Answers for Women 2013—A Great Success!

Just a few short weeks ago, Answers in Genesis sponsored the second annual Answers for Women conference. I was thrilled to see that our attendance had doubled this year! Women traveled from Florida, Connecticut, and Kansas—a total of 18 states were represented. We heard from great speakers and shared amazing fellowship, and as a result were educated, equipped, and encouraged.

As I sat down to write this blog post, I discovered that two women atheists had attended the conference—unknown to us—and written a blog post about their experience. Although their post about the conference is scathing, I praise God that they attended and heard the gospel!

I have decided not to go through their post point by point and expose error because that would take an enormous amount of time. Much of what they said consisted of ad hominem attacks or arguments that lack substance relevant to the topic and therefore do not warrant a response. However, I did want to point out a few of their comments that I thought were interesting, along with my response.

However, Purdom is one of two Answers in Genesis staffers with PhDs from secular universities (hers is in molecular genetics from Ohio State), so I was interested to hear how she would connect her training to her talk.

Answers in Genesis employs several staff members (not just two) with doctoral degrees from secular universities including Dr. Andrew Snelling (PhD, University of Sydney), Dr. Danny Faulkner (PhD, Indiana University), Dr. David Menton (PhD, Brown University), Dr. Terry Mortenson (PhD, University of Coventry) and Dr. Tommy Mitchell (MD, Vanderbilt University) and me, of course.

Her main argument [in a presentation I gave titled “The Genetics of Adam and Eve”] seemed to be that it was a “matter of starting points,” and that the scientists were starting from a secular place, rather than the Bible. (Starting points would, unfortunately, be a running theme throughout the conference.)

This is one of the best compliments I can think of! The real issue is not the evidence but how we interpret the evidence in light of our starting points or worldview—God as the ultimate authority or man.

Really, the entire talk [“The Genetics of Adam and Eve”] boiled down to one idea: evolutionists are highly prejudiced, and Creation Scientists are starting from an objectively true point: the Bible.

Both biblical creationists and evolutionists are highly prejudiced! Both have a starting point or worldview; the difference is that a biblical creationist starts with the ultimate authority of the inerrant Word of God, and secularists start with fallible man as the ultimate authority.

Dr. Purdom’s main argument [in my presentation titled “Facebook Debates, Re-Tweets, and My Opinion: Does the Bible Have a Place in the Marketplace of Ideas?”] seemed to be that Christians weren’t arguing enough using the Bible. (Which, I would think, is the least useful way to bring opponents to your way of thinking.)

But it’s not my “way of thinking” that I’m trying to bring people to! It’s not about my opinion vs. another person’s opinion. The point is to bring people to God’s way of thinking and to the good news of the gospel—and we can only do that effectively if we start with the Bible.

There were lots and lots of kids walking around with their parents at the museum — most of them under the age of ten. The Creation Museum has really become a Christian family destination.

Once again we see atheists bothered by the large number of children visiting the Creation Museum. Many atheists view teaching creation to children as a form of abuse. We were thrilled to see many children attend with their parents as we offered free admission for families to visit the Creation Museum for women attending the conference.

Although these two women did not appreciate the conference, many of the women who attended did express their appreciation. The following is just a small sample of the feedback we received about the conference.

Thank you so much for organizing the Women's Conference. I don't really know how to adequately describe how I feel about the experience... I think it was substantial, relevant, Biblically based, motivated me to action. As you said in the promo, we got into the meat of scripture, and I was so glad of that. I can express how much of an impact it had by saying that I wish I could persuade every woman I know to attend. Every topic was so very relevant and needed to be tackled and we were constantly pointed back to scripture. Even the music was so refreshingly pure and reverent.

I thoroughly enjoyed the women's conference. When I signed up for it this year, I was convinced that it could never be as good as it was last year. It didn't take long to recognize how God orchestrated each session to intertwine and exactly complement each other to give us exactly what we need to stand firm in the battle that enrages all around us. The material presented and the encouragement provided was a fresh breath from God as we head back to our homes, our churches, and our communities. I have a renewed sense of purpose and greater desire to reach out than ever before.

We drove 1,640 miles round trip to attend and I tell you that I would do it again.

The conference was indeed a blessing! I was so impressed with how well it was run, and most of all, I can say that it definitely changed my life and my marriage. I haven't been able to stop sharing with everyone how much it impacted my walk with Christ. I usually hate being away from home, but I adored every minute and was so sad when it ended. I cannot wait until the next one!

What a blessing—I’m really looking forward to next year! If you missed this year’s conference, you can still view my final presentation of the conference: Facebook Debates, Re-Tweets, and My Opinion: Does the Bible Have a Place in the Marketplace of Ideas?

The next Answers for Women conference will be May 2–3, 2014. Be sure to mark your calendars and watch the Answers for Women website for more information.