Ken Ham's Blog, page 446

Were You There?

Recently, I wrote a blog item about a young girl who very politely challenged a guide at a NASA exhibit about the supposed billions of years date for a moon rock. See the previous blog post.

Well, we have found that certain secularists and atheists regularly monitor my blog and Facebook. They really get upset when they hear of any instances of children learning about the truth of God's Word, starting in Genesis. They continually use the term "child abuse," for example. They want to indoctrinate children with the idea that they are just animals and life has no meaning or purpose. These are the same people who usually support killing millions of children by abortion. They support such shocking "child abuse" in the womb, but accuse people like us at AiG who tell children the truth about the God of creation of being abusers.

These secularists also either do not understand the difference between historical and operational (or observational) science, or they do understand but just can't allow those they attempt to brainwash to understand it. People need to know that molecules-to-man evolution is a belief (i.e., a religion). In fact, the belief in the idea of billions of years is really a religion—the secularist religion they adhere to in their attempts to explain life without God. Of course, the reason secularists are so emotional about all this is because they don't want to be accountable to God—they don't want to acknowledge they are sinners in need of salvation and that they are under judgment by a holy God.

As a result of my previous blog post, secularists tried to bombard my Facebook page and also sent emails to us. Many of their communications were blasphemous, vile, obnoxious, and full of expletives and ad hominem attacks.

One email we received was short and simply asked us if we were there. I decided to respond for our Friday feedback article on the AiG main website. You can read the feedback article on the front page.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Picnic at the Pavilion

This past weekend we held our Creation Museum annual "Picnic at the Pavilion." We were thrilled to welcome nine local food vendors for this event. Numerous activities such as animal rides, free hayrides, balloon twisting, face painting, and backyard critter demonstrations made it an entertaining and exciting time for all. A special feature was the K9 dog demonstration by our very own Jolee!  The feedback from the guests and staff who attended the picnic was extremely positive, and we look forward to doing it again next year!  If you missed out, keep an eye on the Creation Museum calendar for next time.

Here are some photographs taken at the event:

AiG Apologetics Mega Conference Begins Monday

You can still register at the door for AiG's Apologetics Mega Conference. This Monday evening, we start five days of in-depth teaching with AiG speakers and special guest presenters. The conference this year is being held at the beautiful new facilities of Florence Baptist Church—just 20–25 minutes from the Creation Museum here in northern Kentucky. It's conveniently located right off I-75 and south of Cincinnati. And of course, registrants will be able to visit the Creation Museum (as many times as they want) during the week as part of their registration.

For further information, go to the Apologetics Mega Conference event page.

I hope to see you there.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Increasing Number of Young People Supporting Ark Project

The younger generations are excited about the ministry of AiG, the Creation Museum, and now the Ark Encounter (a full-size Noah's Ark). I love to see all the children excitedly visiting the Creation Museum.

I wanted to share with you two letters we received this week—one from a 10 year old and one from a 12 year old.

The Ark Encounter project is moving ahead—please keep praying.

You can find out more from www.arkencounter.org.

You can also find information on how to sponsor a peg, plank or beam.

2012 VBS

I thought that you would enjoy the following photo from the leaders of our test church and writers of the 2012 Vacation Bible School (VBS) program called Incrediworld. The program is written and tested in a church the year prior to its release. This is going to be another powerful AiG VBS program reaching thousands of children.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Praising the Lord for Woodstock

I am so thankful and do praise the Lord for the opportunity to speak to many thousands of people at First Baptist Church of Woodstock this past Sunday in the Atlanta area. Johnny Hunt is the senior pastor. Most of the resources we took were gone by the end of the day—people responded in an extremely positive way. As has been happening more and more, lots of children and young people came and told me how much the ministry of AiG and the Creation Museum meant to them.

Here are some photographs taken during the presentations I gave Sunday morning and evening:

AiG VBS Down Under

What a thrill it was to receive this report from a person who uses AiG Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs in Australia. They actually used the Operation Space program (produced a couple of years ago). Here is the report (I will also post the photos when I receive them):

I thought I'd like to update you on our phenomenally successful Operation Space VBS  which concluded today. We have our huge Grand Finale in the morning for the parents to come and see their rooms that they worked in, view the children's program in the church , hear songs and stories about Space and then finish with a luncheon for everyone.

We have worked for 10 months to make this VBS even better than the Amazon Jungle [also from AiG]. It was booked out with 135 children able to come and already have a waiting list for next year.

I will send photos soon of the rooms … they were just amazing … we would have had hundreds of beautiful stars purchased before  Christmas and amazing decorations as well including galaxies, Milky Way (made with Milky Way candy bars hanging from the ceiling and the children; during Bible competitions , children got to take a bar from the Milky Way if their team won!)

The whole week was done so professionally this year and everyone were just "blown away " by how incredible it all was. We had visitors from as far away as Toowoomba in Queensland to come and check it out . The town is abuzz amongst the Christians about how brilliant it was.   Our Children's Ministry leader from our church came and will promote it Australia-wide.

I have never been so exhausted in my life but it has been all worth it for the children we will see in the Kingdom because of this program.

One group from our church are going to do missionary work in Vanuatu [an island in the South Pacific] next week and the teachers going will do the B.A.S.I.C. lesson program whilst there as it is still fresh in their minds.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

An Amazing Week

Comments about AiG's 2011 Vacation Bible School (VBS) program, entitled Gold Rush, are pouring in!

Here are some from this past week:

We loved the apologetic theme! Our church wide theme for the summer was apologetics so we knew God was directing us to your VBS! We loved every

minute and were able to present these most essential truths to over 550 children with 100 of our mission partners children – what an incredible

blessing! We had 67 decisions for Christ and we are praising God for his goodness! Thank you all for an incredible VBS! (B.R.)

The continuing results of "Gold Rush" VBS is evident in our church. As the invitation was given Sunday, children who made decisions to follow Christ

during VBS lined up with their families at the altar. VBS teachers and the Director (yours truly) shed tears of joy! God says His Word will not

return void and always brings forth fruit. Thank you for keeping your VBS materials centered in God's Word. (L.J.T.)

Just a thank you for your VBS "Gold Rush". My Church used it this year. Every one working in the program commented how easy, instructional, enjoyable the program was. The best part was 22 young people accepted Christ as their Savior. One night 12 young people asked their instructor during the lesson if they could accept Christ. The teacher brought them to the both the Youth Pastors & Pastor to pray with them. Praise God! (B.V.)

Thank you for producing the wonderful Gold Rush VBS! Our Bible School was June 6-10, and I honestly believe it was the best we have ever had. There was a very sweet spirit throughout our VBS this year. The theme worked very well to teach the kids the Good News of Jesus Christ. Every aspect of the Gold Rush VBS was integrated in such a way that the kids got the same message throughout the day – from the opening assembly to the Bible time to recreation to snacks to crafts to the closing assembly and drama. The resources and leader guides were very helpful. The drama was one of the best ever. The music was also a blessing. The songs stuck with the kids very quickly and served as great vehicles to get Bible truths into young lives. The songs (contemporary) were tasteful, had good melodies and words, and ministered to our hearts. The selection of Bible verses was also very good. Here is a blessing for you – we encouraged our kids to memorize the theme verse for each day. Out of an average attendance of 135 children (K-5 through 5th grade), over 50 memorized all 5 Bible verses and recited them to an adult during the week! All of the kids learned one or more verse. Our goal is to get the Bible into young lives, and your materials certainly helped us do that. Praise the Lord!

I believe this was our 4th year using Answers in Genesis VBS materials. They have all been good but Gold Rush was simply outstanding. Thank you again for producing such wonderful, fun, usable, and Bible-centered VBS materials. Answers in Genesis has certainly been a blessing to the Lord's work in our church and community. (J.Y.)

We had an amazing week! God did a mighty work! The workers were joyful people were plugging in wherever needed with a smile! At least 8 kids got saved! Our biggest class was our 4-5th grade! God is so God! He answered so many prayers and even kept the rain away for the week which is amazing in WA right now! To God Be The Glory! (M.K.)

We had a great week. Several decisions and lots of questions and Answers so I am sure more will follow.  (J.S.)

Amazing!!!! First time we used Answers VBS. It is awesome. We had a great turn out and spread the good news to so many new families. Lots of great feedbacks from families. (L.M.)

Amazing hearing the name of Jesus on the lips of so many kids. praise God for all the work He has done (B.P.)

Great! The kids liked the challenge of the curriculum and we had six kids want to know more about Jesus! (B.G.)

115 kids for GOLD RUSH! Praise the Lord for a very smooth, safe and fun opening night. We will NOT be fooled by counterfeits…YeHaw! Thanks AIG for this amazing curriculum that is fun and filled with TRUTH! (M.B.)

[Gold Rush] was amazing!! Had more kids than we'd ever had and 1 accepted Christ and had spiritual conversations with 8 more. (S.V.)

It was Awesome! Had our closing today and what took two weeks to put up is all down and put away in a few hours. Our drama team was incredible and I heard the same thing this year, as it being the best so far. Totally love Answers VBS!!! Thanks!!! The kids loved all of it. They are already talking about next year! (S.S.)

Great Response at Woodstock

I praise the Lord for the testimonies I received at First Baptist Church of Woodstock (Near Atlanta, Georgia) after speaking four times yesterday. The following photo was taken in the lower section of the auditorium for the second service (this was the smaller attended service and held in the smaller auditorium):

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Not Pick and Choose What We Want to Believe

Over 75,000 people obtain Answers magazine each quarter (and of, course, many thousands more read these copies). We often hear testimonies from people as to how this apologetics magazine has positively affected their lives. Here is a testimony the senior editor, Mike Matthews, received this month:

Thank you for all the encouragement and lessons that your magazines have given these past 5 years.  Being a young believer I especially enjoy the lessons on creation that defy evolution and give more evidence that there is an intelligent Creator.  I've used information in many of your articles and the evidence you have provided to share my Christian faith.  The way you use the Book of Genesis to support Creation is an important example of how we, as Christians, need to believe the truth of the entire Bible and not pick and choose what we want to believe.  May God continue to bless you in your efforts to share His Word.

If you haven't obtained a copy of the spectacular 5th anniversary edition, I urge you to do so.

You can subscribe to the award-winning magazine on the online store.

First Baptist Church Woodstock (Atlanta Area) Today

Today, I speak four times at First Baptist Church Woodstock. You can watch each of the presentations (the first two services are the same message) live on the internet.

9:30 a.m. The Relevance of Genesis in Today`s Culture
11 a.m. The Relevance of Genesis in Today`s Culture
4:45 p.m.  How to Defend the Christian Faith in Today`s Culture
6 p.m. One Race, One Blood

Watch live at this link.

Find out more details about this AiG conference on the event page.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Watch the Conference in Georgia Tomorrow Live

This Sunday (July 10), I will be speaking at the morning and evening services of First Baptist Church Woodstock (near Atlanta, Georgia). You can view all of my presentations (the two morning messages will be the same) on the live media page of the church website; the church homepage is www.fbcw.org.

All of the following presentations will be broadcast live.

9:30 a.m. The Relevance of Genesis in Today's Culture
11 a.m.  (Repeat of 9:30 a.m. ) The Relevance of Genesis in Today's Culture
4:45 p.m. How to Defend the Christian Faith in Today's Culture
6 p.m. One Race, One Blood (racial reconciliation and the origin of "races")

Find out more details on the event page.

The senior pastor is Johnny Hunt, outgoing president of the Southern Baptist denomination. By the way, if you haven't seen it yet, be sure to watch Dr. Hunt's YouTube video endorsement of our Ark Encounter project.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Astonished at Research and Publications

Here is an email received this week:

Just wanted to pass along a great appreciation for the work you all are doing.  Almost 30 years ago, I was a math and science teacher in a Christian School and had a keen interest in passing on Creation Science to my students.  At that time resources were rather scarce.  I was somewhat limited to Henry Morris' work, the work of Duane Gish, and Ken Ham's early stuff.  I've been away from teaching science for almost 30 years now.  I have kept up at a distance and have visited the Creation Museum.

About a year ago my Pastor asked me to teach an adult Sunday school class on the topic of Creation and evolution.  I needed some resources so I went to your website and found more than what I needed.  I was astonished at the research that has been done over the past 30 years and the wealth of publications.  I've purchased a lot of materials from AiG for use in my class and much of it will go into our church library.  Your website is just awesome with all of the resources, videos, and other information.  Thanks for making it available.

I've always said that AiG is like a "reservoir," and we pray more and more people will "pipe" into it and help permeate the culture with AiG resources—this continues to happen and increase daily. Praise the Lord!

Pastor Feedback

Every now and then, I do what is called a "Meet the CEO" at the Creation Museum. We give Creation Museum visitors opportunity to meet with me. Yesterday was one such time. As people come to say "Hi," many also give me some great testimonies.

Yesterday, I was thrilled to meet a pastor who told me that he had found great answers for counseling in the "Nouthetic Counseling" movement (a movement that builds their counseling philosophy on God's Word, not man's psychology). But he needed answers regarding science and the Bible. As a pastor he was looking for help to ensure his thinking was founded in God's Word. He told me he found AiG, and the resources have greatly affected him personally, his ministry, and the people in his church. He just wanted to say thank you.

This is another example of a "pipeline" coming out of our huge reservoir—disseminating much-needed biblical and scientific information to the people.

Almost Ready

Well, our long awaited 1,000-seat auditorium (Legacy Hall) at the Creation Museum is almost ready.  Final touches are being put into place, and we hope to obtain our occupancy permit within a few days. Here is a photograph:

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Renowned Scientist Visits Creation Museum

I'm sure all of you have heard of the MRI machine. Many of us have been scanned by this machine, so an image can be produced to help doctors in diagnosing a medical problem. The inventor of this machine is Dr. Raymond Damadian of New York. We have written articles on this famous Christian in the past. Dr. Damadian loves the AiG ministry, and even speaks on occasion on the creation vs. evolution issue. He and his wife Donna visited the Creation Museum this past Tuesday and Wednesday—they drove all the way from Long Island (about 700 miles) to be with us. Here is a photograph taken overlooking AiG's new, soon-to-open 1,000-seat auditorium:

From left to right: AiG speaker and researcher Dr. David Menton, myself, Dr. Raymond Damadian, Donna Damadian, AiG speaker and writer Dr. Tommy Mitchell.

Dr. Tommy Mitchell is an internist, and Dr. David Menton taught medical students at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, so it was a thrill for these two AiG researchers who are involved in the medical field to meet a fellow Christian who is an ardent creationist and an inventor of one of the world's phenomenal medical devices.

National Educator Visits the Creation Museum

Mark Looy, our CCO and AiG co-founder, connected with his former boss on Saturday at the Creation Museum. Dr. Paul Boatner, president of the accrediting organization called TRACS,  and his wife Mary, met Mark at the museum. Dr. Boatner was previously a VP at a community college in California, and he hired Mark (around 1987 or so) to teach a course in European history.

TRACS stands for the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. It is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a national accrediting agency for Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries—including those schools that teach creation but have difficulty getting accredited by regional agencies because evolution is not being taught as fact at those schools.

Here are Paul and Mary inside the museum's planetarium just before the astronomy program started.

Mark gave him a copy of our new book Already Compromised, which exposes the compromise on biblical authority that is so rampant in Christian colleges today.

To find out more about TRACS (which was co-founded by Dr. Henry Morris, the father of the modern creationist movement), go to www.Tracs.org.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

More Young People on Fire for Creation Apologetics

We are seeing an increasing number of testimonies from young people who have become on fire for creation apologetics. The Lord is using AiG and the Creation Museum (and in three years, the Ark Encounter also) to raise up generations of young people who are bold in their faith and uncompromising on their stand on God's Word. Recently we received the following email:

The email below is written by a young man, Caleb … who recently turned 14.  We have Creation Club meetings in Sacramento which he attended. As he lives about 50 miles away, he decided to start his own Creation Club, and this is his email to people who have expressed an interest in coming to his meetings in his home. He has about 19 people including adults and young people come to every meeting. He makes the presentation himself using PowerPoint and shows portions of Creation DVDs.

He is a very mature 14 year-old (he is home-schooled) and makes a very good presentation. In fact, he makes a better apologetic for Creation and its importance to the Gospel than a majority of pastors today. Caleb has since been invited to have his Creation Club meetings at a local church, Gold Country Baptist Church in Shingle Springs … This young man is truly interested in science as well as Bible truths. It would be great if you could encourage him in the work he is doing in the small community of Camino, CA.

I asked Caleb's mother if she minded if I forwarded his email to other people and she gave her approval.

Here is the email Caleb sent out recently:

Dear friends,

Our Creation Club has a new name!

In today's culture, the Bible's foundation, Genesis, is constantly being attacked by anti-biblical ideas such as evolution and millions of years, and as church leaders compromise on these issues, the next generation will slowly walk away from the church as the seeds of compromise begin to sprout. All of us know that if you want to demolish a building, destroying its foundations will eventually lead to the collapse of the entire structure. Psalms 11:3 says that "If the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do?" Sadly, we are seeing just that in modern Christianity as the church becomes less and less effective in their ministry. Our only hope is to restore the foundations, by showing that the Bible can be trusted from the very first verse and that history and science confirm the biblical account of Creation.

Our goal is to strengthen the faith of the church (You!) so we can return to being the effective tool we once were and to defend the Bible from these secular and anti-biblical attacks on Christianity.

That is why we have chosen the name Foundations Creation Club for our Creation ministry, so we can restore the Foundations of Christianity in our culture

Caleb then went on to advertise the meeting they held recently:

The next meeting of the Foundations Creation Club is happening on Friday, June 24th at 6:45 PM at the LePore home. Topic: Genesis; Does it Matter?  We will learn about what the Bible teaches about the Creation week, the Fall, the age of the earth and why a literal interpretation is foundational to the rest of the Gospel and the effects of compromise. We will also watch a portion of the video "Millions of Years: Where Did the Idea Come From?" with Dr. Terry Mortenson of Answers in Genesis. See you there! Sincerely, Caleb.

It is thrilling to know that AiG presenters are "speaking," even when they are not—the Lord uses their many videos in various places to reach even more people.

Caleb was the name of a great man of God who was prepared, along with Joshua, to trust God's Word—even when most of the Israelites would not (see Numbers 32:12).

Be encouraged, Caleb! We need many more Calebs in this world.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken