“A Taste of Heaven”: Review of the Ark Encounter

Dear Mr. Ham,

Recently I returned from a visit to the Ark Encounter.

Ever since the opening in 201[6] it has been on my bucket list, so to speak! And finally I found a friend willing to make the trek up to Kentucky from North Carolina to visit, hence I write.

What an achievement! What a testimony to a lifetime of service, evangelism, and teaching. If I may borrow from scripture and say to you ‘Well done good and faithful servant!’

The meticulous attention to detail that has obviously been taken, in the planning and in the construction has been done ‘unto the Lord’!

To have such a vision and then the task of raising substantial funding; then to come up with an impressive design and a plan to execute and then for it to all come together and to materialize is truly an amazing achievement. My friend and I found ourselves just shaking our heads in amazement!

The sheer size of the structure; the grounds; the plantings; the grasses around the pond. We fully expected to find Moses’ reed basket appearing at any moment. The 12 stones at the entrance a reminder to teach our children, the ‘door’ with it’s symbolism from Rev 3:20 and it’s subtle cross; the massive tree trunks taken from Utah after a fire; the ingenious delivery of food and water and the removal of waste; the interviews with ancient Noah and then modern day Noah; the comparison of the ‘choice’ offered then and now!

Yes, we were teary!

This whole project, this mammoth effort, was aimed at securing the foundation of the Christian faith for Christians; reaching those who thought they were coming to a Christian theme park and answering questions for those seeking answers. How absolutely wonderful!!

We witnessed a family of Hindu people . . . entering the Answers center. We prayed for them as they entered the theater and the worship with TrueSong. The words of each song carefully chosen, the testimony given. Oh yes, we were wiping away tears. Folk that would probably never enter a Christian church were coming from the zip line to a worship service.

Beginning at the entrance to the car park, the smiling Christian welcome. A man with obvious joy, to the bus driver shaking a veteran’s hand thanking him for his service, to the shop assistants smiling and helpful. We were there Memorial Day bumping into brothers and sisters wearing Christian T shirts, teenagers who had picked up their Ark Encounter T shirts. A taste of heaven hanging out with a bunch of happy smiling Christians for a day.

Praise the Lord—we are so grateful he continues to use these attractions to encourage the church and equip them with answers.

Praise the Lord—we are so grateful he continues to use these attractions to encourage the church and equip them with answers. I encourage you to make plans to visit (and remember all children ten and under are free). Our research indicates up to 30% of those who come to the Ark are non-Christians.

Oh, and if you’re making plans to come, consider visiting this summer during our 40 Days and 40 Nights of Christian Music Festival, taking place at the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum July 30–September 7, 2024. You’ll enjoy concerts from Casting Crowns, The Booth Brothers, CAIN, Mac Powell, Gold City, Jason Crabb, Crowder, and so many others (over 150 artists!). All of the concerts are included free with your Ark or Creation Museum admission. It’s a great time to visit! Learn more at 40DaysOfChristianMusic.com.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.