Ken Ham's Blog, page 464

Two Major Conferences

As well as the many AiG conferences our speakers conduct across the country each year, plus homeschool and other conferences, AiG is holding two other major events this year.

Apologetics Mega Conference

This will be held in July at a 2000-seat church about 20 minutes from the Creation Museum. We have a tremendous line-up of speakers to equip you to be able to more ably defend the Christian faith in today's world. Go to this link for details.

Answers for Pastors—Featuring a Prominent Evangelical Leader

This powerful and unique conference in October will equip Christian leaders concerning the importance of the book of Genesis, on how to answer the skeptical questions of this age, and to better understand the foundational reasons for the decline of our once very Christianized culture. Answers for Pastors will be held in the new auditorium we are building next to the Creation Museum.

As well as AiG's popular speakers/researchers and other guest speakers, the conference will also be featuring keynote sessions from Dr. Al Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been recognized by Time and Christianity Today as a leader among American evangelicals. Check out this link for more information on the conference.

Thanks

When we conduct AiG conferences in churches, convention centers, etc., we cannot do without the many volunteers who spend long hours working very hard to make the conferences such a success. A big thank you to our volunteers who tirelessly helped us recently at Lenexa Baptist Church near Kansas City:

We also thank the leadership teams of the various churches who work hard to enable us to successfully reach many people with the messages the Lord has laid on our hearts. I have previously shown you photographs from Lenexa Baptist church of the senior pastor, Steve Dighton. Here is a photograph of the children's pastor, Chris Williams, from the church:

It takes a lot of people working together to make an AiG conference come together. If you would like to request a faith-building AiG conference for your church/area, then go to this link.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

In the Media Eye Last Month

The long list below will give you an idea of the media coverage the Ark Encounter received in December, as on December 1 the announcement was made that AiG would be building a full-size Noah's Ark in northern Kentucky. The list does not include several international media outlets (though a few are mentioned below), plus it does not list media coverage in January. (The December listing also does not include hundreds of blogs.) We praise God that even though a shovel has yet to turn over any dirt at the proposed Williamstown site off I-75, the media interest has already been phenomenal. You can only imagine what will happen in 2014 when the Ark Encounter opens!

Now, I don't expect all of you to read each listing below, but for each category, you might want to read the first few listings to see the more prominent media outlets. Here they are below, but remember, these are just the ones for December!

Ark Encounter Placements

A. Media running stories following the Dec. 1 press conference (169.3 million impressions):

New York Times—Circulation: 876,638; 17,753,300 vpm

MSNBC-TV Countdown with Keith Olberman

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC

Conan O'Brien Show

Newsweek—Audience: 4,194,750 vpm

The Telegraph, England

The Independent, London

MSNBC-TV—Rachel Maddow Show

Forbes.com— 8,223,860 vpm

KentuckyPost.com—Audience: 81,643 vpm

HuffingtonPost.com—Audience: 12,889,300 vpm

ABCNews.com—Audience: 8,617,030

Indianapolis Star—Circulation: 182,933; 694,147 vpm

CNN.com—Audience: 270,567 vpm

Lexington Herald-Leader—Circulation: 91,518;

Louisville Courier Journal—Circulation: 159,275

Cincinnati Enquirer—Circulation: 172,536

NKY.com—Audience: 2,806 vpm

WTVQ Ch. 36 (ABC), Lexington

Cincinnati Business Courier— Circulation: 10,532

Business First, Louisville—Circulation: 23,680

WLWT-TV, Cincinnati

KFVS-TV, Ch. 12 (CBS), Cape Girardeau, MO

WEKU-FM (NPR), Richmond, KY

WAVE-TV, Ch. 3 (NBC), Louisville

WHAS-TV, Channel 11, ABC. Louisville

WFIE-TV, Channel 14, NBC. Evansville

WFPL-FM, 89.3, NPR. Louisville

Baptist Press—Audience: 1,000,000 combined Baptist publications/online

Slate website, Slatest.com—3,318,230 vpm

USA Today's On Deadline blog—18,116,300 vpm

MotherJones.com—710,768 vpm

Daily Mail Online, London, UK

WNCT-TV, Channel 9, CBS. Greenville, NC

MSNBC.com—Audience: 22,402,700 vpm

KTVZ-TV, Channel 21, NBC, Bend, OR

WBKO-TV, Channel 13, ABC, Bowling Green, KY

Miami Herald

Crosswalk.com— Audience: 375,610 vpm

Examiner.com—Audience: 8,791,340 vpm

WKRC-TV, Ch. 12, CBS, Cincinnati

New York Daily News—Audience: 7,497,240 vpm

ChristianPost.com—Audience: 234,644 vpm

Atlantic Wire

WRAL-TV, Channel 5, CBS . Raleigh—Audience: n/a; 864,034 vpm

The New Yorker blog—Audience: 924,369 vpm

Los Angeles Times Travel—Audience: 6,664,220 vpm

Bloomberg Businessweek—Audience: n/a; 4,156,880 vpm

CBS News Travel—Audience: 5,475,190 vpm

Baltimore Sun—Audience: 1,356,170 vpm

Religion News Service

Columbus Dispatch, Ohio

The Christian Telegraph, England

Christianity Daily (CA Chinese Christian publ.)

Belfast Telegraph, Ireland

Excite Netherlands

OneNewsNow.com—Audience: 1,269,297 visitors per month online

USA Today Travel—Audience: 18,116,300 vpm

Geo.tv, Pakistan

Baptists Today— Circulation: 10,000

South Bend Tribune—Circulation: 62,482

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette—Circulation: 181,058

Washington Post blog—Audience: 7,107,600 vpm

Washington Times—Circulation: 57,701

Cleveland Plain Dealer—Circulation: 252,608

Sarasota Herald Tribune—Circulation: 66,352

Houston Chronicle—Circulation: 343,952; 1,964,610 vpm

The Age, Melbourne—Audience: n/a

Al Mohler blog

St. Louis Post-Dispatch—Circulation: 207,154

Mladá Fronta DNES, Prague, Czech Republic

South China Morning Post

International Herald Tribune, France

El Mundo, Madrid, Spain

Il Messaggero, Rome, Italy

Western Recorder, Louisville

Unsere Kirche, Bielefeld, Germany.

The Guardian, London

Baptist Bulletin, Schaumburg, Illinois

NRB Today e-news

Die Welt, Berlin, Germany

Sky News, Sydney, Australia.

The Detroit News—Circulation: 146,962

Irish Independent

Daily Mail, London

The Jewish Chronicle, London

The Press, Christchurch, New Zealand

The Dominion Post, Wellington, New Zealand

Miami Herald—Circulation: 151,612

O Barriga Verde, Brazil

Haaretz, Israel

Time.com—Audience: 5,481,100 vpm

Stavanger Aftenblad, Norway

Der Standard, Vienna, Austria

Dakota Voice

Profile, Kiev, Ukraine

Salt Lake Tribune—Circulation: 109,703; 709,943 vpm

Neue Zuercher Zeitung, Zurich, Switzerland

B. After December 1 and 2:

ABC-TV World News with Diane Sawyer

The Economist (UK)—Circulation: 813,240

MSNBC.com—Audience: 22,402,700 vpm

WCPO-TV, Channel 9, ABC Cincinnati

WFPL-FM, 89.3, NPR

Louisville Courier Journal—Circulation: 159,275

Lexington Herald Leader—Circulation: 91,518

NKY.com—Audience: 2,806 vpm

Dayton Daily News, Ohio—Circulation: 95,365

AFR/OneNewsNow.com—Audience: 1,269,297 visitors per month online

Examiner.com

Odessa American, Odessa, TX

KDAZ Radio, Albuquerque

ChristianPost.com— Audience: 234,644 vpm

WDEL Radio, Delaware

Canadian Radio CBC As it Happens

BBC News Hour, London

PBS Online Need to Know

WTBN Radio, Tampa

Radio New Zealand Morning Report

Concerned Women for America Radio

Rheinische Post, Germany

Berliner Zeitung, Germany

Der Spiegel, Germany

Janet Mefferd Show—Salem Radio Network

Middletown Journal, Ohio

Attractions Management magazine

WorldNetDaily.com

CBNnews.com

C. Before December, word was leaking out about the Ark project:

Cincinnati Business Courier—ran preliminary article Nov. 19 on Ark Encounter, based on an anonymous source

WLWT-TV, Cincinnati— Nov. 19

Cincinnati Enquirer— Nov. 19

WCPO-TV, Cincinnati— Nov. 19

KentuckyPost.com— Nov. 19

WCET-TV, Cincinnati— Nov. 19

WLW Radio, Cincinnati— Nov. 19

WHAS Radio, Louisville, Kentucky— Nov. 19

YahooNews.com— Nov. 19, audience: 38,700,500 vpm

MSNBC.com— Nov. 19; audience: 22,402,700 vpm

WSCH-FM, Lawrenceburg, Ind.— Nov. 19

Grant County newspaper, Kentucky— Nov. 19

D. On November 30 and December 1, we sent a media alert indicating that a major announcement would be made December 1 about AiG's next major project; media outlets that covered this impending announcement included the following:

MSNBC.com

CNBC.com—Audience: 2,924,370 vpm

USAToday.com—Audience: 18,116,300 vpm

Cincinnati Enquirer—Circulation: 172,536;

Louisville Courier-Journal—Circulation: 159,275

NKY.com

WLWT-TV, Cincinnati

WLEX-TV, NBC Ch. 18, Lexington

Fox-19 TV, Cincinnati

Examiner.com—Audience:8,791,340 vpm

West Kentucky Star, Paducah, KY

WKRN-TV, Channel 2, ABC, Nashville, TN

Victoria Advocate, Victoria, Texas

The Republic, Columbus, Indiana

Lexington Herald Leader (KY)—Circulation: 91,518

WDRB-TV, Channel 41, Fox, Louisville

LATimes.com—Audience: 6,664,220 vpm

If you want to see a list of much of the media to date with web links just dealing with the Ark Encounter, then go to this website.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

More and More Kids Learning the Truth About Creation, Dinosaurs, and Genesis

Over the years, the secularists have become very angry at the fact that Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum are influencing more and more children. As I said in a blog post recently, many people accuse us of conducting "child abuse" because we teach children the truth about the Bible beginning in Genesis. There are many angry statements on the internet by secularists who just can't stand the fact that AiG is influencing more and more children—from a very young age. For instance, when we published the very popular kids book, Dinosaurs For Kids, one secularist stated the following:

Our favorite [expletive] crazy Creationut Ken Ham has a new Dino-book  out for the kiddies, letting them learn about how Adam used to ride on the back of vegetarian T-Rexes 6,000 years ago before The Fall…It's true! There's no better way to trick kids into believing fairy tales than to use dinosaurs.

Actually, that is one of the more tame statements! Their reaction is very emotional, usually containing considerable vile language and without logical arguments. Of course, that is the only way they can argue anyway—how else do you combat the truth but to use emotional and vile language and lots of name calling!

Well, AiG is thrilled we are reaching more and more kids, and we continue to produce resources and conduct special programs to do so. It was such a blessing to see literally thousands of young people at the meetings in Lenexa, Kansas, this past weekend at Lenexa Baptist Church where Dr. Gary Parker and I spoke. As well as the young people Dr. Parker spoke to, I gave presentations to around 4,000 Kindergarten through High School young people on Monday morning—and there were lots of kids and teens at the other sessions as well.

Below are photographs of some of the kids taken this past weekend—as you look at these photographs, please pray for these in the coming generations who have heard the truth. Pray that they will be able to stand against the secularists of our age and be a phenomenal witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ and message of salvation. Praise the Lord with us that we are able to reach more and more such young people:

Interesting how the secularists have control of the education system where 90 percent of kids attend—most zoos and museums are controlled by evolutionists—and yet those opposed to Christianity are so worried and upset by the small number of creationist organizations like AiG. But secularists know that once the "cat is out of the bag" and the real truth about evolution is known, kids can easily understand that the Bible really is true and it is God's Word—and the history is true right from Genesis 1:1.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

A Day at the Creation Museum

Nine-year-old Anna Tilghman from Saint Simons island in Georgia came to our Creation Museum near Cincinnati with her parents. Months later, Anna wrote a report of her visit. I thought you would enjoy reading Anna's article below:

My First Day at the Creation Museum

by Anna Tilghman

I went to the Creation Museum in Cincinnati. I went to the museum with my Mom, Dad and my little sister, Lily. Outside of the museum there was a dinosaur skeleton on each side of the door.  We got v.i.p. passes. This is why we got v.i.p. passes. My dad owns an advertising business. He advertises for the museum. The passes had the days of creation on them.

I walked through the museum with my family. In the front of the museum I saw a moving sculpture of Adam and Eve. Above us was a robot that looked like a T-Rex. While I was walking I saw robots that looked like people making "Noah's Ark." After that I saw Mathuselah.  Mathuselah was Noah's father and died at the age of about 996. Afterwards, I went to a show about the stars.   learned the names of some of the stars. The show gave information about the Milky Way. The show also shared that there are millions of galaxies.

I ate at a restaurant named "Noah's Café." I had noodles for lunch. My Dad had a salad with ranch dressing as his lunch. My Mom had lasagna. My sister ate a hot dog with ketchup and mustard that day. The restaurant was decorated to look like a jungle. There were pretend monkeys and all different kinds of pretend animals.

My Mom and Dad perform a play called "Job." Job is a man in the Bible. My Dad acted out his life. My mom sang in the background. While they did that my sister and I had a babysitter. We walked through the museum while it was closed. We saw cool videos. Most of the videos were about the creation of the earth. After my parents finished their performance, we hopped in the car.

We drove to a restaurant and my Dad hopped out of the car and bought us sushi. Once we got to the hotel we were staying in, my sister fell asleep. I had a California roll for dinner. There were strange orange circles on the top of my California roll. I asked my parents, "What are these strange orange circles?" They did not answer. My Dad distracted me by talking about how cool the museum was. After dinner my parents told me what the strange little orange circles on the top of my California roll were. They said that they were fish eggs. After that I went to bed. It was a very tiring day, but I had bunches of fun.

Anna's dad commented with the following:

A couple of things are amazing to me about this. The trip was in February, and she wrote this months later (September) and remembered all the detail.  Also how much she learned.  And of course the overall experience and how meaningful it was to her.

Anna is just one of thousands of such children who have been impacted by the Creation Museum.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Media Grossly Distorts to Sell Papers and Bolster Anti-Christian Agenda

Today we have a special article on the front page of the website, responding to gross distortions/mistruths in an article that appeared in Kentucky's Courier-Journal newspaper on Sunday and was reprinted in today's Cincinnati Enquirer.

Last month, we posted a web article that exposed misrepresentations made by some in the mainstream media and dozens of bloggers regarding the future Ark Encounter in northern Kentucky.

The two major newspapers in our state have been quite hostile toward the Ark Encounter and its goal of bringing parts of the Bible to life and presenting these biblical events as true history. The Louisville paper, the Courier-Journal, the largest paper in the state, and the Lexington newspaper, the Herald-Leader, have featured several articles and editorials in the past several weeks that have attacked the Ark project (as well as Democratic Governor Steve Beshear for supporting its construction).

We believe, based on previous Ark-related comments made in the newspaper, that the Courier-Journal's opposition to the Ark Encounter has everything to do with the religious content of the project and the editors' dislike for a project that wants to show that the Bible is true from the very first verse.

Given the track record of the Courier-Journal, our conclusion is that the paper's editors are trying to discourage people from getting behind the project by employing scare tactics to try to move the Ark Encounter out of state.

I urge you to read our response on the front page of our website today.

Overflow Crowds in Kansas

We praise the Lord for the phenomenal response at the AiG conference in Lenexa Baptist Church near Kansas City with Dr. Gary Parker and me. Last night, 2000 people filled the auditorium and two overflow rooms. This was the biggest event held at the church, we were told. The services were also packed Sunday morning, with the second service seeing a crowd that overflowed the auditorium—and it was the second biggest crowd at the church other than for their Easter service.

Here are some photographs taken yesterday:

Pastor Steve Dighton (Senior Pastor) and me

Me speaking

The church building

The auditorium

Dr. Gary Parker holding a flash drive; he has now gone all-tech, using a computer instead of an overhead projector!

Dr. Parker with some of the kids he spoke to Sunday morning

People crowding around resource tables

Children love the resources

A mother reading her child an AiG book

Dr. Parker using a Mac computer to speak to the main audience

Dino meets Gary

Dr. Parker speaking to the children

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Snakes Alive?

At the Creation Museum, we have many different fun experiences for all ages. Here are some photographs of those people involved with the popular and exciting "Snakes Alive" program, led by Rick Teepen.

Please pray for the AiG conference in Kansas today and tomorrow. Go to the event page for details.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Here We Go Again—With Secular Newspapers

The two major newspapers in our state have not been keen at all (putting it mildly) on the Ark Encounter and its goal of bringing parts of the Bible to life and to present biblical events as true history—including a wooden full-scale Noah's Ark here in northern Kentucky (and in the same region as our Creation Museum). The Louisville paper, the Courier-Journal (the largest paper in the state), and the Lexington newspaper (the Herald-Leader) have featured several articles and editorials in the past several weeks that have attacked the Ark project and also Gov. Steve Beshear for supporting it.

The Louisville paper is preparing an article that will probably appear tomorrow (Sunday) and which will apparently take another swipe at the Ark Encounter. We are aware that the reporter has been asking people in the theme park industry for their views on the Ark Encounter and its yearly attendance projections. Supposedly, there are people at theme parks who have been contacted by the paper who are skeptical about the Ark's success and have shared that with the paper. Yet since they have not conducted any kind of study on such an attraction and its theme, their opinion is mere guesswork and not based on any hard data.

Mark Looy, our CCO, has sent me a report on how the two state newspapers have been misrepresenting the project and are determined, apparently, to move it out of the state and take millions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs with it. How is that for responsible journalism when they not only horribly misrepresent the Ark Encounter, but do so in a time with a shaky economy and so many people unemployed?

Ken:

It is regrettable that many journalists/bloggers, most of them intentionally it appears, have left people with a totally wrong impression about the state's involvement in the Ark Encounter. Several of them either give false reports or leave the impression that the Ark project will be a drain on Kentucky's state revenues. To be clear: the tax incentives, in the form of a rebate of sales tax we collect at the Ark, will NOT be a grant of state funds to help build the Ark Encounter; no money to either build or operate the Ark Encounter will come out of someone else's pocket and away from state programs (e.g., social services, schools, etc.). Only recently, after a few of its Ark articles appeared, has the Louisville Courier-Journal paper even mentioned the true nature of the incentives and the rebate (and only in passing and further down in a recent article); for weeks, they were leaving readers with the impression that the Ark would be a drain on state revenue.

With this report, I will deal with two major items: 1. to correct the misreporting of so much of the media, especially in our state, and 2. to share reasons why the Ark may attract some very large crowds, contrary to what some detractors are claiming (including what some people might be quoted as saying in the Louisville newspaper article that is coming out soon).

1.   Media Misrepresentations of the Ark Encounter

In the widespread reporting that has wrongly implied that the Ark Encounter will be a drain on the state's budget (as I mentioned above), another thing has largely been omitted by the press: that the state's coffers will actually benefit tremendously when the Ark opens. The part of the sales tax that the state will keep, plus payroll and property taxes collected from the 14,000 people who are projected to be eventually working in the region at the Ark Encounter and at other new businesses that will be created, will be significant. Also, the sales tax collected by the many newly created local businesses through the Ark's ripple effect will also add revenue to the state coffers (e.g., the sales taxes collected by hotels, gas stations, restaurants, shops, etc. in the region).

Bottom line: Kentucky taxpayers will not pick up the tab, and there is no financial risk to the state in the construction and operation of the Ark if the tax rebate is approved. Furthermore, think of it in this way as well: the state wouldn't collect any sales tax from the Ark Encounter if it was never built. Moreover, if the Ark Encounter moves out of state, not only will hundreds of millions of dollars in sales tax revenue be lost to Kentucky, but so will several thousand jobs.  Plus the sales taxes, property taxes, and other applicable taxes collected by the state, city and county—which would far exceed the rebate offered to the Ark Encounter—will also be lost. This all seems so basic, but if reporters don't have much background in economics, they may miss the significance of the rebate plan – or intentionally hide the rebate aspect from readers if they really do understand the nature of the rebate.

As we look back on the terrible reporting by the Louisville and Lexington newspapers on the nature of the tax incentives (especially the omission of essential information), we now have a better understanding of the significance of the admonition: "Tell the truth, the WHOLE truth, and nothing but the truth." While newspapers can present information accurately, when they omit key information, they can leave a totally wrong impression with their readers. With many reporters, they apparently hope the reader will connect some dots for themselves and arrive at a wrong conclusion, especially when they write things like "tax incentives from the state will be offered to the Ark Encounter and the Ark will receive money from the state." The unwary reader is led to believe from such a comment that the project will be a drain on state revenue. This kind of tactic is not ethical for anyone pretending to be an honest reporter when that reporter doesn't mention what is clearly a rebate offered through the Tourism Development Act of Kentucky.

To summarize the impact in the state: once the Ark Encounter opens, the total economic impact is expected to be $500 million in the first year alone (including final construction on the Ark project itself). The only people to pay taxes related to operating the Ark will be the Ark Encounter visitors: they will pay sales tax at the attraction (e.g., on tickets, food, and merchandise), and the state – through its Tourism Development Act — will rebate a portion of the sales tax to the Ark Encounter LLC based on meeting attendance-performance marks.

As Lou "Steve" Stevens, the president of the regional Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce observed in a December 2010 letter to the Herald-Leader: "Kentucky taxpayers will not pick up the tab and there is no financial risk to KY. This is not 'stimulus funding' in that no money will be taken out of the state budget to fund the Ark's construction or its operation. …  Additionally, many different taxes will be paid by the numerous indirect business activities created by the massive project."

It appears that many of the Ark's critics are far more concerned about the state supporting tax incentives for an attraction that will feature elements from the Old Testament than they are about  unemployed people (10% unemployment in Kentucky) and a cash-strapped state that is desperately seeking additional revenue to balance its budget and provide needed services. And there is no risk to the state. If we don't achieve the attendance figures, then our portion of the rebated sales tax is lowered, and the state still keeps the rest of the sales tax. It's the proverbial "no-brainer" – there is no risk to the state.

Attacks on the Ark Encounter project only help to reveal the nature of many Ark detractors, who are so set in their beliefs that they will not even consider how this family-friendly and economically sound attraction will be a great asset to the state during difficult times. Such bias seems to have clouded some reporting and has ultimately misled readers about how the Ark Encounter will really be funded.

Yet that may be the price that some Ark Encounter critics in Kentucky are willing to pay in order to advance their agenda.



2.  Will people come to the Ark when it opens?

First, we should point out that there is something of a proven track record with our Creation Museum. In the first three years of operation, museum attendance (over one million) has been beyond projections (even in a difficult economy), and the quality of the exhibits has drawn rave comments. Even many of the museum's detractors have admired the museum's high-tech displays and presentations. As a great boon to the Ark project, the same design team that designed and built the successful Creation Museum is returning for the Ark Encounter.

A few months before the Creation Museum opened in 2007, a feasibility study was conducted through the consumer research organization, ARG, which indicated that the museum might see 400,000 people come the first year, as opposed to 250,000 (our original estimate). The eventual attendance was 404,000, and so the ARG study was right on the mark. Now, this same group was commissioned to estimate the attendance at the Ark Encounter, and its figure is over 1.6 million people in year one. Given ARG's accurate forecast for the museum and its national reputation in successfully predicting consumer behavior, we think the 1.6 million figure is a solid (if not overly conservative) estimate.

We should also point out that ARG's extensive feasibility study indicated that interest (nationwide) in the topic of the Ark crosses religious lines (including those who are irreligious). In addition, geography will play a big role in helping to bring many tourists to the Ark Encounter. Almost 2/3 of Americans live with a one-day drive (less than 650 miles) of the Ark site in Williamstown, plus several million of Canadians are within an 8-hour-drive.

Furthermore, Mr. Cary Summers, the main consultant for the Ark Encounter (and who was interviewed by the Louisville paper for the story that is about to appear) has been involved in the theme park industry for three decades. Mr. Summers was the CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment group in the 1990s; during Mr. Summers' tenure, Herschend owned and operated 14 themed locations (including Silver Dollar City, Dollywood, Stone Mountain, and many more). His expertise is vital to the Ark project's success.

Also, Mr. Summers points out that a tourist attraction like a theme park is one of the most dynamic industries a state can pursue, and he predicts that the Ark Encounter will attract over 80% of its guests from out of state.

In addition, the CBS "60 Minutes"/"Vanity Fair" on-line poll that was conducted in late 2009 revealed that the archaeological discovery most people wanted to be made next is Noah's Ark. The response: Noah's Ark (43%), Atlantis (18%) Amelia Earhart's plane (16%), Nixon's lost tapes (13%), and Cleopatra's barge (5%)." <cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/30/earlyshow/main5835957.shtml?tag=mncol;lst;2>  Interest nationwide in a full-size, all-wood Ark is substantial.

Now, we have no reason to inflate the estimated numbers of people who might come to the Ark Encounter.  First, we don't want to be wasteful and buy more land than is necessary to accommodate the number of people.  If anything, we want to be conservative with the estimated figures and save on land costs. Second, the state is commissioning an independent study (which we pay for) regarding the number of people who might come to the Ark, as well as the associated economic impact for the state. (Our feasibility study is moot as far as the state is concerned in making its decision in possibly offering a rebate.)

So as I await Sunday's Courier-Journal article (and maybe it will turn out better than we expected, but I doubt it), I will be curious to figure out how people, even if they are in the theme park industry, can speak knowledgeably about a project where they know little of what we intend to do and have no data to draw from (whereas we have conducted our own thorough study of the Ark Encounter's feasibility with a nationwide survey).  They would be flying blind.

As Cary Summers states concerning those who might be doubtful about the Ark's success: "We had one of the leading research groups in the country, ARG, conduct a general population survey which showed the potential visitation. ARG has been providing customer-behavior information to hundreds of industry leaders in numerous fields for the last 30 years. We in turn took those detailed projections and had one of the leading theme-attraction research groups review the projections and conduct a second survey. Both surveys support the attendance projections we have announced and the economic impact the project will have on the region."

Summers added: "These surveys and studies were then coupled with data gathered from the over one-million visitors who have visited the Creation Museum over the last three years, providing us with additional information as to the potential visitation and the financial results that might be expected at the Ark Encounter. All data and survey information gathered adhered to strict methodologies required to derive statistically correct conclusions as to who and how many people will attend."

Summers closed with the observation: "The only way to draw a conclusion as to the potential success of such a project as the Ark Encounter is to study all the data; use industry experts  to develop financial projections and operating scenarios; and take into consideration the potential economic climate that could exist over the next several years. If you try to draw a conclusion as to the potential success of any project of this size without going through these steps, which took over two years for us to develop, it is futile , for it is based upon superficial thin air. However, our conclusions are based upon valid research and many years of industry experience."

The readers of this blog today, Ken, should take the information above and then overlay it on the upcoming Courier-Journal article.

I know that newspapers are struggling for survival in our electronic age and thus they have the pressure to stir things up to create headlines and keep up their circulation numbers. But fairness and accuracy are often lost in the process. Now, our local paper, the Cincinnati Enquirer has been fair toward us, and it has even reported on the Ark's opposition–and that is to be expected. I won't cancel my subscription to a paper that attempts to present both sides fairly. But the two Kentucky papers have been relentless in their attacks on the Ark Encounter as they push an anti-Christian agenda.

– Mark

Thank you for stopping by and thanks for praying.

Ken

Abusing Children?

Recently, in what is becoming increasingly normal language for some secularists, AiG and the Creation Museum have been accused of abusing children because we are teaching them God's Word is truth—starting in Genesis. In fact, these secularists accuse Christians in general of abusing children because they are taught about the God of the Bible and salvation in Christ.

Well, more and more young people are coming to the Creation Museum, and we praise the Lord.

Yesterday, I met a group of young people from Franklin Road Christian School from the Detroit area. Tim Gambino was the group leader. This school brings their eighth graders to the Creation Museum each year now.

Here are three photographs of the group as they visited yesterday, with one of the group shots taken with me in our Main Hall:

I also met some Christian leaders from a church in Alabama, who were scouting out the Creation Museum as they plan to bring all their young people (about 100) to the Creation Museum this July.

I also met people who told me they have been using AiG's Vacation Bible School (VBS) program in their churches, and the results are so positive. They will be using AiG's Gold Rush VBS this year.

AiG produces VBS programs that are professional and very evangelistic and teach biblical authority and apologetics—and the kids just love it. One person told me today they are finding that when adults drop off the children they often stay for the first and last sessions, as the parents are so interested in the content themselves.

Yes, lots more children (and adults) are being impacted by AiG's various outreaches each year.

Make sure you check out AiG's VBS program at this link.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

God and the Australian Floods

Because of the terrible devastation from historic flooding I have seen in my homeland, I decided to write an article for the front page of the AiG website commenting on this shocking tragedy in Queensland. Whenever such events occur, we see people in the news media and in general conversations asking, "where God is in all of this?" Christians are challenged to explain such terrible happenings in the light of a loving God.

I have written articles in response to the 9/11 tragedy, or the death of my younger brother from a horrible brain disease, for instance (now published in a book entitled, How Could A Loving God?). I thought I should just once again remind people of the principles from God's Word that help build our worldview to enable us to speak about such disasters that befall us in this world.

Here is the first part of the article—I then urge you to read the full article on the front page of the AiG website:

On TV news this week, we have been watching the terrible devastation—loss of life, homes, crops, businesses, etc.—in Queensland, Australia, due to historic flooding. Tragedies beyond description have hit Queensland, where I lived most of my life. I still have many family members there who have kept me apprised on flood-related developments. While I have first-hand accounts (and I'm happy to report that my family are all safe and well), you can grasp something of the extent of the catastrophe by doing a search on the internet for Australian news sources. You'll learn just how much greater the catastrophe is than you would by merely watching a brief report on TV.

You can watch some eye-opening videos of the flooding here.

The question often comes up at this point: Where is God in the midst of all this loss of life and property?

I was pleased to see the Australian prime minister on television who, even though she is an avowed atheist, showed sincere care and concern for the people of Queensland. But as an atheist, why would she do this? As an atheist, she may claim that her worldview prompts her to care for people, but in an ultimate sense, what purpose would this have in a purposeless universe? And in reality, whether she likes it or not, she is borrowing from Christian presuppositions to incorporate such care into her worldview. In fact, even though she says she is an atheist, the prime minister is not! God's Word in Romans 1 makes it clear that the knowledge of God is written on our hearts. People who call themselves atheists are actually "suppressing the truth" (Romans 1:18–21).

AiG staff members have written articles on such matters that you can read on our website, such as the following:

Atheism: An Irrational Worldview
Evolution and the Challenge of Morality
Morality and the Irrationality of an Evolutionary Worldview
Darwin—Unwittingly a "Creationist"

Nonetheless, the question remains: Where is God in the midst of all this tragedy? Children have been killed; whole families are missing. People's homes and belongings have been destroyed. Even many Christians, who love the Lord, have been equally affected by this tragedy.

Here are a few thoughts/reminders for us about the nature of tragedies like this. I also encourage you to read other articles on our website on a loving God and the question of suffering (such as the article we wrote right after after 9/11 in the USA).

You can read the rest of the article on the AiG website.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Winter Wonderland at the Creation Museum

For today's blog post, I thought I would just share a series of photographs taken on the grounds of the Creation Museum by AiG's FotoFX photographer, Deb Minnard. It is still snowing as I write this.

And yes, we still had quite a number of guests who braved the elements and spent the day at the Creation Museum.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken