In June, I traveled to Australia to speak at two major conferences. I also spoke at a camp for young people sponsored by the Open Air Campaigners. This really was a trip down memory lane in many ways.
I was amazed and thrilled to meet so many people who told me they heard me in the early days of the ministry in the late ’70s and ’80s as I traveled to and fro across Australia, speaking in church after church. The interesting thing was that most of those who told me they heard me teaching on creation apologetics in the early days explained they were young children at the time. They told me that their parents loved the creation ministry, supported it financially, and ensured their children had this apologetics teaching as part of their upbringing. These people introduced me to their children, who are now being impacted by the foundational teaching of Answers in Genesis. It’s always such a blessing to hear of this multigenerational impact!
And I met many in the older generation who supported the ministry when it first began in our little house in Brisbane in 1977.
Mally and I had one of our daughters and one of our granddaughters with us for this trip, so we made sure to drive past our old house where the ministry started, the first building we leased as the ministry grew, and even the building (which used to be a church) where Mally and I first met in 1971.
We were reminded of the many miracles from God’s hand that enabled the ministry, now called Answers in Genesis, to come into existence. We were reminded of the sacrifices made by many over the years and the special people God brought together so the ministry could exist.
Now, that really was a trip down memory lane. We were reminded of the many miracles from God’s hand that enabled the ministry, now called Answers in Genesis, to come into existence. We were reminded of the sacrifices made by many over the years and the special people God brought together so the ministry could exist.
We look at the AiG ministry, which is now the largest apologetics ministry in the world—with the two leading Christian themed attractions—impacting tens of millions of people directly and tens of millions more indirectly each year. Mally and I are blown away by all God has done and continues to do!
Answers in Genesis, which was founded in the US in December 1993, is 30 years old this year. But the embryonic beginnings of AiG began when we started a creation apologetics bookstore in our house “down under” in 1977, along with a speaking ministry. So, in reality, the organization began 46 years ago in Australia. I gave my first-ever creation apologetics talk in 1975 in Dalby, Queensland. I’ve been speaking on this topic for 48 years. During our recent time in Australia, we visited Dalby (where I began my high school teaching career). We met up with several friends, including the Baptist minister who was there when I gave my first apologetics talk at Dalby Baptist Church. These friends have been avid followers of the ministry ever since, and they remain some of the best friends we’ve ever made.
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken
This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.