Ken Ham's Blog, page 421

Georgia Once Again on Our Mind

Over the years, the state of Georgia seems to have some of the most AiG-supportive churches in the country. Of course, our ministry's neighboring states—and even Michigan (only three hours to the north of us)—have hundreds of congregations each that fully support our ministry. But Georgia is also in that mix.

Last week, the senior pastor of Cross Point Baptist Church of Perry, Georgia (south of Atlanta and near Macon), visited the Creation Museum with one of his deacons and spoke to our staff on Thursday morning. Pastor Jeremy Morton told us that he was thrilled with the quality of the museum (which he toured with me the day before) and the rest of the AiG outreaches, and he encouraged us to remain humble before the Lord—to acknowledge Him in everything we do. I heard some good reports of the devotional he gave to the staff—I was not there, for I had to leave early Thursday morning for my speaking engagement at a homeschool convention in South Carolina. (More about that convention later in this blog post.)

After the visit, Pastor Morton sent in this email:

As a local church pastor, I am eternally grateful for the faithful service of friends like Ken Ham and the AiG team. To say the least, their ministry is a gift to God's Kingdom. Not only is AiG a team full of visionaries leading a first-class ministry, but they are also humble, faithful servants of God.

I am so blessed by their heart to equip the church to know, believe, and proclaim God's Word. Touring their museum is not only educational, but it is a deeply spiritual experience, too. AiG has called me to a deeper, richer love of God and his truth. I look forward to using their Bible study materials at our church. By God's grace, we will never be the same.

His deacon, Ken Davis, who accompanied Pastor Morton, also wrote to us:

Seeing what this ministry is doing is incredible. I was blown away with the unity everyone had about what they were accomplishing. Ken Ham was a pleasure to meet and having him take out his time to show us around was awesome. Looking forward to visiting with my family when the Ark Encounter is completed. It was nice meeting you and hope to see you again soon. God bless you and your family.

Here is a photograph of Pastor Morton (right) and Ken Davis with me.

See the church's website for more information.

We are thrilled there are so many pastors who do support AiG and stand for God's Word beginning in Genesis.

Teach Them Diligently

Here are some photographic highlights of when I spoke at the Teach Them Diligently Convention this past Thursday through Saturday in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The Auditorium for the first Keynote I gave Thursday evening.

The teen session was packed for my presentation Friday afternoon.

The overflow room was packed for my Keynote Thursday evening.

AiG resources are always popular.

Lots of kids and families want to get their photographs taken.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Georgia Once Again on our Mind

Over the years, the state of Georgia seems to have some of the most AiG-supportive churches in the country. Of course, our ministry's neighboring states—and even Michigan (only three hours to the north of us)—have hundreds of congregations each that fully support our ministry. But Georgia is also in that mix.

Last week, the senior pastor of Cross Point Baptist Church of Perry, Georgia (south of Atlanta and near Macon), visited the Creation Museum with one of his deacons and spoke to our staff on Thursday morning. Pastor Jeremy Morton told us that he was thrilled with the quality of the museum (which he toured with me the day before) and the rest of the AiG outreaches, and he encouraged us to remain humble before the Lord—to acknowledge Him in everything we do. I heard some good reports of the devotional he gave to the staff—I was not there, for I had to leave early Thursday morning for my speaking engagement at a homeschool convention in South Carolina. (More about that convention later in this blog post.)

After the visit, Pastor Morton sent in this email:

As a local church pastor, I am eternally grateful for the faithful service of friends like Ken Ham and the AiG team. To say the least, their ministry is a gift to God's Kingdom. Not only is AiG a team full of visionaries leading a first-class ministry, but they are also humble, faithful servants of God.

I am so blessed by their heart to equip the church to know, believe, and proclaim God's Word. Touring their museum is not only educational, but it is a deeply spiritual experience, too. AiG has called me to a deeper, richer love of God and his truth. I look forward to using their Bible study materials at our church. By God's grace, we will never be the same.

His deacon, Ken Davis, who accompanied Pastor Morton, also wrote to us:

Seeing what this ministry is doing is incredible. I was blown away with the unity everyone had about what they were accomplishing. Ken Ham was a pleasure to meet and having him take out his time to show us around was awesome. Looking forward to visiting with my family when the Ark Encounter is completed. It was nice meeting you and hope to see you again soon. God bless you and your family.

Here is a photograph of Pastor Morton (right) and Ken Davis with me.

See the church's website for more information.

We are thrilled there are so many pastors who do support AiG and stand for God's Word beginning in Genesis.

Teach Them Diligently

Here are some photographic highlights of when I spoke at the Teach Them Diligently Convention this past Thursday through Saturday in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The Auditorium for the first Keynote I gave Thursday evening.

The teen session was packed for my presentation Friday afternoon.

The overflow room was packed for my Keynote Thursday evening.

AiG resources are always popular.

Lots of kids and families want to get their photographs taken.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Dealing with Physical and Spiritual Problems

Here are two examples of doctors who are supportive of AiG and are using AiG resources to reach their patients with the message of biblical authority and the gospel:

1. It is always refreshing to see the Word of God affect and transform people from all walks life. Recently, I received encouraging photos taken in the waiting room of Dr. Jack & Barbara Manuele (NUCCA Board Certified). Their family practice in the Los Angeles area treats spinal misalignments and more importantly the spiritual misalignment many patients have with God. You see, while visitors are waiting, children have the opportunity of knowing God as their Creator and Savior through Answers for Kids books, Dinosaurs for Kids, A is for Adam and other AiG materials. Also, adults get incredibly engaged with Answers magazines and our faith-defending Pocket Guides that help readers think and reflect over what they really believe in. But that's not all! During office visits, the Lord often allows Dr. Jack and Barbara to further equip those young in the faith and even minister to staunch atheists! In fact, just a few weeks ago, two particular well-to-do atheists accepted an invitation to see the Passion Play at the Manuele's home church. It is truly a remarkable to see how the Lord continues to reach the unreachable through the AiG family.

Here are some photographs Dr. Jack sent us:

2. Steve Flink is a medical doctor near Indianapolis who uses AiG materials in his office to reach people with the message of the truth of God's Word.  He sent us an email stating: "I have three exam rooms at my medical office.  I have had gospel tracts in all the rooms for many years.  Recently I placed the  Answers Book for Kids, volume 2 on dinosaurs and the Flood in one room.  I have had several of my older patients inquire about how to order the set of books for their grandchildren.  In another room I placed Ken Ham's book on dinosaurs for kids.  In the third room I have placed Answers magazine.  Often, when I enter the room, my patient is looking at the book or magazine.  However, the one that has brought the most interest is the Answers Book for Kids."

Dr. Flink sent us some photographs (see below) and explained: "I place the materials on the edge of my desk.  The patient sits in the chair next to my desk.  This is how I place the materials.  I don't have a magazine or a book rack in my exam room."

Dr. Flink also speaks on creation in churches.  How we praise the Lord for people like this who use AiG resources to reach more people with the truth of God's Word and the gospel.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

What Does This Nazarene U. Professor Believe?

Randall J. Stephens teaches history at Eastern Nazarene College. He is the author of The Fire Spreads: The Origins of Holiness and Pentecostalism in the American South (2008) and coauthor of The Anointed: Evangelical Truth in a Secular Age (with Karl Giberson; Harvard, 2011).

Stephens and Giberson (a former Nazarene university professor) coauthored a commentary that appeared on the Religion Dispatches website. It's a piece on what the authors call the "conservative Christian counterculture." They basically say that the reason people vote for conservative politicians—who may reject evolution or not accept "gay" marriage—is because they are anti-intellectual. The authors then  point to organizations like Answers in Genesis as one of the reasons there are so many people who are anti-science and thus anti-intellectual.

Actually, one of the main reasons for the appearance of this article is  to push their new book that takes many what I would call "cheap shots" at AiG and me. In this new web article, the authors continue to take many cheap shots—it seems they are becoming even more nasty in their attacks. I know they want to sell their book, and I'm sure they have become more aggressive in their attacks against us to to bait AiG into responding and gaining publicity.

At first, I was reluctant to respond to their article, as they stoop to such low levels in their tirade against us. But I believed I should respond for the reason of warning the Nazarene church about what this professor believes—and also to warn other Christians that they need to be checking out what is going on at their denomination's colleges. I also urge you to obtain our book Already Compromised—it is a real eye-opener into what is being taught in Christian colleges in the USA. You can get it in print or digital form at these two links:

Print version of Already Compromised
Digital Download of Already Compromised

After reading the article, I have come to many conclusions about what Stephens and his coauthor are stating. I hope every Nazarene understands what this Nazarene professor believes—and therefore we assume his beliefs are being transmitted to the students he teaches and influences:

Biological evolution is fact.
If you don't believe in biological evolution, you are anti-knowledge, anti-intellectual, and anti-science.
Secularists should be believed over the Bible.
The Bible is not God-breathed.
"Gay" marriage and homosexual behavior are natural and should not be spoken against.
Anyone who believes in six literal days of creation and a young earth is anti-intellectual.
Francis Schaeffer was not a scholar, and his biblical worldview was wrong.
Absolute Christian morality based on the Bible is wrong.

I have reprinted excerpts from their article below.

Perhaps such a university, in the name of fairness, would include paleontology courses taught by someone who believed that dinosaurs were contemporary with humans and that fossils unearthed today are of animals drowned in Noah's flood.

Could such a university be accredited? The short answer is yes. A handful of fundamentalist colleges and universities across the country incorporate such views into their science curriculum. Knowledge denial, though, can easily finds [sic] other, more subtle ways to reach willing audiences, and even creep into the classrooms of credible universities. …

There is, of course, no such controversy in the scientific community. …

Anti-intellectualism is deeply rooted in American evangelicalism, reaching even into the classrooms of popular schools, like Cedarville University and Liberty University (the largest evangelical university in the world), where students are taught that the earth is 10,000 years old. Millions of evangelical youth grow up hearing that there is a real debate when it comes to human origins. They also come to learn that homosexuality is a sinful lifestyle choice that can be repaired with prayer. They are taught that secular historians are suppressing the vision of the Founding Fathers and that America was supposed to be a Christian nation.

Controversies that should have died decades and even centuries ago are kept alive by organizations invested in the answers of yesteryear, often because those old answers, say stalwarts, came from the Bible and are believed to have been laid down by God. These answers informed the thinking of a long-gone society that, through the rose-tinted glasses of those nostalgic for a better time, looks moral, family-oriented, and respectful of God's laws in ways that the present age is not. …

Ken Ham's Answers-in-Genesis project is dedicated to the proposition that God wrote the Bible himself and that all knowledge needs to be based on a simple literal reading of that ancient book. As the organization's name suggests, the book of Genesis is filled with "answers" that God provides to many important questions: How old is the earth? What is the proper relationship of males and females? What is marriage? Why were animals created? Why are there so many languages? Where did humanity originate? Why do people behave the way they do? …

Answers in Genesis argues that starting assumptions, rather than data and theories, determines whether a researcher believes the earth is six thousand or four-and-a-half billion years old. Who can be sure, anyway? Ham encourages students to ask their teachers "Were you there?" when those teachers suggest that the earth is very old, or that dinosaurs predated humans. As Ham would say, God, of course, was there and told Moses what happened "in the beginning." That's the "answer." Professionally constructed dioramas in Ham's Creation Museum show dinosaurs looking over Eve's shoulder.

Similar knowledge denial occurs on questions of gender roles and human sexuality. Organizations like James Dobson's Focus on the Family claim that homosexuality is an inherently perverse and sinful life choice that can be reversed. …

The American Psychological Association has stated definitively that "homosexuality is not an illness. It does not require treatment and is not changeable." The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with numerous other professional organizations, have adopted similar stances. …

A number of thoughtful evangelicals are alarmed at the surging anti-intellectualism within their ranks. And there are many academic historians, geneticists, psychologists, and other intellectuals within the Christian tradition who do not deny the knowledge claims of their respective fields. Such believers, however, are viewed with suspicion if they do not speak the language of biblical inerrancy, anti-evolution, and conservative politics embraced by other Christians.

Take Francis Collins, for example, one of America's most well-known scientists and an enthusiastic evangelical Christian. Despite having directed the Human Genome Project and ascended to the head of the National Institutes of Health, Collins' credentials mean absolutely nothing to millions of evangelicals, who prefer to get their science from Ken Ham, who has no stature of any sort in the scientific community. …

Biblicist watchdog Georgia Purdom [of Answers in Genesis, who used to teach at a Nazarene university] recently summed up this Bible-centric approach in a review (or indictment) of our book. She explains that her organization valiantly goes "against the grain of the secular academic establishment while we stand on the authority and trustworthiness of God's Word from the very first verse (as opposed to word of finite, fallible man). …

Meanwhile, the turnstiles at Ken Ham's creation museum turn briskly.*

The authors are obviously upset that so many people are visiting (and keep on coming) to the Creation Museum.  They want people to reject the Bible as they do instead of believing God's Word as we all should.

Let me highlight a quote that really sums up a good part of the article:

Controversies that should have died decades and even centuries ago are kept alive by organizations invested in the answers of yesteryear, often because those old answers, say stalwarts, came from the Bible and are believed to have been laid down by God.

Giberson and Stephens have now declared they believe God's Word, written "yesteryear," consists of "old answers" that are not from God!

No, God's Word is for all people for all time. It stands for eternity.

"Now, O LORD God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said." (2 Samuel 7:25)

Remember His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations. (1 Chronicles 16:15)

"And now, O LORD, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as You have said." (1 Chronicles 17:23)

He remembers His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations. (Psalms 105:8)

Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. (Psalms 119:89)

The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. (Psalms 119:160)

"The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8)

having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, But the word of the LORD endures forever. (1 Peter 1:23)

Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:25)

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

*http://www.religiondispatches.org/arc...

Who Is the Real Giant?

Debater and Writer Speaks at AiG Chapel

Every week we have at least one outside speaker address our staff for our morning chapel. On Tuesday, our guest pastor was not really an outsider, even though he pastors a church about 90 minutes north of us in Ohio. Pastor Jay Lucas has authored two books on presuppositional apologetics that we sell through our webstore and the Creation Museum bookstore, and he has a few friends on the AiG staff.

On Tuesday, he gave us a devotional from I Samuel 17, and then during the lunch hour, he conducted a "brown bag" lunch so that many of our research staff could hear a summary of his new book, The Rights Fight. Here is a photo of Jay with me holding his book after he spoke to our staff.

Jay Lucas

In addition to being a pastor, Jay also conducts (cordial) public debates with non-believers, including the well-known evolutionist/atheist, Dr. Will Provine of New York—he and Jay have actually developed a friendship, although their worldviews are very different.

Jay shared with me and others that next month he will be conducting a public debate at his alma matter—Binghamton University in New York. His debate opponent will be atheist Matt Dillahunty of Texas. Please pray for this outreach of Jay's. One of the things I appreciate about Jay is that his interactions with skeptics are almost always friendly. He has a heart for reaching academics and politely challenging their presuppositional thinking. Take a look at his church website.

Jay gave a challenge to the AiG staff based on the passage of Scripture that details the account of David and Goliath. I have entitled his message, "Who Is the Real Giant?" You can listen to his 20-minute message below.

Who Is the Real Giant?

In South Carolina

I am in South Carolina (Spartanburg) for the next four days speaking at the "Teach Them Diligently" conference. I hope to see some of you there. For details about the conference go to teachthemdiligently.net.

For my schedule at the conference, you can also go to the event page on the AiG website.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Overcoming Compromise

I am very encouraged by the number of testimonies we regularly receive from people who are influenced by AiG ministry and who are themselves helping to overcome compromise in the church (e.g., those who add evolution and/or millions of years to the Bible). Here are two recent examples.

1. From an Adult

The following is an encouraging email from a supporter in North Carolina:

I'm writing primarily to say "Thank you" for your earnest defense of the gospel—and its very origins—before a world increasingly antagonistic toward God's revealed Word, and a church increasingly compromised in its attempts to harmonize the naturalistic and humanistic opinions of fallen, fallible people versus the supernatural and perfect Word of God.

I graduated from, and God used my years there to inform and deepen my respect for His Word. Some of the friends I made there, however, would appear to have embraced a compromised old-earth-and-evolution worldview: one friend recently wrote a favorable review of The Evolution of Adam. When I see such compromises being made, it breaks my heart.

Thanks in large part to AiG's web resources, I've gained a better appreciation for this underlying fact: the "battle," at its core, isn't between science and faith. That's a false dichotomy that provides a convenient brush with which "old earthers" (or anti-theists in general) can paint "young earthers" as less intelligent than themselves (if not outright stupid). I believe the real battle is between faith and faith: faith in fallen humans' anti-supernatural bias or faith in the infallible creator God and what He's revealed to us through His creation as interpreted according to His Word.

I wish I were financially able to support AiG, but the truth is we sometimes struggle to tithe to our local church. Instead, I will continue to pray for Answers in Genesis' ministry as you continue to seek to expose darkened hearts to the light of God as He's revealed it through His word and His creative work.

—B.G., N. Carolina

2. From a Child

Dear Ken Ham,

Our family took a trip in August to the Creation Museum. We have 4 children, ages 11, 10, 8, and 5. We send them to [a] Christian School … Yesterday, my 11-year-old son in 5th Grade chose to not participate in a school activity in making a promotional video.

He was the only one in his class of about 20 kids not to want to be part of it. His teacher asked him what his reasons were…. He answered "I do not want to be part of promoting lies to other students." She asked him "What lies?" He gathered up all his science textbooks (secular publishers) and dropped them dramatically in a pile infront of his teacher. He said, "The lies in these that speak about evolution and not creation."

As parents, we should have seen this coming. He had been bringing his textbooks home and telling us about the subtle and not so subtle evolution concerns in his curriculum. We told him that if he felt offended, he needed to talk to his teacher first. And then if he felt unsupported, we would go and talk to his teacher. He respects his teacher and did not say anything at first to challenge her. But then when the opportunity arose, he grabbed it., After speaking with our school administrator, we all felt that most of the teachers at our school need some education and training on creation science. My opinion is they probably felt defensive. …

We are interested in helping educate our Christian school with some resources. We have limited funds though, and do not know how proactive the school will be in acquiring them on their own. Please let us know what you recommend. Thank-you, Ken, for instilling the truth in our children and preparing them for the world we live in—Christian schools are not excluded.

It is so great to know others are helping us in our mission call the church and Christian schools back to the authority of the Word of God.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Sharing the Vision

1. With American Airlines Employees

Last week, two staff members from AiG's Advancement Division met with members belonging to the Christian Employee Resource Group (CERG) at American Airlines. Our staff shared the vision of Answers in Genesis, The Creation Museum, and the future Ark Encounter project. CERG has plans to bring a group to the Creation Museum on April 9. They have also organized a way for the employees to give to the Ark Project and AiG through a payroll deduction.

Here is a picture of Charles Young who heads up the Christian Employee Resource Group at American Airlines with AiG staff members Jason Nave and Joe Boone. (Sorry for the poor photo quality—it was taken on a cell phone.)

CERG also arranged for his meeting with our staff to be "simulcast" to two other American Airlines offices where other CERG meetings were being held. The group was very appreciative of AiG's visit, and they were excited about planning a trip with their families to visit the Creation Museum. American Airline employees can fly free on standby status—typically they can fly up in the morning and return in the evening since the Creation Museum is so close to the Cincinnati Airport.

We praise the Lord for all the opportunities we have to reach people with the message of the authority of Scripture and the gospel.

2. At the Shepherds' Conference

It was an honor and privilege to participate again this year at Dr. John MacArthur's "Shepherds' Conference" in California. Nearly 3,500 pastors and other church leaders from all over American and many nations came together for training, encouragement, and resources. Answers in Genesis gave a copy of the 5-year keepsake issue of Answers magazine to each of the 3,500 registrants, and our publisher, Master Books, gave a copy of our popular new book, Begin, to everyone as well.

In addition, two of our executives, Dale Mason and Dan Zordel, plus the chairman of our board, Don Landis (who is also president of Jackson Hole Bible College) were there to speak with the pastors and answer their questions about some of our best apologetics and biblical authority materials.

Here are some pictures of the resource area, plus the Grace Community Church sanctuary for one of the morning workshops.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Spring Break Creation Museum Promotion

In a nutshell it's this—buy one museum ticket, get three free for college students on the following Fridays: March 16, March 23, March 30, April 6, April 13, and April 20.

I have been on the road (and even overseas) for the past few weeks, and so much has been going on back in the office that it's hard to keep up. I just learned of this great Creation Museum promotion, which we're hoping will draw even more visitors than usual as we start to see a growing number of guests during Spring break for college students.

To encourage these students to come here and not engage in some mindless or frivolous activities during their break, we are offering this very special museum discount for college students. Buy one museum ticket, get three free on six upcoming Fridays.

It doesn't matter which college student is buying the one ticket as long as the three others (or it could be two others or one other) also show a current valid college student ID to get their free tickets. The paid ticket must be full price at the adult rate, and all people in the party need to show their college ID.

While here, the college students can register to win a pizza party for them and their other friends (to be awarded in the form of a gift card).

The "buy one get three free" offer is valid on Fridays over the next few weeks as follows: March 16, March 23, March 30, April 6, April 13, and April 20.

Our hope is that this offer will encourage college students to bring their skeptical friends here. Perhaps some of them will consider swinging by the museum on their way to their spring break destination.

The success of this special campaign will be dependent upon a grass-roots effort, so please share, post, forward, and tweet this great offer to friends, youth group, pastor, campus ministries, and anyone else who might help get the word out.

Please note that this offer is not valid with other museum promotions/discounts/offers.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

What Profit Is It to a Man?

"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Matthew 16:26)

What have Steve Jobs and a professor of Computer Science have in common?

One of the members of the AiG board of directors is Dan Wooster; he heads up the Computer Science Department at Bob Jones University (BJU is a Christian and creationist university in South Carolina). Dan is retiring in a couple of months after 30 years' teaching at BJU. His family decided to give him a surprise retirement dinner and invited his closest friends and colleagues. Mally and I were invited, and we made seven-hour drive down. I was asked to make a presentation about Dan and give him a "charge" regarding what he will do in his retirement.

After much thought and prayer, I decided to make a special presentation to Dan at this dinner. On behalf of AiG, I presented Dan with the biography of computer genius Steve Jobs, written by Walter Isaacson (who wrote biographies about Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein)—and the one we gave him was autographed by the author!

Now why would I give such a book to Dan?

Well, as far as I can tell, Steve Jobs did not receive the gift of salvation as outlined in the Bible. Now, he was a very successful man. And in many ways, he is like our friend Dan. These are some of the characteristics I saw in Steve Jobs and see in Dan: thinking outside the box, creative, innovative, entrepreneurial, etc. However, there is a big difference between the two—Dan is a dedicated Christian, who has worked hard over the years to reach people with the truth of the Bible and the gospel.

As I made the presentation to Dan, I talked about the things above, and then said that a Bible verse came to mind about Steve Jobs. In Matthew 16:26, Jesus states, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?"  Steve Jobs is certainly very famous (and rightly so) in the world's eyes.  But sadly, he didn't use his talents for Christian work, but we can certainly use his inventions for Christianity.

I told Dan that he will probably never be famous like Steve Jobs as far as the world is concerned, but he is famous in God's eyes, so to speak. And he can be even more "famous" in this regard, as he now will have more time in his "retirement" to use his talents and gifts for the Lord. In fact, one of the reasons Dan wanted to retire at this stage is so he can devote more of his time to help organizations like AiG.

Here are some photographs taken during this special night:

The family showed some photographs of Dan from a baby to the present.

I am beginning my presentation to Dan.

I printed out Matthew 16:26, and read it to him.

I am presenting the Steve Jobs biography to him.

My wife Mally, me, Dan, and his wife Karen.

I want to personally thank Dan for all he has done and is doing for the AiG ministry.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

It's God We Should Look Up To

This past week there were a number of news items about a Tweet sent out by singer Miley Cyrus.  What she did reminded me of how important it is that AiG is producing the Answers Bible Curriculum, as we will be—among many things in ABC—teaching character development. First of all, who is Miley Cyrus?

According to Wikipedia (yes, we have to be careful about using such a source at times, but for background info., it can be useful), Miley Ray Cyrus, whose given name is Destiny Hope Cyrus, was born in Tennessee, where she attended Heritage Elementary School. She was baptized in a Southern Baptist church. Miley Cyrus first became well known after starring in the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana. Since then, she has gone on to act in films and plays, and she has released a number of musical albums (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miley_Cyrus). In 2009, Forbes magazine ranked her at #29 in the "Celebrity 100." Her reported income that year, according to Forbes, was $25 million (www.forbes.com/lists/2009/53/celebrity-09_Miley-Cyrus_EB0C.html).

A story from Entertainment Weekly (music-mix.ew.com/2012/03/05/miley-cyrus-twitter-jesus-stars) says, "Though she has been held up as a paragon of Christian values at various points in her career, Cyrus' actual faith seems like the same sort of all-love hodgepodge that tends to come from 19-year-olds with possibly illicit hobbies (she does quote Buddha at the top of her Twitter page, after all)."

She also supports same-sex marriage and tweeted about it. She wrote an article on the subject in Glamour, particularly concerning her new tattoo that says  "All LOVE is equal": www.glamour.com/entertainment/2012/02/why-miley-cyrus-got-her-gay-marriage-tattoo-glamour-march-2012

She states, "When I shared a picture of my tattoo on my Twitter page and said, "All LOVE is equal," a lot of people mocked me—they said, "What happened to you? You used to be a Christian girl!" And I said, "Well, if you were a true Christian, you would have your facts straight. Christianity is about love." The debate resulted in a lot of threats and hate mail to people who agreed and disagreed with me. At one point I had to say, "Dude, everyone lay off." Can't people have friendly debates about sensitive topics without it turning into unnecessary threats?"

Well this past week, Miley Cyrus posted a tweet about physicist Lawrence Krauss including a quote from him where he states, ". . . So forget Jesus. Stars died so you could live."  Here is a screen shot of the tweet:

Now the statement by Krauss is blasphemous.  But who is Lawrence Krauss?

First of all, he is an atheist who mocks God!  It's hard to believe Miley Cyrus would use the word "beautiful" to describe this anti-God atheist and his blasphemous quote—but that is what she did!

Krauss is a theoretical physicist at Arizona State University.  He paid a brief visit to our Creation Museum in 2007 and has been a very vocal critic of it, even appearing in the national media to speak against us. Krauss argues in  his new book, A Universe from Nothing, that modern science can indeed answers the question of why there is something rather than nothing. Krauss's goal is to explain that the universe did not need a Creator because it already had the potential for creation.  He states in his book:

In the interests of full disclosure right at the outset I must admit that I am not sympathetic to the conviction that creation requires a creator, which is at the basis of all the world's religions. (p. xi)

Defining away the question by arguing that the buck stops with God may seem to obviate the issue of infinite regression, but here I invoke my mantra: The universe is the way it is, whether we like it or not. The existence or nonexistence of a creator is independent of our desires. A world without God or purpose may seem harsh or pointless, but that alone doesn't require God to actually exist. (p. xii).  Lawrence M. Krauss, A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing, (NewYork, New York: Free Press, 2012).

Over the years, many young people have looked up to Miley Cyrus—giving her heroine status.  She has been held up by some as a great example of a Christian.  However, it is very obvious she has not been acting as a Christian should in regard to her tweet, and other behavioral issues and statements she has made in recent times.  But I wanted to use this example to make a very important point.  We should not be encouraging our children to make other human beings their heroes or heroines.  Now certainly, we want our children to look up to great men and women of God—but they all have feet of clay too!  Even David in the Bible, as great a man of God as he was, committed terrible sins!

AiG's new Answers Bible Curriculum (you can pre-order—will be available this coming June) teaches through the entire Bible in a three-year, totally integrated program, from pre-school to adult.  As part of this program, character studies will be taught—however, with a big difference to how many programs teach such a subject.

Many Sunday school programs teach mere moral lessons or character development. For example, when talking about how David slew Goliath, kids might be encouraged to be brave like David when facing their own "giants." When hearing about the good Samaritan, they might be told to show kindness to others. And that is where the application part of the lesson ends.

Answers Bible Curriculum, however, takes a different approach. Rather than focusing on character development and moral lessons, we focus on who God is and what He has done—God is the hero of the plot. So in the account of David and Goliath, children learn that David trusted in God, who is faithful to His promises and who honors those who honor Him. God's attributes are put on display, and He is exalted. The application is not to emulate a person from the Bible, but rather to learn about who God is and what He has done, and then understand how that knowledge should affect one's thoughts, conduct, and walk with God. The knowledge of God's justice and holiness produces repentance; the knowledge of His grace and mercy leads us to praise Him for our salvation; the knowledge of His sovereignty causes us to trust in Him no matter what happens.

Miley Cyrus may have a let a lot of people down—but God NEVER let's anyone down.

We need to pray for Miley Cyrus!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken