June 1999 Newsletter

• Gore, Schuller, school violence and museum victory! (By Ken Ham)
• Stewardship and Trust Services
• Feedback
• New Radio Stations
• Creation Clubs Update
• Pastors’ Retreat in Wyoming
• We want your cancelled stamps!

Gore, Schuller, school violence and museum victory!

After almost three years of battles in Boone County (Northern Kentucky), the Fiscal Court overruled the planning commission and approved an ordinance to rezone 47 acres to enable AiG to build its Creation Museum. Praise the Lord for this victory! But what have Vice-President Al Gore, Rev. Robert Schuller, and school violence have to do with this? Recently, a newspaper reporter asked me to explain the proposed museum in detail. I first outlined how our dinosaur models, fossils, taxidermy, and millions of dollar’s worth of exhibits recently obtained at auction from a museum in Baltimore would be displayed as a “walk-through” history of the world according to the Bible. Visitors will walk through Earth history beginning with Creation, then Corruption (entrance of sin and death), Catastrophe (Noah’s Flood and the ark of salvation), Confusion (Tower of Babel and formation of people groups), Christ/Cross (Christ’s death, resurrection and the gospel message), and Consummation (The New Heavens and Earth to come—the final judgment). Christians will therefore be equipped to be able to defend the Christian faith against the onslaughts of evolutionary humanism, and non-Christians will be challenged to consider the claims of the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ. I explained to the reporter that this will be a very evangelistic center, one that aggressively shows the world that Christians do not have a blind faith, but a logically defensible faith, and that they can stand tall in this culture and boldly proclaim that God’s Word is true from the beginning (Psalm 119:160).

The V.P. and evolution

But what has this to do with Al Gore? Many people might not know that the Vice President of the United States is an ardent evolutionist. For instance, in his book, Earth in Balance, Mr. Gore stated: Human evolution, of course, is responsible for our very long period of childhood, during much of which we are almost completely dependent on our parents. As Ashley Montagu first pointed out decades ago, evolution encouraged the development of larger and larger human brains, but our origins in the primate family placed a limit on the ability of the birth canal to accommodate babies with ever-larger heads. Nature’s solution was to encourage an extremely long period of dependence on the nurturing parent during infancy and childhood, allowing both mind and body to continue developing in an almost gestational way long after birth. It’s no wonder, then, that on the CNN television program, “Larry King Live,” when asked “Do we know why, Mr. Vice-President that we like guns, we like to shoot them up, we like—we’re attracted to violence?” Al Gore stated: “You can hardly take your eyes away from it. I think that violence has that capacity because of our evolutionary heritage, because of the laws of nature-tooth and fang. And we have with our power of conscience, with our beliefs in God, if we have those, as most of us Americans do, we have the ability to-to overcome those impulses with higher ones. We have the ability to overcome evil with good. “But I think that heritage is always present with us. It was for most of humankind’s existence part of our way of surviving. And so I think it has a primitive appeal.” The Vice President, though, is only partly right. There is a connection between school violence and evolution—but it’s not because evolution is part of our heritage. It’s because generations of children are being taught it’s part of their heritage.

Violence and the meaning of life

In July, 1998, I wrote an article on school violence for this newsletter. Let me restate two paragraphs from that article: “Unfortunately, the same public education system that is looking for answers to such tragedies is teaching students that they are just evolved animals—that there is no absolute authority—and there is no such thing as sin. Thus, they really teach there is no purpose and meaning in life; life is all about death, violence, bloodshed, and suffering because these are the processes by which we evolved! “As a result of this teaching, of course our students don’t see themselves as accountable to anyone but themselves—and there is no value on human life. Secular counselors thus have no answer. And all the money in the world will be largely useless—if the truth about who we are and where we came from is not taught!” I told the newspaper reporter that our Creation Museum would also tell the world that humans are special— we’re made in the image of God. The exhibits will be used to explain that because of sin, death and violence now exist in this world. People will be told that because there is a God, and it is the God of the Bible, and because the Bible is true, this is the only basis for absolutes. Unless there is an absolute authority, to whom we’re accountable, then who determines right and wrong? I explained to the reporter that people are asking why generations of students seem to increasingly have no sense of right or wrong or good or bad. I asked, “Who determines what’s right and wrong?” In reality, what people want is for these students to have a Christian morality -but you can’t have Christian morality without Christianity, and you can’t have Christianity without the Bible. Furthermore, ultimately you must believe in the historicity of Genesis which is foundational to the rest of the Bible. Our Creation Museum will provide the foundation of God’s Word for this nation, one that has by and large been removed from the educational institutions (and the culture as a whole). If the Vice-President wanted to provide a solution to the school violence issue, he should tell the schools to stop teaching students they’re just animals, and build creation museums across the nation.

The Church and school violence

But what does Rev. Robert Schuller have to do with this issue? Well, he also appeared on the same Larry King program with Mr. Gore. He made the following statements concerning the school violence issue: “I think I deal-and have for 49 years-with a positive theology that focuses on building self- respect, self-esteem, self-worth, and this is what we teach and this is what we preach. Build the dignity of the individual. Don’t insult, and don’t embarrass; don’t humiliate; don’t shame.” The opposite of humility is not pride. The opposite of humility is shame…We have to learn how to be positive in affirming people-you’re terrific. You’re fantastic. Encourage them. And ultimately, I am not what I think I am-I am what you think you think I am-I am what I think you think I am. “…And I think another thing I would like to make a point of, and that is the opposite of love is not hate. When we see a lot of hatred and a lot of violence that we say is hatred, it’s really not hatred. The opposite of love is not hatred. The opposite of love is fear. And fear is only handled when we give people a sense of their self-worth, and we love them and we hug them and we tell them how great they are and how beautiful they are. And that’s the classic role of the Judeo-Christian faith, whether you’re Jewish, Roman Catholic, Protestant or Muslim. “We all look at the creation of the human being, and we need to love each other-no substitute for that.” God’s love is the answer, but only if we understand it in terms of the literal truth of Genesis. If we don’t deal with the real nature of man, that we are all sinners, then ultimately, the self-esteem emphasis portrayed above won’t work. Remember, Paul states that “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). God gave us the law so we would understand sin, and thus the need for repentance. Sadly, even much of the Church is not teaching the truth concerning the real nature of every human being. When people don’t understand their sin nature, and that they’re accountable to the absolute authority—the God of the Bible—then we’ll have a situation like that spoke of in the Book of Judges: “In those days [there was] no king in Israel: every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:5). This culture has replaced the absolute authority of the Word of God with an evolutionary foundation—and now we are reaping the consequences.

The answer to school violence

But, praise the Lord, there are discerning people in this nation who understand the times. The following letter from a pastor in Georgia to a local newspaper sums up the situation well: (different font needed) I think most of us are agreed that the wanton and joyfully violent brutality displayed by the gunmen of Littleton is at the same time appalling, sobering, and terrifying. But, I am also struck by what I see as the hypocrisy of so many of our politicians, educators, and reporters who are agonizing over the questions of how such a tragedy could happen and why two high school boys would chose to commit such an atrocity. The fact is that people make choices, and those choices have consequences. These boys made personal choices with horrible consequences. And therein lie both our dilemma and our hypocrisy. We live in a society adrift both morally and ethically. We have collectively (if not universally) cut ourselves loose from our moral and ethical anchor. A cursory review of the transcripts of [Supreme Court Justice] Clarence Thomas” confirmation hearings will quickly reveal our corporate disdain for any theory of “natural law,” let alone any theology of “supernatural law.” We insist that all law is a cultural construct and is, therefore, arbitrary. And then we are surprised when some among us decide to defy our rules and live by their own arbitrary code which we either dislike or do not understand. We teach our children that they are products of an evolutionary process involving nothing but random chance guided by some principle of “survival of the fittest” (read that, “the strong overcoming the weak’). And then we despair when some among us commit random acts of violence in which the “strong” destroy the “weak.” We deny the reality of any absolute code that defines “good” and “evil,” yet we assume that people are basically “good.” Then we are dismayed when some among us commit acts we interpret at “evil.” Our hypocrisy is that we have created for ourselves a society based on a philosophical absurdity. We want people to be good and law abiding, but we deny any absolute definition of “good” or any absolute standard of “law.” Our dilemma is that if we admit to an absolute definition of “good” and an absolute standard of “law,” we must also admit that they could only have been established by Someone greater than mankind. And we have decided that this is an unacceptable view. If we are going to cling to such a logical absurdity, we forfeit the right to ask “why” when atrocities are committed. If there are no rules we must all obey, and we are all free to live by our own moral and ethical codes, then we have no basis for condemning anyone’s choices, even those of the gunmen of Littleton. And if this is our guiding principle, there will be no solution, for there is no way to define this as a problem, much less a crisis. But, you say, it is a crisis, and we must find an answer. And you are correct. We know this intuitively, but why? Because God is real. His law is absolute. He has told us in His Word how to live. We go our own way at our peril. If we worship the God of the Bible and submit to His law, we will find the answer to the tragedy in Littleton. If we continue to worship the “god” of self-determinism and random chance, we must admit that the violence of Littleton was but the act of two young men worshipping their maker. (Dr. Paul Downey, Pastor, Temple Baptist Church, Georgia) The Christian voice needs to be heard in this nation more than ever before. Christians need to be aggressive in getting out the message of the truth of God’s Word beginning with Genesis. I believe this is why the Creation Museum project has received such opposition—the message of AiG’s museum is a direct attack on the foundation of humanism that has taken over much of this nation, and infiltrated much of the Church. Please pray that this Creation Museum will become a reality soon. God has opened the door—help us walk through it!

Sincerely,
Ken Ham

Stewardship and Trust Services

Proverbs 22

Open your Bible to Proverbs 22. God’s Word, of course, has all sorts of great advice regarding finances, and this passage of Scripture contains lots of solid, practical advice. Proverbs 22 begins with the teaching that a “good name” is better than great riches. The passage also speaks of Creation and our place in God’s universe. Proverbs 22:3 defines a prudent man, and talks of rewards. It warns about getting into debt and being slothful (v.13). Here’s verse 27: “If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?” One person paraphrased it this way: “And your very bed will be snatched from under you,” meaning this is what will happen if you abuse the handling of your credit. Let’s ask God to give all of us the grace and wisdom to obey His Word. Thank him for creating us and for first loving us. Also pray to Him that we could be good stewards of what He has entrusted to us.

Paul Laude, CFP, ext. 302

Feedback

On the cover:

People have been asking us if the building on the cover of our newsletter is the architect’s drawing of our future headquarters. Actually, it’s our current office, a wonderful facility that God has enabled us to lease for about 1/4th the cost of comparable buildings in the Northern Kentucky area!

Radio Feedback:

For years I strayed from God. Finally, after much pain and failure, the Lord graciously called me back to Him. Soon after this, I heard one of your Answers programs on the radio early Saturday morning. The message that I heard was one that I had never heard before. For two days, I made the long trek to your (New Jersey) seminar in order to be filled with as much information as possible. Thank you for your ministry. J.H. Belle Mead, NJ

Praise the Lord for your defense of the Bible as the infallible Word of God. As a single mom, I can’t wait to bring my three-year old to the Creation Museum. We are praying that the museum will be built soon. J.P., Pennsylvania

Refuting Evolution!

Last August we announced in our newsletter that Answers in Genesis was wanting a book that would refute the 140-page text published by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) that was sent to all public schools in America last year (to promote the teaching of evolution as fact). AiG’s response, Refuting Evolution, has been written by Dr. Jonathan Sarfati of the AiG-Australia ministry. It is a general critique of the most up-to-date arguments that educators put forward in the NAS book to support evolution. As the new school year will begin in a few weeks, Refuting Evolution is a book that should be read by all Christian parents who send their children to public schools and by all educators. Because it is a current, easy-to-read refutation of evolution, it would be an excellent addition to any person’s library.
Available at $10.99, order your copy by calling 1-800-778-3390.

This is an AWESOME website. I am in the process of building an apologetics section on my own web page, but I think I’ll just put up a link to here! K.S. (by e-mail) This is great!!!! An excellent web site! God bless you all so much. I never could find science facts like this before. If only I could have had this in high school would have saved me years in my search for truth. “Ken” (by e-mail)

We read your newsletter from cover to cover and use your videos to show friends what evolution is doing to our country. Thanks for addressing the issue of how churches have compromised evolution with creation. My husband has dedicated the rest of his life to educate people about the issue—the ongoing battle! --E.D., Gilbert, AZ

Good news, bad news

At Answers in Genesis we’re very encouraged by the tremendous response of so many Christians to the various outreaches AiG conducts to proclaim Biblical authority. Our recent meetings in Nashville, Tennessee and Valparaiso, Indiana, for example, were extremely well-received by the many thousands who turned out. At the same time, these blessings are revealing that many churches have compromised on the issue of the authority of the Bible from its very first verse. Because of compromise within the Church, the Creation account of origins (and many other Biblical doctrines) is being undermined by teaching that does not see the Bible as authoritative. Frankly, if more churches were doing their “job,” there wouldn’t be much need for an apologetics ministry such as AiG. But thank the Lord that we are seeing the door closed on compromise in many churches! Please remember AiG in your prayers as it attempts to bring reformation to compromising churches. If Answers in Genesis has been a blessing to you in this regard, please drop us a line.

Editor’s note:
We’ve added even more features to our web site. Take a look at www.answersingenesis.org

New stations on board!

We are happy to announce that the following stations are now carrying our Answers…with Ken Ham radio feature:

• COLORADO
  Colorado Springs
  KGFT-FM 100.7 MF ROS
• GEORGIA
  Columbus WPNX-AM 1460 MF ROS
  Griffin WMVV-FM 90.7 MF 4:30pm
  Savannah WSGA-AM 1400 MF ROS
• IDAHO
  Boise/Caldwell KBXL-FM/KSPD-AM 94.1 MF ROS
  Boise KSPD-AM 790 MF ROS
• ILLINOIS
  Charleston WEIC-AM 1270 MF ROS
• LOUISIANA
  Jonesboro KTOC-AM 920 MF ROS
• NEBRASKA
  Columbus KTLX-FM 91.9 MF 6:45am
  Norfolk KPNO-FM 90.9 MF ROS
• NEW HAMPSHIRE
  Manchester/Derry WDER-AM 1320 MF 6:07am
• OHIO
  Jackson WJLI-FM 98.7 MF ROS
• MASSACHUSETTS
  Fitchburg WFGL-AM 960 MF 10:27am
• MONTANA
  Billings KURL-AM 730 MF 4:23pm
  Billings KMZK-AM 1240 MF 8:53 am/pm
• NORTH CAROLINA
  Greenville/Snow Hill WAGO-FM 88.7 MF 6:25pm
• TEXAS
  Dallas KPBC-AM 770 MF ROS
• VIRGINIA
  Edinburg WOTC-FM 88.3 MF ROS

Creation Clubs Update

Creation Clubs a hit in first year!

AiG’s Creation Clubs have jumped to more than 100 member-clubs in public and Christian schools across the country! Questionnaires that AiG recently sent to these clubs were quite revealing! The Lord has blessed one club with 80 student members (the average club has about 19)! Most important, there are at least 70 students (that we know of) who have received Christ as Savior and Lord through these clubs. And, of course, hundreds of Christian students have been encouraged in their faith by viewing the free videos and literature sent to each club. If you want to start an AiG Creation Club in your public school or Christian school (by the way, about a third of the clubs in public schools are working within already-existing Christian clubs), contact Kurt Streutker by mail or by phone at ext. 405. He’ll send you an information packet that will explain how you can impact your school with faith-building literature and tapes and how to start your club! If you haven’t received a complimentary copy of our new resource catalog, call 1-800-778-3390.

[Ed. note: See our creation clubs page for updated information.]

Pastors’ retreat in Wyoming!

Why not have your church send your pastor (and his wife) to beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming December 6-10 (Monday evening through Friday morning), 1999 for a pastors’ conference led by Ken Ham? It could be your early Christmas present to your pastor! Your pastor and his wife will be blessed by Ken’s teaching ministry, and then have most afternoons (and evenings) free to enjoy this winter wonderland along the Grand Teton Mountains, with backpacking, skiing, and other outdoor activities available! The conference will be co-hosted by Jackson Hole Bible College and Rocky Mountain Lodge, both headed by Pastor Don Landis, also chairman of AiG’s board. Pastor Landis will lead discussion times during this conference. The conference fee will only be $50(?) to attend Ken Ham’s pastors’ conference—and the wife attends free! Your church could pay for your pastor’s travel and subsistence (inexpensive lodging is now being secured in Jackson Hole). Seating is limited, so please call Jackson Hole Bible College at 307-739-8630 to reserve your spot. If you have young people considering Bible training, you can also request information on the college’s one-year program, which offers a Bible-based education starting with Genesis. Call the college phone number above for information.
(June Newsletter 226)

We want your canceled stamps!

We have been introduced to a fascinating way to support missionaries. As you may know, AiG is very active in presenting Scriptural truths worldwide (through five international offices) as it carries out the Great Commission. We wanted to share with you one way of supporting missionaries in countries where there is little “creation evangelism” going on. Over a year ago, Naomi Durik, author of the book Serving the Lord over Sixty, told us that she was helping fund missionaries by trading in her canceled stamps for money, and then applying all funds to the missionary endeavors she supports. Here at AiG, we have taken up her idea. We cut the stamps off envelopes we receive in our mail department. After hundreds have been collected, we simply send a box of these stamps to Naomi. In this way, AiG has been able to provide Christian literature, groceries, and clothing to the Philippines, Turkey, many African countries and even some missionary outreaches in Arizona. So here is another “creation evangelism” outreach for you to consider: for a month or so, cut out and save your cancelled stamps and enclose them in one of the AiG “reply envelopes” that we provide you each month and send the stamps to us. Please leave 1/4” on all sides of the stamps. We will make sure that they are passed on to Naomi, who will sell the stamps and use the proceeds to send free literature overseas. Simple, but effective! Thank you for considering this unusual way of supporting creation evangelism worldwide!
(February newsletter)