I recently had the privilege of traveling to Zambia, Africa, to speak at the Ekklesia Leadership Conference hosted by Central Africa Baptist College and Seminary (CABC). Christian leaders like Dr. Steve Lawson, Conrad Mbewe, Sam Horn, and many others were there to speak on the conference theme, The Sufficiency of Scripture.

It was beyond awesome to hear one speaker after another exalt God’s Word and exhort the roughly 500 pastors, Christian leaders, and students to take every thought captive and make them obedient to Christ and to stand firmly rooted in the rock of God’s Word, which is alone sufficient for wisdom, ministry, and godliness.

While there, I learned firsthand that indeed one of the prevailing ways God’s Word is being attacked in Africa—as well as around the world—is through the teaching of evolution and millions of years. This resulted in a powerful response and many good questions to my sessions on “Genesis and Biblical Authority,” “Evolution Defined,” “Age of the Earth,” and “One Blood One Race.” In talking with the attendees, local pastors, and Christian leaders, it was abundantly clear that they were excited to get answers from God’s Word on these issues!

I also had the chance to have a “heart-to-heart” with Phil Hunt, the president of CABC. Along with being humble and engaging, he has a passion for the authority of the Word of God and the gospel. I imagine that’s why he’s an ardent friend of AiG and invited us to be a part of the conference. I learned that the mission of CABC and the Leadership Conference was to raise up Christian servant-leaders in Africa who will stand unabashedly on the authority of God’s Word to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ—a passion that resonates with my soul and the heartbeat of Answers in Genesis.

This need in Africa cannot be overstated. There are approximately 350 million people in Africa who have yet to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.^* And along with the Bible being challenged with the lie of evolution and millions of years, the false narratives of the “prosperity gospel” and the “New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)” are spreading like cancer in African Christian circles. Without getting bogged down in the minutiae of these heretical views, they tend to travel together in Africa and emphasize personal gain, experiences, dreams, visions, supernatural events, extra-biblical revelations, and the leadership of a given “prophet” or “apostle” over the Bible’s teaching and authority.

And when I asked Phil Hunt, who’s been a missionary in Africa for 25 years, the reason for the popularity of these false teachings, I received a shock. It wasn’t simply the desire for prosperity as I anticipated. He expressed that probably the foremost motive in the acceptance of these ideas is their similarity to the traditional teachings of the old tribal, pagan religions in the African culture. These idolatrous traditions stress the influence of a spiritual world on the physical world. Blessings and curses from the spirit realm are seen as very real, and to tap into that realm for personal gain you go to the witchdoctor. The witchdoctor then intervenes for you into the spirit world or tells you what you must do to get your desired result.

You may be saying, “That’s interesting, but where’s the connection?” Here it is—and when Phil shared this with me it was a “lightbulb” moment: the essence of the teachings of the prosperity gospel and NAR are so like the traditional pagan religions of many Africans, they are easily and comfortably embraced. Think about it: in the thinking of the prosperity gospel, if you want to be blessed and prosper, what do you have to do? Instead of the witch doctor, you go the charismatic leader, “prophet” or “apostle,” who has a special connection to the spirit world. And then they either intervene for you or tell you what you must do to influence the spirit world to get the outcome you want.

It is the same foundational fight between God’s Word and man’s word that goes all the way back to Genesis 3.

So notice what is ultimately taking place. Many professing African Christians are embracing and assimilating pagan, nonbiblical ideas that coincide with popular cultural concepts because God’s Word is not esteemed as the ultimate authority in all things. Sound familiar? If you know anything about AiG, I know it does! It is the same foundational fight between God’s Word and man’s word that goes all the way back to Genesis 3.

So much more could be said, but, in summary, the conference was incredibly God honoring and successful in equipping the attendees to pursue the glory of God by resting in the sufficiency of his Word. One can only wonder what would happen here in the states if more churches, ministries, Christian colleges, and seminaries would follow the example of CABC. What a blessing to partner with a like-minded ministry on the other side of the world!

For an audience of One,
Bryan

^* Africa, Joshua Project, https://joshuaproject.net/continents/AFR, accessed January 9, 2018.

This summer I was blessed to speak at the Lutheran Church Michigan District Youth Gathering on Mackinac Island. I know spending a few days on Mackinac Island sounds rough—but somehow, I endured.

The hosts do a phenomenal job with the conference, which drew approximately 1,000 kids. The multiday conference includes several musicians and many extremely gifted and godly speakers. All the speakers were sharp, funny, engaging, and powerful presenters. I was blessed to hear what they had to say!

But each day something happened that reminded me of the power and purpose of AiG—this ministry that God has raised up for such a time as this. During the daily breakout sessions, it was my room that was packed beyond capacity—every time. People were literally sitting on the floor, stairs, and standing throughout the hour-long presentations. Why? My topics were, “Do Animals Evolve; Noah’s Ark & Flood; One Blood – One Race; and Dinosaurs.” These were the questions they were struggling with.

You see presently it’s these sorts of notions the enemy is craftily using to get people to question, doubt, and reject God’s Word. In the book The Lie, we detail how the adversary is currently attacking the Bible’s history to undermine its authority and to undermine the gospel that is established in that authority. To put it succinctly, if we cannot trust the Bible’s history, why trust it about salvation (John 3:12, 5:47)?

According to research published in the book Already Gone, these sorts of questions are one of the primary reasons two-thirds of church-going kids are walking away from church after high school. You see, our kids grow up with these questions, and they’re looking to us—their parents, grandparents, pastors, and Christian leaders—for answers. What are they getting in response? Regrettably, it’s mostly, “I don’t know about dinosaurs or ape-men, but those things don’t matter: just trust in Jesus.”

But we’re neglecting their real, reasonable question, which is, “Why should I trust the Bible’s message of salvation if that very same book has been disproved by modern science? If I can’t believe Genesis 1:1, why should I trust John 3:16?”

And they’re right! Either the Bible is the authority in all things, or it is the authority in nothing! We do not have the option of treating God’s Word like a buffet.

The response I saw was indeed a powerful reminder of where God’s Word is being attacked today. It also reminded me of the crucial need for Christian parents, grandparents, and leaders to stand on the authority of God’s Word and equip ourselves and coming generations so that we can answer the skeptical questions of this age, defend the faith, and powerfully proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:8; I Peter 3:15; Jude 1:3)!

May this reminder from a beautiful island be an inspiration to us all!

For an Audience of One,
Bryan

As a speaker for Answers in Genesis, I am often blessed with testimonies of how God has mightily used AiG in people’s lives.

Recently, after I spoke in the Creation Museum, one lady shared that, as a Christian with a scientific background, she had been sure that God used evolution, and at first she was skeptical of the museum. Then she joyfully declared that “it only took one trip” to convince her the Bible is right about the beginning, and she asserted it has also energized her faith in the middle and the end of God’s Word!

Another gentleman shared about being introduced to creation apologetics 22 years ago at a conference with Ken Ham. So influenced by the truth of the trustworthiness of God’s Word, he declared, “It was a turning point in my Christian life!”

And then a gentleman from New York said he loved the museum and was overwhelmed. “There were times as I was going through the museum that I just wept. I wept because so many people, especially where I live, need to hear this!”

These are just a sampling of the thousands of testimonies we receive!

The Power of Authority

What makes the Creation Museum, Ark Encounter, and the message of AiG so powerful? How is it so inspiring to Christians (and infuriating to atheists)? In a word, authority. In two words, biblical authority.

God gets everything right; therefore his Word is always the ultimate authority and always trustworthy.

You see, the core message of AiG is that all of God’s Word is true! It’s right about the beginning, middle, and the end. It’s right about salvation! Why? Because God gets everything right; therefore his Word is always the ultimate authority and always trustworthy.

For the believer, this message of biblical authority is exceptionally empowering because it directly addresses the enemy’s modern-day attack that has subtly eroded the confidence of many Christians to stand on the Word of God. For generations now Christians have been bombarded with the refrain that the Bible cannot be trusted in this “scientific age.” As a result, many have either compromised the Bible’s clear teaching on origins, which has gospel consequences, or have been embarrassed into silence, which also has gospel consequences.

So many people are revolutionized by realizing that the Bible’s plain history is true; that real science confirms biblical historical events; and that, by standing on God’s Word, Christians have good answers to the skeptical questions of this age! Their faith in Scripture is revitalized, inspiring greater surrender to all of God’s Word and a newfound boldness in proclaiming the gospel to a lost and dying world!

This is why we are so passionate about the calling God has placed on this ministry! It’s why we built the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter. It’s why we hold conferences all over the world and develop numerous resources like our books, DVDs, and Answers Bible Curriculum.

Our Most Powerful Worldview Tool?

As I’ve stated before, Answers Bible Curriculum (now in its second edition) is the most powerful way to put “legs” on the mission of AiG in the local church setting. There is literally nothing else like it! No other resource in the world combines the diverse elements of apologetics, chronology, exegesis, multiple learning strategies, synchronized age groups, family integration, and gospel focus like ABC!

In sum total, this one-of-a-kind curriculum uniquely equips Christians of all ages and backgrounds to be ready for the front lines of today’s battle over biblical authority.

And that’s really what the battle is over: authority. The message of AiG is dynamic and empowering because it brings recognition to the enemy’s attack, and it points believers back to the foundation—the answer to how we defend the faith today.

Only by standing on the authority of God’s Word can we be the light he has called us to be.

Will you stand?

For an Audience of One,
Bryan

Very often when people catch the AiG vision, get excited about biblical authority and apologetics, and want to do something tangible in their church, they turn to Answers Bible Curriculum—and for good reason!

But, of course, before they can implement it, everybody else must be on board. So how can they get the church and its leadership fired up about ABC and then equip them with the basics to use it? Many churches bring an AiG speaker to their church to discuss ABC, but sometimes that is not an option.

Over the past few years, we have constantly been asked for a resource or specialist that can quickly summarize the passion, purpose, and features of ABC. And with the release of ABC second edition, I am pleased to announce that we now have it!

I had the blessing of working with our incredible A/V department to create four videos that meet this specific need. The videos were uploaded this week! Because we want to efficiently inspire and equip with these videos, each video is conveniently under 10 minutes.

Quick Summary of the Video Tour

1. “Why Answers Bible Curriculum?”—This video succinctly addresses the collapse of the Christian worldview in the West, the compromise within much of the church (which is one of the main reasons that two-thirds of young people walk away from the church), and how ABC can help in a powerful way.
2. “Key Concepts”—After establishing the problem and the need for Christians to defend their faith by standing on God’s Word, this video summarizes the key concepts that drive ABC to meet that need.
3. “What’s Included”—In this video we explore the components of ABC that flesh out the key concepts and bring the curriculum to life.
4. “ABC in Action”—After covering the need, key concepts, and elements of ABC, this video puts it all together for a practical look at a typical lesson. Along with seeing how to use the materials, we also see how ABC equips teachers and makes their life easier.

You can check out the videos right now!

We are excited about these videos because we believe they will encourage and equip more believers and churches to use ABC, AiG’s “nuclear weapon” against the enemy’s attacks of our day!

Let’s prepare ourselves and the coming generations to be equipped and ready to courageously contend for the faith! (Jude 1:3)

For an audience of One,
Bryan

Hey, everyone!

Before joining Answers in Genesis as full-time speaker, writer, and curriculum specialist, I had the unique privilege of teaching Bible history in a public school for 13 years.

It was during that time that two distinct observations left an indelible mark on my life.

One, I saw firsthand that our nation is headed in the wrong direction. Don’t get me wrong; I loved my students (and still do), but it was clear after years of teaching that progressive generations knew less and less about the Bible and increasingly had a secular view of the world. Even though many of my students had a church background and claimed to be Christians, God’s Word was not the authority in their lives.

I witnessed the power of apologetics and chronological Bible teaching to effectively combat the secular onslaught on the biblical worldview.

Two—and this is vital—I witnessed the power of apologetics and chronological Bible teaching to effectively combat the secular onslaught on the biblical worldview. For all my students, believers and unbelievers alike, going through the Bible chronologically and giving them answers to their questions was revolutionary!

The Bible came alive. Many of them realized for the first time that the Bible—all of it—makes sense! Its history is rational, consistent, and confirmed by the evidence. The entire Bible is resolutely about one thing: the gospel of Jesus Christ. And they started recognizing that the Bible has one ultimate Author who is declaring the most important message in the world!

In summary, I noticed that teaching the Bible in this way did three powerful things.

• It provided confidence for the believer whose faith may have been rattled by today’s skeptical questions.
• It challenged the skeptic who had dismissed the Bible on the false pretense that it was irrational and untrustworthy.
• It cleared a path for the gospel by demolishing the unbeliever’s baseless excuses—barriers erected to avoid confrontation with the truth of God’s Word.

Answers Bible Curriculum essentially does what I did in my classroom for 13 years, but at a deeper level!

When I joined Answers in Genesis as a speaker and writer, it was this experience that led me to become part of the ABC team as a curriculum specialist. You see, Answers Bible Curriculum essentially does what I did in my classroom for 13 years, but at a deeper level! It goes through the Bible chronologically, unveils the gospel all the way through biblical history, focuses on God as the hero, teaches relevant apologetics, and shows how to read the Bible exegetically! In a real sense, it is the ultimate weapon we have developed to war against today’s secular attacks.

And just think: if this teaching was dynamic in a secular-school setting, what would happen if we taught this way in our homes and churches? I believe we would see a revolution both inside and even outside the church!

This is why we are so excited about Answers Bible Curriculum and cannot wait to unveil ABC, 2nd Edition! You can see what’s new in ABC 2nd Edition and preorder or even try a free month at AnswersBibleCurriculum.com. If you have any questions, feel free to comment or post on my Facebook page.

We have seen God use ABC in an incredible way and cannot wait to see what He does through the new 2nd Edition!

For an audience of One,
Bryan

From a big picture perspective, the evolutionary worldview is the idea that all life on earth has a common ancestor. That somehow life spontaneously jumped into existence around 3.5 billion years ago and changed over long periods of time, increasing in complexity and diversifying into all the variations of life seen today. To be more specific, some use the phrase molecules-to-man or electron-to-engineer evolution. Or my favorite definition: “from the goo to you through the zoo” evolution. But ultimately, evolution is an attempt by a pagan religion to explain life without God.

This attempt to overthrow God as Creator is nothing new. Actually, the idea of evolution is quite ancient.

The Mayan culture, which began around 600 BC, incorporated a form of evolution into its religion. They believed the rain-god created humans by modifying previous creations; rivers were changed to fish, then to serpents and finally humans.1

The Greeks were teaching about evolution as early as the 7th century BC. But it appears they borrowed many of their evolutionary ideas from the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Indians. For example, one ancient Hindu belief in India suggests that the universe spontaneously evolved, and like a seed it grew and diversified into everything that exists over billions of years.2 Sounds familiar.

From 600–100 BC, numerous Greek philosophers taught many of today’s “modern” ideas about evolution:

• Anaximander (610–546 BC): humans originally resembled fish.3
• Democritus (460–370 BC): primitive people grunted and eventually evolved to use words.4
• Empedocles (493–435 BC): chance caused evolution of matter into man,5 life came from spontaneous generation, and organisms evolved by natural selection.6
• Epicurus (341–270 BC): the universe came about by a chance movement of atoms, no god required.7

On and on the list could go. In the 200 years preceding Darwin’s arrival on the scene, essentially every one of his supposedly original ideas was articulated in quite some detail by other writers and scientists.8

It has rightly been said that Darwin did not invent evolution, he just made it popular for a pagan culture desperate for a life without God. Like Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun.

For an audience of One,
Bryan

Either most rock layers were laid down slowly and are evidence for millions of years, or they were deposited catastrophically and are dynamic testimony of Noah’s Flood. It should be immediately obvious that these two interpretations are mutually exclusive. So which explanation do the features of the rock layers confirm?

1. Rock layers around the world cover large portions of continents or even multiple continents. (Best explained by the Flood)
2. Between many of the rock layers, there is no evidence of slow erosion, soil, or topography. (Confirms the Flood)
3. In these rock layers, fossilized tracks, ripples, and raindrops are found. These features only form on soft sediment and would only be preserved by rapid burial by subsequent layers of sediments. (Confirms the Flood)
4. Fossilized tracks tend to be in rock layers below where the actual fossilized critters are found in higher rock layers; this implies that the critters were trying to avoid burial as rock layers were being deposited quickly during the Flood. (Confirms the Flood)
5. There is practically no evidence of bioturbation (evidence that life had time to churn through the sediments) within the rock layers. (Confirms the Flood)
6. In many places around the world, multiple successive rock layers are curved and bent, sometimes dramatically, in the same way together. This evidence strongly implies that these layers were laid down in quick succession and then bent all together before they had time to dry and harden. (Confirms the Flood)
7. Polystrate fossils are found around the world. These are fossils that required multiple rock layers to bury them—a real problem if one believes each of those layers took millions of years to be deposited. (Confirms the Flood)
8. We observe billions of dead things called fossils, buried in these rock layers that were laid down by water all over the earth. But dead things do not turn to fossils unless they are catastrophically and rapidly buried to protect them from oxygen, bacteria, and scavengers. (Confirms the Flood)

Two other quick things. First, due to the moving waters of Noah’s Flood, one would expect sediment particles (clay, sand, gravel, and so on) to settle in distinct layers based on size, weight, density, and circumference. This is a well-observed phenomenon called Hydrodynamic Sorting. Second, rocks do not take millions of years to form. If water, sediment, and dissolved chemicals are present (conditions extremely likely during Noah’s Flood), then rocks can form quickly.

Attesting to this, a ship’s bell, an ancient clock, and a spark plug have been found encased in rocks. Also, the effects of the eruption of Mount St. Helens produced hundreds of small rock layers in only hours or days. These examples provide great observational evidence that it does not take millions of years to make rock layers (or canyons), just a catastrophe. And to get bigger rock layers, all that’s needed is a bigger catastrophe, like Noah’s Flood!

For an audience of One,
Bryan

“Doesn’t radiometric dating prove that the earth is millions of years old?” Not in the least. Actually most dating techniques point to a very young earth, and only a few radiometric-dating methods suggest an old earth.

It cannot be overstated that no one looks at isotopes and measures age. Secularists measure the amounts of the radioactive parent and the daughter isotopes in the present; make a whole host of unprovable, naturalistic (anti-biblical and therefore biased) assumptions; and extrapolate backwards in time to make what is essentially a guess about an age. Here’s a quick look at the assumptions that drive the millions of years conclusion.

Secularists today assume uniformitarianism, an idea that the present is the key to the past. The rate at which things happen now is the way they have always happened in the unobserved past (and although they accept that a few catastrophes occurred in the past, they reject what the Bible says of the major catastrophe that wiped out much of sea life and almost all terrestrial life—the global Flood). For example, they assume that rates of radioisotope decay, measured for less than a hundred years, have been the same for millions or billions of years into the past.

This is a gigantic, unverifiable, faith-based assumption in the religion of naturalism—the religion veraciously proselytized by secularists. They are automatically assuming no special creation by God or the global Flood judgement as clearly described in the Bible. These events would likely affect the initial amounts of elements and their isotopes within a rock, the radioactive decay rates, contamination, and so on. Notice, they are assuming the Bible is wrong before engaging the evidence, explicitly revealing their naturalistic bias when evaluating Biblical claims.

So even if radiometric dating worked perfectly, it cannot prove millions of years because of the atheistic assumptions behind it. But many actual results are the opposite of perfect. Radiometric dating persistently gives wildly inaccurate dates for rocks of known age (and it’s often possible to attain any desired general age for a rock, depending on which radiometric dating method you use or the number of times you date a specimen)!

Take, for example, the North American volcano Mount St. Helens, which erupted several times in the early 1980s. One of the results was a new lava dome which formed in the crater of the volcano. One of the lava flows that formed the dome was observed to erupt, cool, and solidify into rock in 1986 (supposedly starting the radiometric dating “clock”). A sample of this rock was dated using the potassium-argon radiometric method in 1996, and dated as high as 2.8 million years old when the rock was observed to be only ten years old!1

Examples of this sort of egregious error are legion. If we can’t trust the radioisotope dating method when dating rocks of known age, how is it plausible to trust it when dating rocks of unknown age?

Bottom line, do we trust the conclusions of fallible men, who weren’t there, who don’t know everything, who start with atheist assumptions about the past (whether they realize it or not)?

Or do we trust the Word of God that is confirmed by real science, is the ultimate authority in all things, and that reveals the clear, eyewitness account of the Creator Himself?

Whom will you trust?

For an audience of One,
Bryan

From the experience of Answers in Genesis, this is one of the primary areas where many Christians (author included for years) have not thought this through to its logical, theological conclusions. But it has powerful consequences related to the gospel.

Here’s the problem in a nutshell: No matter what idea a Christian may use to attempt to squeeze millions of years into the Bible—day age, gap theory, progressive creation, evolutionary creationism, framework hypothesis, and so on—they all have the common problem of putting millions of years of death before Adam’s sin, which is a theological impossibility.

The Bible is explicitly clear, from cover to cover, that death is the consequence of Adam’s sin (Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3; Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21–22).1 Death is described as an enemy—the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26; Revelation 20:14). But if the idea of millions of years were true, death existed long before man or his sin. This would make God the author of death who looked down on Day 6, after millions of years of death, suffering, and diseases, and called everything “very good” (Genesis 1:31). It is often said, especially to kids, that “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” But how could people trust that a god who created a world full of death and suffering has wonderful plans for their life? That would not make any sense and many people today, especially kids, recognize this.

This clearly impugns the character of God. And if death were indeed part of God’s original “very good” creation, then why would He describe it as an enemy that would one day be destroyed? On top of that, the future hope of the Christian is that God will restore the world to it’s “pre-Fall” state. But if there were millions of years of death and suffering before man existed, then what will God restore the world to? More death and suffering?

Most important of all, death is presented as the payment for sin (Leviticus 17:11; Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 2:24). But if you have millions of years and death before sin, then death is not the payment for sin. And if death is not the payment for sin, then Jesus’ death does not pay our sin debt, and we are all still lost in our sins and bound for hell!

Thus the doctrines of atonement and salvation utterly collapse. That’s why the issue of the age of the earth is ultimately a core, foundational issue and not a side issue. And that’s why we at AiG are so passionate about defending the authority of God’s Word, where it’s under assault today, and thus the gospel that’s based in that authority!

So what is the age of the Earth according to the Bible? Well, it first must be understood that nowhere in the Bible does it directly state that the Earth is 6,000 years old. Which is good, because the Bible was written roughly 2,000–3,500 years ago, and if it stated then that the Earth was 6,000 years old, it would have been wrong! Nor did Moses or any other author state the age of the Earth at the time of their writings. Again, that’s a very good thing because if they did, what they wrote would be wrong the very next day.

What the Bible does give us is so much better. In a sense, what is recorded in the pages of Scripture is a “birth certificate” for the Earth and universe—a way of accurately identifying the birth date of the universe and calculating the age based on that information.

What is this “birth certificate”? Genesis 1:1! The Earth was created at the beginning on the first day (Genesis 1:1–5). Then we pick up with the biblical genealogies (the family trees of the Bible that effectively combat insomnia!), especially those found in Genesis 5 and 11. In these genealogies, the age of the father is given at the time of the son’s birth: “Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot . . . Seth. . . . Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. . . . Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan” (Genesis 5:3–9). One need only to add these ages up (it’s not hard to do) to get an accurate estimate for the age of the Earth.

From Adam to Abraham is approximately 2,000 years (technically the Earth, which was made on Day One, is five days older than Adam who was made on Day Six), from Abraham to Christ is about 2,000 years, and from Christ to today is roughly 2,000 years. Put all that together and the simple math clearly implies that the Earth was created around 4,000 BC (or 6,000 years ago from today). And believe it or not, most chronologists of the Old Testament, Jewish or Christian, have tabulated dates near this for the past 2,000 years!

“But what about radiometric dating?” Tune in next time for that answer.

“God is all powerful, He could have created over millions of years, right?” Of course, but the question is not what God could have done; rather, what did He say He did. And as the believer takes an honest look at the creation account in Genesis 1, the clarity of what God said He did is overwhelming and the question then becomes, “Will we take God at His Word?”

First, the construction of the Hebrew language used in Genesis 1 plainly reveals that it is historical narrative (recorded history). It is not poetic; it is not allegory or metaphor. Even Jesus quoted it as literal history in Matthew 19:4–5 and Mark 10:6. Throughout the Bible, subsequent writers treated the early chapters of Genesis as literal history.

Hebrew scholars, both Christian and secular, often point out that, based on the context and language, Genesis is literal historical narrative.*

Second, the Hebrew word for day is yôm, and like its English counterpart it has various meanings depending on context. Most of the time in the Old Testament when the word yôm is accompanied by a number, the words “evening and/or morning,” or by the word “night,” it means a literal, 24-hour day.** In Genesis 1, at the end of each day this phrase/context is observed, “there was evening and morning, the first day.” It is clear from the context of Genesis 1 that the days of Creation Week were six literal, 24-hour days.

As if that wasn’t enough, Exodus 20:11 states without equivocation, “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them . . . .”

* For example, see Dr. Don DeYoung, Thousands, Not Billions (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2005), 168; see also Oxford Hebrew scholar and Professor James Barr on the meaning of Genesis, https://answersingenesis.org/genesis/oxford-hebrew-scholar-professor-james-barr-meaning-of-genesis/.

** James Stambaugh, “The Days of Creation: A Semantic Approach,” Answers in Genesis, April 1, 1991, https://answersingenesis.org/days-of-creation/the-days-of-creation-a-semantic-approach/.

Actually, He did make it perfect. Today’s world is a shattered representation of God’s original creation (Romans 8:22). The Bible records in Genesis 1:31 that God declared at the end of Day Six of Creation Week that all He had made was “very good.” Of course, that raises the question: What is “good” to the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God? Answer: perfection. Logically, this should not be surprising. What else would one expect from a perfect God other than a perfect creation? Deuteronomy 32:4 states, “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all his ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He” (emphasis mine).

This original perfect creation was innocent and free of death and the Curse, which were the consequences of man’s sin Genesis 3; Romans 5, 8; 1 Corinthians 15). Death, suffering, and disease were by no means part of God’s flawless creation. This means, among other things, that in the initial creation everything was vegetarian. This is quantified explicitly in Genesis 1:29–30 when God tells Adam and Eve to eat fruit, and everything with the breath of life to eat plants. If one thinks about it, this makes perfect biblical sense. The Bible is clear from beginning to end that death is an enemy, the consequence of sin. Which means there could not have been any meat-eating until after Adam’s sin because there was no death until after Adam’s sin. It was not until after the Flood that God allowed man to eat meat (Genesis 9:3).

Of course, everything changed when sin entered the world. But that does not change the fact that in the beginning God made a perfect creation and that there is the glorious hope of restoration to perfection when Christ returns!

This is part 1 of a new blog series I’m titling “Short Answers to Big Questions.” Knowing that most people have a shortage of time, the goal is to equip believers with good, concise answers to the major skeptical questions of our day. Why believe in creation? How old is the Earth? Why shouldn’t Christians believe in millions of years? What about carbon-14 dating? Who did Cain marry? What about dinosaurs? These are just a few of the questions we will be addressing. These nuggets, if taken to heart, are powerful tools for sharing the gospel and establishing a biblical worldview for you and your family. So, without further ado, lets kick things off with this question:

Why Do Bible-believers Believe Creation?

Christians are instructed to build all of their thinking on the foundation of God’s Word by taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Therefore, Bible-believers believe in creation first and foremost because that is what the Bible plainly reveals.

In Job 38:4, God asks Job a rhetorical question, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.” The point, God was there and Job was not. As a matter of fact, no humans were there, but God was. It is God Himself, the one who cannot lie, who knows everything, and has always existed that unveils the mystery of origins. In Genesis 1 and 2, God gives a clear historical account of His divine act of creation. In Exodus 20:11, He echoes this history as the foundation for the seven-day week and the fourth of the Ten Commandments. And it is worth remembering that God wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger!

The Bible is the inerrant, infallible eyewitness testimony of the Creator Himself! How could those who call Christ Lord not believe it? It is trustworthy in all it says because, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Christians are exhorted in the book of Psalms that the law of the Lord is perfect, His testimony trustworthy and a light to the believer’s path (Psalm 19:7, 119:105). Proverbs declares that every word of God is flawless (Proverbs 30:5). Proverbs also gives a warning every believer should take to heart: never add to or take away from God’s words, or He will rebuke you and prove you a liar (Proverbs 30:6; cf. Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:18–19).

For an audience of One,
Bryan

On July 22, I had the privilege of participating in a preconference Webinar that featured several speakers from AiG’s upcoming Children’s Ministry Conference (September 11–12, 2015, at the Creation Museum). I had an absolute blast with Ryan Frank, Ruth Carter, and Eric Hovind as we discussed what effective children’s ministry looks like today. The webinar conversation was thought provoking, encouraging, equipping, and a good taste of more to come. If you missed it, I highly encourage you to check it out here.

The major theme of the webinar and upcoming conference is the responsibility of those in children’s ministry to lead children to Christ, ground them in God’s Word, and equip them to stand in this increasingly secularized culture. We do this by combining passionate volunteers, teachers, and leaders with sound biblical teaching and apologetics to communicate the gospel with clarity and power!

As we discussed the most effective ways of accomplishing these goals in today’s culture, a common notion kept reoccurring and rightfully so: Keep the main thing, the main thing. And the main thing is the gospel!

Has the need for this in America ever been greater? I think not.

Children are exiting the church in droves after high school largely due to compromise within the church.1 The moral/sexual revolution is proudly marching on; Planned Parenthood sells baby parts while denying the parts came from a baby; Islam is called a religion of peace while Christianity is accused of being full of hate; a singularity of “nothing” rapidly expanding and creating everything is “logical” while a Creator God is ridiculous; people demonize a lion-killing dentist but are unbothered by doctors slaughtering babies (around 55 million of them since Roe v. Wade)—on and on the list could go. This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg of our culture’s insanity, which seems to be increasing exponentially by the moment.

How easy it is to see everything that’s happening and become overwhelmed by the evil and lunacy all around us.

But take heart, for God’s Word is clear—His justice will prevail, His servant’s vindication is sure, His kingdom will be established forever, and the answer to all we face is the gospel (Isaiah 51:5–8; 1 Corinthians 15:57; Revelation 22:1-21). It is the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation. It is the gospel that can change a culture by changing that culture’s people from the inside out (Romans 1:16).

The gospel is the answer; the gospel is the main thing!

Now, do we truly believe that? Does that truth resonate within the deepest depths of our being? If indeed it does, I suggest we live like it.

Let us cast off the worries of this passing world, the fear of man and the indignation at those who blindly reject the reality of God’s Word. It is time we boldly pursue those around us with the truth and love of the gospel of Christ (Philippians 3:7–14).

It is essential that we recognize the culture we are engaged with and train coming generations, and ourselves, to answer the skeptical questions of this era. Not to win debates or for an intellectual exercise, but to courageously proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ! Defending biblical authority where it’s currently under assault, to plow the ground of the unbeliever’s heart and prepare it for the seed of the gospel (Acts 17:17–34; 1 Peter 3:15).

I am excited and eager for the conference in September because we will focus on what this looks like practically for children’s ministers today. And based on the webinar dialog, this conference is just what the doctor ordered for the current struggles and realities of ministry.

But ultimately, whether “minister” is in your work title or not, all Christians are missionaries. And whether you’re engaging family, friends, or strangers, let us be found ready to answer their questions in obedience to God’s Word (1 Peter 3:15), all the while making every effort to get to the main thing: the gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18–20).

Let’s be sure that we always keep the main thing, the main thing.

For an audience of One,

Bryan

I bet you can fill in the blank with relative ease. Just days after Bruce Jenner’s “unveiling” and the media deluge that followed, this common refrain has been echoed by numerous Christians. And I’m willing to bet the majority of us who have not said this out loud are thinking it.

Typically following this sentiment is the assertion that there are so many other, more important things that demand our attention. To a large extent I agree. The issues facing us today are legion and indeed require our focus, time, and response.

And I too am weary of hearing the glorification of Jenner’s attempt recreate himself in the image he so desires. I am bamboozled by the illogic of our culture that says our so-called sexual orientation is unchangeable but that our “gender identity” and our biological sex (many secularists draw a distinction between these) are malleable to the whims of our thoughts and feelings. My heart breaks and righteous anger is kindled as the megaphone of our culture calls what is evil good and what is good evil (Isaiah 5:20–21).

But we do not have the “luxury” of turning a blind eye.

We are called, dare I say commanded, to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13–16), to give an answer for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15). We have the joy of the responsibility of speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and the privilege of praying for, ministering to and sharing the gospel to those in need (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15)—including the Bruce Jenners of this world and those progressing the cultural movement of which he is the latest icon.

Unbelievers are the mission field, not the enemy (Matthew 28:16–20; Ephesians 6:12).

Perseverance is also required in all these things because of what this “movement” fundamentally represents.

It is the crest of the tidal wave of radical moral transformation in our culture today! It’s the natural consequence of abandoning God's Word as the absolute authority and deciding instead that man can determine truth for himself. This latest cultural call to worship the idol of humanism should awaken us to the rapid “secular reformation” happening all around us.

It should be a rallying cry to followers of Christ to repent in areas where we have compromised and return resolutely to the only sure foundation, the Word of God! The admonition in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” should be etched into our minds and engraved on our hearts, submitting all of our thoughts to Christ in every dimension of our lives.

For this to become a reality we must get into God’s Word and allow His Word get into us! We must be transformed by the renewing our minds (Romans 12:1–2; cf. Isaiah 55:11 and Hebrews 4:12). Not merely reading, but meditating on God’s Word; chewing on the holy Scriptures day and night and applying them to our lives.

And by necessity this must start in our individual Christian walks and ripple out to our families, churches, and finally to the culture around us. Before we can call this culture back to the authority of the Word of God, we must first return ourselves.

Then, when we stand confidently on God’s Word, we can defend our faith, preach with authority, destroy arguments and lofty opinions that raise themselves against the knowledge of God, and proclaim the gospel with boldness! And make no mistake: it is the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). It is the gospel that changes hearts and minds, changing people from inside out, changing their worldview—and that will change the culture.

Surprise, surprise, the answer to the problems of our culture has never changed. It is and always has been the gospel of Jesus Christ founded in the authority of God’s word.

How about that.

For an audience of One,
Bryan

In the last installment, we discussed how America used to be extremely similar to the Acts 2 culture Peter addressed on the day of Pentecost (if you missed part 2, be sure to check it out and get caught up). But things have indeed changed. We are no longer an Acts 2 culture; there can be little doubt that we have transitioned to an Acts 17 culture.

In Acts 17 Paul is preaching to the Greeks. When he initially preached the gospel to them their response was, “What does this babbler want to say?” (Acts 17:18). Remember 1 Corinthians 1:23, to the Jews the gospel was a “stumbling block” and to the Greeks it was “foolishness.” But why was it foolishness to the Greeks? Well, the Greeks believed in many gods and the gods evolved. Morality was relative and death a natural part of life and change. You see, the Greeks had an entirely different foundation, so they did not understand the terms Paul was using. When Paul said “God,” they were likely thinking, Which god, Paul? We’ve got a whole bunch of them. When he used words like sin and death, they were probably thinking, What is sin? How do you define right and wrong? Death isn’t an enemy; it’s been around since time began. The Greeks had a completely different starting point, a different worldview, which put them on a different road that does not lead up to the message of the Cross. Thus to the Greek, the Cross is foolishness.

If you want the Greek to understand the gospel, you’ve got to get him off the wrong road and equip him with a new starting point. You’ve got to give him the right history and foundation, which will put him on the right road that will lead to an understanding of the Cross. That’s exactly what Paul did the next time around when he spoke to the Greeks at the Areopagus. He goes back to the beginning, to that history in Genesis, and defines God as the Creator God (Acts 17:24–25). He continues by telling them that all nations are of “one blood” (Acts 17:26). We are all descendants of Adam, which is why we are all sinners in need of saving by the Last Adam. After laying this foundation and giving them the right starting point, then he presents the Acts 2 message, the message of the Cross and the Resurrection (Acts 17:30–31). Notice what happens this time around: “some mocked . . . others said we’ll hear you again . . . and some joined him and believed” (Acts 17:32–34)! Now some argue that Paul wasn’t that successful, especially compared to Peter in Acts 2. But Peter was preaching to an entirely different audience. Paul was preaching to educated pagans and some believed! If you presented the gospel to a group of atheist professors at Berkley University and some converted, would that not be a success? From a big picture perspective, Paul was speaking to a group of people who had the wrong foundation, so before he could do anything else, he had to get rid of the wrong foundation and replace it with the right one. Using the terms Jews and Greeks as types, Paul had to turn “Greeks” into “Jews.” He had to “de-greekize” them (a made-up but effective word). From a human perspective, it’s a lot more work and requires a different process.

To the honest observer, the “Acts 2” America has given way and been transformed into an “Acts 17” America. We’ve had whole generations brought up in a “Greek” culture devoid of the knowledge of the true God. Like the Greeks Paul addressed in Acts 17, generations today believe in evolution, many gods, multiple paths to heaven, and relative morality. We preach the gospel to them and it is foolishness. Why? Because they’re “Greeks,” and we keep approaching them as if they are “Jews”— and we wonder why we are losing them!

To share the gospel effectively in our culture today, we must understand who we are dealing with. We must equip ourselves and coming generations with the apologetics we need to be about the business of “de-greekizing.” Get the “Greeks” off the wrong road, give them the right starting point, and lay that foundation that leads to an understanding of the gospel!

Let’s get out there and “de-greekize”!

For an audience of One,
Bryan

When I last left you, we were discussing how the response of the New York Times editorial board to the firing of Atlanta fire chief Kelvin Cochran epitomized the secular mindset and demonstrated the worldview nature of this cultural war we are engaged in. Of course, in an ultimate sense, when discussing “who we are dealing with,” it must be stated without hesitation that

we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

Equally true is the fact that this assault on the biblical worldview and the authority of God’s Word is nothing new but finds its origin all the way back to Genesis 3 (“Did God really say . . . ?”). What is original is the way in which the enemy is using that same Genesis 3 attack today. And in our day and age he has attacked biblical authority by attacking the Bible’s history with evolution, ape-men, the big bang, millions of years, and so on! All the while implying that if you cannot trust what the Bible says about history, why should you trust what it says about salvation! The consequences of this covert attack have been devastating and are well documented (see Ken Ham’s books The Lie: Evolution, Why Won’t They Listen?, and Already Gone). As a result, in recent generations there has been a foundational shift away from God’s Word as the authority with much of the fruit of this change only now becoming visible. So to many of us it seems as if the culture has changed overnight, but in truth the enemy has been sowing these seeds of destruction for quite some time. Bottom line, we now live in a different culture, a secular culture, a culture where many refuse to believe the gospel because they don’t believe the book from which the gospel comes. This is who we are dealing with. How do we approach this sort of culture with the gospel?

To shed some light on this, let’s look at 1 Corinthians 1:23:

But we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness.

Why was the gospel a “stumbling block” to the Jews and “foolishness” to the Greeks? Why the difference? And how does this relate to sharing the gospel with a secular culture? To answer these questions, let’s quickly look at two sermons in Act 2 and 17 and then correlate the principles we see to our current cultural situation. In Acts 2, the Apostle Peter is preaching on the day of Pentecost. If I may paraphrase, Peter basically says, you crucified the Son of God, but God has raised Him from the dead (Acts 2:23–24). After hearing this, the people were cut to the heart and asked, “What shall we do?” Peter replied that they should repent and be saved, and as result around 3,000 people gave their lives to Christ (Acts 2:37–41)! Acknowledging upfront that God is the author of salvation (Ephesians 2:1–9), why, from a human perspective, was Peter so successful? Well, Peter was speaking mainly to Jews. At that time in their history, they believed in the biblical God and the history in Genesis. They believed in Adam and Eve, original sin, death as a consequence, and so on. So when Peter used words like God and sin, they understood what he was saying because they already had the proper biblical foundation to correctly understand those terms. Having the right history and foundation put them on the right road that led to the gospel, but their “stumbling block” was the message of the Cross.

If we think about it, years ago in the 40s, 50s, and early 60s, America was very much like the Acts 2 culture Peter was preaching to. We were a very “Christianized” culture, much more biblically literate than we are today. Back then we had prayer and bible study in schools, and families were more involved in the church, which played a more prominent role in societal life. Overall, we had a biblical foundation to much of our cultural thinking, so someone like Billy Graham could come in and give a straightforward presentation of the gospel like Peter did, and get a big response like in Acts 2. But today we really don’t see responses to the gospel like we did in Billy Graham’s day. Why not?

This is the key, we are no longer an Acts 2 culture—we are now an Acts 17 culture.

To find out what this means, keep an eye out for the final blog post in this series, which will be published within the next two weeks! Until then.

For an audience of One,
Bryan

I know I’m late to the party but welcome to the New Year! This is my first blog post of 2015 and so many things have already happened in the infancy of this New Year that I would love to discuss. But, alas, there is a short quote from the editorial board of the New York Times that has rattled around in my brain for the last couple of weeks and refuses to quiet down until I share it with you.

On January 13, 2015, the editorial board of the New York Times published an article titled “God, Gays and the Atlanta Fire Department.” As you can probably guess, it was about the firing of Kelvin Cochran, now the former Atlanta fire department chief, for his biblical views on homosexuality. Just in case you missed it, Mr. Cochran was essentially fired for writing and publishing a book called Who Told You That You Were Naked? and for giving it to three city employees he believed to be Christians. In his book, he identifies homosexuality as a sin but also makes it exceedingly clear that all of us are sinners in need of the covering only Christ can provide. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said he dismissed Mr. Cochran for what he called poor judgment and to make sure that anyone who worked in the government could do their job free of the fear of being discriminated against (Like the way Mr. Cochran was discriminated against?).

Predictably, the editors are in full support of Mr. Cochran’s firing and make it crystal clear they do not accept any definition of religious liberty that would protect Mr. Cochran. Not only do they whole-heartedly endorse Mayor Reed’s decision and the reasoning behind it, they go on to make this astonishing statement:

It should not matter that the investigation found no evidence that Mr. Cochran had mistreated gays or lesbians. His position as a high-level public servant makes his remarks especially problematic, and requires that he be held to a different standard.*

In a sense they are saying, “Don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is already made up!” What’s actually happening is their secular humanistic worldview is telling them how to understand reality. You see, the facts don’t matter to the editors because in their minds Mr. Cochran stands condemned already for having the wrong worldview; namely, not theirs.

The editors of this article represent to me the larger secular culture that is progressively dominating more of the American (and Western) mind. Thus I return to the question that titles this blog: Do we know who we are dealing with? Do we understand that the cultural battlefield we are on is resoundingly a conflict of different worldviews? That in recent generations there has been a seismic shift in our culture from God’s Word as our foundation to man’s word. And that the culture we are engaging and the leaders of this moral revolution that is occurring with unprecedented velocity are at bitter odds with those of us who stand on God’s Word as our authority.

If we want to be effective in spreading the gospel and the kingdom of God in our culture today, it is incumbent upon us to understand with whom we are dealing and the foundational nature of the fight. So what do we do? Well, this is truly what the ministry of AiG is all about. Equipping the church and Christians to stand boldly on the Word of God, answering the skeptical questions of this age, and sharing the gospel with effectiveness in this secular culture. As far as what this looks like practically, that will be the focus of my four sessions at the upcoming Children’s Ministry Expo in St. Louis on Friday, February 6. If you can make it, I would love to see you there! But if not, don’t fret; the answer to that question will be subject of my next blog. Until then.

For an audience of One,

Bryan

* The Editorial Board, “God, Gays and the Atlanta Fire Department,” The New York Times, January 13, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/13/opinion/god-gays-and-the-atlanta-fire-department.html.

Have you ever noticed how little attention is given to the typical funeral in the Bible? I mean, even the funerals of the really “iconic” biblical figures. Take Moses for example. The record of his death in Deuteronomy 34 essentially reads, “and Moses died in Moab . . . Now Joshua . . . ” This is Moses we’re talking about here—the man God used to deliver Israel, part the Red Sea, and lead Israel for 40 years. He spoke face to face with God (Exodus 33:11)! But instead of a long, beautiful eulogy and a few chapters of reflection on Moses’s life, his passing is mentioned very briefly and the focus quickly shifts to God’s new instrument, Joshua. It’s almost as if the focus of the account is not on Moses; imagine that.

As we read, study, and teach the Bible, whom do we perceive as being the hero of any given account? Is Moses the hero of Exodus? Is David truly the focus in the account of his battle with Goliath? Is Daniel’s faith really the object lesson in the account of Daniel in the lion’s den? Is Samuel the hero of 1 and 2 Samuel (even though he dies in 1 Samuel 25 and again his death is mentioned in passing)? What about Paul? Is he the focus of the majority of the epistles? Of course I could go on ad infinitum.

You know, in a lot of our Bible study materials, Sunday school curricula, and study Bible notes, what tends to be focused on are the people in any given biblical account. What did someone do or not do, and how do we apply that to our lives? Look at David’s faith as he fights Goliath and emulates it. See how Daniel stands strong in a pagan culture and does the same, and so on. Now don’t misunderstand me; I am not saying that those are not valid points, or that there are not many good lessons to be learned and applied throughout biblical history. Of course there are. What I am saying is if we stop there and that is all we see, we are missing the proverbial forest for the trees. We are missing the ultimate heavenly perspective and the one, true Hero of all of history.

The “Scarlet Thread”

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:15–20, ESV)

One Story

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24, ESV)

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:8, ESV)

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36, ESV)

History is indeed His story; it’s not Moses’s story or Paul’s story, your story or my story, it is His story alone. There is only one Hero who actually saves the day, and to Him be all glory forever and ever, amen!

For an audience of One,

Bryan

Although exceedingly true of my physical family, in this case I’m talking about my spiritual family! I’ve had the honor of speaking at three different conferences, in three different churches, in three different states, over the last three weekends! During this time, I’ve been at Briar Hill Baptist in Florence, Mississippi; West Albermarle Baptist in Albermarle, North Carolina; and East Union Christian Church in Atlanta, Indiana. And it has been wonderful! Physically tiring but spiritually invigorating!

In each of these churches, my brothers and sisters in Christ have been so welcoming, hospitable, and generous! The pastors are on board and encouraging, the volunteers graciously active, and the people friendly and excited. Our son Ian has been loved and adored (I know I’m biased, but he is pretty adorable), we’ve had late night “cookie breaks” between sessions, pot luck lunches that stretch the imagination (and belly), and most important of all, a great time of study in the Word of God!

This interaction with the body of Christ is indeed one of the greatest privileges and blessings in my life as a speaker and a Christian. It’s amazing how quickly we bond under the banner of Christ and the truth of His Word. It is beyond exhilarating to see people get excited about the Word of God as they recognize the relevance of Genesis today, see the connection of the Bible to the real world, and grasp anew the vibrant truth that God’s Word is true and you can trust it from Genesis to Revelation. What a joy it is to meet and interact with pastors who are excited about the Word of God and recognize the Genesis 3 attack of our day. And what a thrill it is to partner with shepherds who are passionate about equipping their God-ordained flocks with the apologetic, spiritual weapons needed to fight on the front lines today.

All of this is made possible because of our union in Christ based on the truth of His Word. The unity that is felt is practically tangible as we gather together under the banner of Christ! Different parts of the same body, united as a family and as the bride of our Lord, warriors willing to lay everything down for the glory of our eternal King! We know that as we part ways, if we never see each other again in this life (although I hope we do), we will meet up again at the banquet of Christ! I treasure so much the family get-togethers of this life, which cause me to long all the more for the ultimate family gathering when the entire body of Christ is finally home together. What a day of rejoicing that will be!

“Wow! This is so much to take in! It’s great information, I see the relevance and need for change, but where do I begin? I feel like I’m drinking out of a fire hydrant!” Many attendees toward the end of the Answers in Genesis Children’s Ministry Conference echoed this sentiment.

The conference speakers brilliantly exposed the infiltration of secular humanistic thinking into much of the church. Compromising the authority of God’s Word in Genesis opened the door to reinterpreting other parts of Scripture, if not ultimately all of Scripture, with man’s word. The rampant compromise within much of the church and the two-thirds of churched youth walking away from the faith are casualties stemming from the war on God’s Word.

With this truth laid bare, the gauntlet hit the ground. But how do we take this explosion of information from the proverbial fire hydrant and funnel it into practical steps? That’s a good question—I’m glad you asked! If I may, three things quickly come to mind:

1. Get Back to the Word

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11, ESV; see also Deut. 29:29)

2. Get Equipped

3. Get on the Phone (or iPad, computer, or whatever you communicate with)

One Sip at a Time

For an audience of One,

Bryan

Answer: The rejection of the authority of God’s Word and the utter submission to the word of man. In each case, the one true God is spurned in favor of an idol created in the minds of men. The branches of this idolatry spread far and wide, with various insidious consequences, yet they all go back to the same tree with the same roots. Man become god. Man determines what is good and evil; man generates his own meaning to life; man’s destiny lies in his own hands.

This basic worldview is played out in various ways because each person has become his own deity; his word is “truth” and his will must be done. When there is no true absolute standard, Judges 21:25 becomes the law of the land:

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Yet, none of these things should surprise us; they are the natural outworking of a worldview without God. What should surprise us is the silent invasion of this worldview into much of the church!

More and more of the younger generations within the church are apt to condone homosexual marriage, believe there are multiple ways to heaven, support abortion—and the list goes on. Why is this happening? Simply put, the abandonment of the authority of God’s Word. We’ve told generations of kids that only some parts of the Bible are authoritative. For other parts, like Genesis, you can take man’s ideas outside of the Bible and use them to reinterpret God’s Word. Think about it, when we’ve told generations that they can take man’s ideas of evolution and millions of years and use them to reinterpret Genesis, is it any wonder that they then proceed to take man’s ideas and redefine marriage, the value of life, and truth in general?

That’s why we here at the ministry of Answers in Genesis are so passionate about the authority of God’s Word and the gospel based in that authority! The chaos we see in the world today should remind us of the importance of being prepared to give an answer for our faith (1 Peter 3:15). We’re training ourselves and raising generations to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

That’s the purpose of our resources, Answers Bible Curriculum, and conferences, like the fast-approaching Children’s Ministry Conference. They equip Christians and Christian leaders to stand on the authority of God’s Word, to have answers to the skeptical questions of this age, to understand the chaotic world in which we dwell, and to share the gospel with boldness.

Because ultimately, what do Putin, ISIS, and the proponents of the modern sexual revolution really have in common? They all need the gospel.

For an audience of One,

Bryan

I returned just recently from California and my first ever Mega Conference as part of the AiG family. What an incredible time and blessing! Costa Mesa was beautiful and the weather predictable: sunny and gorgeous every day.

Fellowship with my new colleagues and attendees was exciting and enriching as the whole event had a “summer camp” ambiance. Tons of resources were purchased with the realization of the relevance of Genesis to the church and the world today. Most important of all, God’s Word was preached with boldness, the gospel went forth, the saints were equipped for battle, and we were all challenged to get busy for the Lord. As a pastor friend of mine is known to say, “If this doesn’t get you fired up, your wood is wet!”

With that being said, there is an inherent danger with every “summer camp” experience: will there be lasting change? Will we heed the call, accept the challenge and engage in the spiritual warfare that is waging all around us?

Around a year ago, as I was doing devotions, I was struck with a powerful image that has since been seared into my heart and mind. I was reading and meditating on Ephesians 6:10–20, a passage well known to most believers about putting on the “armor of God.” After observing and interpreting the text within context, I started to think about the application of the passage (this is what we teach students to do in our ABC curriculum). Probably the most obvious application of putting on the “armor of God” is that we should then engage in battle. But do we?

I began to imagine a soldier who had put on all his armor, holstered all his weapons, and then sat on the couch. Maybe he even shouted a war cry before relaxing on the recliner or going out to cut the grass. What a ridiculous sight, a fully armed soldier sitting cumbersomely on the couch watching his favorite show or sport. He might even be watching the news about other soldiers actually in combat as he rests easy at home. Or, maybe the soldier—once fully dressed for battle—spends all his time practicing and doing drills. He’s incredible at beating up punching bags and shooting targets. But that is all he does because that’s where he is comfortable and feels accomplished.

In either case, the soldier would be ineffective to say the least, and his captain would be thoroughly unsatisfied, demanding immediate transition to the battlefield. As I pondered the absurdity of such a thing, another question ambushed me and struck me to my core—was I that soldier who was all dressed up with nowhere to go? Was I avoiding battle and simply going through the motions, so I could feel good about myself and appease my conscience?

Events like AiG’s Mega Conference are so important because God uses them to draw people to Christ and equip the saints. But we must not stop there. Once equipped, it is our duty and privilege to take the battlefield under the banner of Christ. Share the answers we have received with friends, family, and strangers, and always lead them to the gospel. Pray, pray, and then pray some more. Post Scripture and links on Facebook and Twitter. Stop avoiding the children’s minister and volunteer to teach that challenging fifth grade Sunday school class. The possible list here is endless. As one of our speakers said at the Mega Conference, “I don’t know what you’re doing for Christ, but whatever it is—get busy!”

Don’t be the soldier who’s all dressed up with nowhere to go.

For an audience of One,

Bryan