The Battle for Souls

I have good news, but also sad news.

The good news is that Bible-based creation ministry is making a phenomenal impact both on the church and on the culture as well. You have probably gathered that by visiting our website.

The sad news is that evolutionists are increasingly banding together to push their anti-Christian teachings and to oppose creationists.

Websites and newspapers across America have recently published numerous articles about evolutionists who are worried by the increasing number of Christians who are, for example, engaging evolutionists at science museums. And they’re also concerned with the many other challenges to the idea of evolution that continue to pop up around the nation.

I will share some very revealing quotes from two of America’s best-known news sources-The Chicago Tribune and The New York Times.

First, let me share with you that as the opening of the AiG Creation Museum gets closer (April 2007), media from around the world are descending on Answers in Genesis. We have lately been receiving about one major media inquiry a day about the museum, as well as many others from smaller media outlets.

In fact, in the week I’m writing this, the following media were all at AiG:

• a reporter from a leading Italian national newspaper, Il Sole
• a crew from the ABC (Australia) television program “Lateline”
• four crew members with “60 Minutes” Australia
• a crew from France’s version of “60 Minutes”

And the Sunday before, AiG was on the “CBS News Sunday Morning” program.

These reporters and cameramen are normally blown away (in a good way) by what they experience here. Praise God for these opportunities to proclaim His Word!

Back to the two newspapers I mentioned earlier. The Chicago Tribune reported recently: “Natural history museums around the country are mounting new exhibits they hope will succeed where high school biology classes have faltered: convincing Americans that Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is a rigorously tested cornerstone of modern science.”

As a quick aside, I want to point out that AiG has always said in its web articles and printed pieces that the most-effective way to combat the destructive ideas of evolutionary humanism which have spread across the culture (and which have even infected the church) is to disseminate information-especially to equip Christians with the knowledge to defend their faith. That’s why we created our website.

The more people become equipped to be able to speak intelligently about the truth of the Bible and to challenge evolutionary arguments, the more we’ll see the culture changed.

That’s why AiG has always had an emphasis on:

• distributing Bible-upholding resources (books, DVDs, curricula, etc.)
• building a major website with thousands of timely articles
• producing 270 faith-building radio programs each year
• conducting family teaching conferences across the country

This grassroots effort to pressure the culture (and the church) to return to biblical authority is growing. And you know what? The secular world is getting worried!

Thus, the New York Times reported that “efforts are underway or planned around the country as science museums and other institutions struggle to contend with challenges to the theory of evolution that they say are growing common and sometimes aggressive.”

The Chicago Tribune stated: “Judy Diamond, professor and curator of the Nebraska state museum [said] … ‘I think everyone is realizing that we need to be doing a great deal more. We just haven’t made the effort to communicate evolution to people in terms they can understand. Evolution is exciting.’”

Now that’s a remarkable statement! Evolution/millions of years has been taught as fact in the museums and zoos and public schools and secular universities (and in many Christian colleges) to generations-and all this indoctrination is not enough to convince people?

This is actually a refreshing reminder of how easy it is to argue against the anti-God philosophy of evolution … if we can get the vital creation/gospel message to people.

And that’s exactly what AiG has been doing through its website and other resources-pouring information into the church and culture. I believe God has mightily used AiG as a big part in this grassroots change that is being noticed by the media.

The New York Times also reported about “evolution exhibitions financed by the National Science Foundation that will go on long-term display at six museums of natural history from Minnesota to Texas … [Quoting an evolutionist:] ‘Museums, as a field, have recognized we need to take a more proactive role in evolution education.’”

The Chicago Tribune goes on to report that at Chicago’s famous Field Museum, curators are calling their upcoming exhibit “Evolving Planet.” The University of Nebraska State Museum calls its program “Explore Evolution.” And the American Museum of Natural History calls theirs, simply, “Darwin.”

Now here is another very interesting observation about what’s happening at Chicago’s Field Museum. You see, when the secular press visit AiG’s Creation Museum, they always ask about all the amazing dinosaur models, bones and other items we have collected.

Reporters often ask something like the following as they interview me: “Why are you using dinosaurs? Everyone knows dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. Do you know that evolutionists are upset that a Creation Museum with dinosaurs is being built?”

Well, the Chicago Tribune article already answered that question: “Field’s [Chicago’s natural history museum] $17 million, 20,000 square foot, ‘Evolving Planet’ exhibit is slated to open on March 10, 2006 … the Field Museum has designed ‘Evolving Planet’ to showcase dinosaurs [because] … ‘we’re using the dinosaurs as kind of the marquee to draw them [adults/children] in.’”

Dinosaurs are one of the greatest icons that evolutionists use to promote their worldview.

Through our website, you probably know that dinosaurs are one of the greatest icons that evolutionists use to promote their worldview. Everyone is fascinated by dinosaurs.

In fact, I would say evolutionists are a different type of “fishers of men.” They’re using God’s dinosaurs to reel in millions of people and indoctrinate them in a worldview based upon evolution/millions of years-in effect, to indoctrinate them against God’s Word.

As I said to a reporter, “AiG has invaded the secular evolutionary museum temples, and has gone into their ‘holy of holies,’ and captured the dinosaurs … and taken them back to Kentucky to give them their rightful place in history, explained by the Bible!”

Think about this: the secular evolutionists have had billions of dollars at their disposal to indoctrinate young people and adults. They have built thousands of evolutionary-based museums around the world-they have used the public education system to teach millions of students in evolution/millions of years-they dominate the secular media.

Television shows on PBS, The Discovery Channel and The Learning Channel (to name just a few) push evolution/millions of years as fact; magazines abound that present evolution/millions of years as fact (e.g., National Geographic, Science, Discover, etc.).

Even major theme parks like Disneyland and Universal Studios present evolution/millions of years as fact-and yet for all this going on around the world, a ministry like AiG is having an international impact (with a website in 11 languages).

There are very few creation museums. AiG is building the only major creation museum of its kind in the world of its size. Although there are many fine creation organizations of various sizes around the world, and many scientists working in the secular world who are creationists, the numbers of creationist outreaches pale when compared to the number of evolutionary scientists and organizations.

And yet, the creation ministry is having a grassroots impact that is affecting this nation during what is being called the “culture wars.”

As you know, Hosea 4:6 states: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

Now that has been the problem. Many people haven’t even read the information on our website and other resources to know what to believe … and that God’s Word can be trusted. But we can do something about this-and we have been!

Yes, the message of biblical creation is powerful … because it is truth!

Every time I read the secular press about the inroads the creation movement is making, I say “Yes! And we can do even more! Let’s take on the evolutionary establishment!”

Truth is on our side! Our Creator God is with us! We need to do more: get more information out, get the Creation Museum finished, produce more materials, employ more speakers and researchers. Let’s do it!

As we wrap up another busy and fruitful year of ministry, we ask for your help: your prayers and your financial support. If AiG’s information-packed website has been a blessing to you, we would like to know that.

At this strategic time in history, will you support a ministry that is at the cutting edge of engaging the culture in the battle for souls?