Ken Ham's Blog, page 472

Respected Theologian Speaks to the Staff

Every Tuesday and Thursday at AiG, we start off the day with a staff chapel and time of prayer, and every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, each division meets for prayer and usually a time of sharing a devotional.  We often have pastors from local churches—or Christian leaders who live nearby or happen to be in the area—share with us on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Dr. Terry Mortenson of our staff brought in a speaker recently from Detroit (about a 4-hour drive from AiG and the Creation Museum), and Terry sent me this report:

Dr. Robert McCabe and his wife Linda visited the Creation Museum and gave a devotional for the regular Tuesday morning meeting of the AiG staff.  Dr. McCabe is Professor of Old Testament at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary in Michigan, where he has taught since 1983.  In his devotional, he reminded the staff from Psalm 104:31–35 that in our love and passion for the truth of creation in Genesis chapters 1–11, we must never lose our love and praise for the Creator.  We rejoice in His works, but even more we must rejoice in Him.

Although Dr. McCabe's ThD research focused on the poetic wisdom literature of the Old Testament, in recent years he has become very involved in teaching and defending the truths of Genesis 1–11 because he clearly sees the foundational importance of Genesis to the rest of the Bible's teaching (including the gospel).  He regularly teaches a seminary course on Genesis for masters and PhD students.  He also has written a technical theological journal article contending for literal, 24-hour days of creation and a 2-part, 120-page journal article critiquing the compromised view called the Framework Hypothesis.  The latter article was condensed to be a chapter in Coming to Grips with Genesis, which Dr. McCabe uses in his classroom teaching.  The truth of Genesis 1–11 is also a frequent topic in his blog (also, see a report on his visit to our museum).

In 2008, Dr. McCabe participated in our first scholarshipped, by-invitation-only, seven-day raft trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon for seminary and Christian college professors.  He also is active in the Evangelical Theological Society, where at this year's annual meeting, he will be on a panel discussion in the "Creation Consultation" section of papers, which I helped to organize.

We are thankful in these days of widespread compromise in evangelical seminaries that Dr. McCabe is boldly taking a strong stand for the truth of Genesis.

– Dr. Terry Mortenson

Dr. Mortenson (left) with Dr. McCabe

Find out more about the seminary on this website.

Devotion

Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord

(Psalm 144:14-15) That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.  Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yes, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.

Our happiness stems from the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is our personal Shepherd and Lord; our refusal to complain is our vote of confidence in His care.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Imagine If Creationists Did This!

There is no doubt we live in a world where "men love darkness rather than light" (John 3:19).  It so often seems the secular world can say whatever it wants to—mislead, distort, outright lie—but rarely are secularists taken to task over it.  However, if creationists make even one little mistake in something they write or say, the secular world shows no mercy.

In the United Kingdom, we have found the media extremely anti-Christian and deliberately distort what creationists like those at AiG teach. Recently, the Telegraph newspaper in the United Kingdom had this headline: "Nasa uncovers new 'life on Mars' evidence after rover got stuck in the mud."



Now I'm sure after reading that headline, you'll want to know what evidence of new life they found on Mars. Oh, and you may have noticed that they did put "life on Mars" in quotes, which is just a hint that maybe the headline is misleading—and it is.  The article then begins with the following:

Fresh evidence that water formed on Mars in potentially life supporting environments more recently than previously thought has been uncovered by Nasa scientists.

Now we start to realize they didn't find any evidence of life at all; they just found certain things that they think may be evidence that could have perhaps supported life. This is confirmed later in the article when we read the following:

The Nasa team, who are based at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California . . . [said]  "It seems likely the region (on Mars) … may have likewise supported a habitable environment. (emphasis mine)

Note the words I italicized. This is all so typical of the media hype and distortions one reads, particularly when it comes down to talking about the origin of life. Reporters in the secular media seem to do all they can to brainwash people with atheistic evolutionary ideas. This is just another good reason why more and more people need to do the following:

Read the articles on www.answersingenesis.org each day.
Subscribe to Answers magazine (our next issue even has a special multiple-article section about astronomy).
Go to AiG's online bookstore for resources that tell the truth about origins.
Visit the Creation Museum (we're near Cincinnati, Ohio) and walk through the true history of the world.
Go to an AiG conference in your area—visit the AiG conference website for more information.
Visit the Creation Museum's Christmas Town event.

You can read the entire Telegraph article on their website.

Devotion

Come to save that which was lost

(Matthew 18:11) For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

Our master, the Lord Jesus Christ, has given to us a crystal clear mission and goal to accomplish in the short life we have: to find and get saved the lost.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

A Warning to the Contemporary Church

Recently, in my monthly letter to our AiG support base (and it was published on our website), I commented on and quoted from Dr. James F. McGrath, Clarence L. Goodwin Chair of New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University, Indianapolis. He has made a number of negative comments about me and AiG. In response to my letter, Dr. McGrath wrote the following:

I should add that, while Ken Ham quotes a longer explanation of why I feel it is appropriate to remain within the Christian tradition even when my views change, one thing he edited out was my reference to having a life-changing religious experience. And since he didn't include my testimony about how I became a born again Christian, in the interest of giving the full picture, I am sharing that link to a post where I talk about that. (http://exploringourmatrix.blogspot.com/2010/10/ignorance-and-creationism-response-to.html)

I decided to read his testimony about how he became a "born-again Christian." As I read it, I realized that it really is a warning for the contemporary church; I have noticed, over the past few years in particular, a trend in the contemporary church: many churches emphasize the singing praises aspect of the service as more important than the Bible teaching.

Now I am not against praising the Lord in song! I love singing praises to the Lord. However, over the past years (and it happened again recently in a church I visited), I have often heard people in a church tell me that what is often called "worship" (with the "praise and worship team") is the most important part of the church service. (By the way, worship encompasses much more than just singing praises.) I am not saying such singing is not important, of course, but I have noticed that it seems the teaching of the Word of God in certain churches is considered secondary to the praise and worship time. We do need to remember that "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17).

I suggest you read his entire "testimony" at the link above.  Here is just an excerpt:

. . . It was at this point that I happened to tune to a college radio station during an hour when they broadcast contemporary Christian music. I was struck by the music, because although I believed in God, I didn't find myself able to actually sing about it – it was as though these people had something real that they had experienced and yet I had not. I even tried forming a Christian band with a friend of mine, and when we asked another student, she thought it was weird because, from her perspective, we weren't even Christians. She did, however, invite us to a concert at her church (a Pentecostal church). To make a long story short, we went, and I was very moved by it. I went to the morning service the next day (Sunday), and as so often in stories like this one, I cannot remember what the sermon was about. What I do remember is that, after the service, I called out to God in my heart and said something like "God, I don't know what your way of living is, but mine isn't working, so whatever your way is, I want to try it". At that moment, a sense of peace washed over me.

To me this kind of testimony is a warning to the contemporary church, as it appears to me this testimony involves some sort of experience or feelings. He is trying to come to God through experience, but what is missing? Not one verse of Scripture was quoted—not one.  What also was missing were any mention of words like these: sin, repentance, salvation,  faith, Jesus—the Son of God, grace, and belief.

There is no mention of Jesus—no doctrine of humanity (that man is fallen), and no doctrine of the Son (we can only come to God the Father through the Son).

. . . that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved  (Romans 10:9)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 6:23)

For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.  (Romans 5:17)

"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."  (John 3:36)

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."  (John 5:39-40)

But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:68)

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

Of course there are many many other Scripture references I could use, but the point is that some experience through music is not how a person becomes a born again Christian. There is not one reference to such in Scripture in the testimony, yet there are those people in the contemporary church today who will give a testimony like that of Dr. McGrath's above.

Sadly in much of the church today, there is a famine as described in Amos 8:11—a famine "of hearing the words of the LORD."

Oh how the church needs to make the teaching of the Word a priority; yes, we can sing praises to our Lord, and we should, but we need the preaching of the Word to dominate our churches once again.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Museum Photo Wins Award

We knew that the gardens at the Creation Museum are beautiful in all seasons, but winters here are proving to be exceptional.  An image of our pergola in winter has been awarded  fourth place in the International Christian Artist Competition (ICAC). I have been told that this international competition receives over 600 entries from 30 countries around the world.  Awards include cash prizes, gift certificates from Hobby Lobby and marketing contracts from "Art Beat of America".

Deb Minnard, one of our staff photographers, entered this image along with three others that are displayed here.








The winter scene captured a forth place and the other three were given "top 200 status."  Deb's pieces in the top 200 are part of a series that she did using a number of AiG staff and volunteers as subjects.  She hopes to market them to help support a campground/retreat ministry that she and her husband have started near the Creation Museum.

You can learn more about the ICAC and see the rest of the entries at: www.ARTISTS4GOD.com

From Down Under

A couple from Down Under attended an AiG conference in the USA recently, and visited the Creation Museum.  It was great to receive this email from them this week:

[We] would like to thank you very much for your warm welcome at both the conference and the museum. We are very grateful to God for the connection with brother [name] … as it led us to participate in the Pastors' Conference, which was a blessing to us in many ways– the messages heard, meeting the Ham brothers, and several other special brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as the opportunity to buy resources and visit the museum twice.

We returned to Australia after three weeks with four boxes of resources which we aquired from three wonderful conferences—Living Waters, Answers in Genesis and Desiring God.

We are so glad that we got to know the work and minsitry of AiG close up, and we pray that the Lord will continue to Bless, Guide and Keep the good work He has begun with everyone that this ministry has involved.

It was great to meet your family and we were very encouraged by the beautiful work AIG does to help 'THE FAMILY' in so many ways– educating, involving, strenghtening, parents and children — to the glory of God, claiming back the family to wholeness and purpose. Praise the Lord.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying

Ken

Museum Phot Wins Award

We knew that the gardens at the Creation Museum are beautiful in all seasons, but winters here are proving to be exceptional.  An image of our pergola in winter has been awarded  fourth place in the International Christian Artist Competition (ICAC). I have been told that this international competition receives over 600 entries from 30 countries around the world.  Awards include cash prizes, gift certificates from Hobby Lobby and marketing contracts from "Art Beat of America".

Deb Minnard, one of our staff photographers, entered this image along with three others that are displayed here.








The winter scene captured a forth place and the other three were given "top 200 status."  Deb's pieces in the top 200 are part of a series that she did using a number of AiG staff and volunteers as subjects.  She hopes to market them to help support a campground/retreat ministry that she and her husband have started near the Creation Museum.

You can learn more about the ICAC and see the rest of the entries at: www.ARTISTS4GOD.com

From Down Under

A couple from Down Under attended an AiG conference in the USA recently, and visited the Creation Museum.  It was great to receive this email from them this week:

[We] would like to thank you very much for your warm welcome at both the conference and the museum. We are very grateful to God for the connection with brother [name] … as it led us to participate in the Pastors' Conference, which was a blessing to us in many ways– the messages heard, meeting the Ham brothers, and several other special brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as the opportunity to buy resources and visit the museum twice.

We returned to Australia after three weeks with four boxes of resources which we aquired from three wonderful conferences—Living Waters, Answers in Genesis and Desiring God.

We are so glad that we got to know the work and minsitry of AiG close up, and we pray that the Lord will continue to Bless, Guide and Keep the good work He has begun with everyone that this ministry has involved.

It was great to meet your family and we were very encouraged by the beautiful work AIG does to help 'THE FAMILY' in so many ways– educating, involving, strenghtening, parents and children — to the glory of God, claiming back the family to wholeness and purpose. Praise the Lord.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying

Ken

Pioneer Scientist Tours the Creation Museum

While I was away, one of the pioneers in biblical, catastrophist geology—whose research we have used quite frequently—toured the Creation Museum this week. Dr. Steven Austin, who was on the staff of the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) for several years, happened to be in the region and stopped by. He came not only to tour the Creation Museum for the first time (Dr. Austin lives in California) but also to reconnect with friends and former colleagues. Dr. Austin and our CCO Mark Looy, for example, have been friends for almost 35 years.

As Dr. Austin toured the museum, he remarked that he was thrilled to see such a major exhibit on Noah's Flood and geology. Dr. Austin has conducted much research at the Grand Canyon and Mount St. Helens in order to show that geologic phenomena can be created quickly, as opposed to slow processes over millions of years, and that a global Flood and its aftereffects can explain much of the earth's surface even today.

Here is a photo of Mark, Dr. Austin, and Dr. Austin's friend (Dr. Kelly Miller of Pittsburgh) as they stand in front of an exhibit on how the Grand Canyon really formed:

The next photo shows a museum display with the photos and bios of a few creationist scientists, with Dr. Austin shown at the top:

Here are links to some of Dr. Austin's excellent resources on geology (understandable at a layperson level): see Grand Canyon: Monument to Catastrophe and Mount St. Helens: Explosive Evidence for Catastrophe.

Devotion

Only acknowledge your iniquity

(Jeremiah 3:12-13) Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, says the LORD; and I will not cause my anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, says the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the LORD your God, and has scattered your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed my voice, says the LORD.

The Lord Jesus Christ has made it so simple for sinful Israel to be saved that He holds out His hand to help them to simply tell Him they sinned and disobeyed.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

He Still Doesn't Understand

Back in 2007 (during the time the Creation Museum was opening), we had an interesting visit by well-known journalist A.J. Jacobs. He told us that he was writing another book, and it was to be entitled The Year of Living Biblically. (This title is a play on the 1980s movie The Year of Living Dangerously.) He was upfront and told us that he was spending an entire year attempting to follow every single "rule" in the Bible—as literally as possible. He indicated that he was not a religious person, though. But as a part of his unique year, he wanted to find out more about the book of Genesis.

Mark Looy, our CCO, spent at least two hours with him, and I was interviewed as well. Mark found him to be very intelligent and low-key, yet amiable. While A.J. tried to remain in character a little (full patriarchal beard and all), it was clear that he didn't quite have a full understanding of Genesis—and Bible interpretation in general. Also, Mark had noted that his prior writings were such that AiG perhaps would not be portrayed in the best light when the book came out. But we almost always decide to be interviewed by secular journalists (with some rare exceptions), so we went ahead.

When The Year of Living Biblically came out, we mentioned it on our website (see this blog post). We were somewhat honored (well, maybe that's too lofty a term) that he gave the museum a high profile in his book. A.J.'s book received high compliments from many publications (including the New York Times, LA Times, USA Today, and so on); A.J. soon was talking to movie producers at Paramount Pictures on a possible movie release. His book was on the New York Times best-seller list for three months. Mark has also seen him on television (he thinks it might have been the The Today Show on NBC Television).

One of our eagle-eyed supporters told us that they had found a video of A.J. giving a lecture. He looks so different without a beard! See a photo of what he looked like, with full patriarchal-type beard, when we met with him on this website page. He mentions us about 10 minutes into his presentation. Here is a transcript of a portion of the video (which can be seen at http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/a_j_jacobs_year_of_living_biblically.html):

So, you know, I met with creationists. I went to the creationists' museum. And these are the ultimate literalists. And it was fascinating, because they were not stupid people at all. I would wager that their IQ is exactly the same as the average evolutionist. It's just that their faith is so strong in this literal interpretation of the Bible that they distort all the data to fit their model. And they go through these amazing mental gymnastics to accomplish this.

And I will say, though, the museum is gorgeous. They really did a fantastic job. If you're ever in Kentucky, there's — you can see a movie of the flood, and they have sprinklers in the ceiling that will sprinkle on you during the flood scenes. So, whatever you think of creationism, and I think it's crazy, they did a great job. (Laughter) …

And finally I learned that thou shall pick and choose. And this one I learned because I tried to follow everything in the Bible. And I failed miserably. Because you can't. You have to pick and choose, and anyone who follows the Bible is going to be picking and choosing. The key is to pick and choose the right parts. There's the phrase called cafeteria religion, and the fundamentalists will use it in a denigrating way, and they'll say, "Oh, it's just cafeteria religion. You're just picking and choosing." But my argument is, "What's wrong with cafeterias?" I've had some great meals at cafeterias.

For all his research, A.J. still doesn't understand how Bible-believing Christians approach (or should be approaching) Scripture. We don't accept everything in the Bible as literal—after all, there's some poetry (as well as prophetic and apocalyptic literature). For example, Psalm 91:4 mentions that we can hide under God's wing for protection: "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust." Of course, God is a Spirit and does not have a wing, so this is just allegory. Also, as Christians saved by grace through Christ's death and resurrection, we no longer have to follow some of the laws of the Old Testament (e.g., in Leviticus) that were specifically given to the Israelites.

But do such skeptics really want to understand? I have seen many such skeptics come to the Creation Museum with their agenda in hand (and basically their articles already written), so they can mock us—they have no intention of actually carefully researching what we say.

First Field Trip

I just had to brag a little about one of our grandkids; here she is on her first field trip:

Devotion

They received no correction

(Jeremiah 2:30) In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction.

When the Lord Jesus Christ allows us to go through troubles, we ask if we are wrong; if so, our response is to receive the troubles as loving correction to get right.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Thousands Have Been Impacted in Florida

There were four church services, an apologetics meeting, four school assemblies, and four general conference sessions that made it a very busy weekend and Monday at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale (in Florida). Many thousands of children, adults and teens were impacted, and we received many great testimonies.  Here are some photographs taken during the weekend:

The Shadowed Mind

Many of you have read the exciting nail-biting novel, Deadly Disclosures, by Julie Cave.

I am not normally a fiction fan, but this mystery novel was fantastic. I couldn't put it down.  It also has great biblical and creation teaching.  If you have never read this book, I urge you to do so.

Julie has now come out with her second book, which is just as exciting as the first one.

The second book in this thrilling new fiction trilogy is being published by Master Books, and they summarize the book this way:

After the deadly investigation into the Smithsonian murders, Dinah Harris is now facing a daily battle to keep her sobriety while struggling to form a new career from the ashes of her former job as an FBI agent. From the shadows will emerge a cunning and terrifying killer, who carefully and methodically will decide whose life has value to society and whose does not. Using her profiling and security skills as a private consultant based in Washington, DC, Dinah uncovers a connection to the shadowy world of neoeugenics, and those who publicly denounce the killings but privately support a much different view.

Against this backdrop, Dinah must come to terms with her own past, as those associated with the deepening mystery face their own personal demons, and struggle with the concept of God's inexhaustible grace and forgiveness. Old secrets are revealed, tragedies unearthed, and the devastating legacy of science without compassion is finally brought to light.

The book also contains great teaching on ethical issues, particularly euthanasia. It's a must read.

Watch this short video trailer about the book:

Click here to view the embedded video.

You can order The Shadowed Mind from the AiG Online bookstore. You can also order both of Julie's books at a special price from the AiG online bookstore.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

There Will Be a Rush for Gold Rush!

AiG's Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs are gaining considerable popularity.  More and more churches are giving us feedback that they are getting the best results from the children they have had in years of VBS programs!  Over 3,000 churches have used AiG VBS programs this year.

The impact of last summer's VBS program—on nearly 200,000 children who attended at churches all over the U.S.—is still coming to our attention. Meanwhile our staff has just sent next summer's Gold Rush VBS to the printer. And as I've already said here in a couple of earlier posts, Gold Rush is all about Jesus. Gold Rush uses a fun approach to apologetics, and it has amazing games, treats, dramas, crafts, music, and more to help kids understand why the Bible really is true and trustworthy. Children will learn who Jesus is and the difference between Christianity (Jesus) and other religions (and their so called "prophets").

Here are a couple versions of the ad that we are running in several magazines over the next few months:

If you haven't already visited www.AnswersVBS.com or our special Answers VBS Facebook page, take a look now. Tell your pastor and your church's VBS director about this special VBS (simply forward this blog post to them). Also, how about volunteering yourself to help make next year's VBS outreach the best ever?

Today, we travel home from Florida where we spoke to thousands of adults and young people.

Devotion

Do You Know?

(2 Kings 2:5)  And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, do you know that the LORD will take away your master from your head to day?

If we are listening, we hear The Lord Jesus Christ preparing us in advance for a disturbing change in our lives so that we are not taken by surprise.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Christmas Town Is Coming

It has become a tradition each year now at the Creation Museum that over eight days (seven in December and one in January), a special live nativity, light show, dramas, and other exciting events are featured. Last year, 17,000 people came to this free event. This year, our "Christmas Town" (the original Christmas town was Bethlehem) program is even more spectacular than last year. We are expecting perhaps 20,000 people. You can find out more information about the 2010 Christmas Town event on the Creation Museum page.

Testimonies

We receive lots of testimonies from people who talk to us personally, contact us via email, and so on. In Florida last night, I had a man tell me his sister became a Christian as a result of the Lord using AiG material. Also a lady told me that AiG resources, and particularly the three New Answers books, were used in her salvation. She brought her three books (very worn, well used) to autograph.

Last week, we received many emails, and this one stood out:

I want to thank you again for what you are doing for the Christian community around the world. What great stuff and sound doctrine. Ever since I came to know the Lord at age 25 in 1982, I believed the account of Genesis even though I was an evolutionist as trained by our secular institutes . . . I knew when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord, I could not believe that lie of millions of years and man as an ape, even before I embarked on my life-long walk to read through the Bible at least once in it's entirety ( I have since read it though at least 10 times and would like to do it 12 times in a year if the Lord gives me the time some day).

Praise the Lord of the way AiG is used by the Lord to touch people's lives in a wonderful way.

Devotion

Brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren

(Joshua 6:23)  And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.

The most effective evangelists are those that have a contagious love for the Lord Jesus Christ because of how He saved them from sin and the disaster of hell.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken