn it into a witnessing booklet. I encourage you to read this booklet—freely available on the web—titled Why Is There Death and Suffering? It not only answers the question of why God allows terrible things to happen, but also presents the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Please share the link with others.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Grand Canyon Observations

We have many staff members who are continually traveling around America and overseas to present biblical truths in a variety of settings. A week and a half ago, our staff astronomer Dr. Danny Faulkner once again was a leader of a raft trip down the Colorado River inside the Grand Canyon. In the evening, using his portable but powerful telescope (a Questar 3.5 inch), he was able to give talks on how astronomy points to the accuracy of the Bible and to the fact that our world is obviously created. He also did daytime programs of solar observations.

Dr. Faulkner wrote a blog post about his trip to the Grand Canyon on one of AiG’s raft trips, coordinated with our friends at Canyon Ministries of Arizona.

Here is a fun photo of Dr. Faulkner jumping from a 30-foot high cliff into the Colorado River:

And here is a photo of some of the raft participants engaging in solar observations:

Each year, we cohost three to four raft trips down the Colorado River in conjunction with Canyon Ministries. They have posted a schedule of 2014 raft trips, including three cohosted by AiG (one in April and two tours in June). Some of these rafts fill very quickly, so check on them now.

Dr. Faulkner directs our Stargazer’s Planetarium programs inside the Creation Museum, plus he oversees our Johnson Observatory—with its two 16-inch telescopes (and other powerful telescopes). Dr. Faulkner also is the producer of our new planetarium show called Fires in the Sky at the museum, a program on comets which we just released a few months ago.

Follow the link to find out more about our museum’s astronomy programs.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Seeking the Spanish Speakers

I’m thrilled that we have been producing many more Spanish-language resources. These are not only equipping Christians in those countries where the people speak Spanish (including millions of people in the USA alone) but also reaching non-Christians with evangelistic resources.

While I was in Australia, my brother Steve and his colleague Joe Owen gave a presentation to our staff, where they shared some recent developments in this specialized outreach. Steve and Joe also showed covers of our new witnessing booklets in Spanish. Here are just a few of them that deal with the following topics:

Where did Cain find his wife?
Where did the “races” come from?
What really happened to the dinosaurs?

This past weekend AiG had a booth at the two-day Cincinnati Hispanic Fest. We distributed a lot of literature and engaged people of all ages in conversation. We also invited people to the Creation Museum for our Latin Day on November 2.

Our Spanish ministry coordinator Joe Owen, who speaks fluent Spanish, manned the booth:

Several other volunteers also worked at the booth:

Here is a close up of the “Seven C’s of History” banner we displayed at the Hispanic Fair booth, depicting the Seven C’s of Bible history that we present inside the Creation Museum (and in our resources): Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Christ, and Consummation.

We have much more planned to reach Spanish speakers. In the next several months, for example, I will be speaking in Bolivia and Mexico. And next week Dr. Terry Mortenson will be in Bolivia to speak in various venues, including four nationwide television interviews and five radio interviews.

Recently, our revised Answers Book in Spanish was released—here is the cover:

Several of my videos have also been translated into Spanish.

Lastly, here is our website in Spanish—www.respuestasengenesis.org (“respuestas” means “answers”).

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken