Ken Ham's Blog, page 448

Observatory Update

After a two-month delay due to some bad weather, the observatory project is now well underway here on the grounds of the Creation Museum.

Our concrete contractor has dug the foundation and has poured the foundation walls and the basement floor. In the photo, you can see the isolated pillars for the large stationary telescopes that will be installed upon completion. Next, they will add the top floor, waterproof everything, and backfill with gravel and dirt. Then we will begin the framing process.

The spring storms have made working conditions pretty tough on the workers. Thankfully, it appears as though we are in for some warm, dry weather for the next several days. I will update you as we continue to make progress on this exciting project.

Here are some photos:

Foundation walls

Apparatus for delivering gravel to the foundation floor

Observatory foundation walls and stationary telescope pillars

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

AiG on PBS TV This Weekend

The future Ark Encounter and our existing Creation Museum will be featured on PBS TV's Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly this weekend. A few weeks ago, a PBS correspondent came to the Creation Museum and filmed me in my office. The segment will cover the popularity of Christian attractions in America—the museum and Ark will be among a few attractions to be profiled.

You can find your local PBS TV affiliate and also see when Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly is aired on your station on this page.

To follow the progress of the full-size Ark we are building in northern Kentucky (down the road from the Creation Museum), go to www.ArkEncounter.com.

Oklahoma Pastor Challenges AiG Staff

This past week, we were privileged to have a number of special visitors at AiG and the Creation Museum, including Pastor Tony Lambert, senior pastor of First Southern Baptist Church, Del City, Oklahoma.

I encourage you to listen to Pastor Lambert's challenge below, which was given to the staff this past Wednesday:

Pastor Tony Lambert Devotional

Pastor Tony Lambert and me

Speaking in Louisville, Kentucky, Today

I am giving four presentations at the homeschool conference in Louisville, Kentucky, today and tomorrow. Go to the Outreach event page for details.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Nine Year Old Challenges NASA

I received a letter from a nine-year-old girl who has been brought up on AiG resources. She the following wrote to me:

I went to a NASA display of a moon rock and a lady said, "This Moon-rock is 3.75 billion years old!"  Guess what I asked for the first time ever?

"Um, may I ask a question?"

And she said, "Of course."

I said, in my most polite voice, "Were you there?"

Love,  Emma B

Emma's Mom wrote a letter to us with more information:

Actually, Emma, age 9, asked a bit more, but I just copied what she typed for you.  She was VERY excited to share it with you, since she's been blessed to hear your teachings through your kids DVDs and Kids Answers.

I found it all quite interesting myself. We went to a portable moon-rock display from NASA here at a local festival in South Carolina. What I found strange was what seemed to be the MAIN point when we walked into the display is the presenter kept saying, "This moon rock is 3.75 billion years old!".  . . . I have no idea if she actually worked for NASA, or was a volunteer. But, Emma proceeded to answer that she thought the moon rock was probably around 6,000 years old, after the presenter asked her how old she thought it was then since she didn't believe it was 3.75 billion years old?  Then the rep asked Emma how she came up with that?  Emma answered, "The Bible. If the earth was made around the same time as the moon, wouldn't they be the same age?" Emma answered. Then the rep replied, "Oh, yeah I believe in the Bible too."  But, in the same breath said "Scientists have proven this…yada, yada, yada, blah, blah…."

The first picture attached is what Emma drew for you back in March–to encourage you – [because I was disinvited from a homeschool conference]…

The second is of Emma at the NASA exhibit, touching the 3.75 billion year old moon rock (yes, I like sarcasm)…

…and the 3rd one was what was in the exhibit in case you wanted to see it.

Thanks for your time!  Blessings and prayers for you and your ministry…Love in Christ…

Each time I give examples in my blog posts of children who have been influenced by AiG, the atheists go ballistic on their blogs. They hate to read of instances like this. They want to teach these children there is no God and they are just animals in this hopeless and meaningless struggle of this purposeless existence.

Praise the Lord, Emma has such a strong foundation in God's Word and won't fall for the atheist lies in their attempts to shake their fist at their creator God.

Galapagos Adventure—Day 11

Today Dr. Georgia Purdom of our staff posted another blog entry from her adventure in the Galapagos Islands. Here is an excerpt:

Yesterday our first stop was on the rocky beaches of Fernandina, the youngest island in the Galapagos. It is home to one of the largest populations of marine iguanas. When we arrive in the morning it is low tide and we can actually see the iguanas eating algae off the rocks. Within a short time of our arrival the tide begins to come in and a mass exodus of marine iguanas begins, swimming toward shore. The ocean becomes spotted with their little black heads! Our naturalist tells us they arrive on the shore exhausted and must warm up and rest a while before they travel further inland to avoid the rising tide. We also see some massive male marine iguanas heading out into the ocean. We are told that they are large enough that they can go out at high tide and dive deep where the algae are more abundant. As we walk along the shore, we have to be careful not to step on the iguanas that blend in so well with the black lava rock.

The lava fields we walk on are amazing, filled with all different shapes and structures including small lava tubes, ripples, cracks, and gravel-size rock. Because the island is young, the vegetation is limited, and this is the first place we spot lava cacti. Our naturalist informs us that they are one of the first invaders of the lava and make way for other plants to grow in the future.

Visit Georgia's blog post to read more and see some photos from her trip.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Tennis Star Now Has a Different Calling

The famous Wimbledon tennis tournament is starting in England, and it's the time of year when many of us think about our good friend David Wheaton. David was a highly ranked tennis pro about twenty years ago. He reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 1991, beating tennis greats Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi along the way (he eventually lost to the great German player, Boris Becker). Later, he won the Wimbledon "Over 35 Doubles Championship."

David has a different passion today. Earlier this month I was on his The Christian Worldview radio program, dealing with the topic "Keeping the Faith … at Christian Colleges." During the program, I summarized the contents of our new book Already Compromised and how that so many Christian college professors do not treat the Bible as accurate and authoritative when they give lectures to their students.

You can listen to my interview with David at this link.

Find out more about this defender of the Christian faith at www.DavidWheaton.com. By the way, since I'm an Australian, I wanted to point out that he made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open (1990), and later he represented America in the prestigious Davis Cup competition (1993). In his career, David won three singles tournaments (and three doubles) on tour.

Speaking at Homeschool Conference in Louisville, KY

This Friday and Saturday, I am giving four presentations at the homeschool conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Find out all the details at the Outreach event page.

IncrediWorld Has Launched

Visit http://AnswersVBS.com/2012/ to learn more about the fifth Vacation Bible School program that Answers in Genesis has developed for next year.

Galapagos Adventure—Day 10

Today Dr. Georgia Purdom of our staff posted another blog entry from her adventure in the Galapagos Islands. Here is an excerpt:

We spent most of yesterday traveling around the island of Isabela and taking it easy on the boat. The movement of the boat made me seasick in the morning, so I spent most of it in bed. But by 11:00 AM the waters had calmed, and so did the movement of the boat and I did well the rest of the day. When the boat stopped and we looked around we were essentially surrounded by active volcanoes. We can see Sierra Negra, the volcano we climbed the other day. We were again reminded of its large size, as we had been traveling for eight hours by boat and it was still in view! Three other volcanoes also come into view—Cerro Azul and Cerro Ballena on Isabela and the island of Fernandina, which is the youngest of the Galapagos Islands and essentially one giant volcano called La Cumbre. The naturalist tells us that all have erupted in the past several years.

Late in the afternoon, we cruise in pangas through Elizabeth Bay (Isabela). This is a long, narrow bay lined with white, black, and red mangroves. I found it ironic that this bay has the same name as my daughter and is known for its population of Galapagos penguins—and penguins are my daughter's favorite bird. I make sure to take lots of pictures of the two penguins we spot swimming in the water. We also see some brown pelicans resting in the mangroves. It is very quiet and peaceful in the bay and we are the only ship for many miles.

Visit Georgia's blog post to read more and see some photos from her trip.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

IncrediWorld Launching Tomorrow!

AiG's powerful, biblical authority based, evangelistic, and apologetics-oriented Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs are becoming more and more popular with churches/Christian groups and so on. So many people have told us they loved how "meaty" these programs are for kids. Many have testified they have seen more kids commit their lives to the Lord than they have seen in years. Even many adults become interested in hearing what is taught to the kids—some adults even have been saved as a result! This year's program Gold Rush will be used in over 4,000 churches (around a quarter million children, plus many thousands of adults), with last year's program Egypt File used in many others.

Now—Get Ready for IncrediWorld!

And, it's time to plan for an incredible time at VBS next summer! So strap yourself in and get ready for the ride of your life with the newest Answers VBS program for 2012—IncrediWorld Amazement Park: A Thrill Ride through God's Creation!

With AiG's newest VBS, your kids will learn the truth about God's incredible creation!

Sadly, our children grow up in a world where they hear the same lessons about God's creation everywhere they look—that it's not God's world but is instead the result of a big bang and millions of years of random processes. Movies, TV programs, and books all teach that the incredibly designed animals we see today are simply the result of molecules-to-man evolutionary processes. God has no place in this fictional account and our children are left wondering if the Bible is really true since it teaches that "in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1)!

At IncrediWorld, we want to give God the glory He deserves for who He is and what He has created! Your kids will learn that the Bible tells the truth in Genesis about God creating all things in six actual days. And they'll be amazed to discover the incredible design features in animals that showcase the handiwork of the Creator! We'll even spend a whole day learning the truth about some of God's most incredible creations—dinosaurs!

The most important reason why we want to encourage kids to trust the Bible is so they'll embrace the salvation message woven throughout each book. Our desire is that they'll understand their sin separates them from a loving God, but He has provided a way to heaven through His Son Jesus Christ—so that they'll receive the gift of eternal life!

IncrediWorld marks the fifth Vacation Bible School program that Answers in Genesis has developed. And, in my opinion, each year has gotten better and better! Of course, you don't have to take my word for it—check out what people are saying about this year's VBS program, Gold Rush:

The Gold Rush curriculum is excellent. Thank you for caring for children enough to tell them the truth and not just try to entertain them for a week. (Pat S.)

GOLD RUSH! Awesome, awesome Bible school material! Thanks AiG for writing such Gospel-centered and apologetic curriculum! We really enjoyed Gold Rush and our kids and adults are going to grow spiritually as a result of it. Thanks again, AiG, and we can hardly wait to see what 2012 VBS will be! (Allison T.)

We are loving the Gold Rush this year. Here's a message I got from a parent: Whatever you did for VBS tonight . . . keep it up. My kids came charging through the door just buzzing about how great it was! My child said to me, "Mom, that was the best time I've had in VBS HISTORY!!" Thanks for all your hard work!!  (Ali H.)

Our kids are having a blast this year! They are loving the message, the games, snacks, crafts, and the music & skits. We teachers are really enjoying the message also along with everything else. The kids are getting it & you can tell b/c they are asking questions & wanting to know more. (Melissa B.)

The following are some photos from the test church using the new IncrediWorld VBS program, which were taken last week:

To find out more about IncrediWorld, visit AnswersVBS.org tomorrow!

Galapagos Adventure—Day 9

Today Dr. Georgia Purdom of our staff posted another blog entry from her adventure in the Galapagos Islands. Here is an excerpt:

Yesterday was the first of several days we will spend visiting Isabela. It is one of the youngest islands with five active volcanoes. On the panga ride to the island in the morning we spot more Galapagos penguins. My daughter Elizabeth loves penguins, so I try to take a lot of pictures. That's not an easy feat from a moving panga filled with people! Our naturalist tells us that many of them are cleaning themselves after eating. They are fun to watch swimming and diving and floating along in the water.

We arrive on Isabela and begin our walk through a lava field. The lava is very rough and pointed. Our naturalist tells us it is called Aa lava (pronounced "ah-ah"). Aa is the Hawaiian word for "hurt," and just looking at the lava makes me think this term is very appropriate! The green and white crusty substance on the top of the lava is lichens. The landscape here stands out in stark contrast to what we have see seen on the older islands.

Visit Georgia's blog post to read more and see some photos from her trip.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Congratulations AiG Staff!

I thought it fitting that when we announced to the AiG and Creation Museum staff that we were now listed as one of the "Top Workplaces" for 2011 in the Cincinnati area (we ranked number eight in the mid-size company range), we would also give out our five-year achievement awards to some of the staff. We give these awards at the five year and ten year level, and we have given many over the past few years. We do praise the Lord for the number of staff who are so committed and dedicated to the ministry of AiG.

Our HR Director (Peggy) is with me as we inform staff about the "Top Workplaces" award.

The following are photos of staff members receiving their achievement awards (Todd, Kim, Edana. and Mary Jo):

A photo of Dr. Tommy Mitchell as we gave him an autographed photo of one of his favorite singers as a thank you and encouragement for his sacrifice while often out on the road speaking on behalf of AiG.

See this link to find out more about this "Top Workplace" award (as determined by the employees themselves—they filled out a job satisfaction survey).

Thank You, Thank You

We love receiving emails like the following:

I am a Christian and a stay-at-home mother that homeschools. I am poor and would not have the advantage of teaching creation with the fun and teachable videos that you have on your site free for me. I even get to benefit from the adult videos to help me teach my child. I could not thank God enough for your ministry in a world that is bent on denying Jesus. I will pray for you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Honoring a Father

Today, on Father's Day, I thought I would honor a particular father who was a friend of the AiG ministry. Many of you have no doubt heard of the apologetics ministry of Dr. Ron Carlson of Minnesota. We sadly report the death of this Christian apologist, who was president of Christian Ministries International.

While he was recognized as an expert on world religions and cults, Dr. Carlson was also known for the hundreds of creation and anti-evolution talks he presented in several countries over the decades. Dr. Carlson noted that evolution itself was an entire worldview and thus a religion itself. He described naturalistic evolution as "packed full of faith propositions" (http://www.christianministriesintl.org/articles/02.html). He argued articulately for a literal Genesis and a young earth.

His son Jason sent the following email to me:

Thanks so much for your note and for your prayers. It means a great deal to our family. We're going to miss our dad greatly, but we are so thankful that he lived a faithful life, finished his race, and the Lord took him home peacefully in his sleep . . .Thanks for paying tribute to my dad. He always thought and spoke very highly of you and AiG.

Dr. Carlson's two sons will carry on his ministry work. See the following link to their ministry: http://www.christianministriesintl.org/

So, as we celebrate Father's Day today, please remember to pray for the Carlson familly—for Dr. Carlson's wife and two sons, and the legacy of a ministry that will be continued by his sons.

AiG a Top Workplace

Today, in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum will be in the list of Cincinnati-area organizations to be given a "top workplace" award for 2011. AiG and the Creation Museum have been ranked (after surveys submitted by our staff were tabulated) number eight in the region for "Top Workplaces" in the "mid-size" range (150–499 staff members). A photo of our Utahraptor exhibit helps us stand out in the newspaper.

The following link explains how this list is determined: http://www.topworkplaces.com/about

See the following link about Answers in Genesis—you will enjoy reading the comments from some of the staff who participated in the survey (AiG had a phenomenal percentage of staff respond compared to average): http://www.topworkplaces.com/company/answersingenesis-cr_cincinnati

Praise the Lord for the AiG staff!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

AiG "Speaking" Arabic

Recently, Dr. Terry Mortenson spoke at a conference in Egypt. Terry had a tremendous response, and he will be writing a report on this incredible event in the near future.

I thought you would be interested to see the videos of Terry being translated into Arabic as he spoke. The following link goes to the church website that posted the entire creation conference—so far, over 5,000 people have watched these videos:

http://www.kdec.net/spec-studies/scienceandfaith/s_fconfrence/index.1.html

You may know someone you could forward this link to as a witness!

Athletes in Action Group Visits Creation Museum

Among several outreaches, Athletes in Action has a unique sports ministry in Bulgaria. The group that visited the Creation Museum yesterday was made up of 19 Bulgarians and 8 Americans; they are a part of a basketball outreach that AiA has. They'll be playing basketball in a U.S. tournament in the next week or so.

Because many on the team are non-Christians, you might call this ministry a "reverse missionary endeavor." Instead of sending U.S. missionaries to bring the Word to Bulgaria, the AiA staff bring the Bulgarians to the U.S. so they can minister to them. Most of the basketball players had never heard the Bible's account of creation. Biblical authority was unknown to them.

The tour's theme is "who is Jesus?" One of the leaders said that the players are starting to understand the message.

The international headquarters of Athletes in Action is based out of Lebanon, Ohio (about 60 miles from our museum). Below is a photograph of the group that visited:

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

NASA Creationists!

Did you know there are many scientists and engineers working at NASA facilities around the country who are Bible-believing creationists? I discovered this for myself in early 1994—when AiG was a brand-new ministry—as I was asked to speak to the Bible club at the Goddard Space Flight Center of NASA near Baltimore. Several dozen people turned out to hear me give a talk on the reliability of the book of Genesis. While there, I was also introduced to people who were working to fix the Hubble Space Telescope.

The following is what I wrote about my talk at NASA in a May 1994 newsletter to the supporters of our new ministry, and then I'll skip forward to 2011:

NASA Scientists Hear Creation Message

I had the opportunity recently to speak at a lunch meeting at NASA's Goddard Space Center near Baltimore, arranged by the Bible Club there. Over one hundred people attended the meeting, including many scientists. Even though there was some opposition, the overall response was very positive.

One scientist told me how much the book The Lie had meant to him. Three physicists, however, invited me to their office afterwards to try to insist that Christians could accept evolution. We spent a considerable time talking through the issues, and one of the younger men indicated that he would have to rethink his position.

Perhaps the most thrilling part of this visit was to be taken on a tour by scientists who were both Christians and ardent creationists. One of these men is a director involved in refurbishing the Hubble Telescope. Another was a Project Operations Director for the satellite called "Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer." They introduced me to a number of other scientists who also believed the Genesis account of creation and who were "on fire" Christians.

I had to shake my head as I thought of the number of times that evolutionists have claimed that no creationist can be a real scientist. There are probably many more scientists out there who are creationists than we realize!

Now, back to 2011—Bill Daniels, the man who invited me to NASA in 1994 (and who was something of my "chauffeur" as I traveled in the area back then) visited the Creation Museum this week for the first time (with his wife Karen). We introduced them to the staff at our Thursday morning chapel. Afterwards, I had my photo taken with Bill and Karen. Bill and I heartily agreed that our beard color had changed a lot in 17 years!

Here is a scan of our 1994 Update newsletter, which includes a photo of the Goddard Space Flight Center.

It's always encouraging to learn that there are Christians involved in high levels of scientific activity, including within NASA. (Through a friend in Houston, we've heard that many creationists are employed at the NASA facility there.) As they work on such important projects as the Hubble Telescope and look into the universe, they don't see the results of a "big bang" (see Does the Big Bang Fit with the Bible? for a refutation of the big bang), or that mindless, chance processes created our incredible universe. These Christians at NASA see the handiwork of our Creator God instead (Psalm 19:1).

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

A Young Peg Sponsor

Recently we received a $100 donation to sponsor a peg in the Noah's Ark we are building in Northern Kentucky (part of our "peg, plank, and beam" sponsorships of the Ark Encounter project).

When we sent a reply to the donor, we received this email:

Thanks for the email, Jennifer. Mason is my son, whose donation was the result of money given him in lieu of presents (at his request) by his friends for his 7th birthday.

How we praise the Lord for the number of young children who are excited about AiG, the Creation Museum, and now the Ark Encounter project. God is raising up many such dedicated young people today!

You can sponsor a peg, plank, or beam and find out more about the Ark Encounter project at www.ArkEncounter.com.

It's Nearly Finished

In a couple of weeks, our new 1000-seat auditorium/multi-purpose room and lobby/coffee shop area next to the Creation Museum will be finished, and soon after, should be ready for us to use. I will keep you informed, but below are some photographs taken recently:

Part of the high-tech sound system

Lobby/coffee area

A view from the AV control area looking at the front of the auditorium/multi-purpose room

The padded chairs have begun arriving in large boxes (photo was taken on a cell phone and is a little grainy)

Galapagos Adventure—Day 8

Today Dr. Georgia Purdom of our staff posted another blog entry from her adventure in the Galapagos Islands. Here is an excerpt:

Yesterday we visited the island of Santa Cruz. This island has about 12,000 people that reside in the coastal town of Puerto Ayora. The town is also home to the Charles Darwin Research Station. This organization works with the Galapagos National Park to conserve the plant and animal life of the islands. The programs include eradication of introduced plant and insect species and feral animals (e.g., goats and pigs) and reintroduction of species that have been lost from islands due to feral animals or human eradication (e.g., land iguanas). Of course at the interpretation center we also see signs talking about millions of years and evolution, especially with the finches. However, what they understand as evolution over millions of years we know as natural selection and other mechanisms over a few hundred to thousand years, leading to different finch species.

The research station also boasts a large tortoise breeding program that helps reintroduce and maintain tortoises on certain islands. The star attraction of the day was the giant tortoises. The first one we see (that isn't still a baby!) is Lonesome George. This tortoise is probably over 150 years old and the last of his species from Pinta Island. There are several different species of giant tortoises which are unique to the island on which they reside. They are trying to breed George with females from Volcano Wolf that appear to be Pinta hybrids in the hopes of re-establishing the species.

Visit Georgia's blog post to read more and see some photos from her trip.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken