Ken Ham's Blog, page 375

Southern Baptist Convention Opposes Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Decision

This past week, I was in Texas for the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in Houston. Answers in Genesis was blessed to be able to have a booth at the meeting, and I spoke to a group of pastors at a breakfast.

Now, I’m sure most of you heard that the Boy Scouts of America voted to allow openly homosexual scouts into the troops. This was an unsurprising but unfortunate decision on the BSA’s part.

The SBC, according to an article released by Fox News, “voiced strong opposition to acceptance of gay scouts—with a top church leader predicting at the annual gathering of Southern Baptists that [sic] a ‘mass exodus’ of youths from the program that has been a rite of passage for more than a century.”

The SBC adopted a resolution at their convention regarding member churches that sponsor Boy Scout troops. The Fox News article states the following:

The resolution did not call on churches to stop sponsoring troops, but urged ones that do to push to have the decisions to admit gay scouts reversed. It seemed to be largely aimed at what church leaders believe is the inevitable inclusion of gay scout leaders.

The main purpose of the resolution was to express concern that the BSA is headed down a very slippery slope to admitting not just openly homosexual scouts but also openly homosexual leaders. And it’s true—once you open the door, it doesn’t take long for the door to open wide. Really it’s like people’s approach to the Bible—once you give up one aspect of the truth of God’s Word, it’s much easier to begin to give up other parts of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if the BSA began allowing openly gay troop leaders in the near future—some predict next year.

It’s great that the SBC has so boldly stood up for God’s Word on this issue, rather than bowing to the pressure of secularists who want to see homosexual behavior accepted in society—in fact, to have a special place of protection. Now, I’m sure that some people will ask, “Shouldn’t our churches and our children stay involved in Boy Scouts as a witness to unbelieving members?”

Here’s what I would say to that: As Christian parents, we’re to train our children the way the Bible commands us concerning the truth of God’s Word. And while we do want to be a witness because we’re told we are salt and light (Matthew 5:13–16), our children can’t be salt till they have salt!  (Mark 9:50).

The BSA  was never a Christian witnessing organization—even though it may have been run with many basic Christian principles.  And we can’t expect our children—who are still being trained as we try to put as much uncontaminated salt in them—to always know how to respond in situations like those they may now confronted with in the BSA, where they’re mixing with other boys who may be expressing homosexual tendencies. This could become a stumbling block to them if they haven’t the knowledge and maturity to deal with it. We do have great responsibility as parents concerning who influences our children. And remember, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

I encourage you to read the book I coauthored with my brother Steve, Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World, for a more in-depth explanation of our roles as parents and how to raise our children in such a secularized culture.

Church, I urge you to stand on the authority of God’s Word, especially in light of the current push for acceptance of homosexual behavior. What’s more, I urge you to share the gospel with practicing homosexuals, that they might believe the gospel and repent.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Biblical Creationists Facing Opposition in Scotland

Dr. Terry Mortenson (AiG–U.S.) recently returned from the UK, where he spoke in a number of churches and was able to share the truth of God’s Word with the extremely secular British culture. Dr. Mortenson shared with me some of the encounters he was able to have with people in the UK. We sincerely pray that God will use Dr. Mortenson’s ministry and the AiG resources in the UK to bring people into the knowledge of the truth of the gospel.

Sadly, we’re seeing increased opposition in the UK to biblical creation. A recent article in the Scottish Herald titled “Call to Ban Creationism” explains, “Campaigners are also pushing for stricter rules to keep the teaching of creationism out of schools.”

Professor Paul Braterman founded the British Centre for Science Education, which is, according to the article, “a campaign to keep religion out of science classes.” Braterman doesn’t want biblical creation presented as a viable scientific idea.

The article then goes on to quote Dr. Nagy Iskander. Now, Dr. Iskander is a good friend of AiG and one of Europe’s most active creationists. Originally medical doctors from Egypt, Nagy and his wife Nashua now reside in Scotland. They formed the JAM (Jesus and Me) Trust, a British charity meant for evangelistic purposes. They have a special shop outside Glasgow where they have activities and give presentations, including teachings from Genesis and the rest of Scripture. There’s even staff present to answer questions. (For a more detailed article on Dr. Iskander, read my blog post from earlier this year.)

Well, the Herald’s article quotes Dr. Iskander on his views about biblical creation in classrooms:

My view is that we should mention everything—we should examine all the evidence and all the facts and have an open and civilised discussion about all of this without excluding one or the other.

Of course, we at Answers in Genesis don’t advocate for government-mandated teaching of biblical creation. But we do support critical thinking—the type of thinking that requires students to look at all the facts and to be able to criticize the assumptions underlying evolutionary (or any other) ideas.

Often, after an article like this, I’ll read the comments section, to see particularly how secularists react. And as I expected, their comments weren’t civil at all. Below are some of the nasty comments about Dr. Iskander and biblical creation:

You have to be a very special kind of moron to be a creationist.

It shouldn’t be taught anywhere except the indoctrination and control centers (I believe they are called churches)……it is palpable nonsense, utter drivel for the hard of thinking.

Creationists typically believe in a 6,000-year old flat earth which has the sun going around it every day. At what point does such scientific illiteracy become laughable ignorance?

As a Christian and a scientist, I consider that Creationism is utter nonsense and should not be allowed near any schools, whether in science lessons or in extra meetings. It also has no place in any churches.

This is the kind of “civil” conversations that secularists engage in with biblical creationists. This kind of character assassination, intolerance, close-mindedness, misrepresentation, and ignorance of the views of biblical creationists show us that these people don’t know how to defend their views civilly in the free marketplace of ideas.   And one of the reasons is that there is no evidence they can point to that confirms their evolutionary ideas.  They usually cite an example of speciation (which has nothing to do with molecules-to-man evolution—in fact it’s really the opposite of such a belief).

I urge you to pray for Dr. Iskander, his wife, and their ministry in Scotland, that God would use them to reach many people with the truth of the gospel. And I urge you to pray for the UK in general, that this proposed ban on creation wouldn’t be successful and that the people there would receive the gospel of Jesus Christ and repent of their rebellion against God.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Unique Opportunity with The Wilds

Over the last five years, God has blessed the Creation Museum with some very special partnerships and supporters. Well, the Creation Museum has now become a stop on The Wilds senior class trip, which is organized by The Wilds Christian Association.

The Wilds in North Carolina describes what they do this way: “Using the unique benefits of Christian camping, we serve people by presenting the Truth of God with the love of God so lives can be changed to the glory of God.”

Below is the information provided to us by The Wilds—I encourage you to share this with your schools and students, as it’s a great opportunity:

The Wilds Senior Class Trip offers a high dose of spiritual punch plus tons of action and excitement. A relaxed, option-filled schedule, unique free-time activities, an exceptional menu, a whitewater rafting trip, special times as a class, and solid, biblical teaching awaits you at The Wilds.

The perfect addition to your Senior Class Trip is a visit to the Creation Museum. With more than 160 exhibits plus the Botanical Gardens and the petting zoo, the Creation Museum is an experience like no other. The pages of the Bible come to life through a state-of-the art walk through biblical history. See the wonders of Scripture presented through animatronics, a hi-def planetarium, and the Special Effects Theater. Your seniors will be encouraged and challenged in their faith and equipped with answers as they embark on future journeys.

We have seen God use these programs in miraculous ways, and we believe He will continue to do so with your group. Whether you are a Christian school, a charter school, a public school, or home educating, we invite you to an impactful Senior Class Trip and exciting trip to the Creation Museum!

Combo pricing is $245 per student. To find out how to register, please email or call (864) 331-3293.

You can book your school’s senior trip directly at this page on The Wilds website.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

New AiG Online Bookstore for People in the United Kingdom

We’re pleased to announce that the new Answers in Genesis UK web store is up and running! Now, many of you know that Answers in Genesis has a branch of the ministry in the UK, with the same mission as Answers in Genesis–U.S. Our mission is to reach people with the truth of God’s Word from the very first verse.

The new UK web store now has the same consistent look as the U.S. web store—which means that AiG’s website will be recognizable even overseas! It’s incredibly important for branding purposes that our website remains consistent whether it’s the U.S. or UK version. Around 900 of AiG’s most popular items are now available, with many more to be added in the future.

The UK web store also has an easy-to-navigate design with a new “Featured Products” section on the homepage. It also has a section for clearance items and a related items section on each product page, so visitors can explore other great resources that might interest them. AiG’s talented programmers put many hours into taking the AiG UK online store to a whole new level!

What’s more, in the near future, the UK store will be able to offer digital books and videos to download online. This will make the resources available through AiG even more accessible to residents of the UK, where the gospel is sorely needed. Even though the UK is extremely secular, there is a remnant of the church that desires to hear the truth of God’s Word in Genesis and to put this information in the hands of others.

We’re very excited about the new Answers in Genesis UK web store, and I encourage you to check it out.

This is all part of our mission to make AiG resources accessible around the globe. We have many more exciting announcements to share with you in the future!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Do We Have the Definition of Marriage Wrong?

The biblical definition of marriage has faced an incredible amount of attack from secularists lately, with the push for the legalization of same-sex marriage. But in a recent article in an Iowa newspaper, three professors—two of religious studies and one of history—claimed that evangelical Christians have the definition of marriage wrong. The authors on this article were Robert Cargill, assistant professor of religious studies at University of Iowa; Kenneth Atkinson, associate professor of history at the University of Northern Iowa; and Hector Avalos, professor of religious studies at Iowa State University:

As academic biblical scholars, we wish to clarify that the biblical texts do not support the frequent claim that marriage between one man and one woman is the only type of marriage deemed acceptable by the Bible’s authors.

Now, there is not a single statement in Scripture affirming polygamy, homosexual behavior, bestiality, and so on. These academics cite a number of instances of polygamy in the Old Testament as evidence for their point. And while it’s true that God-fearing men such as Jacob or King David practiced polygamy, God didn’t affirm their behavior. In fact, polygamous lifestyles inevitably brought hardship and judgment on them. (For a more detailed explanation of the biblical view of polygamy, see “What About Polygamy in the Bible?” and “Contradictions: A Man of Many Wives” by Roger Patterson.)

Polygamy was popular in many cultures, but that doesn’t mean God considered it acceptable. Divorce was allowed because of the hardness of the hearts of the Israelites (Matthew 19:8), but it was not part of God’s “very good” creation. The biblical standard for marriage is still one man and one woman.

Now, the article by these academics has since been promoted by the Huffington Post’s “Gay Voices” section of its website. Cargill explains in an interview in the article that the Bible also doesn’t prohibit same-sex marriage:

[Cargill] explained that it is obvious to scholars (and some religious leaders) that the Bible endorses a wide range of relationships. . . . Ultimately, said Cargill, a Biblical “argument against same-sex marriage is wholly unsustainable. We all know this, but very few scholars are talking about it, because they don’t want to take the heat.”

If it is “obvious” to Bible scholars that the Bible doesn’t prohibit same-sex marriage, then why are there so many scholars who believe it does? It’s not because they’re somehow afraid to admit that Scripture supposedly affirms homosexual behavior. No, it’s because Scripture is clear: homosexual behavior is a sinful practice (Genesis 18:20; 19:5; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10; 1 Timothy 1:10). (For more on the Bible’s view of homosexuality, see “Pro-Gay Theology: Does the Bible Approve of Homosexuality?” by Steve Golden.)

But the question I always like to ask is what’s the real motive here? Why would these scholars claim that the Bible doesn’t actually say what it clearly does? Well, the answer seems to be that they don’t believe in the authority of Scripture as much as they believe in their own academic abilities:

“Most people aren’t dumb, they want to make an informed decision” on religiously charged questions, Cargill said. “If scholars aren’t talking to them, they have to rely on talk show hosts and pundits, and that’s not the most reliable source of information.”. . . Anyone who argues that “the Bible speaks plainly on one issue, especially something as complicated as marriage . . . haven’t taken the time to read all of it,” he added.

Basically, the Bible can’t be understood on its own terms—we need Bible scholars to explain it to us. Now, there’s certainly a place for Bible scholars with an understanding of the language, history, and culture surrounding Scripture, but that doesn’t negate the authority and perspicuity (clarity) of Scripture.

The Bible actually does speak plainly on many issues. Psalm 19:7 tells us, “The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” How can we expect to understand the message of salvation through Jesus Christ if we need a PhD to explain it to us? Sadly, these academics are doing nothing but subverting the authority of Scripture and lifting man’s word up over it. It is ironic that three scholars in their fields who have completely misunderstood what the Bible says about marriage are willing to claim that, without them, people will not be able to make informed decisions about Scripture.

In response to these academics, no, we don’t have the definition of marriage wrong. In Genesis 2, the standard was that one man would leave his mother and father and cleave to one woman, his wife (Genesis 2:24). Jesus Christ reaffirmed this definition of marriage in Matthew 19:4–5. We can trust that what God’s Word says is true—and His Word can be understood whether or not we are Bible scholars:

And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?” (Matthew 19:4–5)

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

*Steve Golden assisted in composing this blog post.

The Bible from Memory and the Animal Man

Great things are happening at the Creation Museum this summer! I have mentioned several of our new features of the museum, and I’m also excited about two special programs this July.

1. The Bible from Memory

One of our most popular guest presenters, Tom Meyer, returns the week of July 22–26 to the Creation Museum. Tom will be giving two daily presentations: the first he will be reciting Genesis 1–11, and his second will be the entire book of Revelation.

Tom is a member of Wordsower International Ministries with Jason Nightingale. Along with his wife and new baby, Tom travels extensively, reciting portions and entire books of Scripture to churches and other groups. He also teaches a class on memorizing Scripture at a Bible College in northern California and is the author of the book, Oral Transmission in Judaism and Christianity: A Case for Memorization.

Visit Tom’s website to learn more about his ministry at www.thescripturecannotbebroken.com.

2. “Wild Animal Encounter: A Musical Extravaganza” with Buddy Davis and Dan “the Animal Man” Breeding

Don’t miss this incredible combination of animal trainer Dan “the Animal Man” Breeding, and the Creation Museum’s talented Buddy Davis! This is an exciting opportunity to hear Dan teach about creation with incredible live animals that most people never get to experience up close, while children and adults alike enjoy Buddy’s humor and catchy tunes. Don’t forget your camera as you’ll have an opportunity after the program to get close and take photos with one of Dan’s amazing creatures!

Buddy Davis is a sculptor, speaker, adventurer, paleo-artist, singer, and songwriter for Answers in Genesis. Dan Breeding began working with animals at the age of thirteen on a farm in Illinois and later graduated from Moorpark College’s Exotic Animal Training and Management program in Ventura, California.

Buddy and Dan will present “Wild Animal Encounter: A Musical Extravaganza” on July 29–August 3. Tickets are $5.00 with museum admission for this special  program only available at the Creation Museum. Maximum charge is $30 per household (free ticket for all age four and under). Creation Museum members and pass holders receive a 10 percent discount. Call Customer Service today at (800) 778-3390 to reserve your tickets!

These are just a few of the many reasons to plan your trip to the Creation Museum this summer. Find out more at www.creationmuseum.org.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

A Petting Zoo with an Important Message

Over the past few months, we have expanded the Petting Zoo at the Creation Museum. But why have a Petting Zoo at the Museum?

As well as being a fun family-friendly place with a God-honoring Christian environment, the Petting Zoo presents an important message. We show children and adults that there can be enormous variation within an animal kind (Genesis 1:21, 24–25). We want to help them understand that such variation is not evolution and that Noah needed far fewer land animals on the Ark than people realize—only two of each (seven of some) kind, not from each variety or species.

For instance, in our Petting Zoo, we have camels, alpacas, and llamas—all members of the camel kind. By the way, you can even have a ride on one of our two camels; check the Creation Museum website for ride times.

We also have a zedonk, donkey, and zorse—all members of the horse kind. And we have a number of other different kinds of animals, including two wallabies that are members of the kangaroo kind.

Our newest member of the Petting Zoo is only five weeks old.  She is a coati—native to South and Central America and part of the kind that includes raccoons. Our excellent staff will show this unique animal each day at the Petting Zoo, and sometimes she will make an appearance in the Portico and Main Hall of the Creation Museum.

Our Petting Zoo is located on the opposite side of the lake from the Creation Museum:

Welcome to our newest Petting Zoo resident (the coati):

The Petting Zoo staff made sure I was introduced to this new resident:



Also, here is a video the Petting Zoo staff made of our new addition:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Kids and adults love to ride our camels:

Make sure you plan your visit to the Creation Museum—and don’t miss the spectacular Botanical Gardens and Petting Zoo. We have stations where you can use your cell phone to access recorded information at various places throughout the gardens and zoo. And feel free to ask the Petting Zoo staff any questions you have—they would love to explain more about the animals they take great care of each day.

Go to www.creationmuseum.org for information.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

The Answers Conversation

Recently, we began a new audio initiative in Answers in Genesis called Answers Conversation. Each week Steve Ham will be interviewing people about topics as we answer the skeptical questions of this world and focus in on the authority of God’s Word.  I would encourage you to listen to the recent posts and subscribe to this new podcast. The first two weeks feature an in-depth discussion with one of our primary speakers and authors, Bodie Hodge. Steve and Bodie discuss the basis of the message of Answers in Genesis and some of the details recently released in Bodie’s new book about the Tower of Babel. In coming weeks you will hear some great conversations about astronomy, the Bible, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In writing about this new program, Steve highlighted our objective for this program as follows:

The Answers Conversation is a discussion of the objective propositional truth revealed to us by God through the men who were carried along by the Holy Spirit to give us His infallible, inerrant, and inspired Word. Most importantly, the Answers Conversation has been carefully positioned to guide us toward confidence in the Bible and the joy of the gospel.

You can listen to Answers Conversation on the media page. If you use iTunes or RSS, you can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or the RSS feed. For iTunes, go to the store and search for “Answers Conversation” and filter by podcasts.

We are excited about yet another resource to help people to learn more about defending their faith in our skeptical world. Find out more about this new feature on this page.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Inerrancy Under Attack

Biblical inerrancy has become one of the most-challenged issues surrounding God’s Word of our generation. “Biblical inerrancy” is really just a phrase that means the Bible is without error—an idea that is part of our foundation for being able to fully trust God’s Word.

Zack Hunt is a writer, speaker, and graduate student at Yale Divinity School, and he has a forthcoming book on holiness. Now, Hunt recently wrote an article titled “The Bible Isn’t Perfect And It Says So Itself” on biblical inerrancy for his blog, explaining that he doesn’t believe in it. Just to give you an idea of the tone of this article, here is a short paragraph from his opening:

Biblical inerrancy is a 20th century fundamentalist invention, not something which is actually intrinsic to the Christian tradition, but things like “facts” and church history are but minor inconveniences to the religious zealot.

So apparently, people who believe in biblical inerrancy are “religious zealots” who don’t care about facts or history. That’s quite an accusation! Hunt actually makes the claim more than once in this post that church tradition did not affirm biblical inerrancy, so I asked one of our Bible scholars on staff whether Hunt was correct. Here’s how our Bible scholar explained this to me with reference to the corresponding doctrine of inspiration, which is the “belief that God is the source behind biblical writings and acted through the Holy Spirit with the biblical writers . . . to communicate what God wished to communicate” (McKim, Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, p. 29):

The discussion and debate about biblical inspiration goes even farther back than the early church. But an orthodox view of inspiration leads to an orthodox view of inerrancy. If God, who does not lie, asserts something as true, the only proper response is to take His Word as being without error. The biblical inspiration debate was among the Jews, with the Pharisees, Sadducees, etc. taking different positions. After the temple was destroyed in AD 70, the mainstream view became the view of the Pharisees, who held that Scripture was revealed by God and without error. The church today widely affirms biblical inerrancy; in fact, there were no mainstream churches questioning biblical inerrancy until the 1700s.

Now, I’m not sure which “facts” Hunt was referring to in his statement, but it seems as though the church actually knows facts and church history very well.

Hunt goes on to claim that faith and inerrancy are opposites:

Faith, as Paul Tillich say, [sic] requires an element of doubt. It’s a choice to believe in the face of incomplete, or even imperfect evidence. Inerrancy, on the other hand, is an arrogant claim to certainty in the face of a definitive reality.

He says he knows this difference exists because of his mother. She wasn’t perfect or “inerrant,” but she taught him good things. He could often trust what she said, so he had “faith” in her words. Hunt also quotes Anne Lamott, who said, “The opposite of faith is not doubt. It’s certainty.”

Of course, Hunt’s (and Lamott’s) definition of faith isn’t even consistent with Scripture itself. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” What this means is that faith implies certainty. We have a “more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV)—God’s Word—which was given to us by a perfect God and is the most reliable word man could put his trust in. It’s not “arrogant” to say that God’s Word is without error. Is God, who created language, incapable of communicating a timeless, inerrant message to His people, through men? Of course not! If God’s Word doesn’t provide the standard of what it means to be “without error,” then the standard for deciphering what in God’s Word is accurate and what is not becomes completely arbitrary guesswork, to say nothing of posing a problem with Scripture’s own claims to be true!

What Hunt’s view does, however, is to make God less than perfect. In fact, he writes almost that: “In other words, my mom is a lot like the Bible. She’s not perfect, but I can still trust that what she says is true.” And yet, Hunt doesn’t believe everything the Bible says. Noah’s Ark, for instance, he says is okay to believe when we’re five years old. But as adults, we have to realize that the account of the Ark and the Flood is just meant to teach a theological truth—it’s not literal history.

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t trust a God who intentionally lies to me just to teach me some truth about Himself—however one determines what that truth is!

Lastly, Hunt commits what Bible scholars call an “exegetical fallacy.” Now we know that Scripture is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16, NIV), which literally means “breathed out by God.” The Holy Spirit divinely inspired men to write the books of the Bible, and we can trust in the inspiration and inerrancy of those books because of the Spirit’s leading. But Hunt says that “God-breathed” doesn’t necessarily mean God made something without error, because God had to work through men, who aren’t perfect.

How does he support this? He grossly misquotes the Apostle Paul, saying that even Paul admitted the Scriptures weren’t without error:

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Hunt believes that knowing “in part” implies error is present in Scripture. But what Paul is implying about Scripture, if anything, is that Scripture does not reveal everything. It’s adequate for us, but it’s not exhaustive in what it communicates.  In fact, God is infinite in wisdom and knowledge, so we finite beings can never know everything!  But can we trust that what has been revealed to us is without error? Absolutely.

The trouble with believing that the Bible contains error is this: How do we know what’s incorrect and what isn’t? How could we possibly trust that the message of salvation through Christ alone is true? No, God has given us a Word that is inerrant and inspired from the very first verse. Church, we must stand boldly on God’s Word and know that our faith is certainty of its truth.

It’s sad to see the increasing attacks on biblical authority from both the world and the church!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

*Steve Golden assisted in composing this blog post.

Assistant Manager at Cincinnati Museum Center Derides Creation Museum

Recently the Cincinnati Enquirer published an article about the Creation Museum and the new features including a world-class insect exhibit, a spectacular Dragon Legends exhibit and the new zip line course, which is by far the best in mid-America. You can view the article on the Cincinnati.com website.

In the comments section for this article, Kurt Percy, who states he is an assistant manager at the Cincinnati Museum Center (which is not necessarily a position that has any input or influence on museum content), posted the following:

This is not a museum, and this is further proof of that. Please stop referring to it as such. They are not an accredited museum by any association of museums. It is a theme park that misleads the public and it is a pockmark on our region. The fact that someone profits by misrepresenting their faith as science to children and families is shameful. When we wonder why America is falling behind in science education, it is because places like this are allowed to exist. I’m glad to see that their attendance is declining despite generous handouts from the state of Kentucky at the expense of their university funding.

It’s interesting that an assistant manager at the Cincinnati Museum Center took the time to attack the Creation Museum. Now, we realize he’s not one of the top people at the museum center and has nothing to do with content, but Percy’s comments reflect on the entire museum center. While we at Answers in Genesis do not agree with the teaching of evolution and millions of years at the Cincinnati Museum Center (e.g., in the Museum of Natural History and Science), nevertheless we don’t discourage people from visiting there and we don’t publicly attack them in such a manner as Percy has done to the Creation Museum. In fact, on the Creation Museum website, in our listing of attractions in the area, we include the Cincinnati Museum Center and state this with various links to each facility:

Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is home to the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children’s Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX Theater, and the Cincinnati Historical Society Library. The Museum Center is a nationally recognized educational and research resource and one of the top cultural attractions in the Midwest. The Cincinnati Museum Center serves more than 1.47 million visitors annually.” (http://creationmuseum.org/plan-your-visit/lodging-attractions/)

I must admit, knowing how the management (certainly one of the assistant managers) of this center is so antagonistic to the Creation Museum (using false accusations) and how this assistant manager has now publicly stated this, I will meet with our senior staff to consider no longer recommending this attraction to Creation Museum visitors and deleting it from our website list of attractions.

Perhaps Percy needs to look up the definition of museum. The Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary states that a museum is “an institution devoted to the procurement, care, study, and display of objects of lasting interest or value; also: a place where objects are exhibited.”

It would seem Percy isn’t aware of this definition and thus makes such ridiculous statements as, “This is not a museum. . . . Please stop referring to it as such.” But the American Alliance of Museums offers the following description:

Museums are wonderfully diverse. They are operated by nonprofits and for-profits, colleges, universities and every level of government. Some are managed by large staffs; others are run solely by volunteers. They include all types:

Aquarium
Anthropology
Arboretum/Botanic Garden
Art
Children’s
Culturally Specific
Hall of Fame
Historic House
Historic Site
History




Historical Society
Military/Battlefield
Nature Center
Natural History
Planetarium
Presidential Library
Science/Technology
Specialized
Transportation
Visitor Center
Zoo

(http://www.aam-us.org/about-museums)

What’s more, the Cincinnati Museum Center is actually a member of the AAM:

AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS ACCREDITATION

In 2012, Cincinnati Museum Center achieved accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition for a museum. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies and to the museum-going public. Of the nation’s estimated 17,500 museums, 778 (only 4.5%) are currently accredited. Cincinnati Museum Center is one of 26 museums accredited in Ohio and joins the Cincinnati Art Museum, Taft Museum of Art and Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden as accredited institutions in Cincinnati. Cincinnati Museum Center is one of only 16 institutions nationally honored with both the IMLS award as well as AAM Accreditation. (http://www.cincymuseum.org/about-cincinnati-museum-center)

The International Council of Museums gives this definition of museums:

 A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment. (http://icom.museum/the-vision/museum-definition/)

The Creation Museum certainly fits under these definitions.

Really, it would seem from his comments that Percy is showing his intolerance of the message of the Creation Museum. Instead of promoting freedom of speech and religion, Percy does not want a place like the Creation Museum to exist because he disagrees with the message. Sadly, this is typical of the intolerance against biblical Christianity seen in our increasingly secularized culture today.

When you read the other comments on the article, one can see the anger and hatred against what the Creation Museum stands for. But from our experience, such intolerance is only held by a small minority in the community.

Percy also states, “When we wonder why America is falling behind in science education, it is because places like this are allowed to exist.”

I had to laugh when I read this ridiculous, unfounded outburst. Think about it—the majority of kids in the culture (including 90 percent of kids from church homes) attend the public education system. This system threw out the Bible, prayer, and the teaching of creation years ago. Evolution and millions of years is taught as fact in the public schools. Public school textbooks arbitrarily define science to not allow the supernatural from having anything to do with the universe but insist the universe came about only by natural processes: naturalism is atheism.

The point is, if America is falling behind in science education, how could it be the result of a place like the Creation Museum, the only major such museum of its kind in the world (though there are a few small creationist museums)? The majority of kids are educated by the public education system, and there are numerous secular museums across the country that teach evolution and millions of years as fact. Most science programs and documentaries on secular television (e.g., Discovery Channel, History Channel, PBS, etc.) present evolution as fact over and over again. And Percy thinks biblical Christians are responsible for the nation falling behind in science education? His statement is laughable.

But then Percy states, “I’m glad to see that their attendance is declining despite generous handouts from the state of Kentucky at the expense of their university funding.” First of all, attendance in past years has been above projections, this calendar year is already up on last year, and group bookings for the summer are way ahead of last year.

Secondly, the statement about “generous handouts from the state of Kentucky at the expense of their university funding” is just a plain lie. The Creation Museum receives no funds from the state—it is entirely privately funded. Maybe he is referring to the possible state tourism tax incentives if the Ark Encounter project is opened. But even if he is referring to this, then he is still promulgating false information. The Ark Encounter will be built totally by private funds—no state funds will be used. If the Ark Encounter opens within a particular time frame and does reach its projections of attendance, then a rebate of sales tax paid by visitors to the park may be refunded. Actually, the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter bring money into the state that will be used by the state for its various funding projects.

But here is an assistant manager at the Cincinnati Museum Center making false accusations about funding concerning the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter—both of which are totally privately funded—and yet the Cincinnati Museum Center has received taxpayer money (the museum center received $5.5 million in taxpayer money in 2011). A news article on Cincinnati.com in 2011 stated:

County property owners already pay a Museum Center levy that costs the owner of a $100,000 home $4.60 a year to help it cover operating costs. That levy lasts through 2014, so if voters approve a repair levy —which they estimate would cost that same homeowner another $10 a year—property owners would be paying two museum levies for the next three years. (http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110625/NEWS01/106260324/Museum-Center-pressing-levy)

As the article featured the new zip line course at the Creation Museum (22 zip lines and 10 sky bridges), Percy appears to be mocking this when he stated in his comment, “This is not a museum, and this is further proof of that.” This comes from an assistant manager of a museum center that at Christmas time has special events run in conjunction with Holiday Junction (train display) each year like a North Pole Pajama Party, breakfast with Santa, and Holidate. And Percy derides us for having a zip line course that, as staff are trained, will also serve as an ecology course. Percy’s anti-Creation Museum bias is showing.

I would’ve expected far more professionalism and careful research from an assistant manager at such a Cincinnati icon as the Cincinnati Museum Center, rather than this intolerant, mocking comment and false accusations. I believe the Creation Museum should receive a public apology from Percy and/or the Cincinnati Museum Center for his outlandish and false statements and public attack on this God-honoring, professionally run facility.

Make sure you plan your visit to the Creation Museum—find out more at: www.creationmuseum.org. Come see our new, world-class Insectorium and spectacular Dragon Legends exhibit.

We are also thrilled to open the best zip line course in mid-America this month. What a great addition to such a family-friendly, God-honoring place! I think Kurt Percy doesn’t like the fact that this will help bring more families (lots more children, too) to the Creation Museum. He doesn’t want them hearing the message of truth from God’s Word. He would rather they be indoctrinated to believe they are animals who evolved from pond scum. At the Creation Museum, they will learn they are made in the image of God, that we’re fallen because of our sin in Adam, and that through Christ’s life, death, and Resurrection, God has provided a free gift of salvation for those who will receive it.

Come and visit this wonderful, God-honoring place.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken