Ken Ham's Blog, page 387

God Is Good

It’s time to share one of the many positive testimonies we receive on a regular basis. AiG speaker and writer Dr. Tommy Mitchell shares with us today:

Several months ago, I met a wonderful couple at a conference in Mississippi. They told me that their wedding anniversary was coming up soon and they were considering a visit to our Creation Museum as part of their anniversary celebration.

I told them that if they decided to come, I would be happy to be their host and provide them with passes to the museum. As it happens, they did come to visit the Creation Museum. I wanted to share with you all a very nice email I got from them a few days later.

Dear Dr. Mitchell,

You asked me to write you after we got home from visiting the Creation Museum.  You wanted to know what we thought about the visit.  Well, I have been wondering how I’m going to sum up our anniversary trip to the Creation Museum.  If I were to write you back of everything that [my husband] and I thought, then you could probably stick a cover on it and have another book for the bookstore.  I asked myself what one word would I use to describe the Museum and that word which came to mind was “AWESOME”.

We spent two full days in there absorbing all that we could and making sure that we saw it all. There were moments when I felt like crying because my God was becoming bigger and more exciting to my husband and me … I’ve been raised in a strong conservative Christian home.  I was homeschooled as well.  However, my husband was raised in a public school and a slow-growing Christian.  I recently learned that he had even bought into the evolutionary ideas…UNTIL NOW!  He 100% now believes all the Bible is telling him and it has changed his life.  He’s different now and at times overwhelming, but in a WONDERFUL way.  God is good!  Ever since we got back, he can’t get enough of the Word or all the DVDs and books we brought back.

Do you know what joy the Lord has given me to see this hunger and change in my husband?  Do you know what excitement my heart has experienced with all this information that I am obtaining from the Bible?  My parents are the ones who got us started with Answers in Genesis.  We are now planning to get my parents up there to see the Creation Museum, too. Meanwhile they are enjoying, with us, all the bags of DVDs and books we bought in the bookstore.  [My husband] loves going to my parents’ house because they are ready for the next DVD and discussion.  [At] Christmas we read and discussed the booklets about what the Birth was probably like [including the booklet] “From Creation to Bethlehem”.  The entire family really enjoyed that.

Thank you for this gift and letting us enjoy the treasure in the Creation Museum.  It was the perfect Anniversary gift and perfect Anniversary memory.  Now to just see where God is going to take us with all this new knowledge.  [My husband] and I are praying about what He wants us to do as far as teach a class at church and share it with friends.  The Museum is PERFECT and God is all in that building!  His presence was felt and obvious!  We are praying for this ministry and for each of you that work there and help make all this happen.  May God continue to protect and bless.

P.S.

We saw Ken Ham and had our picture taken with him!!! Oh, and if y’all ever want to open up a Museum here in Mississippi, I want a job!!!

A visit to the Creation Museum can be a life-changing event. I hope you all have a chance to make a trip here very soon. I think you will like it, too!

You can follow Dr. Mitchell on his blog and on his public Facebook.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Ark Encounter Contract Signed

I thought it important to draw your attention to an important milestone in our evangelistic Ark Encounter project—with a full-size Noah’s Ark as the centerpiece of this historical themed attraction to be built in northern Kentucky. The blog post below was published on the Ark Encounter website a few days ago to make the announcement.

At the end of 2012, through God’s blessing, the Ark Encounter completed a matching gift challenge which exceeded its end-of-year donation goal of $3 million! The strong year-end giving will allow us to apply for all of the permits necessary to begin excavation and construction as the funding is provided. (AiG is about halfway to its overall donation and boarding pass goal!)

The year-end donations also allow for our architects and engineers to continue to work on the necessary site and building plans for the Ark and other facilities.

Last week, we signed the formal contract with the Troyer Group. We hope to have all of our construction permits in hand by November of this year (2013).

Martin Miranda (Troyer Group CFO), LeRoy Troyer (Troyer Group president and chair), and Mike Zovath (Ark Encounter senior vice-president and co-founder) are pictured above signing the contract. The Troyer Group, located in Mishawaka, Indiana, is bringing its construction management skills to this project.

With the contract signed and permit process underway, activity will increase on the Ark Encounter site in anticipation of— and in preparation for—the long-awaited construction phase. Continue checking the Ark Encounter website for updates to see what is taking place and what is to come. Once bidding opportunities are available, we will be posting that information on the site as well.

We appreciate all of your prayers and support as we move closer to bringing the Ark Encounter project to Williamstown, Kentucky!

You can follow the Ark Encounter blog at ArkEncounter.com/blog for updates on the progress of the project.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

The Adam and Eve battle—it’s actually a deeper serious problem!

Dr. Deborah Haarsma (previously a professor at Calvin College, a Christian college in Michigan) is the newest president of BioLogos (an  organization attempting to get the church to reject a literal Genesis). She recently contributed to a series of articles on whether there really was an historical Adam. Her article, “Historical Adam: Embracing the Questions,” does just that—it embraces questions and provides no answers. In fact, it sows more doubt and confusion than anything.

Haarsma accepts evolutionary ideas and mixes them with Scripture, a view that is known as theistic evolution or evolutionary creation. After listing a number of artifacts that evolutionary scientists have dated as anywhere from 15,000 to 200,000 years old, Haarsma claims, “These discoveries fly in the face of the conventional reading of Genesis, in which Adam and Eve lived just 6,000 years ago in the Middle East and were the progenitors of all humankind.”

Aside from the obvious problem that Dr. Haarsma relies on evolutionary beliefs to substantiate her claim, she also has misrepresented the “conventional reading” of the history in Genesis: we have no idea where the Garden of Eden was located! So we cannot begin to guess where Adam and Eve resided. You see, after the Flood, when Noah and his family exited the Ark, they may have renamed many things with names they were already familiar with. The Garden of Eden can’t be located now because there are layers of dead things covering the land that was buried during the Flood, not to mention that the land itself would be completely rearranged (see A Catastrophic Breakup). Since there was no death and suffering until sin entered the world, the Garden couldn’t have been sitting on top of layers of dead creatures.

Dr. Haarsma goes on to say that the Bible and the “book of nature” are both “revelations from God.” She’s right if she means that God has been “clearly seen,” in the way that Romans 1 explains:

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

But Haarsma goes much further than that. She asserts that nature itself teaches evolution and millions of years. And what are Christians to do with what appears to be a conflict between the Bible and nature? Well, Haarsma writes, “the conflict is not between the Bible and nature, but at the human level: between our human interpretation of the Bible and our human understanding of nature (i.e. science).” In other words, if evolutionary ideas appear to conflict with the Bible, our human interpretation of Scripture is probably incorrect. 

Of course, Haarsma claims, “God is the ultimate authority in these debates, not science or a certain interpretation of Scripture.” But if she truly meant that, she wouldn’t be crusading in support of evolution and millions of years. And really, she hasn’t made God the authority at all. We can’t “read” evolution or millions of years in the “book of nature.” No, that’s all human interpretation. Dr. Haarsma is actually making it the authority over God’s Word.

So what does Dr. Haarsma have to say about a historical Adam? Not much. She does offer a series of questions, however, such as “Who were Adam and Eve? When did they live? . . . Where [sic] they two individuals, or leaders of a group or a symbol for all early humans? Did God create them with a special miracle? . . . How did sin and death enter the world?”

She continues, “Some Christians look at this list of questions and see an exciting area of investigation, but most find it daunting!” Actually, do you want to know what I think when I look at these questions? I think, “God has provided the answers to all these questions in the history in Genesis—case closed!”

Sadly, Dr. Haarsma has given up the authority of Scripture in this area and embraced the fallible opinions of scientists instead. Now, I would never question her salvation, because belief in a young earth is not necessary to salvation in Christ alone. But what Dr. Haarsma is teaching is a grave error and it ultimately undermines biblical authority—and thus undermines the foundation of the gospel message.  This actually reflects the deeper serious problem.  The battle over Adam and Eve is just a symptom of the very serious problem—an attack on the Word of God itself.  That’s the real issue. Haarsma, like all those who compromise God’s Word,  will have to give an account for how she’s led people (adults and children) astray by  placing man’s fallible word and the pagan religion of evolution/millions of years in authority over the Word of God. 

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying, 

Ken

Is This the Future in America?

Religious freedoms, at least for Christians, took a blow in the United Kingdom not long ago. A recent article from BBC News declared, “British Airways Christian Employee Nadia Eweida Wins Case.” In 2006, Eweida was asked by her employer, British Airways, to remove a cross she wore around her neck. She refused, and her case was taken through various court systems until it was heard by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). (British Airways has since changed its policy, allowing people to wear “symbols of faith.”)

And while this may seem like a victory for UK Christians, the article goes on to reveal that it really isn’t. You see, the ECHR heard three other cases of employers forcing Christian employees to act against their beliefs—and the court ruled against the Christians.

The article explains the cases of each of the employees discriminated against:

The other cases involved nurse Shirley Chaplin, 57, whose employer also stopped her wearing necklaces with a cross, Gary McFarlane, 51, a marriage counsellor sacked after saying he might object to giving sex therapy advice to gay couples, and registrar Lillian Ladele who was disciplined after she refused to conduct same-sex civil partnership ceremonies.

Chaplin, the other woman forced to remove a cross, had worn the cross to work for 30 years. She was transferred from her nursing position to a desk job. Why the discrepancy here? The article explains, “The court said the decision was necessary to protect the health and safety of nurses and patients.” Presumably, Chaplin has been in nursing for a long time, and for many years she’d worn the cross to work. Surely by this point, if the “health and safety” of those Chaplin was coming in contact with were truly threatened by her cross, the hospital would know. Unless the hospital has prohibited the wearing of all necklaces by nurses, this looks like a clear case of religious discrimination.

Even more disturbing is the case of Lillian Ladele, who was disciplined “after saying she did not want to conduct same-sex civil partnership ceremonies. Her lawyers said the service could have been performed by other employees who were prepared to carry them out.” But what’s really happening here is that a Christian who holds to the biblical view of marriage is being forced to act against her beliefs by the courts.

This is, sadly, the inevitable direction of any country that has abandoned God’s Word as its authority. A member of the National Secular Society commented, “Religious people who feel elements of their job go against their conscience can always find employment that better matches their needs. That is true religious freedom.” However, I would submit that this secularist would not be saying that if he was the one who was being forced to act against his beliefs. He would demand the same freedoms these Christians were asking for. And what, for instance, would he have to say about physicians who refuse to perform abortions? Should all who honor the sanctity of human life be barred from practicing obstetrics and gynecology?

Not to mention, when the courts in the UK and other western countries are setting precedents that encourage discrimination against Christians and a loss of freedoms, finding employment where this isn’t happening will likely become much more difficult.

As I’ve said many times before, what is happening now in the UK is an example of what will happen in the United States if the culture continues to look to man’s word and not God’s as its ultimate authority. In fact, it is really beginning to happen in various ways. We’re already seeing the violation of religious liberty and the loss of freedom with the government health care mandate requiring even Christian-owned businesses to provide employees with insurance that covers abortifacients (i.e., drugs that induce abortion). For more information on how the U.S. government healthcare mandate is affecting Christian-owned businesses, see my blog post, “Hobby Lobby and Obamacare.”

I urge you to pray for America and the UK and to stand boldly on God’s Word as our authority in every area of our thinking.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Note: AiG researcher Steve Golden assisted in the preparation of this blog.

Biblical Creation and “Child Abuse”

Well, yet another evolutionist is claiming that creationism is “child abuse.” Lawrence Krauss, a professor at Arizona State University, recently announced that he believes teaching biblical creation to youngsters is “child abuse.” Of course, he’s just one among a number of atheists and evolutionists who has leveled this charge against creationists. What’s more, Krauss makes the fallacious claim that technological advancement is tied to a belief in evolution—an argument that I’ve refuted many times on this website and in my public talks. Krauss is an ardent atheist and even goes to so far as to directly blaspheme the atoning work of Christ!

In response, Steve Golden (AiG–U.S.) and I have written an article addressing Lawrence Krauss’s views, including how he blasphemed Christ in a well-watched video. It’s the lead article on the Answers in Genesis website today. I urge you to read it so that you will be able to respond to the claims of skeptics like Krauss. The article begins as follows:

Are you committing a form of “child abuse”? If you are teaching your child that God’s Word in Genesis is true, then Dr. Lawrence Krauss, professor of physics and director of the Origins program at Arizona State University, believes you are indeed committing child abuse. Actually, this is not the first time this charge has been leveled against creationists. We have seen increasing attempts by atheists (like Krauss) to malign and marginalize Bible-believing Christians by making such outrageous accusations. Because these secularists cannot prove their atheistic beliefs about origins scientifically, the best tactic they can come up with is to malign Christians through emotionally charged and baseless accusations.

In an interview with Big Think, a group that describes itself as “a knowledge forum featuring the ideas, lessons, stories and advice of leading experts from around the world,” Dr. Krauss explained his remarkably negative view of teaching biblical creation.1 He goes to the point of calling the teaching of biblical creation a form of “child abuse” and makes the fallacious claim that if children are not taught evolution, technological advancement will cease. Such a charge is ridiculous. This is yet another example of a university professor who just does not fully understand science, or if he does, he does not want the public to know how he is portraying science incorrectly. By attempting to connect evolution (meaning “big-bang”-molecules-to-man evolution) with “technological advancement,” he is mixing historical science (beliefs about the past) with operational (observational) science, which is what is used to develop our modern technology.

You may read the rest of the article on our front page.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

The Refreshing Faith of a Child

“Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” (Mark 10:15)

Oh, that all of today’s Christian academics and Christian leaders would have the attitude of a child in regard to the infallible God’s Word and trusting in it. And today I want to tell you about a 10-year-old who has a unique way of spreading the truth of God’s Word.

But first, I wanted to let you know that later this week I will publish a blog post on a Christian academic (Dr. Deborah Haarsma) of Calvin College and who now heads up the compromising BioLogos pro-evolution organization. After becoming president of BioLogos, Haarsma wrote the introductory article to a series of articles that will be discussing the meaning of Adam and Eve for the Think Christian website! When you read her article you will realize she trusts fallible humans’ interpretation of the past concerning origins and allows for God’s Word to then be reinterpreted. Once you begin debating over a literal Adam and Eve and a literal Fall—then true Christianity is gone.

Scripture tells us that “knowledge puffs up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). Certainly I see so much pride in academia today, including in Christian circles. This academic pride causes many to become so puffed up with all their supposed knowledge (and concerning origins it is not true knowledge but an interpretation of the evidence by fallible humans) that they make themselves the authority instead of God’s Word. Oh, that Christian academics like Deborah Haarsma would get back to the child-like faith that we all need to have.

But—let’s talk about the good news! Praise the Lord for the faith of a 10-year-old who is using his love of building with LEGO toys to honor God. On his website he states the following:

Welcome to Building Legos with Christ. This site is designed for kids that enjoy building creations that honor God. However, if you are a big kid you are still welcome to enjoy my site. I will be sharing my latest Lego creations and hope you will enjoy them and feel inspired to build your own creations. Enjoy and give God the glory!

I loved the Noah’s Ark he built. Here is what he said:

Noah’s Ark LEGO Creation

Over the past couple of weeks we have been studying Noah’s Ark in our Answers for Kids Bible Study.  I love my new Bible Study!  If you have not checked out Answers in Genesis

you should definitely check out their site.  I had the chance to listen to Ken Hamm speak at church and it was great.

During my studies, I have learned that Noah’s Ark was not as it is pictured in many children’s Bible stories. It was more like a tank.  Not a boat with animals hanging out of the top.  I also learned that God sent the animals to Noah.  Noah did not have to chose them or try to get them onto the ark.  Did you know that God sent seven of each clean animal onto the ark?  Did you know that God sent the rainbow as a promise that he would never again flood the earth?  If you would like to read about Noah’s Ark you can find it in the Bible in Genesis 6.

I hope you enjoy my Noah’s Ark Lego Creation.  Check out Answers in Genesis.  You will be amazed at what knowledge you find there.  They also have a Creation Museum in Kentucky.  I’d love to visit it some day.

Have a blessed day!

I love that Answers in Genesis has been used to help this young man to have the correct understanding of Noah’s Ark—not the usual terrible “bathtub arks” that I see in a lot of Christian literature. Click here to see his item about Noah’s Ark and pictures of the LEGO Ark he built.

You can also go to the home page of his website at this link.

Our kids loved LEGO bricks, and our grandkids will also be using LEGO bricks! What a blessing to now have a website by a 10-year-old boy who is using LEGO bricks to honor God! I have met many kids across America who have been using AiG resources to learn the truth about God’s Word as this young man has! How we praise the Lord for that.

When you see all the depressing things happening in this culture, it is so refreshing to go to a website like this (even as a big kid) and read about the faith of this child as he, even at 10 years old, is using his talents to spread God’s Word.

Oh—and just for interest for this young man—I bought some LEGO bricks for myself when I was in Australia recently (big kids like them too!)—see the photo:

Sadly, though, the famed Sydney Opera House is rarely used to honor God, but it is a reminder to me of how much my home country needs to hear the truth of God’s Word.

We all need to be reminded to do our best to raise up godly generations who know what they believe and know why they believe what they do—so that will be equipped to stand boldly on the authority of God’s Word as this young man is.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:11–17)

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Mary Mohler to Speak at AiG Women’s Conference

I praise the Lord that AiG speaker and researcher Dr. Georgia Purdom has a special burden to reach women with the truth of God’s Word beginning in Genesis. Once again this year, Dr. Purdom is conducting  an “Answers for Women” conference in Legacy Hall at the Creation Museum. Dr. Purdom wrote the following on her blog:

We are so pleased to have Mary Mohler returning this year to present at the Answers for Women conference. Mary is the wife of Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. She is the founder and director of Seminary Wives Institute, an academic program for student wives at Southern Seminary and Boyce College. However, her favorite roles are those of wife and mother. I asked Mary to give us some insight into her presentations for this year’s conference.

Modeling Modesty

Do you think of the virtue of modesty as an outdated, Victorian notion? Apparently, many women do. Modesty in dress for us as Christian women is an indication of our seriousness in showing the world and our fellow believers that we seek to be holy in all that we do. Join us for this seminar as we explore what the uphill battle to model modesty looks like in 2013 in light of steadfast Biblical mandates. We will seek to discover what the motivation is behind the abandonment of modesty that seems to be so prevalent even among believers and how to teach our daughters to go against the tide and embrace modesty for all the right reasons.

Embracing God’s Plan for Marriage in a World That Makes Up Its Own Rules

“Submission, are you serious? Don’t you know that you don’t have to be a doormat anymore?” Questions like these are too often the norm as an outraged society questions how women can voluntarily sign on for a marriage based on complementarianism, including male headship. However, these same people do not seem to be outraged at Scripture’s lofty command to husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church and gave His life for them. God’s plan is best now just as it was when the Holy Spirit inspired the authors to pen the words of Scripture over 2,000 years ago. Let’s have an honest discussion about God’s blueprint for marriage and be reminded that we simply cannot improve upon His perfect plan.

Mary’s presentations were well-liked at last year’s women’s conference and are always biblically sound and practical. Whether we are young or old, single or married, a parent or not, the issues presented at Answers for Women are relevant for our lives as we seek to be godly women in an ungodly society.

Here are just a few comments we received about last year’s conference:

Mary Mohler—very energetic, would like to hear more from her.

Can’t wait for the next one.

I can’t thank you enough for a wonderful time of encouragement and equipping me.  This conference was great! I laughed, cried, and grew in faith and love of the Lord! …

To register for the 2013 Answers for Women conference, go to AnswersForWomen.org.

Keep fighting the good fight of the faith!

Darwin Day

Today many evolutionists are celebrating the birthday of Charles Darwin (born 1809). One way that will often get a zealous Darwinist very angry is to point out the racist beliefs of Darwin. Click here to read our web article on Darwin and racism—and also watch a short video clip of me discussing his book The Descent of Man.

Of course, the Bible teaches that the Creator God made all people in His image. Each one of us today is a descendant of Adam, “the first man” (1 Corinthians 15:45), and Eve, “the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20). The book of Acts confirms that God “has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26). So there is just one race: the human race. Whichever people group you belong to, you have inherited something from Adam—a sin nature. But God has provided His Son to save us, with an offer of salvation for those who repent and have faith in the Son.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Americans and Homosexuality

How would most Americans answer the question, “Do you believe homosexual behavior is a sin?” Well, Lifeway Research did ask that question—and the results only confirm what I’ve said about the decline of the culture.

Last month, Lifeway released the results of a survey on Americans’ view of homosexuality. And, unsurprisingly, homosexual behavior is being considered more and more acceptable in society. The article explains, “Americans’ acceptance of gays and lesbians is continuing to grow, with a new poll showing that just over a third of Americans view homosexuality as a sin, down from 44 percent a year earlier” (http://www.religionnews.com/2013/01/10/americans-less-inclined-to-view-homosexuality-as-a-sin/).

You know, this has been a trend in our culture over the years. Increasingly, the homosexual agenda is being pushed on society in the form of laws, such as with the legalization of same-sex marriage in more states during the last election. It’s also being accepted and pushed in some churches, where a number of pastors and other leaders have chosen to ignore or reinterpret what the Bible clearly says about homosexual behavior.

Even the President of the United States has described his position on same-sex relationships as “evolving.” Last year, President Obama voiced his support of gay “marriage,” to the satisfaction of many who don’t stand on the authority of God’s Word. And during his inauguration speech in January, President Obama declared that same-sex unions should be legally and socially accepted by Americans:

What makes us exceptional—what makes us American—is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” …

Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.

(You can watch the inauguration video, or read the full transcript of the president’s inauguration speech.)

These words from the president are the epitome of a man shaking his fist in rebellion at God and His clear Word. In fact, the results of the Lifeway survey reflect a society that is in rebellion against God. And I would suggest that our nation is under judgment for its rejection of God’s Word and acceptance of sin. I’m reminded of the Proverb that goes, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law” (Proverbs 29:18).

Once a culture abandons the absolute authority of God’s Word, there is no safeguard against ruin. It should be obvious that as America no longer builds its worldview on God’s Word, the floodgates will be opened—and anything goes. Be warned—those activists who have been successful in opening the door to same-sex “marriage” across the country know this is only the start. I urge you to pray for our nation, that it will turn back to the authority of God’s Word.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

I thank Steve Golden for his assistance in preparing this blog post.

Tribute to a Sheppard

I am in Mobile, Alabama, for an AiG conference. I was sad to miss the memorial service yesterday of one of our dear staff members at the Creation Museum, Dave Sheppard. Before I flew off, I recorded a short tribute to Dave, who was the manager of guest services at the museum. I expressed my condolences to his widow, Pam, and their teenage daughters, Natalie and Amanda. Here is that video tribute that was shown Saturday evening at the service held at Dave’s church, Grace Fellowship in Florence, Kentucky.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Before I recorded this video, I had some of Dave’s colleagues share their remembrances of their servant-leader, whose last name, appropriately, was “Sheppard” (some of these comments below I read on the video); here is a sampling:

[From Charlie:] David was first of all an example of dedication, which became contagious to those of us who knew him.  This dedication was displayed in his work ethic, attention to detail, organization, and planning, with an emphasis on serving each of the guests and visitors to the Creation Museum.  Additionally, his putting forth 110% effort  in everything he was asked to — or decided to — do.

We who were blessed to served under him came to experience his compassion for others, reliability and predictability as a leader.

Finally, a love for his Lord, and for life and family.

[From Joy:] When Dave saw a need, he would jump in and take care of it himself.

[From Mary Jo:] David lived and breathed this ministry.  He was always putting the guest first and wanted to make sure everyone left with a good experience.  He always said, “err on the side of the guest.”  He cared about his staff and treated us like family; he was a great example of Christian leadership.

[From Karen:] David was a  hard worker; he was diligent in meeting Guest Services schedule requests; he worked hard to make “Raving Fans” of the museum; and he was frugal.

[From Adam:] David was like the servant with 5 talents, who he gave back unto the Lord 5 talents more (Matt. 25:20).

At Saturday evening’s memorial service, many tributes were paid to this servant of God. Here is a copy of the cover of the program that was passed out, with a photo of Dave and his family taken at the Creation Museum and in front of our “green screen” (with the museum grounds in the background).

Because of David’s passion for the creation/gospel message, the family asked that in lieu of flowers, people could send a gift to AiG’s next major outreach, the Ark Encounter project.

Our condolences to the whole family. While Pam and their daughters (and we) are aware of why God allows cancer, other diseases, and death in this world (download a PDF copy of our booklet Why Is there Death and Suffering? ), and as we celebrate Dave’s home-going and rejoice that he is no longer in pain, it is still a time of sorrow. Pray for the Sheppard family and friends, including his grateful and mourning colleagues at the Creation Museum and AiG.

Our talented cartoonist Dan Lietha drew this “After Eden” cartoon in honor of Dave:

Dave’s obituary appeared in the Kentucky Enquirer on Friday; here are excerpts:

David Sheppard, age 59 of Crestview Hills, KY, born September 15, 1953, went home to be with the Lord on February 6, 2013 surrounded by his loved ones in his home after valiantly battling cancer. He was manager of Guest Services at the Answers in Genesis’ Creation Museum. David was a member of Grace Fellowship Church in Florence, KY. David was a dedicated father and husband and was deeply committed to his ministry at the Creation Museum. In his spare time he enjoyed board games, playing cards, sports, animals and spending time with family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 18 years, Pamela Bush Sheppard, daughters, Natalie and Amanda Sheppard, sisters, Kathie Mansfield and Merry Fritz, brothers, Terry Heugh, Doug Sheppard, Donald Sheppard and Dennis Sheppard, also many other beloved family members. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are requested to: https://arkencounter.com/donate/

Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for praying—especially for the Sheppard family right now.

Ken

Are Our Bodies Poorly Designed?

A recent article from the Daily Mail, a UK newspaper, was titled “From eyes in the wrong place to a belly full of bugs: The bits of your body that nature got wrong.” Now, the author, Lucy Elkins, outlines a number of areas where evolutionists believe that our bodies are badly flawed—things that supposedly evolved poorly.

Now, among the list of ridiculous claims Elkins makes is the argument that the appendix “seems to have no real function.” Of course, the appendix example is really part of a long- discredited belief many evolutionists have held: the idea that many parts of our bodies are just useless “vestigial” organs, remnants of evolution. But you know, it’s been proven that the appendix actually has some important functions, such as exposing our immune system to antigens from bacteria so it can tell the difference between friendly and unfriendly organisms. (Read more about these functions in this article from our website: Cutting Out a Useless Vestigial Argument.)

Elkins then argues that our wisdom teeth are also supposed vestigial organs. She writes, “there is also absolutely no need for us to have wisdom teeth. . . . ‘over time, our diet has become softer as we have developed methods of cooking and processing food. As a result, the muscles around the jaw need to exert less force on it—causing it to shrink over the years. However, our teeth have not evolved at the same rate, so we are left with a smaller jaw but the same amount of teeth.’”

You see, Elkins’ entire viewpoint is based on evolutionary assumptions. But from the biblical worldview, God has designed our bodies with useful features, not useless ones. Now, the effects of sin have certainly led to mutations in our bodies that can cause problems for some people. Some people’s jaws are too small for wisdom teeth, but the vast majority of people do have room for their wisdom teeth. We can’t call some part of our body as “useless” simply because we don’t understand it—or because evolutionary assumptions tell us that it’s a useless remnant from long ages of evolution. (For a more detailed explanation of wisdom teeth, see this article from Dr. John Morris at the Institute for Creation Research: www.icr.org/article/539.)

In her article, Elkins criticizes the design of our eyes, hearts, ears, intestines, stomachs—even our cartilage! And while not all of her ideas are directly related to the idea of supposed vestigial organs, they are fueled by an evolutionary worldview. Now, there’s just not enough space in a blog post to respond to each of her claims. But I urge you to look through the vestigial organs topics page on the Answers in Genesis website. You’ll find a list of articles that do address many of these criticisms and that outline the true function of these supposedly “useless” parts of our bodies.

Furthermore, I encourage you to get a copy of Dr. David Menton’s (AiG–U.S.) Body of Evidence DVD series, where he explains just how intricately our bodies are designed.

And we say to Lucy Elkins—why don’t you design your own human body and see it how goes? Oh, and before you do that, you’ll need to design your own molecule of heredity like DNA. And don’t copy God’s design for DNA—you’ll need to invent your own!

On our website yesterday, Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell (AiG–U.S.) has published a longer, more detailed analysis of the claims presented in the Elkins’ article: Organ Recital: A Parade of Presumed Design Flaws Devoid of Truth.

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well” (Psalm 139:14).

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Thanks to AiG researcher/writer Steve Golden for his help in preparing this blog.