Ken Ham's Blog, page 400

Win a $500 Scholarship!

The Answers in Genesis “College Expo” is now just one month away.

This unique event is a “must” for all prospective college students and their parents. With so many Christian colleges and universities having compromised their teaching on Genesis and a literal six-day creation/young earth, it is important that students and parents know which schools will stand on the authority of God’s Word beginning with Genesis.

As a special bonus, Answers in Genesis will be giving a $500 scholarship at the event to one student.

So join us on November 16–17, when we will host 23 colleges and universities that align with Answers in Genesis on a young earth and literal six, 24-hour day creation.

Participating schools include the following:

Appalachian Bible College
Arrowhead Bible College
Bob Jones University
Calvary Bible College & Theological Seminary
Cedarville University
Dayspring Bible College & Seminary
Fairhaven Baptist College
God’s Bible College
Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Jackson Hole Bible College
Kentucky Mountain Bible College
Liberty University
Maranatha Baptist Bible College
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary
Montana Bible College
Northland International University
Ohio Christian University
Patrick Henry College
Pensacola Christian College
The Master’s College
Verity Institute
Welch College
Word of Life Bible Institute

The Expo is free and includes admission to the Creation Museum.

Please register at www.creationcollexpo.org.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Over the years, there have many instances in which the ideas of evolution/millions of years have been found in Hollywood movies.  Here is a recent example, as shown in a movie review written by two AiG staff members, Jeremy Ham and Tim Chaffey:

The character of Charles Darwin is featured in the animated film, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, which was recently release on Blu-ray and DVD.

Pirates is rated PG for “mild action, rude humor and some language,” and it certainly lived up to those descriptions. Because this is not a comprehensive film review, we encourage you to find in-depth reviews about the film before you determine whether to see it or not (such as this one). The film was made by Aardman Studios, the same company that developed Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit, and Flushed Away. Aardman’s distinct “claymation” style has certainly received a technological upgrade in this latest effort.

We weren’t sure what to expect, having heard conflicting reports about the amount of evolutionary content in the film. There were a handful of distinct allusions to evolution. One instance occurred when Charles Darwin was introduced. The camera panned across several creatures in an evolutionary order from “simple” to more complex creatures, ending with a chimp and then Darwin striking a similar pose. Later in the film, the protagonist, Pirate Captain, looked at Charles Darwin and his pet chimp named Bobo, and asked if the two were related.

We were quite surprised that Darwin was treated with some degree of ridicule. He was portrayed as a sniveling little man desperate to find a girlfriend—even being willing to steal fame and fortune from Pirate Captain to accomplish that goal.

There was one ironic scene near the end of the movie. When it looked like the bad guys were going to win, Pirate Captain came up with a plan to which Darwin brings up the overwhelming odds, stating it is impossible to succeed. Pirate Captain stated that “It’s only impossible if you stop to think about it.” Spoiler alert: Of course, Pirate Captain was ultimately right, and they did succeed with their plan.

Incidentally, around the time the movie was being shown in theaters, AiG ran a front page web feature on the topic of the odds of evolution being impossible.   Evolutionists, of course, need billions of years to try to convince people that given this incomprehensible amount of time, molecules-to-man evolution could happen.  Of course, it does not matter how many supposed billions of years they have; evolution in the sense of molecules to man is impossible. So was this scene endorsing or denying this criticism of evolution, or was this possible connection unintentional?

Evolution is being promoted more than ever in this secular culture, and we find the topic being endorsed throughout the media industry. This movie seemed to be different than most, having a relatively unclear and mixed message on evolution—at times the idea was pushed, but the movie also made fun of it

If any of your friends did see this movie, you could do your best using the references to evolution in the movie to teach your friends and family about biblical authority—God’s Word vs. man’s word. Help them understand that the Bible gives the true account of history, allowing no room for molecules-to-man evolution or millions of years. Show them clearly (using creation apologetics) that we can trust the Bible in its history in Genesis, and more importantly, we can trust its vital message of salvation that is based in that history.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Celebrating My Best-known Book, The Lie: Evolution

Twenty-five years ago, my  book The Lie: Evolution was published, and God has blessed it over the years. This book has become a bestseller—over 450,000 copies sold! And this year, as I’ve mentioned on my Facebook page already, I decided it was time to update The Lie to make it more relevant to our current age. I even changed the title to reflect the compromise going in within the church, not just with evolution, but also with millions of years. The full title of the book is now called The Lie: Evolution/Millions of Years.

Now, to celebrate the new edition, which is available for preorder in paperback right now, I’ve decided to auction one of my personal copies of the first edition of the 1987 The Lie, along with a special gift package. The winner of the online auction will get the following:

1987 first edition of The Lie: Evolution inscribed by me to the winning bidder (or to whomever the winner requests).
2012 twenty-fifth anniversary limited edition of The Lie: Evolution/Millions of Years inscribed by me to the winning bidder (or to whomever the winner requests). This will be number 3 of 1,500 copies.
Two tickets to the Creation Museum.
Two tickets to our Stargazer’s Planetarium.

Dinner for two with my wife and me at the Creation Museum’s Noah’s Café. (Note:  Dinner date to be determined according to mutual schedules; transportation and lodging to the Creation Museum not included.)

The online auction begins on Wednesday, October 17, at 7:00 PM. (Note: The time was moved up from the original time of 7:30 PM.) It will close on the night of October 27 at 7:00 PM. To bid, go to http://myworld.ebay.com/answersauctions.

I urge you to visit the auction page above and bid on this unique package. The auction proceeds will go to the evangelistic Ark Encounter project—a full-size, evangelistic Noah’s Ark that we are building south of Cincinnati. (A portion of the winning bid is tax-deductible.)

If you choose not to be part of the online auction, I hope you will consider purchasing the updated and revised The Lie.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Thank You for Giving Me Confidence

Occasionally, I like to share testimonies with you on this blog. I hope they will be an encouragement to you—as they are to all of us at AiG.

1. This is just a testimony. I have finished reading the latest AiG feedback article, “Bill Nye and more,” and I couldn’t help but notice how different my college experience was than the questioner’s.

After high school, I wanted to go to college and become a science major. But before going to college, I got saved, and I knew that a straight-forward reading of Genesis was not compatible with evolution.

Because of this, I didn’t go to college since I didn’t know how to reconcile “science” with my belief in God.

It wasn’t until a few years later that I learned about creation science. From that point on I did as much research as I could and read countless articles on your site.

To make a long story short, I went to college and graduated with a BS in chemistry from a secular university, and now I work in industry as a chemist. My faith never wavered in college because I knew the difference between evidence and interpretation.

Thank you for giving me the confidence to go to college. (J., Washington)

2. Just want to say a thanks to AiG for all you do for the Church in this day of apostasy before Christ returns for His Church. What a day, and what a terrible realization we are facing together. Who would have thought that the Church would participate in the destruction of the Church? But Scripture intercedes for us, that the Church will prevail, nevertheless.

Thanks be to God for Ken Ham and for AiG for all they are doing to warn the Church, and to remind the Church of its responsibility before God to defend the authority of the Word of God to the world, and not to dilute it in order to “be liked” by the world. I thank God for your vision and your tenacity, and your faithfulness to uphold God’s Word when “the church” won’t. It’s just such a disappointment that this is happening. But Scripture said it would, and it is. (C., Oregon).

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

The Intolerant Secular Humanists at It Again!

Now, many of you probably remember the uproar that the Giant’s Causeway exhibit in Northern Ireland caused over the summer because of the creationist content in a short part of  audio in an exhibit. Of course, secularists went nuts when they found out that the exhibit included a very short reference to the biblical Creation and Flood view of the formation of the tens of thousands of basalt columns at the Causeway (hexagonal in shape, with some reaching 100 feet high above the water’s surface). The audio segment is not easy to find. (For more information on the recent controversy, you can read my original blog post and our News to Note publication.)

I visited the exhibit several weeks ago when I was in Northern Ireland on a speaking tour. The actual passing mention of the biblical view, as I showed in my previous blog post, was buried among a number of buttons containing audio in one portion of the exhibit. If you happen to press the right button, you will hear an audio presentation about the debate on the origin of the Causeway, and the narrator makes reference to biblical creationists believing that the earth is only thousands of years old. But most people I watched at the exhibit didn’t even press the audio button. In fact, the long-age evolutionary view is found throughout the exhibition—see just two photos of the kind of signs that are found there:

The audio presentation I heard (transcribed by the BBC) said this:

Young Earth Creationists believe that the earth was created some 6000 years ago,” it said. “This is based on a specific interpretation of the bible and, in particular, the account of creation in the book of Genesis,” it said.

“Some people around the world, and specifically here in Northern Ireland, share this perspective.”

Well, because of all the pressure from the secularists, the National Trust (the organization that oversees the preservation of Giant’s Causeway and other monuments) has decided to change the audio presentation.

The BBC article recently explained the changes in the audio presentation:

The new audio now says there is a “clear understanding among scientists that the heat of the earth was the driving force behind the formation of the Giant’s Causeway”.

It adds that the earth is “far older than had previously been thought”.

“All the scientific evidence points to a volcanic origin for the columns of the Giant’s Causeway, around 60m years ago.

“However, not everyone agrees with the scientific view. There are some people who believe – often for religious reasons – that the earth was formed more recently: thousands of years ago rather than billions.”

Now, the Giant’s Causeway does not—and has not—promoted creation science. In fact, their exhibit clearly promotes evolution and millions of years as fact. As I walked through the various exhibits, I saw and heard the words “millions of years” over and over and over again.  But the reaction is just another example of how incredibly intolerant the secularists can be—they can’t handle even a 20-second hard-to-find audio segment acknowledging the existence of an opposing view (but the exhibit does not offer it as a scientific view)!

Sadly, the National Trust has bowed to the secularists’ pressure and changed the audio. Now the audio simply promotes millions of years and merely mentions there are those who believe in thousands of years rather than billions—but those who believe in a young earth are the religious people, and those who believe in billions of years (which is a belief—in fact, it is a religion) do so supposedly because this is “scientific evidence.” The audio now implies that the only scientific viewpoint is the millions of years one, the opposing view being only a religious aberrancy. And you know, what I found most interesting about this controversy is that the legend of the Causeway is that giants built it. This view is prominently presented in the visitor center, but the secularists have no problem with that! Not a surprise really, though, as they choose to consider the Word of God as a myth, too.

This controversy at the Causeway just shows how anti-Christian and intolerant secularists’ behavior can be. They don’t want a mention of anything to do with the Bible or Christianity—certainly not in a positive way.  The wording in the audio is now very negative. The secularists are totally disrespectful of anything Christian.

Discover more about the Giant’s Causeway issue by reading last Saturday’s News to Note article.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Bigger and Better Than Ever!

Our Creation Museum is preparing right now for our eight days of Christmas Town activities on the museum grounds. While I was away on speaking ministry, the museum staff was beginning to setup some of the structures that we have been using over the past few years for an event that has become an annual tradition in our Tri-state area (Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana): Christmas Town, presenting the real meaning of Christmas.

This year we have added a special new feature, but you will have to come and visit to see this exciting new part of the popular Christmas Town event that promises to make this spectacular event better than ever this year.

Below is a photo of the kataluma (Nativity scene) that is being set up in the museum’s plaza. For the fascinating information about this structure, go to http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/features/christmas-no-room-for-inn. We are putting up the kataluma even now because it will help promote the eight days of Christmas Town for our museum visitors who will be coming here over the next two months so that they might return in December with their families.

Each December, we decorate the museum grounds with tens of thousands of lights, setup a live Nativity, hold special programs both inside and outside the museum, offer shopping opportunities, etc. This is a great outreach for evangelism, so bring your family and friends to our Creation Museum on the following evenings (Friday–Saturday): December 7–8, 14–15, 21–22, and 28–29. The program starts at 5:00 PM and ends at 8:00 PM. Almost all of the events are free.

Last year, about 26,000 people visited during our eight days of Christmas Town.

Here are photos of previous Christmas Town celebrations:

For info on our popular Christmas Town outreach (we had 5,000 people on one night last year!), go to http://creationmuseum.org/christmas/.

We have many other activities planned at the Creation Museum before Christmas Town—you can see many of them at http://creationmuseum.org/events/programs/.

The Lie

[image error]When a U.S. Congressman questions evolution and calls it a lie, well, it become major news. (See http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/06/congressman-calls-evolution-lie-from-pit-hell/.) For 25 years I have written that molecules-to-man evolution is a lie. In fact, that was the title of my 1987 book, which is being rereleased around October 15 in an updated and expanded twenty-fifth anniversary edition. See the product page for information.

The reaction to the Congressman’s doubting of evolution—and the mocking he is now receiving—just reveals that the culture is so far removed from a Christian worldview.

As I mentioned on my Facebook page yesterday, the Bible clearly states, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

40 Years and Counting!

Four AiG couples celebrated 40 years of marriage at last night’s special “Legacy of Love” dinner inside the Creation Museum’s appropriately named “Legacy Hall.” Here are some photos of the evening:

Here is my wife Mally being presented with flowers as I look on; we were married in Australia in 1972.

Wilbert and Kathy Ellis; Kathy has been with AiG 18 years (almost to the very beginning of the ministry), and her husband is a pastor (who also worked at AiG at one time).

Carolyn and Jim Stiles; Jim is usually on the road with me to set up our seminars and he is a faithful worker and friend.

Sue and Mike Zovath; Mike is one of the founders of AiG and was the man in charge of building the Creation Museum.

There was special music for our dinner guests, as photos of the four couples and their families were shown on the screen behind the musicians.

Tom Hill (far right) and Buddy Davis led in worship music, while I played the piano (Mally later joined us on the keyboard).

About 175 people turned out for the special dinner. Among our guests were Dr. Ron Reese and his wife Anne, who flew in from the Washington DC area to be with us; he is organizing a major AiG seminar in DC next year.  All five of our children were in attendance, plus all 10 grandchildren!

The emcee of the evening was Dr. Tommy Mitchell, an AiG speaker and medical doctor.  With his stethoscope, here he is checking the “heart” condition of the four anniversary men. Jim (far right) was diagnosed as having the biggest romantic heart.

The men were quizzed about how well they knew their wives. Then our eldest son Nathan brought a powerful devotion at the end of the evening.

Meanwhile, just a few yards away in our Discovery Hall, Joe Niemeyer of our staff held a surprise birthday party for his wife Kristen.  Many family members and friends showed up for what was a HUGE surprise for her.

At our Legacy of Love dinner,  I was pleased to see long-time ministry friends Roberta and Stanley Vandiver in attendance. Stan is on the museum staff; Roberta is an AiG volunteer.  Roberta broke her hip recently and was also diagnosed with cancer, but she insisted on making the 90-minute drive from Dayton, Ohio, to attend the dinner with her husband.  Please pray for the Vandivers, married 43 years, during this challenging time. Thank you.

Yesterday a group of atheists visited the Creation Museum.  They had the usual bumper stickers on their cars (e.g., “Blasphemy is a victimless crime”).  We also often find that these skeptics attend our special programs/dinners at the museum.  We pray those who do attend will be convicted by the Word of God that they hear and see clearly at our events and through the museum exhibits.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Rave Reviews

AiG has been receiving rave reviews for various resources it has produced. I wanted to highlight two of the resources and encourage you to watch a short video.

The award-winning Foundations DVD series (12 videos 30 minutes each of my major presentations) with an award-winning curriculum. This series is now being used in many churches and homes to instruct young people and adults on the importance of the book of Genesis. Find out more on the product page.
The Answers Bible Curriculum is a totally integrated three-year curriculum for preschool through adult and a wonderful Sunday school or homeschool and Christian school curriculum. Hundreds of churches and others are using the AiG curriculum that features (notice the ABC acronym here) Apologetics, Biblical authority, and Christ-Centered Chronological. Find out more at www.answersbiblecurriculum.com.

Recently, a pastor’s wife (from Calvary Chapel Lone Mountain, Nevada) was recorded at a conference, sharing what the Foundations curriculum and Answers Bible Curriculum have meant to their church. Watch Kathy as she shares about these items:

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you haven’t considered the ABC program for your church, I urge you to do so. Go to www.answersbiblecurriculum.com for further information.

We have also received great feedback about the Answers for Teens books. Here is an email we received recently:

Hi,

I just wanted to write and thank you for your ‘Answers For Teens’ books

My eldest son (who is sixteen) has been literally brought up on AiG materials, but when he read the 1st book [Answers for Teens 1] he told me that it made things easier to ‘get his head round’ and the knock on affect of that was it made the other materials – like the Answers 1-3 books easier to understand.  I am now waiting for book 2 [Answers for Teens 2} to arrive and he is excited to get his hands on it.  Thank you so much for all your hard work in bringing these fabulous materials into our hands.

You make getting the truth out there so much easier God bless and keep you all strong

– G.P.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Hello and Goodbye

The Creation Museum said “hello” to well-known Christian singer Russ Lee—of the popular group New Song—at the museum yesterday with his family. He’ll be returning today. I am still on the road, so I will miss them, but I ran into Russ a couple of days ago in Tennessee.

Russ is one of the founders of the largest Christian music tour in America, called Winter Jam. Started by New Song in 1995, the Winter Jam tour is also known to be affordable for families at only $10 per person at the door.

Earlier this year we partnered with Russ and Eddie Carswell (also of New Song) for its big concert in Louisville, and I had the opportunity to briefly speak to the 20,000 people in attendance.

This photo was taken inside the museum yesterday of Russ and his wife Mary, with their three children. My brother Steve is in the middle. Steve hosted them in my absence.

Goodbye to a Friend

It’s always sad to report the passing of a Christian friend and wonderful Christian leader. At the same time, we celebrate the passing into heaven of Pastor Ed Gaines. Ed led a church in our Cincinnati area for several years, Calvary Chapel Tri-State. Three AiG staff members attend his church.

What a great heart Ed had for evangelism and expositing God’s Word. Although on dialysis for several years, Ed still managed to travel abroad for weeks at a time, but he was careful to locate places where he could receive dialysis treatment in the countries he visited. He was a big fan of our Creation Museum and brought many guests here.

Pray for his wife Maxine and the rest of the family during this challenging time. Here is a photo of our friend Pastor Gaines.

Here is what the church shared with us about Ed’s services today.

The Funeral Service for our beloved Pastor Ed will be held Thursday, October 4th, at Thompson, Hall, and Jordan Funeral Home—11400 Winton Road, Forest Park, Ohio 45240.The visitation will begin at 10:30, and the funeral service will start at 12:30. Immediately following the gravesite service (at Landmark Cemetery), you are invited to a reception at Calvary Chapel Tri-State.

Thanks so much to all of you who have been inquiring as to how you can bless the Gaines’ family. It is priceless to see the outpouring of love and generosity from their amazing circle of friends. Any memorial contributions—in lieu of flowers—may be sent to the Calvary Chapel Widow’s fund at P.O. Box 36446, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236-0446.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying, including for the Gaines’ family,

Ken

Ark Exhibit Coming

Visitors to the Creation Museum have been asking about the large structure they see under construction at the side of the Creation Museum.

This structure is a full-scale model of one bay in Noah’s Ark, like the one we will be building in Williamstown, Kentucky. Various exhibits will be placed in these bays as people walk through the Ark. This structure is only one bay of one floor (it has a mezzanine level).

Imagine two more bays stacked on this one and about 40 of these for each floor—you’ll realize how big the Ark structure will be and how much room we will have for exhibits to teach the truth of God’s Word and the gospel. There will be a total of over 130 bays in the Ark.

Here is a photo of the structure under construction at the Creation Museum.

When it is finished in a couple of weeks, there will be a number of signs installed to help people understand the size of this one bay in relation to the size of the whole Ark. Yes, Noah’s Ark was huge! Find out more about our Ark project at ArkEncounter.com.

Make sure you come and visit the Creation Museum soon and take a look at this Ark bay!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken