Christmas at the Creation Museum

Below is a copy of a press release sent out last week concerning AiG’s special events coming up at the Creation Museum.

‘Bethlehem’s Blessings’ Featuring Live Nativity, Special Guests, Holiday Festivities, Make Museum a Favorite December Attraction

PETERSBURG, KY., November 5, 2008–While you might wonder what the Book of Genesis and Christmas have to do with each other, the Creation Museum outside Cincinnati has combined the two in a way that presents the wonders the two have in common.

“Christmas is about hope and faith and love, and the fulfillment of God’s plan for humanity,” said Creation Museum co-founder and spokesperson Mark Looy. “The created world is God’s backdrop for this amazing story of redemption and relationship. We find the two–Creation and Christmas–go very well together, and we invite our guests to experience each in light of the other at our special ‘Bethlehem’s Blessings–A Christmas Celebration’ this December.”

“In addition, the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Creator, and we make this clear in many of our exhibits, culminating with our stirring film, ‘The Last Adam,’” Looy adds. “The story reveals Christ’s purpose in coming, as the sacrificial Lamb of God. Guests are usually pleasantly surprised that the museum presents the whole gospel, not just the Old Testament book of Genesis.”

The centerpiece of the museum’s “Bethlehem’s Blessings” presentation is a live outdoor nativity scene, featuring human actors in each of the Christmas story roles, and of course sheep, donkeys, and camels–all the usual animals present during the birth of the Christ child–courtesy of the museum’s own petting zoo. Museum staff and volunteers will alternate as Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, and caravan traders. A special lighted trail, “The Road to Bethlehem,” will feature a glimpse of the first Christmas in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago.

Because the live nativity is an outdoor exhibit (open 2 p.m.–close, Dec. 12–Jan. 4, except on Christmas Day), guests can experience “Bethlehem’s Blessings” for free and not pay admission to visit the museum building. The museum itself will remain open late on twelve days during the season (until 8 p.m.), Dec. 12–13, 19–20, 22–23, 26–27, and 31, and Jan 2–4.

Visitors to the museum grounds will also enjoy hayrides, seasonal lights and decorations, holiday food, and fun events and activities for children. Special Christmas exhibits inside the museum (tickets are required) include the Planetarium presentation, “The Bethlehem Star.”

As a Christmas gift to the community and to remind everyone of the wonderful free gift of salvation through Christ (who was the Baby in the Bethlehem manger), the museum will be open to the public for free on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Normally a $21.95 value for adults/$16.95 for seniors/$11.95 for children, this includes all of the inside exhibits, the “Men in White” film at the Special Effects theater, “The Last Adam” film, the “Dragon Theater” featuring legends of dragons and dinosaurs, plus the popular planetarium program “The Christmas Star” (limited seating in the planetarium; on a first-come basis). Because of the short day, there will be no nativity on the 24th.

“This free gift to the community on the 24th is one way of saying ‘thank you’ to those who have been so supportive of the Creation Museum,” Looy said. “We would love to see as many of our Tri-state neighbors here as possible.”

The “Bethlehem’s Blessings” festivities get under way on Dec. 12, with a chance for the media to get an advance preview on Dec. 11 from 5 p.m.–7 p.m. The live nativity will run from 2 p.m. until close (except on the 24 and 25) and the seasonal light displays will begin at dusk each day.

The Creation Museum, located near the Cincinnati Airport, is a ministry of Answers in Genesis, a nonprofit Christian organization dedicated to confirming the validity of the Bible from the very first verse. Since its opening in May 2007, the museum has seen 590,000 visitors, way above anticipated crowds of 250,000 for the first year. The usual museum hours are 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday–Thursday; 10 a.m.–9 p.m. on Fridays; 9 a.m.–6 p.m. on Saturdays; and 12 p.m. (noon)–6 p.m. on Sundays, except for the 12 special days mentioned above when the museum will remain open until 8 p.m.

Grand Rapids Gets Taste of Creation Museum

This was the headline of an article in the Grand Rapids Press (Michigan) newspaper as a lead up to the AiG conference which began yesterday. The article continued:

GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP—Creation Museum founder Ken Ham said the area is ripe for an alternative take on how Earth and mankind came to be.

“There’s an extra aspect to Grand Rapids in that you have a major Christian College there—Calvin (College)—where, by and large, they would add evolution to the Bible,” Ham said from his Petersburg, Ky., office. “We would see that as compromising God.” [should have read, “compromising God’s Word”]

A group of religious leaders, business people and Christian educators is bringing Ham and others to an “Answers in Genesis” conference that runs Sunday through Tuesday. Opened in 2007, the Creation Museum has drawn about 600,000 patrons, Ham said. Its sights are based on a “literal Genesis position,” he said, in which dinosaurs coexist with humans.

“Our whole purpose is evangelistic and we make no apology about that,” Ham said. “We help people think about the issues and we do something that secular museums don’t—to let them know that there are different views on this topic.”

I have included some photographs taken yesterday:

We praise the Lord for the great turn out last night. Please continue to pray for the conference as we speak to thousands of children and young people today in the morning and afternoon—the second part of the conference tonight—I speak at Grace Bible College Tuesday morning—and then the final conference session Tuesday night. You can obtain more information from AiG’s on line event calendar.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken