A Storm of Response After the Rainbow at the Ark

Well, I certainly caused a stir earlier this summer. And we saw a tidal wave in response! Just 10 years ago, what I stated would not have even created a ripple!

And it’s all over the meaning of the rainbow.

As you know, in Genesis chapter nine, God made a covenant with Noah’s family, their descendants, and the animals. God promised he would never judge the world again with a global flood. He said that whenever a rainbow appeared, it would be a reminder of that covenant.

So this special meaning of the rainbow goes back about 4,300 years—just after the Flood of Noah’s day.

Since the 1970s, the rainbow (though not all of its colors) has been associated with what is called the “gay” movement—known today worldwide as the LGBTQ movement.

Storm over the Rainbow at the Ark

Last Christmas at our life-size Ark in Northern Kentucky, we lit up the huge ship with a rainbow of colors. I wrote an article that declared that we are “taking back the rainbow.” I publicly reminded people that the meaning of the rainbow was given by God, for he is the one who created it in the first place. That caused something of an uproar from many secularists who were upset that Christians were using the rainbow.

In July, I tweeted and posted to Facebook to announce that we installed permanent lights at the Ark Encounter to light up the ship each night with a spectacular rainbow of colors. In my posts, I also stated that we were taking back the rainbow, since it belonged to God!

I was somewhat surprised at how vitriolic these people were in response to my rainbow tweets.

LGBTQ people and their supporters “blew up” my Twitter and blanketed my Facebook with nasty comments. Now, that wasn’t unexpected in today’s environment of a growing secular intolerance to anything Christian. Even though I’ve seen the rising anti-Christian sentiment in our western cultures, I was somewhat surprised at how vitriolic these people were in response to my rainbow tweets. In fact, the degree of hate was off the charts compared to what I’ve seen in the past. The tweets and comments were filled with hate, expletives, threats, blasphemy, and sexual perversion.

This response made me realize what’s been simmering in our cultures and is now bubbling to the surface. It is erupting in ways we would never have predicted just a few years ago. It seems the LGBTQ movement, which represents such a small percentage of the population, is actually manipulating the culture in many ways—even much of the church!

This furor over my news item declaring we were taking back the rainbow ended up on numerous news sites across the nation and around the world. Even many newspapers picked it up. Atheist bloggers went berserk, and, of course, gay newspapers made it a major story!

Losing Influence Through Compromise

A few Christian leaders called and told me of their support. They said that more Christians need to be taking such stands publicly. And we do need this boldness!

Sadly, because so many Christians have not been prepared to stand boldly for the authority of the Word of God and have allowed all sorts of compromises, we are losing the once great Christian influence in the US and many other western countries. If Christians aren’t more active in proclaiming biblical authority, we will continue to lose influence (and our freedoms).

Think of all the Christian symbols that have been removed from public places in the US and elsewhere. And consider the way Christianity has been largely edited out of the government school system. Look at how secularized our western cultures have become, where an increasing number of people are calling good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20).

Another aspect of this rainbow story really burdened me. I met a lady at a church who said she was so pleased to see us taking the rainbow back. Then she declared how dismayed she was to find out that when she spoke to teenagers in church, they didn’t know about the covenant of the rainbow in Genesis nine. They thought the rainbow was just associated with the LGBTQ movement.

Yes, this generation of young people in many of our churches is biblically illiterate! There has been such an emphasis in many churches on entertainment and shallow Bible curricula, that so many young people today really have a limited understanding of Christianity.

That’s why when we opened the Ark Encounter last year, the AiG board laid 12 stones to represent the 12 stones of Joshua (Joshua 4)—to challenge Christians to remind the coming generations of the truth of God’s Word and the gospel. And those 12 stones are now a permanent exhibit near the entrance to the Noah’s Ark attraction. Also, the rainbow lights are now a permanent feature at the Ark—to remind us of the true meaning of the rainbow: that God keeps his Word.

Actually, the Ark and the Creation Museum were built to very boldly, publicly, and unashamedly remind everyone of the truth of God’s Word and the saving gospel message. Those messages need to be heard not only by the secular world, but also the church. So many Christian leaders have compromised God’s Word in Genesis and are compromising biblical doctrines concerning marriage.

Growing Hostility and Revisionist History

As I’ve written to you before, Romans 1 makes it clear that a sign of God’s judgment, as people rebel against him as Creator, is that God will turn people over to their depraved minds—and men will lust after men and women after women.

I personally believe there’s a supernatural aspect (judgment) to the massive influence of the LGBTQ movement, which represents only a small part of the population. However, it does represent the state of the culture—and sadly, the state of much of the church.

A recent article also dealt with another aspect of the LGBTQ movement. It had the heading, “Meet the Megadonor Behind the LGBTQ Rights Movement.” This article featured multi-millionaire, Tim Gill, who has been using his hundreds of millions of dollars to help fund this movement in the US and force it on the culture.

This wealthy gay activist declared that his organization is going “to punish the wicked.” And who are these “wicked” people? The so-called “religious right,” meaning any group that stands against gay “marriage” and special rights for gays.

Activists in the LGBTQ community are growing increasingly hostile, particularly toward Christians who stand on God’s Word and advocate for biblical marriage.

Activists in the LGBTQ community are growing increasingly hostile, particularly toward Christians who stand on God’s Word and advocate for biblical marriage. In the past, the gay community largely claimed they just wanted tolerance. Today, however, they want everyone to celebrate and approve of their lifestyle. They are growing increasingly intolerant of those who refuse. I certainly saw this when AiG proclaimed we were taking back the rainbow.

A columnist with the Religion News Service, who says he is one of the “LGBTQ Christians,” described my posts about the rainbow as “Ken Ham’s anti-LGBT hate.” He added:

We can instead read the story as a sign of God’s covenant with Noah. “I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth,” God tells Noah. Creating covenant means full affirmation and acceptance, with extra scoops of love and mercy. LGBT-affirming churches across the Commonwealth exhibit these qualities in abundance.

Well, that’s certainly revisionist history regarding Genesis! Genesis nine teaches that the covenant specifically regarded the fact God would never judge the earth again with a global Flood. It had nothing to do with the acceptance of things like the LGBTQ movement!

Note, too, how the columnist refers to the many churches that support the gay movement. Yes, even pastors will reinterpret God’s Word to justify their position!

I want to go on record as saying I don’t hate those who call themselves gay. No Christian should. Yet in this day, when you disagree with this movement based on what Scripture teaches, you will be (as I have been) falsely accused of hate, often, ironically, in a hateful way!

We still have the opportunity right now to proclaim truth and be active in taking back what the enemy has captured.

Preparing for Persecution

The ministry of Answers in Genesis and our Creation Museum and Ark Encounter attractions are reaching millions each year across North America and around the world. My burden is to do whatever we can to reach even more people, and to be more active, more public, and more bold for the Lord and his Word.

How long will this opportunity to preach biblical truths be available to us? Well, consider excerpts from an article “Christians, Prepare for Persecution.” It was published in Australia by the Melbourne’s Herald Sun earlier this summer.

Written by a well-known socially conservative political commentator in Australia, Andrew Bolt, here are just a few excerpts, which I see as a warning to the United States also:

CHRISTIANS, prepare for persecution. Open your eyes and choose stronger leaders for the dark days. I am not a Christian, but I am amazed that your bishops and ministers are not warning you of what is already breaking over your heads.

The columnist gave a number of examples in Australia where those in authority are moving against Christians, including the education department in the State of Queensland. In that state where I grew up and taught science, schools are being directed not to allow students (ages 4–12) to share with other kids about Jesus or give them Christmas cards with a Christian message.

There are also examples of the persecution of those who speak against gay “marriage,” including two pastors in the state of Tasmania arrested for preaching against gay “marriage.”

America has already seen many instances of Christians persecuted for their free exercise of the Christian religion—and it is only increasing.

Now we’re hearing similar sorts of disturbing news from Canada and from the United Kingdom. America has already seen many instances of Christians persecuted for their free exercise of the Christian religion—and it is only increasing.

I trust you have seen what the Lord has been doing with your support of a ministry like AiG that stands uncompromisingly on God’s Word as we confront both church and society with biblical truths—the life-changing gospel most of all. Millions of souls are being impacted every year through the various outreaches of Answers in Genesis.

I encourage you to invest prayerfully and financially in our apologetics ministry. AiG is making a difference and preparing God’s people all over the world to be on the front lines of an enormous spiritual battle that’s raging.

Thank you for being a partner with us as we stand together on the authority of God’s Word in a challenging time!