Have You Ever Been Misled About a Christian Friend or Ministry?

All I can say is “wow.” As I write this, upwards of 400 media outlets from around the world have commented on our new Ark Encounter project. You can check out most of these reports at this special Ark Encounter news archive.

Some of the comments, however, have been rather shocking. Let me explain.

Many Christians have been astounded at how the secular media and atheist bloggers responded so harshly to this announcement about our full-size Noah’s Ark to be built in Northern Kentucky. But actually, we shouldn’t be all that surprised. As Christians, we know that non-Christians “suppress the truth” and “hate knowledge,” as the Scripture tells us. Secularists have reacted the way we would expect based on what the Bible teaches us about the heart of man.

As examples, let me share a few responses to a guest column written by three of AiG’s PhD scientists that was published in a secular newspaper. Our article was intended to correct false information contained in an opinion piece that the paper had printed about the Ark and creation vs. evolution. Here’s a sampling of comments to our rebuttal column:

• “Why do you idiots make a living abusing innocent children? Are you too stupid to get a real job, or is being a dishonest [expletive deleted] more lucrative for you?”
• “The problem is, Mr. Moron-For-Jeebus, your new facility is going to mentally abuse innocent children and it’s going to make idiot America even more stupid.”
• “You three idiots should be put in prison for child abuse and excessive stupidity. You’re a disgrace to your profession and a disgrace to the human race.”

As nasty as these responses are, they are just the tip of the iceberg. So much more has been written negatively about AiG and the Ark Encounter project. It reminds us of how anti-Christian the enemies of Christ are. Sadly, this anti-Christian sentiment is growing in our culture.

what dismayed me the most about the attacks on the Ark was the response from Christians

However, what dismayed me the most about the attacks on the Ark was the response from Christians, for two (totally different) reasons:

First, there have been Christian leaders—even theologically conservative ones—who have written against the Ark Encounter. Some Christian leaders used the Ark project to once again voice their opposition to a literal book of Genesis and to speak out against AiG and our Creation Museum.

Second and most saddening, there were Christians—even a few AiG supporters—who contacted us to express opposition to the Ark Encounter because they believed some of the false information in a secular newspaper or website.

Because of these unfortunate responses, I thought I should use this opposition to the Ark Encounter as a teaching point and to offer a reminder for all of us.

Hearing Both Sides

One of the most practical verses in the Bible is Proverbs 18:13. To paraphrase, it cautions believers not to hear just one side of a controversy and perhaps come to a (wrong) conclusion. Sometimes we can hear people give what sounds like a convincing case for their side of a controversy, but when we don’t hear the other side, we don’t really get the full story—and perhaps don’t hear how unbiblical the “convincing” side might be.

As you hear about new developments in the fight for biblical authority within the church and in the secular world, you might hear something negative about AiG—and perhaps even the proposed Ark Encounter. As I alluded to above, some Christians, reading articles in the secular press, have believed what they read and then wrote us to criticize the Ark project. But they didn’t consider asking us first to see if the report was true. Frankly, these people violated Proverbs 18:13.

Sadly, jumping to conclusions occurs too often among Christians. You can probably recall a few disputes within your church—and between high-profile Christian leaders. As Christians, we need to follow Proverbs 18:13 (and other Scriptures) to make judgments about personal conduct, biblical soundness, etc. We really need to ensure we are like the Bereans of Acts 17 who searched the Scriptures to see if things were so.

Considering the flood (excuse the pun) of media coverage just on the announcement of the intent to build the Ark, imagine what will happen when this incredible facility opens!

And please pray for us—we are in an immense spiritual battle. We battle with the world and, sadly, we struggle with much of the church. Actually, the battle with Christians in the church is going to heat up even more soon. You see, I am co-authoring a book based on independent research that reveals what is being taught in Christian colleges (even in many so-called conservative ones). I believe this book (to be released in April as a sequel to our Already Gone book) will be more shocking to the church than the findings in Already Gone that looked into the reasons why so many young people are leaving the church.

As we continue to do battle in this spiritual war and create the “armaments” for God’s people to defend His Word, we ask for your continued prayers and donations. Your help is crucial in producing even more life-impacting outreaches and resources from this cutting-edge ministry.

You can also help us build the massive Ark (an incredible reminder of the truth of God’s Word) to over a million guests annually by sponsoring pegs, planks, and beams to be used to build the Ark. Visit the new website of ArkEncounter.com to learn more.