Slow the Outreach of AiG?

At Answers in Genesis, we are blessed to have the opportunity to reach so many churches, Christians, and non-believers with the message that the Bible-including the Gospel-can be trusted from the very first verse. The phones are ringing off the hook, the mail pours in, and about 13,000 people a day are going to this Web site!

While we rejoice in all the opportunities to proclaim Biblical truths, there is a “flip-side’-something bittersweet, if you will. While there certainly have been churches proclaiming the authority of the Bible over the decades, the overwhelming majority of churches (we have discovered) have not been carrying out the command in 1 Peter 3:15 to give answers for our faith. And then there are those who attempt to offer answers but find themselves often compromising with the world’s teaching. For example, theistic evolution (a belief that God used evolution to bring about the higher forms of life) is one such compromise view which leads many astray. Another is believing in millions of years of Earth history. Frankly, if God’s people had been adequately offering answers to questioners about dinosaurs, Cain’s wife, the days of Creation, etc., Answers in Genesis would not even have to be in ministry!

The need for the Creation/Gospel message is even more pressing outside the United States, especially in Western nations where there had once been considerable Christian influence in society. In countries like England and Germany, where the message of Biblical authority was once a part of the very fabric of their societies, so-called “science” (evolution in particular) has (falsely) shown people that perhaps the Bible can’t be trusted after all. There is a tremendous need in once-Christian societies to re-hear the message that the Bible is authoritative and accurate in every area that it touches, and that its Gospel message is true.

Accordingly, AiG has committed a significant amount of its budget to international outreach, where it has to heavily subsidize speaking tours and the translating, printing, and shipping of materials, etc. In a country where AiG has a fledgling ministry (e.g. Canada), the other international “sister offices” assist in many ways.

It was surprising one day to receive a call from an AiG supporter in the US who shared with us his concern that AiG had become too “big.” As we respectfully shared with this concerned friend, the ministry has grown because AiG was meeting an enormous need throughout the world, and God was blessing the efforts. Frankly, we need to grow even larger: additional speakers, other translated materials, and more Web resources are needed to help the church equip its people to have answers for their faith and to make them more effective in their witnessing efforts.

Indeed, in one sense, we would be delighted to be slowed down, or even “put out of business’-provided that was for the right reason. Namely, if it was because the bulk of the church had taken up the challenge to return to the authority of the Bible, giving answers to defend and proclaim it powerfully to the world. We believe that such a “reformation” is needed in order to see a true revival of Christianity in our nations-a faith which understands that the Bible is the very Word of God, and is relevant to all of reality. We hope that one day this ministry could see a slowdown in growth. But that will only happen when churches take up the challenge to return to the authority of the Bible, beginning with its very first verse, and thus help “put us out of business!”