Ken Ham's Blog, page 452

Is This What They Call "Tolerance?"

In today's secularized culture, we often hear people (particularly leftist humanists) demand what they call "tolerance." Christians are often accused by these humanists of being "intolerant." I have heard the accusation of "intolerance" against AiG and what we teach many times over the years.  However, what I have found is that usually those who call for what they call "tolerance" are extremely intolerant of the absolutes of Christianity. What they mean by "tolerance" is often a tolerance of all views that agree with theirs, but an intolerance of views that disagree with theirs.

Two interesting news items I read this week seem to illustrate this. It is also a sign of our increasingly secularized culture, with its growing anti-Christian sentiment.

The first item comes from the United Kingdom.

Homosexual couples have besieged a Christian-run guesthouse with demands for double rooms, seemingly in a bid to destroy the business.

It follows last week's high profile court ruling ordering Peter and Hazelmary Bull to pay £3,600 in damages to a homosexual couple who sued because double rooms were restricted to married couples.

Mrs Bull, 66, has also received abusive and menacing phone calls, but she cannot ignore the phone because her 71-year-old husband has been critically ill in hospital. . . .

Even the hospital has had to deal with nuisance phone calls, leading staff to operate a password system for friends and family to enquire after Mr Bull's health. . . .

"I'm not a prude, but I've been shocked and hurt by the language used. One told me I was an abomination and would go straight to hell.

"I couldn't even switch the phone off in case the hospital needed me. I had one man call, saying he and his gay partner wanted a room.

"I explained we were closed until Easter and got a load of bad language before he hung up. While he was ranting and raving, I just wanted to ring the hospital.

You can read the entire article at this link.

The second item comes from the USA.

Jerry Coyne is a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago. He is an ardent atheist and known for his intolerance of not just biblical creationists, but anyone who believes there is an intelligence behind life. Here is a news item about this anti-God intolerant atheist.

Prominent evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne recently has made this remarkable assertion:

… adherence to ID (which, after all, claims to be a nonreligious theory) should be absolute grounds for not hiring a science professor.

Notwithstanding Coyne's absolute assertion that scientists who "adhere" to ID are unemployable, Coyne actually claims that his professional exclusion of scientists who endorse ID is not anti-religious bigotry:

… I abhor discrimination against hiring simply because of someone's religion …

Yet Coyne has called for the resignation of Dr. Francis Collins, an esteemed scientist who is the director of the National Institutes of Health and who is an opponent of ID. Coyne demands Collins' resignation merely because Collins has publicly expressed his Christian views.

Coyne:

Collins gets away with this kind of stuff [i.e. speaking publicly about the compatibility between science and his belief in God] only because, in America, Christianity is a socially sanctioned superstition. He's the chief government scientist, but he won't stop conflating science and faith. He had his chance, and he blew it. He should step down.

What "chance" did Collins "blow"? Collins blew his chance to pass the atheist litmus test by keeping his mouth shut about his belief in God. Coyne's religious discrimination is explicit and undeniable.

And Coyne goes further. He asserts that mere adherence to ID, whether held by a scientist with religious views or by a scientist with no religious views, absolutely precludes employment in science. Note that Coyne's blacklist extends to all areas of science, not just to evolutionary biology or even to biology. Coynes' blacklist would apply to oceanographers and chemists and meteorologists as well. Coyne proposes a blacklist of ID scientists from all employment in science.

By the way, Collins is a theistic evolutionist.  Coyne is even intolerant of those who believe in God and evolution—he just won't tolerate anyone who believes an intelligence (regardless of "who" the intelligence is) of any sort that has something to do with life.

You can read the rest of this article at this link.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Homeschoolers Need to Be Very Discerning

Over the past few months, I have spoken at a number of homeschool conferences. Some homeschool conferences these days are being run mostly as a business venture, while others are being run primarily as a Christian ministry opportunity. At these conventions, there are many vendors selling curricula, books, and other items. For some conferences, vendors have to sign a statement of faith—though we all know that what some people mean by certain words (such as the "inspiration" and "infallibility" of Scripture) is not the same meaning others take.

We found this trend with the research on the view of biblical authority at Christian colleges, as detailed in the book Already Compromised. There is a "Christian newspeak" today. The same words have different meanings depending on who is using them!

Answers in Genesis staff have visited many vendor booths at these homeschool conventions, and we are saddened to say that there are numerous resources being sold that undermine the authority of God's Word by promoting an anti-Christian religion (the religion of evolution and billions of years) to children. In fact, we would say from our own observations that the majority of those vendors who sell science curricula and books are selling material based on evolution and billions of years.

We took some photographs (this is just a small sample) of the sorts of materials being sold at these conferences. It is a warning to parents that they need to be extremely discerning, and they need to check out all curricula and books carefully. They also need to question those people selling resources and ask exactly what they contain as well as what stands the sellers take in regard to these issues.

If, as we say at Answers in Genesis (and we truly believe), the teaching of billions of years and evolution directly undermines the authority of God's Word, then sadly, homeschool conferences are rife with such material at various vendor booths. There are also a number of books that portray Noah's Ark as a child-like, fairy-tale "bathtub ark." Additionally, many books use the word "story" for accounts in the Bible. The trouble these days is that the word "story" is usually taken to mean "not true" or "make-believe" or "fable," so we discourage the use of the word "story" when talking about the Bible's accounts of history.

Here are samples from the past few months (from our observations, most of these same materials are available at virtually all conferences as many of the same vendors attend these conventions).

I am certainly thrilled that Answers in Genesis is able to have booths at many of these conventions so we can at least have uncompromising resources available for parents. I believe parents need to begin to seek out vendors who are prepared to publicly state they take an uncompromising stand on a literal Genesis.

I also need to say there are many really great, dedicated Bible-upholding vendors at these conventions, who do provide God-honoring resources that do not compromise God's Word. These are the vendors we need to be supporting as much as we can, as they see what they are doing as a ministry to help equip homeschoolers in their vital task of raising up godly offspring. And I also know that there are many convention organizers who only want such vendors at these conferences, but there are many complicated factors in ensuring that.

Be precise when talking to vendors—ask very specific questions about the age of the earth, days of creation, when death came into the world, the extent of Noah's Flood and that it covered the whole earth, the creation of Adam and Eve, whether they accept Darwinian evolution, big bang, etc. The more homeschoolers show the vendors they will only support those who stand on God's Word as they should, the more I believe vendors and organizers of these conventions will take note.

There is a great responsibility on the part of the vendors and organizers to protect parents and children from materials that undermine the Bible. Now, this does not take away from the responsibility parents have in regard to their own children's education. Many are not in churches where pastors take the stand they should on the authority of God's Word beginning in Genesis. Many parents are struggling in regard to what they should teach to their children, and they are very reliant on leaders (homeschool vendors and organizers) to guide them in the right direction. No wonder the Bible warns, "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment" (James 3:1).

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Answers Press Release

Here is a copy of the Answers magazine press release sent to media this past week by our publicist. Also, note the "super issue" news at the bottom.

"Answers" magazine Receives 2011 "Award of Excellence" from Evangelical Press Association—Publisher Answers in Genesis honored in multiple categories

PETERSBURG, Ky., May 13, 2011 – At its annual convention in Chicago last week the Evangelical Press Association (EPA) honored "Answers" magazine, produced by Answers in Genesis (AiG), with its Award of Excellence, selected from among 300 other Christian periodicals. The ministry, which started publishing the magazine only five years ago, was also commended in  other categories related to the quality of writing and artwork included in "Answers" magazine.

Known for honoring the best work done by its member publications each calendar year, the EPA includes 12 magazine categories, such as Campus, Denominational, Devotional, Missions, Newsletters and Newspapers. This year, "Answers" was recognized as # 1 overall in the esteemed "General" category. Runners-up in the category were "Books & Culture," "Christianity Today" and "Sojourners."

"EPA's 'Awards of Excellence' competition honors the best work being done in the Christian periodical publishing industry," said EPA president Doug Trouten. "The judges look at a wide range of factors, including journalistic creativity, writing, design and overall impact. Each year, our judges are impressed by the outstanding quality of the work being done by our members. Best of all, the talented people who create our winning publications are using their gifts to serve God."

"Answers" magazine, now with over 75,000 subscribers and growing, is the world's leading creation apologetics and worldview magazine. Other awards it won at the EPA conference include the following "Higher Goals" awards:

First Place for Typography and Lettering for the article "Ants–Millimeter Messengers" by designer Dan Stelzer
Third Place in the General Article: Long category for "Ants-Millimeter Messengers" by author Tom Hennigan, edited by Michael Matthews
Fourth Place among Covers for its "Value of Life" issue by artist Dan Stelzer
Fifth Place in the Original Art: Traditional category for the illustration "Sea Monsters" by artist Jon Taylor"I praise the Lord for the vision of AiG vice president and magazine publisher   Dale Mason in founding this publication just five years ago, and overseeing it so that every powerful issue greatly impacts people of all ages," said AiG president Ken Ham. "Our creative staff's excellent graphic design and the writers' easy-to-read, faith-building articles make it stand out—'Answers' magazine is truly unique."

In addition to the main magazine and website, each issue includes a special pull-out children's section, "Kids Answers," and associated website. A quarterly publication, the magazine includes articles written at both layman and semi-technical levels, and subscribers receive additional exclusive content online.

Super Answers Issue

Answers magazine will feature a "best of" 192-page special issue this July. (Cover is not final, by the way.) Don't miss out. You may subscribe now on the online store.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Especially for Christian Leaders

Last year we held our first-ever pastors'/Christian leaders' conference (although we've hosted several dozen pastors' breakfasts over the years where I've given a talk). This multi-day event was such a successful outreach that we're doing another one this year (October). And please note: even though it's called "Answers for Pastors" it's really a "Christian leaders" event, and suitable for non-pastors—such as those Christian leaders who are involved in ministry or leadership in their local church and are seeking solid Bible teaching that upholds the authority of God's Word.

Our next Answers for Pastors conference is October 18-20 at our Creation Museum's brand-new auditorium, Legacy Hall (which is almost finished). This is one conference for ALL pastors and Christian leaders (church elders, deacons, ministry workers, and so on) to equip them to revitalize their ministry—and strengthen their faith with Bible-upholding teaching.

For the first time at an AiG meeting, we'll have well-known speaker Dr. Al Mohler of Southern Seminary (your pastor will recognize the name immediately), and he'll be joined by Pastor Brad Bigney (an excellent, practical Bible teacher) , Dr. Michael Haykin, and our own line up of AiG speakers (including me)—with special sessions for the wives led by Karen Haught and Dr. Georgia Purdom. Also added for this special conference is music by worship leader and accomplished composer John G. Elliott (this will be John's third time at an AiG event, and I appreciate his worship music tremendously).

Christian leaders will save $30 when they register before May 31, 2011. Registration includes free admission to the Creation Museum next door to the auditorium. Go to www.answersforpastors.org.

Please send this link to a pastor or other church leader in your congregation and encourage them to attend – and let them know they can tour the Creation Museum if they haven't already.

Young AiG Fans

Here are some photos of just some of the many AiG fans I met at the Homeschool Convention in Pennsylvania yesterday. (I speak three more times today).

It is thrilling to meet so many young people who devour AiG resources and are being trained to be the up-and-coming generation to stand for the Lord in this culture.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Has a New Superbug Evolved?

AiG speaker and researcher Dr. Georgia Purdom, who has a PhD in molecular genetics, has written an important article on her blog about a new "superbug" that has supposedly evolved! She states the following:

While antibiotics are still a very essential and useful weapon in our modern-day warfare against bacterial infections, their effectiveness has been thwarted by the development of antibiotic resistance. Some bacteria have even developed resistance to multiple antibiotics such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). In order to develop more effective antibiotics, scientists are trying to determine exactly how bacteria become resistant in the first place.

Physorg.com recently reported on a study done on a new "superbug" called Staphylococcus sciuri.[1] The bacteria has been associated with endocarditis (inflammation associated with the lining of the heart), peritonitis (inflammation associated with the lining of the abdomen), septic shock, urinary tract infection, pelvic inflammatory disease, and wound infections. The Physorg.com article states, "Booker [scientist researching the bacteria] explained that, several years ago, genetic studies had revealed that Staphylococcus sciuri — a non-human bacterial pathogen — had evolved a new gene called cfr." But did it really evolve a new gene, which implies that the gene was previously not there?

She then gives more detail about this "superbug" and what really happened. She ends her post with this thought:

God in His infinite wisdom and grace designed bacteria with amazing mechanisms to allow them to adapt in a post-Fall world (see this article for more information). If the scientist by using the word evolved means "change," then yes the bacteria have changed, but they have not evolved new genes that would help them evolve from a microbe into a man.

I encourage you to read the entire article on Georgia's blog. Every high school and college student needs to read this article so they will not be led astray by professors that use such examples as supposed evidence of molecules-to-man evolution.

Harrisburg Home Educators Convention

Today I speak three times at the Home Educators Convention in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I then speak three more times tomorrow. Please be in prayer for this outreach.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

A Burden to Serve in Bible Translation

I thought it would be good today to highlight a special graduate. Answers in Genesis speaker and writer Dr. Tommy Mitchell and his wife Liz (who also writes for AiG) recently were thrilled to attend the graduation of their daughter Mary at Pensacola Christian College. Mary graduated with a Master of Arts in biblical languages. So what is Mary going to do now? She is going to pursue a Master's degree in linguistics at a university in Canada. Then she wants to go to the mission field and do Bible translation. She has already spent three months (during her summer vacation) in New Guinea helping Bible translators.

We praise the Lord for the spiritual legacy Tommy and Liz have passed on to their children, and now to see their eldest pursue studies so she can help spread God's Word to those who don't have it in their language! Pray for Mary as she continues to move ahead with what the Lord has burdened her to do regarding such a high calling—to translate the Word of God.

Here is a photo of Mary on her graduation day:

By the way, if you have never had Dr. Tommy Mitchell speak in your church or area, I couldn't recommend him enough. You can request a speaking event on the Answers Outreach website.

You can also follow Tommy on his public Facebook page.

1000-seat Auditorium/Multipurpose Room to Open in June

Construction is well under way on converting AiG's warehouse and worshop area to a multipurpose room. This room can also be used as a 1000-seat auditorium. At the present time, when a speaker gives a presentation in the Creation Museum, we have to close down the SFX theater, as that is the only place we can really have such teaching sessions. During busy days, we also have to often turn people away. Once our new multipurpose room is open, we will be able to provide many more teaching sessions and seat many more people. The current theater we use only allows around 200 at a time.

We are also putting in a state-of-the-art sound system. We praise the Lord for the business man who is enabling us to save many thousands of dollars on this equipment. Below is a photo of the sound board. Our AV staff have been testing this and are ready for installation.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Impacting Tough Marines

Over the years, I have heard from—and met—many young men who are in the military and have been greatly impacted by AiG resources. Many of them have used these resources in reaching out to their fellow military personnel.

Here is just one sample of many such testimonies we receive. This one was sent to us very recently.

I thought you might be interested in another little story; a few weeks ago, we sent our youngest son . . . to boot camp (his dream). In the few last days before he left, we intentionally spent quite a bit of time together. On the final Friday before he left, I had asked him what he wanted to do if he could choose anything. He said, "I've always wanted to go to the Creation Museum, and we really have never gotten to it." So we went. We had a great time! The visit gave us the chance to do a lot of talking about our beliefs and world view just before he left (a prized memory for me!). At the end insisted that he buy the Demolishing Strongholds series that was running in your store. We watched it all before he left. He has since written a couple of letters (they don't have much time for writing in boot camp) and has told me that he has found and buddied up with some great guys in a Sunday School class which is teaching the AiG world view!

Just thought I'd let you know. You may or may not expect to be having an impact . . . amid a bunch of tough Marines; but you are! Thank everyone there for the work you all do.

Praise the Lord for such a witness in the military. Please pray for all those who are being trained and for those who have been trained to defend this country.

Answers Awards

In a previous blog post, I informed you that Answers magazine received a number of awards—include a top award for excellence from the Evangelical Press Association (EPA). Here is a photograph of our main Answers magazine staff at Tuesday's staff chapel.

We showed photographs and the award certificates.

Congratulations to the Answers magazine staff as well as to the many others who contribute in various ways.

Find out more about Answers magazine, and how you can subscribe.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

We Fight Against "Principalities and Powers"

Yesterday, AiG staff had the privilege of hearing Pastor Mark Hoover (from NewSpring Church in Wichita, Kansas) share a devotional. He reminded us of the fact that we are in a spiritual battle, and we also need to use the right "weapons."

Pastor Mark visited the Creation Museum with his wife Mary Alice.

I thought you would be interested in having the opportunity of hearing this devotional below.

Pastor Mark Hoover

Atlanta Home Educators Conference

Here are some photos from the homeschool conference I spoke at in Atlanta this past weekend.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

How Many Christian College Students Are Being Taught This Way?

Recently I had the privilege of instructing young people at a small (but powerfully effective) Bible college in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. For their assignment, I required they read our new book Already Compromised, and then write a review on the book. These students are some of the small number of Bible college students who are warned about biblical compromise.  I was so thrilled and amazed at the level of maturity of these students, who have been taught to stand on the authority of the Word, boldly and uncompromisingly, that I decided to excerpt sections from various of the students' reviews, and make them into a lead article on the AiG website for today.

When you read this entire article and the quotes from the students, I'm sure many of you will say, "I want my children to stand on God's Word like this. I want my students to be able to think biblically like this."

One of the reviews begins with the following:

In his novel, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a C.S. Lewis character asked the question, "What do they teach them at these schools?" Hewas referencing the lack of use of logic he saw in children. As Christians, we would do well to ask the same question when evaluating educational institutions, both Christian and secular.

Many Christian parents are choosing to send their children to a Christian university. But are these Christian colleges really worthy of the confidence that Christian parents are investing in them? Are they fully committed to Scripture? Or are they Already Compromised?

Ken Ham and Greg Hall, with the research help of Britt Beemer, set out to answer these questions in the new book Already Compromised, published by Master Books. The book investigates the situation at today's Christian colleges, describes how colleges' teaching relates to Scripture, and presents challenges to Christians on how we can and should respond in light of the current state of Christian education. Is there anything of concern in today's Christian colleges? Already Compromised suggests that there certainly is. (Aimee R.)

Another student stated the following:

Already Compromised discusses the reality that many Christian colleges have become no better than secular schools when it comes to a true view of Scripture. Though evolutionary and humanistic teachings are to be expected from secular schools, the amount of this compromise we see in Christian colleges is astounding. This book shows the increasing departure from Scripture in higher education today, and what to look for when seeking a college to attend. (Micaela R.)

I urge you to read the rest of the web article, and then to ensure you obtain a copy of Already Compromised.  Then I plead with parents to be extremely diligent and discerning about where you will entrust your children for their higher education. To help you, we do have a website associated with the book Already Compromised, where we are collecting a list of colleges whose presidents are prepared to sign AiG's statement of faith. AiG can't guarantee what every professor or every textbook at these colleges teach, but this list is meant as a starting point to help parents as they research various colleges. The link is www.creationcolleges.org (please note that this website is a work in progress—more colleges and content will be added over time).

You may read the entire review of Already Compromised on the AiG website.

For more information and ordering details, see Already Compromised on our online store.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Answers Magazine Wins "Award of Excellence"

Answers magazine, now with over 75,000 subscribers, is the world's leading creation apologetics and worldview magazine. Our creative staff's excellent graphic design and the writers' easy-to-read, faith-building articles make it stand out—Answers magazine is truly unique.

I praise the Lord for the vision of AiG VP Dale Mason in founding this publication, and overseeing it so that every powerful issue greatly impacts people of all ages. Each magazine has a free fold out chart or poster, and there is a mini magazine for young children in the center of each issue.

There are two websites associated with the magazine—one for the magazine itself and one specially for kids.

We were thrilled to find out yesterday that Answers magazine received five awards from the Evangelical Press Association. One of those awards received was the top award (Award of Excellence) for the general category.

See the following statement from the EPA website:

The 2011 Awards of Excellence prizes were presented at the Evangelical Press Association's annual convention, held May 4-6 in Chicago. The contest honors the best work done by EPA publications during the 2010 calendar year.

There are 12 magazine categories, including campus, denominational, devotional, and missions plus newsletters, newspapers, and others. Answers magazine was judged alongside nearly 200 publications, which are members of the EPA. This year, Answers was recognized as the number one overall in the esteemed general category. Runners-up in the category were Books & Culture, Christianity Today, and Sojourers.

Congratulations to Dale, senior editor Mike Matthews, and all the Answers magazine team. A special congratulations goes to the head graphic designer and art director for the magazine—Dan Stelzer. Without his God-given talents and expertise, the magazine would not be the cutting edge publication it is.

At Answers in Genesis, we praise the Lord for staff who continually produce first-class and highly professional resources, museum exhibits, etc. That characteristic has become a trademark of the AiG ministry.

Here is a photo of Dan as he received the "Award of Excellence."

Answers magazine is also available as a digital edition.  Find out more about Answers magazine at the online store where you may subscribe to the print or the digital edition.

We do have a very special super issue of Answers coming out this year—keep watch for this incredible special edition issue you won't want to miss.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken