Ken Ham's Blog, page 373

Crowds Continue to Flock to the Creation Museum

On Memorial Day weekend this year, the Creation Museum celebrated its sixth year of operation.

Entering our seventh year, crowds have been continuing to flock to the Creation Museum. This past Friday and Saturday, we saw over 3,500 people visit the Creation Museum! Thus far, attendance is ahead of projections for this year and ahead of last year.

I’ve included a few photographs of some of the people who visited this past Friday. At a few times on Friday, lines were out the door—but our very capable staff was able to get visitors into the museum quickly. The new zip lines have also proved to be extremely popular—and in the near future, two super zip lines around 1700 feet long, plus an obstacle course and a special children’s course, will also open.

I’ve also heard so many people rave about the new world-class insect exhibit and the Dragon Legends exhibit—both opened on Memorial Day.

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Just for interest, here is a list of items we have added to the museum since opening six years ago. As I was listing these, I realized how much has been added in six years (and we have some exciting things coming for 2014).

Natural Selection exhibit
High-tech homology (ape vs. man) exhibit using laser technology
Impressive Dinosaur Den exhibition
Lucy “ape-woman” exhibit with holographic technology
Manuscript exhibit from the famed Green Collection of Bibles (which changes every six months)
Racism artifacts in our anti-racism display
New planetarium programs (we have four total programs now—the latest one is on comets)
Meteorite display
Children’s cave plus some hands-on activities in various places inside the museum
Raptor exhibit
Stunning animatronic Noah exhibit

“Dr. Crawley’s Insectorium” opened on Memorial Day, featuring one of the finest insect collections in America. It includes the use of an animatronic “Dr. Arthur Podd” (seen here).

Animatronic animals in Ark cages
Noah’s Ark bay exhibit (a huge exhibit standing outside)
World-class insect exhibit with animatronic scientist
Dragon Legends exhibit
Lush gardens (including a rain forest area and a Koi Pond)
Additional bridges and a pathway around our three-acre lake
Petting zoo
Camel rides and a special camel ride pen
Zip lines running almost two and a half miles
Added items in the stunning Dragon Hall book store (e.g., dragon sculpture, Beowulf model)
Answers Hall exhibit area
Dinosaur stamp collection from all over the world
Adam’s Time Chart exhibit
Observatory with astronomy programs (utilizing a variety of powerful telescopes)
Mastodon cast in the Main Hall
Larger Noah’s Café to handle the crowds on busy days, plus a coffee shop, ice cream parlor, and a pizza station
Yearly Christmas program and tens of thousands of Christmas lights each Christmas
Opened a 1000-seat auditorium
And lastly, we have added a variety of teaching programs

Whew! I didn’t realize we had added so much to this incredible, God-honoring place!

Make sure you plan to visit soon. If you came a few years ago, you will be amazed at all the additions. Having such a large museum is one of the reasons why every ticket is now a two-day pass, as there is so much to see and do!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Astronomy Conference Begins Monday

Beginning this Monday, July 8, and ending July 10, Concordia University in Wisconsin will host a creation conference with the theme, “The Heavens Declare: What Astronomy Can Tell Us About Biblical Creation.” Dr. Danny Faulkner (AiG–US) and Dr. Don DeYoung will be speaking. Both are members of the Creation Research Society (CRS).

AiG astronomer Dr. Danny Faulkner spoke to our staff recently; he will be in Wisconsin on Monday to speak on astronomy.

Dr. Faulkner, who recently retired from a full-time university professorship at University of South Carolina Lancaster, now serves on the staff of Answers in Genesis. Dr. Faulkner oversees the observatory and planetarium programs at Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum.

The conference is being arranged by the co-founders of the Society of Creation, a 52-member biblical creation organization within the Concordia University System—ten universities operated by The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. While the Concordia University System is a Lutheran group of institutions, the conference is open to all denominations. Dr. Faulkner has informed me that both co-founders, Dr. Gary Locklair, on the computer science faculty at Concordia University (Wisconsin), and Dr. Joel Heck, on the theology faculty at Concordia University (Texas), are members of CRS.

Registration is $50 per person for the conference, and those who wish to attend can contact Dr. Heck via email at HeckYes(at)aol.com for more information. For more information about the conference, visit www.societyofcreation.org/conferences.php.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Don’t Miss the World Premiere of the Startling Film Evolution vs. God at the Answers Mega Conference!

If you thought Ray Comfort’s 180 movie was a powerful message for the sanctity of life and the gospel, wait until you see his latest film offering. Evolution vs. God will rock the creation and evolution world!

I’ve previewed it, and I think everyone needs to see it—every adult and every young person. This movie helps reveal like never before how millions of students and others are being conned into believing evolution by “priests” of the evolutionary religion. Evolution vs. God will reveal just how bankrupt evolution is, plus show that students and professors alike can’t defend their faith in evolution when challenged with simple but profound questions.

Ray Comfort—as only he can do with his bold style and penetrating questions—goes on campus at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and University of Southern California (USC) and interviews professors and students. He also interviews students at Long Beach State University.

Also in Evolution vs. God you will hear “testimony” from:

Peter Nonacs, professor, UCLA Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Craig Stanford, professor, USC Biological Sciences and Anthropology
Gail E. Kennedy, associate professor, UCLA Department of Anthropology
PZ Myers, associate professor, University of Minnesota Morris

As Ray interviews evolutionary scientists, including well-known atheist PZ Myers, he asks a question something like this: “Is there scientific evidence—observable evidence—to support evolution?” Well, none of them could provide anything remotely scientific. Oh, they give the usual examples about changes in bacteria, different species of fish (like stickleback fish), and, as to be expected, Darwin’s finches. But as Ray points out over and over again in Evolution vs. God, the bacteria are still bacteria, the fish are still fish, and the finches are still finches! AiG has many web articles showing clearly that such changes are really the opposite of molecules-to-man evolution.

And when Ray interviews university students who believe that evolution is fact, you will quickly see they have no idea how to defend evolution. They ultimately place their trust in their professors and textbooks. They obviously have not been taught to think—they blindly follow the blind. My heart grieved as I watched Ray question these students and brought many of them to a point of acknowledging they just believe evolution by faith. How sad this is—but revealing and challenging. By the way, no creation scientists were interviewed in the film—Ray wanted the evolutionists to speak for themselves.

In just a few weeks in Sevierville, Tennessee (near the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains and Knoxville), AiG is pleased to host the public premiere of Ray’s Evolution vs. God film. It will be held on the first night of our Answers Mega Conference, July 22, at the Sevierville Convention Center.

Actually this is a significant date. You see, the Scopes trial in 1925 was decided on July 21, and this is the same date we will be setting up for the conference—and we are holding the conference in the same state as the trial. So on July 22, 88 years after the Scopes trial concluded, we are premiering a movie that clearly illustrates the bankruptcy of evolution.

Did you know that many of the so-called “scientific” arguments recorded in the transcript of the Scopes trial have now been discarded? Some of them are basically the same old tired arguments still clung to by evolutionists today—particularly that changes in animals (which are only changes within a kind) are supposedly proof of molecules-to-man evolution.

Ray will fly out from California to be at our Answers Mega Conference on Monday night July 22 for the world premiere of his film. This is a special event we have added to the Monday evening conference program. We will have Ray Comfort and Todd Friel introduce this movie—and I will add some thoughts. It will be an exciting time.

Our family conference runs July 22–25, with a research summit beginning Thursday afternoon (July 25) and continuing Friday morning (July 26) for some in-depth technical sessions. Those who register for the Answers Mega Conference can attend the research summit as part of their registration—at no extra charge. You can also register just for the two-day research summit.

The Answers Mega Conference will also have sessions for children and teens, so maybe this could be a last-minute family vacation for you to have an edu-vacation. (I like that “word”—education with a vacation!) You’ll receive great teaching for the whole family presented at all levels and enjoy the great family friendly tourist attractions around Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg in Tennessee.

Just the announcement of this new film by my good friend Ray (OK, he’s from New Zealand and I’m from Australia, but we get along anyway!) has already created a buzz in the atheist community. Even famous scientist Richard Dawkins of England has recently tweeted about it—and he linked to the film’s trailer.

In the typical styling of a Ray Comfort film, Evolution vs. God clearly let’s others speak for themselves. And these evolutionists succeed in revealing their religious basis of evolution, showing that it’s truly a faith-based philosophy. Atheist blogger PZ Myers, who is in the film, has already started his usual ad hominem attacks and calls Ray names—the way many atheists respond to creationists these days. After all, they have no logical or scientific arguments to defend their anti-God religion of evolution—one that they cling to in blind faith. For instance, PZ Myers stated the following on his blog:

Lie harder, little man … Ray Comfort is pushing his new creationist movie with a lie … What actually happened is that I briefly discussed the evidence for evolution — genetics and molecular biology of fish, transitional fossils, known phylogenies relating extant groups, and experimental work done on bacterial evolution in the lab, and Ray Comfort simply denied it all — the bacteria were still bacteria, the fish were still fish. I suspect the other scientists did likewise: we provided the evidence, Ray Comfort simply closed his eyes and denied it all. Richard Dawkins will not be at all surprised that Ray Comfort is a dishonest fool.

Note the usual name calling from PZ Myers—which happens when he knows he can’t defend his position. But you will be able to watch evolutionists like PZ Myers for yourself—and see clearly why Ray, or anyone else who thinks logically, just did not hear the evidence for molecules-to-man evolution! Evolutionists are clutching at straws.

If building your biblical worldview is your commitment (and it should), then this is one movie you will not want to miss. If you can’t make it to the public premiere of Evolution vs. God in Tennessee, we will be distributing this DVD through our many channels. It’s vital that we show people the fallacies of taking man’s word over God’s Word. As we do so, we can share the gospel message.

What an opportunity for you to meet Ray Comfort (as well as our other featured speakers like Todd Friel and the scientists from AiG) and be there for the world premiere of a movie that I believe will have the atheist and Christian world buzzing.

You can watch a short trailer on YouTube for the film (this is the trailer Dawkins tweeted about).

As I wrote above, I’ve seen the film, and it’s excellent—extremely well produced. In fact I’ve watched it a few times. I can’t wait to be able to get this video into the hands of the thousands of young people that I speak to at our AiG conferences across the nation (and other parts of the world).

For non-Christians, including those who mock the Christian faith, it should be an eye-opening video. For Christians who believe in evolution (“theistic evolutionists”), the film should be challenging. They will be forced to choose one or the other: God or evolution. Theistic evolution depicts God as using suffering and death to create–but the Bible calls death “the last enemy” (1 Corinthians 15:26). Also, why would an all-powerful God of the universe use such a wasteful and cruel process of survival of the fittest to bring about higher forms of life? And, of course, there is no hint whatsoever of evolution found in the book of Genesis.

Molecules-to-man evolution is nothing more than an anti-God religion held to by blind faith by those who refuse to acknowledge they are accountable to their Creator God—and they refuse to acknowledge they are sinners in need of salvation. Evolution vs. God doesn’t just leave people realizing that evolution isn’t true, but Ray presents the most important message of all—the message of salvation in Jesus Christ.

If you haven’t yet registered for this month’s Answers Mega Conference in Sevierville, there is still time. Register today and don’t miss this exciting world premiere—plus enjoy the rest of the wonderful sessions and activities associated with this amazing conference. We have lots of family sessions, too.

Find out more about our Answers Mega Conference on the conference website.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Celebrating Independence—from Morality?

Today in the USA is Independence Day, a time when Americans celebrate the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence. For over 200 years, citizens have been blessed to enjoy many liberties—so there is much reason to celebrate.

As a part of the Fourth of July celebration at our Creation Museum (which is open today on this holiday), we have decorated the grounds with American flags. Here is a photo taken yesterday of the museum’s driveway. Our visitors to the museum today will be reminded of what this day celebrates as they drive up.

While our country was largely founded on a Christian basis, that foundation and Christianity in general have come under attack by an increasingly secular culture. More and more, secularists want freedom from Christian morality. This was made more evident with the recent decisions by the Supreme Court regarding the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8, as well as the Boy Scouts of America’s vote to allow openly gay scouts to be part of the troops.

Mark Looy, the CCO of Answers in Genesis, has written two short pieces about these decisions, which will appear in the October–December 2013 issue of Answers magazine. I’ve included the articles below (they are still in the editing stage, so they may appear a bit differently in the physical magazine issue). I encourage you to read these so that you’ll be informed and able to respond with the biblical perspective on these issues—and trust that this nation will continue to offer our precious religious freedom.

Supreme Injustice toward Marriage

Though stopping just short of redefining marriage across America, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two historic rulings in June that supported same-sex “marriage.”* In the first of these two cases, key portions of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) were deemed to violate “equal protection” under the Constitution. Now same-sex couples will be able to receive federal benefits (e.g., Social Security and tax breaks) that had been reserved for heterosexual married couples.

The other “gay” marriage case was specific to California and was somewhat procedural in nature. In another 5-4 vote, the justices ruled that the individuals who were defending a voter-approved amendment (known as Proposition 8) did not have legal standing to bring the suit, so the lower court’s ruling invalidating Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage, was allowed to stand.**

While most states may continue to limit marriage to a man and a woman (the Court has avoided, for now, a sweeping determination that same-sex unions must apply to all states) and the court did not strike down the pro-marriage amendments in 30 states, five unelected justices decided not to uphold the concept of marriage that America has always embraced. Even then, the definition of marriage did not originate with the nation’s founding founders. Rather, marriage was the first institution set up by God in His creation: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). The Creator is the only one who can determine what marriage is, and He has told us. Furthermore, Christ affirmed this teaching in Matthew 19, and several Scriptures specifically condemn homosexual behavior.

What might happen next in America? First, if churches or religious organizations possess a non-profit status granted by the federal government and decide to teach against same-sex “marriage” in states where it is now legal, they could have their non-profit status revoked. Second, now that marriage is being reevaluated, the possibility of polygamy is now on the table, as well as other perversions of the institution of marriage. Lastly, even though the definition of a marriage is still left to the states, the rationale used by the Supreme Court may encourage activists to push for nationalizing “gay” marriage.

From the beginning of creation, the Creator established marriage as the union of one man and one woman. But on one June day in 2013, the nation witnessed a momentous change, as America slouched further away from the absolute truths found in the Bible.

*http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2013/06/27/defining-marriage-supreme-court-sovereign-god

**Some people argue, however, that Prop 8 is still in effect in some parts of California because the ruling that the federal judge had made earlier was only in effect in his district of jurisdiction, not the whole state.

Troops Moving Out

As expected, a decision by the Boy Scouts of America to open membership to gay youth is leading to an exodus of churches as troop sponsors.* Over two-thirds of Boy Scout troops are church backed, though admittedly not all of these churches accept the biblical teaching that practicing homosexuals are in rebellion to God and His Word.

In June, the largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptists, passed a resolution at its national convention that—while it declared the denomination’s “love in Christ for all young people regardless of their perceived sexual orientation,”— expressed their opposition to the Scouts’ policy change. At the same time, as the denomination followed its longstanding policy of allowing a great deal of autonomy for each SBC congregation, the resolution did not call on each Southern Baptist church with a Boy Scout affiliation to break its ties with the Scouts. The resolution further stated that the Southern Baptists should not abandon their ministry to boys, and should expand their Royal Ambassadors scout-type ministry.

* http://bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=40499

The moral decay of our nation is saddening, but today, let’s make sure we’re celebrating the right kind of independence. What’s more, as Americans celebrate the independence of the United States, they should take time to remember their dependence on Jesus Christ. We are saved not by our own merit but by the grace of God alone:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

I encourage you to subscribe to Answers magazine at AnswersMagazine.com. Each quarter you will get analysis of the news that deals with biblical authority. Answers is a family magazine filled with fascinating articles and facts, and it even has a Kids Answers section. Don’t miss out on this great resource.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Cofounder of Sonlight Calls Me “Pope Ham”

The cofounder and co-owner of the homeschool curriculum company Sonlight, John Holzmann, recently wrote a very unflattering blog post about me in which he called me “Pope Ham.” Why would he name-call like this?

He wrote the following (emphasis in the original):

It strikes me: Ham seems to view himself much like a Pope. He has a lock on the Truth. He speaks definitively and infallibly concerning how the Bible is to be interpreted. Like religious leaders of yesteryear who were willing to burn at the stake those who held differing opinions about baptism; or like those even today who break fellowship over different perspectives on eschatology (pre-, post-, or a-mill; preterist; or whatever), so Mr. Ham seems bent on ensuring his followers remain separated from those with whom he disagrees.

If you agree with Ham about the age of the earth and the basic young-earth viewpoint, that’s okay, but not good enough.

If you teach a young-earth viewpoint, that’s not good enough, either.

You must never suggest that you “merely” believe in young-earth creationism. You must adamantly assert that young-earth creationism is true: THE truth. Indeed, you will have gone too far over to “the other side” if you even contemplate the idea that those with whom you disagree might have some potentially good reasons to view the Bible from a perspective different from yours, because–so Pope Ham has decreed–anyone who holds a view different from yours (i.e., different from Ham’s) is, simply, wrong, “compromising,” “in error.” End of discussion.

Well, it seems we differ on how to teach the topic of origins in relation to the issue of evolution and the age of the earth.

Holzmann was reacting to an item I wrote for our latest Answers magazine. In my article, I responded to articles in Christianity Today and other news sources about the increasing push by some homeschoolers to see more of an emphasis on evolution and an old earth in science curricula. For instance, a Christianity Today education article stated the following:

Sonlight Curriculum is an exception. It offers a diversity of homeschool curricula that allow parents to teach various theories of origins. “The YEC position is strong and ingrained in the homeschool movement,” said Sonlight president Sarita Holzmann, who homeschools her children and believes in a young earth. “That might be to our detriment.” She says students need to be able to evaluate different positions.

And in a Christianity Today blog post we read this remark:

The article has predictably sparked conversation. Sonlight, one publisher which tries to straddle both young and old earth camps, notes how it conveys four views in its science curriculum.

Now, I’ve learned not to put total trust in other articles that quote people since I’ve been misquoted and misrepresented many times myself. So we scoured the Sonlight website to see if we could figure out its approach to the topic of teaching origins and whether the quotes above were accurate about what it teaches.

However, we couldn’t find much evidence that the Sonlight curriculum takes a strong young-earth creation position. Very few books on biblical creation were available through Sonlight, from what we could find. Now, the science curriculum on origins is clearly anti-evolution, but that still doesn’t indicate that Sonlight holds to a young earth. It seems like Holzmann wouldn’t agree with our stand that old-earth creationism is in error.

So the question is: is there a difference between AiG’s approach and Sonlight’s approach to teaching origins, and if so, what is that difference? I do not want to misrepresent John Holzmann. I read his blog post carefully, and I also read his article (which I’ve read before) on the Sonlight website entitled, “Young- and Old-Earth Creationists: Can We Even Talk Together?” I have looked over the Sonlight website, and our ministry has had interaction with Mr. Holzmann over the years. Exactly where he stands personally on the age-of-the-earth issue I’m not sure at this stage. But I have grave doubts he takes the biblical young earth stand as we do at AiG—or at least he does not see the issue as a serious one regarding biblical authority as we show people.

Sonlight does offer some young-earth resources. But from what I can ascertain, one major difference between AiG and Sonlight seems to be one of philosophy in regard to the methodology of teaching the origins issue. To some people it may seem like semantics or subtle differences, but personally I do see the difference as a major one—and one Christian parents need to understand before obtaining homeschool resources.

Responding to a sidebar statement in Answers magazine summarizing a news item about homeschooling that appeared in Christianity Today, Holzmann states:

Considering what Sonlight actually does, I would dearly love to know what Ham thinks “balanced” looks like. I am particularly curious because of what he says in the main body of his article (p. 34):

Does [what I have said] mean that homeschooling parents should never expose their children to evolutionary ideas? Of course not. Homeschoolers certainly need to address different views about origins and other controversial issues in their teaching, but they need to do so in the clear context that God’s Word is truth and compromising views are error!

Ahh! That last phrase actually answers my question, doesn’t it?

If I’m reading him accurately, a “balanced” presentation, from Mr. Ham’s perspective, means one that not only “openly support[s] a young-earth position,” but vigorously opposes any other. And Sonlight doesn’t oppose alternative perspectives vigorously enough. It offers too much legitimacy to such alternative positions.

You see, the truth is, Sonlight mildly—almost to the point of silence—does “address” different views about origins by simply defining viewpoints other than the young-earth perspective and acknowledging that some Christians hold these viewpoints. Moreover, it acknowledges that some Christian homeschoolers might hold such views and suggests that they can feel free to teach them.

And that, apparently, is too much for Mr. Ham.

Because the truth is, from everything I have seen, Sonlight nowhere offers opportunities within its curriculum—i.e., from within the books it carries or from its Instructor’s Guide notes—. . . Sonlight nowhere offers opportunities for opponents of the young-earth perspective to speak for themselves. It simply acknowledges that some parents might believe differently and suggests that they can teach as they see fit.

And that is what Ham and people like him disapprove. Sonlight does not come out strongly enough with statements to the effect that views alternative to or opposing a young-earth perspective are clearly “compromising” and “in error.”

Actually, if one has to go to so much trouble making such statements as Mr. Holzmann did in this blog, it is obvious Sonlight and AiG are not on the same page in regard to how we approach the issue of the age of the earth or the teaching of origins in general.

The Answers magazine article Holzmann is referring to can be found at this link. Because I wanted you all to have access to this article and read the emphasis we place on biblical authority in regard to the age of the earth, I arranged for this article to be unlocked for everyone (normally, most articles from the latest Answers magazine issue are locked on www.answersmagazine.com, but subscribers get the unlock code). You will also see that the short reference to Sonlight (and others)—based on the news articles—is found in a sidebar. The most important point of the main article was to challenge people to understand how adopting evolution, millions of years, or both into the Bible undermines biblical authority.

I think it would be good to end this blog with a quote from my article in Answers magazine:

The point I want to make again that I’ve made in churches many times over the past thirty-five years is that, although Christian acceptance of millions of years or evolution is not a salvation issue, it is a gospel issue, and it is an authority issue.

It is a gospel issue because the evolution of life on earth over millions of years would mean sin is not the cause of death, disease, suffering, or bloodshed. It means sin is not the cause of the groaning world described in Romans 8:22. And it means God—not man’s sin—is responsible for death, disease, and suffering!

It is an authority issue because you do not get millions of years or evolution from God’s Word. Such beliefs come from outside God’s Word, and then compromising Christians use them to undermine the truth of God’s Word and thus undermine its authority.”

If you don’t currently subscribe to Answers magazine, I encourage you to do so at www.answersmagazine.com.

Also, I would highly recommend the science curriculum produced by AiG for elementary and middle school titled God’s Design in Science. You can be sure that this creation-based curriculum will be true to the Scriptures and true to the biblical methodology of discerning truth and error.

If you are looking for a solid, creation-based curriculum, we also recommend Bob Jones University Press, and Diana Waring’s History Revealed.

We also have solid, biblical teaching available on the human body in Dr. David Menton’s Body of Evidence.

Finally, I would recommend getting the Foundations curriculum set and The Great Debate DVDs as a great way to teach your children the biblical worldview.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

It’s Both Good and Bad

Almost every day I could write a blog item about a media interview that I have conducted over the phone or done in person at the Creation Museum. Some of these interviews are so interesting that I like to bring them to your attention from time to time.

Now, not all of these interviews result in positive stories. On top of that, bloggers will take snippets from the good reports as well as the bad ones and come up with wild conclusions. They will say incredible things like the Creation Museums revenues are down and the museum is about to fold! (For the record, museum revenues have not declined but are consistent with last year. In fact, revenues were above budget as the fiscal year 2012–2013 just closed. For all of AiG, our revenues are up from the previous year.)

Some bloggers also falsely say that we are not adding new exhibits to the museum, thus we are stale and people have stopped coming. Well, contrary to the critics, the museum has been so successful (far more people have visited than we projected in 2007 when we opened) that we are able to add new exhibits each year. Just a few weeks ago, we opened a world-class insect display, a fantastic dragon exhibit, and added new Bibles to the Verbum Domini collection.

When I think about it, I recognize that many secularist bloggers—whose worldview acknowledges no absolute authority—feel they can lie. After all, by what standard in their belief system is lying wrong if they feel they have a higher purpose of wanting to attack this ministry?

Each year, we receive countless invitations to do interviews with the Christian media—which is understandable—but also with the secular media. Most of the time the interviews are about the Creation Museum and the future Ark Encounter. But, since we also comment on the headlines of the day in terms of what the Bible (especially the book of Genesis) teaches on creation, the sanctity of life, the biblical basis for marriage, and so on, we are often interviewed about these subjects as well.

There is a third group of media representatives who will sometimes come to the museum: religious media representatives who are not Christians. We welcome the opportunity to share the gospel with them, including documentary filmmakers, TV interviewers, newspaper reporters, and others, who may be of a different religious perspective. This includes Muslim journalists like the Arabic news network Al Jazeera, which has been to the Creation Museum twice and reported fairly on us. We have the privilege to expose these religious, non-Christian journalists to the truths of the Bible, especially the gospel message.

Now, of course, when I share the gospel on camera or when I talk to a reporter, it’s not typical for the non-Christian media outlet to publish my comments about salvation in Christ. Sometimes they do—praise God. But at least it’s wonderful to know that we can reach out specifically to the reporter or film crew that’s here—and they also see that the gospel is presented throughout the Creation Museum.

Recently, I had the opportunity to be filmed by a Jewish filmmaker from Los Angeles for his upcoming documentary. This man, who is training to become a rabbi, has a great respect for the book of Genesis. We had a very cordial time, and I made sure to present him with the gospel message as his cameras rolled.

Here is a photo of me with the crew that interviewed me in the Garden of Eden room inside the Creation Museum:

I praise God for the ongoing media opportunities that continue to come our way. During the week before the Jewish filmmaker was here, a four-person television crew from Denmark traveled here to get an update on the museum. They saw a typical busy summer day as our guests enjoyed all that the museum has to offer.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Answers Conversation, Sanctity of Life, and Zip Lines

Today we have a mix of topics, but they are all a part of what we do at AiG.

Answers Conversation and the Sanctity of Life

Over the past month, many people have been blessed by listening to our new weekly podcast, Answers Conversation. If you haven’t yet been able to listen to this podcast, you can find it on the front page of our website—or find “Answers Conversation with Steve Ham” on iTunes. So far the conversations Steve has had with key Answers in Genesis speakers have really highlighted the importance of standing firm on the authority of God’s Word as we answer the skeptical questions asked in today’s world—and point people to the gospel of Christ.

This week, Steve has another very timely conversation—with Dr. Tommy Mitchell on the topic of ethics. Of course, the subject of ethics is a huge issue today. It seems that with so many different opinions about the sanctity of human life, people are wondering if there are any real answers. This week, Dr. Mitchell and Steve discuss the importance of knowing the truth about the value of mankind based on Scripture alone, and the foundational issue that every human has in common, as we are created in the image of God.

We know you will enjoy this Answers Conversation interview and many more conversations that you can subscribe and listen to every week. Do yourself a favor and get a weekly injection of edifying discussions that will give you real answers to today’s problems.

Zipping Around the Grounds of the Creation Museum

Here is a 34-second video we just produced to promote the new zip lines in action on the grounds of our Creation Museum:

We have 23 zip lines—almost 2.5 miles of lines—with over a dozen sky bridges that crisscross our beautiful wooded property. It’s been a hit since we opened the lines a couple of weeks ago.

Find out more about this great new attraction on our website.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Pres. Obama and Climate Change—Free Download Offer

Today I would like to offer you a free download of a book that deals with climate change—in response to the statements made by President Obama recently.

Climates have changed and do change—and that has certainly happened since the Flood of Noah’s day.

Recently, President Obama made a statement about climate change where he essentially said that anyone who disagrees with him is a “flat-earther”:

He later added, addressing those who deny climate change science: “We don’t have time for a meeting of the flat-earth society.” (http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/25/19135726-obama-no-time-for-flat-earth-society-on-climate-change?lite)

Now, we at Answers in Genesis certainly don’t deny the reality of climate change—we just have a different idea about why the climate changes and what causes it. After the catastrophic global Flood, the earth was dramatically changed, and much of the change in climate over the centuries has been due to the changes from the Flood.

But President Obama has such a disregard for the Bible (as shown in his overwhelming support for abortion and same-sex marriage), I’m sure he would reject an understanding of the biblical Flood in relation to climate.

We can, of course, observe the earth and know it is round and not flat. It’s also taught in the Bible, which tells us it is round—Isaiah 40:22. But climate change is very complex, involving many variables and unknowns with much disagreement among scientists. What’s more, right now the earth is in a cooling trend, which is why researchers now use the term “climate change” rather than “global warming”!

It’s common for atheists to call biblical creationists “flat-earthers.”  Many biblical creationists do accept climate change; they just aren’t sure that man’s contribution is as significant as the world would lead us to believe. It’s a curious thing for the president to bring up the term flat-earther.

President Obama should really read the articles on climate change and global warming available from Answers in Genesis—but, sadly, that is not likely to happen. However, we want to make these articles available to you so that you will be better equipped.

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Finally, use the coupon code to receive an extra 25% off the Global Warming DVD and book combo.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Can “Christianity Today’s” Research Be Trusted?

It’s the magazine that describes itself as the publication “Christian leaders everywhere trust.” Well, we’ll put that claim to the test in an instance that involves AiG, our Creation Museum, and the future Ark Encounter.

In the current (June) 2013 issue of Christianity Today, the magazine published a “briefing” on a number of Noah’s Ark projects being built around the world. Our evangelistic Ark Encounter project (a full-size, all-wood Ark to be built south of Cincinnati) was on its list, of course—but Christianity Today literally didn’t do its research about our Ark or our Creation Museum.

The briefing (www.christianitytoday.com/ct/content/pdf/108104.pdf) on the Ark Encounter included the following:

Despite heavy media attention, funding is slow [for the Ark], and revenues from AIG’s nearby Creation Museum have declined.

Now, our museum revenues have not declined. They are consistent with last year and are above our projections for this fiscal year (about to conclude). For all of AiG, our revenues are up from last year.  But did the reporters at Christianity Today ever contact us at the Creation Museum and Answers in Genesis to ask  us about our museum revenue or Ark fundraising? No, they didn’t, and yet this Christian magazine that claims that it is a trusted source says that museum revenues have declined. Also, had they contacted us directly about Ark donations, CT would have learned that funding is steadily coming in for the Ark Encounter. Instead, CT used old figures.

So where did Christianity Today get  its financial information? Well, one of our publicists contacted Christianity Today about the inaccuracies in the CT write-up. Not only did the magazine refuse to retract its errors, it wouldn’t even admit to having made any! Here’s what we learned through our publicist.

The Christianity Today staff told our publicist that for three of their sources, it used  secondary sources not primary ones. That included Cincinnati’s CityBeat magazine. But it gets worse. The CityBeat article they referenced was from November 2012—seven months before CT’s June article on the Arks!

And now it gets even worse. CityBeat is a leftist tabloid in our area with a track record of blasting us. It calls itself an alternative magazine and is known to heavily push the gay agenda. It is hardly a reliable source about Christian matters, and yet CT treated it as if it was a credible source.  

Here’s more: another source used by CT—a secondary one as well—for information on Ark funds was LEO Weekly of Louisville, CT told our publicist. Incredibly, this too was another leftist tabloid: one that has relentlessly opposed the Ark project for more than two years. The article was written by perhaps the most vocal Ark opponent of all in the state. If that’s not bad enough, LEO’s mocking, anti-Ark article appeared in December.

So CT relied on dubious, secondary sources that were hardly objective—using their old news—for its June article. CT could have contacted us for newer information—and CT would have discovered that December and January were very good months for Ark donations. Over $3 million  was raised towards the $25 million goal!

What happened to the possibility of checking with us first to see what revenue had been raised since November and December? Why weren’t we even contacted?

We should add that our publicist shared with us that CT also referenced a Yahoo.com article about the museum as well as the future Ark, apparently to assure us that it wasn’t just using stridently leftist sources.

As for the museum supposedly seeing a decline in revenue, we point out that the figures available to the public that CT accessed was even older. (And you have to be very careful reading these records any way: you can easily misinterpret the figures.) The CT reporter saw a figure from our former fiscal year, ending June 2012—one year before  the CT magazine article appeared!  In the public records, it could appear that 2011 was better than 2012, but that’s not true: we had just spun off a part of AiG into another non-profit, and figures for that new non-profit of ours are now in a separate public document. When you add both our non-profit groups together, revenue for 2012 and 2011 was consistent. This example only underscores the importance of contacting an organization to get the facts straight.

Bottom line: nobody at CT called us to get the museum’s financial  data from the past 12 months; instead, it relied on old numbers and three secondary sources (two of which can’t be trusted to cover us accurately). Now, even if it’s a brief item in a magazine, you need to get the latest and most reliable information—and from the primary source—or you can make errors.

Our publicist told us that CT “refused to admit to any error,” and said that CT considered the piece to be “round-up” type item and thus felt it didn’t need to contact any individual at AiG/Creation Museum. But how can such a well-read magazine for Christian leaders and other believers have relied mostly on secondary sources for their research and not have called us  to check whether our museum revenue had truly declined (which it has not)?

Meanwhile, people are contacting us—after reading false reports on blogs and websites—and asking if the museum is in trouble. We wonder if there will be many people who may now re-think giving to the evangelistic Ark outreach because of this false information.

In recent times, we have seen a concerted effort by secularists who are so opposed to AiG that they spread such misinformation concerning revenue and attendance about the Creation Museum, Ark Encounter, and AiG in general.  These secularists are either just regurgitating false information that others have recklessly published or posted to a website or blog, and/or they have deliberately made up false information in their attempts to undermine these AiG ministries.

Personally, I think these opponents of AiG have found that they can’t stop people from pouring into the Creation Museum and supporting AiG (and this financial support of our ministries continues to strengthen each year). In response to the way God has blessed us, secularists (and, yes, even some compromising Christian bloggers) have developed a tactic of spreading false information in the hope that even some of the Christians who support AiG’s ministries will question their support.  It’s sad that Christianity Today is now a party to this spreading of misleading and false information—and primarily to a Christian audience.

If you want to know more about the Ark Encounter project and its progress this year, I encourage you to visit our website, ArkEncounter.com. There you’ll find what exactly we’re planning to build and how much we’ve raised to date (a much higher figure since November).  A great bulk of the finances will actually come from people investing in this project, not through donations.  With cash donations, AiG specially raised $3 million in the past several months primarily for the necessary Ark-related permits and some associated costs.  We should have all the permits in hand by late Fall.

Yes, it all takes time and hard work to design and build a first-class facility. And I wished we could be opening the Ark as soon as possible. The Creation Museum, even during a good economy, took several years to design and build. In fact, I even recall people in the early 2000s—and as they say now about the Ark—that the Creation Museum would never get built and that it was a “white elephant.” Over the past six years, the Creation Museum has drawn 600,000 more visitors than we estimated and budgeted for before we opened in 2007. By the end of this summer, we’ll be near the 2-million-total visitor mark. And the museum revenue is consistent with last year’s, regardless of what CT and others might claim.

I urge you to prayerfully consider supporting the Ark Encounter project—we hope that once it’s built, it will stand as a beacon of light in a dark world.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

 

Teaching the Sanctity of Life at the Answers Mega Conference

The Answers Mega Conference is right around the corner—but it’s not too late to register your family to attend our major national conference for 2013. The Answers Mega Conference is July 22–26 in beautiful Sevierville, Tennessee (near Gatlinburg). Once again we’ll meet at the city’s excellent convention center.

This year, you’ll hear from some excellent speakers on the topic of life issues in our culture. Just this week, Steve Ham, our director of international outreach, gave a talk in our staff meeting on the sanctity of life and the image of God. His main point was that the value of human life is derived from the Word of God. In Genesis 1, the Lord God says that man is made in His image:

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26–28)

God made men and women in His image, and He blessed them. And do you know what? This even includes the unborn. In an increasingly secular culture, our society places incredibly low value on unborn babies. They aren’t even considered to be persons! But God’s Word is clear: all mankind is created in His image, and so all mankind has value. This is an important truth to remember, especially when faced with such a staggeringly high abortion rate in the U.S. Abortion is the practice of murdering humans beings made in God’s image.

Steve will be giving this same talk at the Answers Mega Conference next month, alongside a great line-up of speakers, including Tony Perkins of Family Research Council, Todd Friel of Wretched Radio, Eric Hovind from Creation Today, Mark Coppenger from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Bill Jack with Worldview Weekends. And, of course, I will be there—with all your favorite AiG speakers.

I will be speaking on the “great delusion” that permeates the land, what we can do about it, and how to rescue our kids from this great delusion.

There are so many other features of this year’s Mega Conference as well! We will have special music celebrations with Buddy Davis and John Elliott. We also offer a full children’s program featuring the Kingdom Chronicles VBS for ages 4 to 12. Our teens will be challenged with targeted sessions on critical thinking and worldview issues. Beyond these things, you can participate in the two-day Answers Research Summit. Full description and schedule of all these activities is available on the Mega Conference website.

I urge you to register your family today at www.answersmega.org. If you register before Monday, July 1, you can also purchase discounted tickets for the family-friendly Dollywood theme park or the exciting Dixie Stampede dinner show. So far, we have several hundred families registered to attend!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken