InSite, December 2010

Larger than Life

Thanks to the buzz lighting up the Internet and news outlets around the world, you may have heard our “big” announcement. If you haven’t—well, the buzz is well-earned because this is absolutely huge. Answers in Genesis, makers of the Creation Museum, is building a full-scale Noah’s Ark as part of the incredible 800-acre Ark Encounter. Like we said—it’s big.

Just to give you a quick peek, here are the nine main areas of the proposed Ark Encounter:

• The Walled City: Along with plenty of shopping and food, guests experience Bible events through various themed venues situated on 40 acres.
• The Ark: A full-size wooden ark.
• Noah’s Animals: Live shows with animals from around the world and a large petting zoo.
• Children’s Play Area: A highly themed, interactive environment where kids can explore and play.
• The Tower of Babel: A 100-foot-tall themed building with exhibits and a 500-seat 5-D special effects theater.
• Journey Through History: A themed attraction that takes visitors on a trip through events of the Bible, experiencing spectacular special effects.
• The First-Century Village: A town as it might have appeared in the Middle East.
• Aviary: Three bird sanctuaries presented in a natural setting, plus a nearby butterfly exhibit.
• Special Events Area: A venue for large gatherings; this area will also showcase some of the Leader in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building techniques used to build the Ark complex.

Sound exciting? Well, there’s only one catch: you’ll have to wait until at least spring 2014 to hop in the car and drive there. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take a closer look much sooner—today, even.

A project this big couldn’t be limited to the park itself, which is why we built an Ark Encounter website to keep you updated and plugged in (plus, we’re excited to show you what’s happening). If you haven’t jumped over there already, here’s what you can expect:

Project FAQ: Learn about the groups behind the Ark Encounter, the reason for building the site, the location, and more.

Media: Dive behind the scenes of this immense project to understand the vision, watch construction progress, and hear from those involved in building the attraction.

Articles: Want to learn more about the global Flood and the Ark? We’ve got you covered. Frequently updated articles will explain the building process Noah used, the intelligence of ancient cultures, and the amazing truth of the biblical account.

News blog: Catch the latest information about what’s happening with the Ark Encounter project.

Be a part of the ark: Answers in Genesis needs your help to complete the full-scale ark. And you can even own a piece of this history-making project. Securely donate a peg, plank, or beam online, and you’ll receive a serial number to locate your part of the ark.

For those of you tuned in to social media, you can also keep track of the Ark Encounter through Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. After all, something like this is too big for a single outlet.

In Store: A Sledgehammer of Truth

You’d be amazed how much time skeptics spend claiming to have found contradictions and mistakes in the Bible. They write books and base entire websites on the notion that they have uncovered flaws that so many generations have missed before them.

Makes you wonder what else they could do with all that time.

The long lists they concoct can seem intimidating—until you take a closer look. Which is exactly what Answers in Genesis has done to bring you Demolishing Supposed Bible Contradictions, a comprehensive book designed for every believer’s library.

In this bold defense of the accuracy of Scripture, Ken Ham leads a cognizant group of contributors to break down these claimed contradictions. Based on the popular Contradictions web series, each chapter demolishes a common attack on the Bible with clarity and insight.

More than this, the book will also equip you to uncover the fallacies in skeptics’ arguments. Learn how to get to the root of the issues.

With nearly two-thirds of young people leaving the church when they move from home, there has never been a more important time to have a reasoned response for those who desire only to undermine your faith. This book is a great starting point in teaching you how to think and then respond to false claims regarding the Bible. Believers must learn to stand firm in their faith and have answers to the culture’s attacks on the Bible.

Question of the Month

Should Christians celebrate Christmas? Isn’t it a pagan holiday?

Debate over celebrating Christmas on December 25 arises each year—much like a tradition in its own right. Some argue that the holiday is really a co-opted pagan celebration that Christians should avoid. So, was Jesus really born on the day we now assign?

The short answer is this: we don’t know. Around A.D. 220, Julius Africanus, an early church writer, assumed December 25 to be accurate (as have many others), but there’s no definitive biblical proof about the exact date. And, really, the meaning behind the birth of Christ—and our need for a Savior—is much more important than the exact dating.

As for the supposed pagan origin of Christmas, the argument doesn’t pan out when we dig deeper. While Saturnalia (a Roman festival) was celebrated around the same date, the origins of Saturnalia actually point back to Genesis—and the accuracy of the Bible. For more on this, see Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday?.

Here are some other articles on the origin of Christmas, common questions, and the real reason we should celebrate:

• What Was the Christmas Star?
• Born in a Barn (Stable)?
• What Does Christmas Have to Do with Creation?
• Christians and Santa Claus: a Biblical View
• Making the “Christmas Sermon” Relevant for Today’s Culture

(Have a question for InSite? Let us know! Be sure to mention that your question is intended for InSite.)

Did You Know?

Did you know that our Biblical Authority devotionals receive 500–1000 pageviews each day? If you’re not one of those views, you’re missing a relevant look into the foundations of the Christian faith and the accuracy of the Bible. A new devotional appears each day on the front page of this site (middle column) and in the archives.

Update: Having reached the end of this series, we are excited offer 366 devotionals, one for every day of the year—plus one for leap years. We encourage you to check out our devotionals.