"It can be hard to defend your faith"

17-YEAR-OLD ASKS KEN HAM TO REPLY

We do receive an immense number of emails every day at AiG. Of course, I can’t answer every one which is why we have a staff in our “Answers Department” who deal with these. However, they do pass a lot of them along for me to see, and when I can, I like to answer some personally. A 17-year-old, who obviously has struggled to defend his faith, sent in the following email with a really encouraging testimony as to how AiG resources have been a great help to him. I would urge you all to read this as a Christian student shares his frustrations and blessings as he struggles as a Christian at high school:

Hello

My name is Raymond, I’m seventeen years old and I live in New England. I am currently a senior in high school. When I was a sophomore, I took a college level biology course and found it fascinating. This e-mail is for Ken Ham and although I’m sure I probably won’t get a direct response from him I would like to say how interesting and informative his 12 part video series was.

I have been a Christian all my life, and living in New England, it can be hard to defend your faith when you are barraged with humanistic ideas everyday. And even more, when your friends and teachers seem to back it up with “science.” For me to hear these answers and arguments makes me smile because now I know the truth—and it makes sense because it should—the Bible says so. It was also a blessing not only to hear the relevance Scripture has to actual history (fossils, layers, etc.) and how the evidence fits with the Bible, but also the clear relevance and truth Scripture has to human nature/sinful nature (rebellion and ignorance, as you mentioned from 1 Peter about man seeing the truth but refusing and choosing not to believe it).

My friends and I frequently discuss issues such as abortion, homosexuality, and evolution (you know, the controversial topics) at lunch and they always say things like, “oh, you’re brainwashed! The only thing you believe in is the Bible—you’ve let the Bible brainwash you—you’re so closed minded because you’re brainwashed by religion (and along those lines),” but in reality, it is the other way around.

My friends aren’t necessarily “brainwashed,” but they haven’t been presented the facts to important questions and beliefs they have so they haven’t been given a choice if they want to believe in evolution, or where the evidence leads—the Bible (a.k.a. creation). Man doesn’t want to see the truth because then they see they are wrong and unjustified in what they do (sin).

First of all, I am truly interested in biology and POSSIBLY a major in biology, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life working in a lab shaking test tubes all day. So maybe your organization could offer a few suggestions or thoughts on that statement. Well anyway, I loved your video series because it explained a lot and was encouraging...

It would be cool for a response, and even cooler if it was from Ken Ham and I look forward to investigating the truth through archaeological evidence, your teaching materials, and most importantly, the Bible. God Bless, Ray, Job 38.

Well Ray, I did see your email and even decided to put it on my blog. I know our ANSWERS staff will be sending you answers to your questions. I also wanted to say that I will be sending you in the mail a complimentary copy of the book Evolution Exposed which will be great for you to read and to use in witnessing to other students and teachers. And thanks for the encouraging testimony—our staff love to read emails like this to know how the Lord is using this ministry in people’s lives.

MUSEUM UPDATE

I have enclosed a photograph of a section of the Catastrophe section (dealing with Noah’s Ark) as it is currently under construction. There will be 12 animatronic figures in the section with a Noah’s Ark walk-through exhibit. I believe this will be one of the most startling exhibit areas in the museum.

ETS REPORT

The enclosed photograph is of AiG speaker/writer/researcher Dr. Terry Mortenson as he gave his report to the AiG staff Thursday morning on the paper he presented at the recent ETS (Evangelical Theological Society) meeting. AiG also funded giving away hundreds of DVD’s and other material to participants—many of whom are the theological leaders in the evangelical world. We pray that Terry’s contribution to this group and the resources that were given out will be used to challenge many to give up their compromise positions (e.g., progressive creation, theistic evolution, etc).

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying.

Ken