What Does the Ark Have in Common with the United States?

I thought it would be fascinating to compare the founding of the nation to the founding of the Ark Encounter.

Although there are vast differences between the two, there are a few similarities. Both were born from leaders who acted on deeply held convictions, produced tangible symbols pertaining to their beliefs, endured opposition and much criticism, and invested in a generational impact that would leave a lasting legacy.

The founders of the nation took great risks to act on their sincerely held beliefs (as reflected in words in the Declaration of Independence): “All men are created equal” and therefore have “certain unalienable rights” (life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness).

The founders of the Ark Encounter developed this project from sincere convictions regarding biblical authority. We received opposition and criticism from outside and within the church.

The founding fathers of the US, despite having diverse beliefs, acted on their faith and risked life and property to pursue their convictions so the nation could become a reality. They had a longterm generational vision, not just a vision for their immediate future.

Both the Ark Encounter and the US have physical symbols to remind future generations of the origin and history of these places and the importance of the messages on which the founders’ convictions were based. The vision will surely have a spiritual impact for generations to come.

For instance, the nation of America has founding documents, monuments, and national holidays.

The Ark Encounter has a massive physical structure (a replica of Noah’s ark as the largest freestanding timber-frame structure in the world) that teaches about faithfulness to God, God’s judgment and mercy, and the vital importance of the gospel message—a message of biblical authority and salvation.

The founding fathers of America were called rebels and traitors.

Those of us who founded the Ark Encounter were maligned in many ways.

Now, I admit I did my elementary, high school, and university education in Australia. So I didn’t learn much about American history. I’ve (with tongue in cheek) mentioned to conference-goers: “I know many Americans love to talk about their founding fathers having convictions, well, our Australian founders had convictions too—though they were convictions of a different sort, as Australia started primarily as a convict settlement.”

Having said all of that (and there are many more interesting comparisons we could make), it’s important to understand the following:

1. God ordained government.

   Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist have been appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists that authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. (Romans 13:1–2)

   The purpose of government was to maintain law and order. But today, the government has overstepped into areas (e.g., marriage, sexuality, etc.) in which it should not be involved.

2. Ultimately (and no doubt the founders of America understood this), the government is not the answer to man’s problems, and legislation is not the answer to humanity’s problems.

   Please don’t misunderstand me. I believe we need more Christians with a Christian worldview on school boards, in governments, etc., to vote in accordance with a true biblical worldview. Sadly, secularists (who have an anti-God, anti-biblical worldview) have taken over many of those places, resulting in the secularization of our education system and nation.

3. Ultimately, the solution to man’s problems (and many of the US founding fathers would have understood this) is the truth of God’s Word and the saving gospel. And that’s what the Ark Encounter (and, of course, the Creation Museum and Answers in Genesis) is all about. This is reflected in the fact that our guest surveys consistently show that 70,000 people each year say that they trusted Christ as a result of the Ark Encounter, as well as 30,000 people each year at the Creation Museum. That’s massive! I don’t think many churches or organizations would see such a response as this. And this doesn’t include all the other things we do as a ministry that impact people with the gospel. For instance, 2,357 people responded to the gospel during our 40 Days of Christian Music festival in 2025.

Answers in Genesis has never been a political movement, yet we do want to impact lives, culture, and government.

A major difference between the ministry of Answers in Genesis and our government is that AiG has a very strict statement of faith. Our board and all fulltime staff members have to sign this very detailed document. Over the years, many people who have an anti-Christian worldview have been voted into government positions, and this has adversely impacted people’s lives and culture as a whole.

Answers in Genesis has never been a political movement, yet we do want to impact lives, culture, and government. And how do we do that? Well, I’ve always said that when we impact people for Christ, we will also impact other lives, culture, and government. This is because the people we impact will be witnesses to others, and some may get on school boards or hold political positions. In these positions, people can impact the culture by voting in accordance with their Christian worldview.

It’s important to understand that everyone has a worldview. There is no neutral position. If Christians don’t get into influential positions, then secularists will (and have) vote in accordance with their secular anti-Christian worldview.

For as he calculates in his soul, so he is. (Proverbs 23:7)

For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil. For his mouth speaks from the abundance of his heart. (Luke 6:43–45)

As we know, God’s Word teaches that a person is either for or against Christ, walks in light or darkness, and builds their house on rock or sand. In other words, no one is neutral. One’s beliefs determine one’s worldview, and that impacts every area of that person’s life, including how they vote on matters.

Now, different ministries/organizations have different missions. The mission of Answers in Genesis has always been one in which we:

• challenge the church to stand on God’s Word from the very first verse and equip God’s people to be able to defend the Christian faith and be effective witnesses for the gospel;
• teach Christians what it means to have a true Christian worldview founded in God’s Word, beginning in Genesis, and to be consistent in their thinking in every area as they apply this worldview; and
• challenge non-Christians concerning the truth of God’s Word and the saving gospel.

It is hearts and minds that impact a culture! Our ministry is to do all we can to impact hearts and minds for the Lord Jesus Christ.

As we are well into this 10th anniversary of the opening of the Ark Encounter and the 250th anniversary of the US as a nation, I just want to remind us that Answers in Genesis is involved in numerous outreaches to reach as many people as we can with God’s Word and the vital gospel message. Here is a list of many of the things we are involved in:

1. Two leading world-class Christian attractions, reaching around 1.5 million people each year;
2. Vacation Bible school program, which is used to reach over 1 million children each year;
3. Social media platforms that reach hundreds of millions of people;
4. Websites that enable tens of millions to access articles and other information each year;
5. Translation ministry that enables people in many different countries and different languages to have access to the information we produce;
6. Our Answers TV streaming platform with over 7,000 videos for all ages, which can be accessed from anywhere in the world;
7. Numerous conferences at the Ark and Creation Museum with tens of thousands attending;
8. Domestic and international outreach that impacts tens of thousands of people across the US and around the world each year;
9. Daily radio program on over 1,000 stations and also on many Spanish stations; and
10. Books and curricula for churches, homeschool, and Christian schools, influencing tens of thousands of people of all ages each year.

Not only do our guest surveys indicate that around 100,000 people respond to the gospel as a result of the attractions, but we regularly receive numerous testimonies from people of all ages who come to Christ as a result of God using Answers in Genesis. And many Christian leaders tell us they’ve never seen so many children respond to the gospel now that they are using AiG’s VBS program.

So as we celebrate the two anniversaries this year, the 10-year anniversary of the Ark Encounter and the 250th anniversary of the nation, I trust you are extremely encouraged by what Answers in Genesis is doing to impact hearts and minds with God’s Word and the gospel, and because of this, impacting the culture and government.

I would plead with you this month to consider specially supporting all we do through our core ministry by designating a monthly recurring gift to our core ministry for all of these wonderful evangelistic outreaches, as some of these efforts have to be subsidized. It’s really our evangelistic core ministry that enables Answers in Genesis to reach millions upon millions around the world with the most vital message in the universe!

Your prayers and financial support are vital to helping us boldly continue the ministry that the Lord has called us to do—would you prayerfully consider donating today at AnswersDonate.com to help our evangelistic outreaches? Your donation of any size is a great blessing!

Thanks for being a part of our AiG family and enabling us to reach so many for Christ in this fallen world.

In Christ,
Ken