InSite, September 2011

Site Update: A New Search Begins

Humans search for a great many things: information, the truth, car keys. While Answers in Genesis can’t help with the keys (you may want to check the couch), thanks to a groundbreaking update on our site, we can help with the other two.

As you probably know, we have tons of rich articles to study on our site, focusing mainly on biblical authority and science. That’s great—as long as it’s easy to find what you need when you need it. For example, if a coworker challenges you with Tiktaalik as a missing link, you know what site to go to for answers (hint: us), but you may not have time to comb through our extensive archive. So, what to do?

Like any good netizen who has embraced the web as a resource, you know that the trusty search box at the top of the site can zip you to your destination. But, to be honest, our site search hasn’t been as advanced as we’d like. It worked fairly well, but it needed some renovation.

And that’s just what it got. Thanks to great feedback from you and the hard work of our web ninjas, we’ve recently unleashed a new search interface that can give you the results you need—and do it fast.

What’s changed? We’ve updated the look to bring it more in line with our web standards. In other words, it’s clean and stylish. But you want more than looks in a search; you want functionality. And that’s where the new search really goes all out.

For one thing, our easy-to-find filters allow you to customize your search results to get exactly what you need (e.g., web articles only or blogs only). Then comes the blazing speed. We think you’ll love how much faster the search server can return your results.

We’ve also tuned things on our side so that the results are even more relevant to what you’re looking for. Hopefully, you’ll get exactly what you need on the first page. Beyond that, we’ve also chipped away at the duplicates, added the author’s name to most of the article and product results, and squashed several bugs.

So, when that coworker asks about Tiktaalik, you’ll be studying up in seconds. Go ahead and give it a shot to see what we mean.

You can also be sure that we’re not sitting still. We’ll keep poking and prodding to make the search even better in the future. In the meantime, happy searching . . . and good luck with the car keys.

In Store: Shoring up the Foundations

Equip your church, Sunday school class, or small group to reach a culture that has drifted from God in Ken Ham’s new, hard-hitting, DVD-based curriculum called The Foundations. (Or just get the DVDs.)

A great deal has changed in the last twelve years. Twelve years ago, terrorists had not yet flown planeloads of people into the World Trade Center towers. The economy was roaring. Tsunamis had not yet left millions of people asking “why?” And the president of the United States had not declared that America is no longer a Christian nation.

And twelve years ago was also the last time Ken Ham filmed a major video series. But that changes with the just-released DVD-based curriculum set called The Foundations.

Today, possibly more than at any time in America’s history, a culture detached from God and willingly ignorant of His hand in creation and world events needs Jesus. But the church is not nearly as effective in reaching the lost as it was only a generation ago. There is a foundational reason—and Ken wants to share that reason in what could be his most important video series yet.

This top-quality set includes six DVDs (containing twelve teaching episodes), a leader guide (to help you lead a group discussion), a participant guide (to get your group involved), and five advertising posters. Use the set to present a truly exciting series of Sunday school classes, small group meetings, or Bible studies. Show your church members why they can trust the Bible—even in the face of an unbelieving world.

In each session, Ken connects with the audience in his humorous style and delivers powerful messages on the relevance of Genesis, evangelism, race, apologetics (defending the faith), spiritual warfare, and more. You’ll see how current events shape the issues and how you can “read” the culture from a biblical perspective.

Share this faith-strengthening set with your church or small group and equip them for reaching the community.

Question of the Month

Does Answers in Genesis offer training for people who would like to start a ministry from their own church?

First, we always get excited to receive questions like this. Why? Because there aren’t nearly enough of us at AiG to tell everyone in the world that they can trust the Bible from beginning to end and—consequently—the gospel message in the Bible. Our website and outreach events allow us to reach millions, but not everyone comes to the site or events. Our hope, then, is to equip our readers to go out and disciple others, using our materials to lovingly remove barriers.

And we’ll do everything we can to help you get ready to do just that. Obviously, our daily articles and devotions on the front page can get you started, but for those looking to launch a ministry, we’ve got some more “advanced” resources to help out.

For the past several years, we’ve been running Answers Education Online—an online training center for those wanting to learn how to defend their faith. The online classes can prepare you for doing your own speaking events or ministry. We cover a variety of topics, including biology, astronomy, geology, and more. In fact, you can even earn college credit for our APO 101—Foundations in Creation Apologetics course.

So, that takes care of the training. What about getting the ministry going? Well, we can help you with that as well. Take a look at the Tools for Teaching section of our website for free downloadable images, slides, and whole presentations. These will get you off to a running start. You can also find loads of great resources in our online bookstore to tailor your ministry for the challenges you face in your community.

We’re certainly praying for God to use you where you are.

(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 front-page feature this month includes an exclusive video? It’s true. “Evolution? Impossible!” contains a mini-video from our warp-speed Check This Out! DVD. So, watch and share—and share some more. Keep checking our site in the coming months, and you might just catch a few more exclusives.