12 Questions With... President of Creation Museum

 Ken Ham is President and CEO of Answers in Genesis, and its Creation Museum.

2.) Already you are making plans to expand … can you explain your vision for the museum over the next year?  Within a few months, we will open our new children's play area inside the museum. In addition, we'll be adding new planetarium programs inside our Stargazers Planetarium, including one for December on the theme of the star of Bethlehem. I -- along with my colleagues -- will also be giving special lectures on a variety of topics. You'll also see new rotating exhibits coming in from time to time.

3.) What is the most common reaction you hear from visitors to the museum?  I would say that the most frequently heard comment coming from our museum guests is: "We had high expectations about the museum's quality before we came here, and you have exceeded them." Then they usually add: "I'm going to tell my friends about this place" or: "I'm going to get our church or organization to bring a group here." They are also sometimes surprised and pleased to learn that we have several staff members who hold doctorate degrees.

4.) Has anyone approached you with negative comments … and how do you handle those? Negative comments usually come from atheists or other skeptics about the biblical worldview we present in the museum. We are very upfront about the fact that our museum is designed to take people on a tour of the Bible from Genesis to its last book -- Revelation. When you present biblical truths to some people, it challenges their worldview and their beliefs - including on moral issues. Of course, with some of our skeptical visitors who desire to engage us in conversation, we are happy to do so.

5.) Does the museum tend to skew toward one particular Christian denomination… or does it remain balanced in its biblical interpretation? AiG is non-denominational. We are not tied to any particular church or denomination. On our staff, you'll see Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, and so on. Overall, we would be described as Bible-believing Christians, of various churches.

6.) Have you had visitors of non-Christian religions and what is their reaction to the tour?  I actually know of a few Muslim students (from Ohio State) who have come to the museum and given us their reactions. Although they don't believe in the gospel message that we present, we found them to be respectful and open-minded: In fact, one Muslim wondered-as we do-as to why only one view of origins -evolution -- is presented as fact in our schools, science museums, and in science publications.

We've even had Jewish people appreciate the fact that we stand up for the first book of their Torah. I recall having dinner with a high-power Jewish attorney in New York City, where he told me that he was a financial contributor to the museum project because we are defending the foundational book of Genesis. We've had many other non-Christian guests, and most have complimented us on the professionalism of the museum-some said they didn't feel threatened, and appreciated the way we presented the information.

7.) Tell us why you think people who believe the world came into being through intelligent design or evolution are wrong? We believe that the intelligent designer who created the world and all the living things is not just any god, but the Creator God of the Bible. The view of molecules-to-man evolution can't be fit into the Bible if one takes Genesis as literal history-just as the New Testament writers do, and Jesus Christ does. Those who believe in evolution accept that millions of years of death, disease, and suffering led up to man's existence. The Bible makes it plain (e.g., the apostle Paul in Romans 5) that death is an intrusion because of man's sin. Evolutionists believe the fossil record is a record of the history of life over millions of years. But such death and disease (like cancer in dinosaur bones) could not be described by God as "very good" as He did when He finished the creation. Most of the fossil record is the graveyard of Noah's Flood.

8.) What is the most common misconception about the Creation Museum? Many skeptics and non-Christians who come to the museum expect us to be evolution bashers. Actually, we present the arguments for evolution-but we also show how the creation interpretation better explains the facts than Darwinian evolution. We have been told by some of our critics that we are more respectful of evolution than they expected.

Many skeptics also have been falsely led to believe that we blame evolution for abortion, "gay" marriage, racism, etc. However, they eventually find out that we don't blame evolution-we blame sin. The teaching of evolution and millions of years does stop many accepting the Bible as the absolute authority, thus some people may build a relative morality base on the belief they are just an animal and can determine right and wrong for themselves.

9.) In your opinion, which museum exhibit provides the most powerful evidence that the world was created in 7 days?  The museum features several science exhibits that present evidence that shows that the earth and universe are not as old as commonly believed. One of the best evidences presented by our astronomer Dr. Jason Lisle in the museum is that of comets that circle our solar system. Each time they pass the sun, they lose some of their mass. Comets that we see today should have disintegrated just a few thousand years ago if we are in a very old universe.

Also, our exhibits on geology reveal how some of the features we see on earth-such as deep canyons and sedimentary layers-could have formed quickly. Canyons don't have to be carved slowly through the erosion of rivers over millions of years. Our geologist Dr. Andrew Snelling also brings that out in a compelling video in the geology exhibit. Other scientists explain that all dating methods are based on assumptions and that 90% of the dating methods contradict billions of years but confirm a young universe.

10.) What is the one thing you hope people visiting the museum get from the experience?  We want Christians who visit to be better equipped to defend their Christian faith -- and to share it more effectively with others. For the non-Christian, we want them to understand that Christians can defend their faith using real operational science, and that because the history in Genesis is true, therefore the gospel message based in that history is true. We want them to leave not just as creationists, but to accept the fact that Christ is their Savior. We don't hide the fact that we are very evangelistic here. At the very minimum we want the non-Christian to leave challenged to consider the claims of the Bible concerning the need for salvation in Christ.

11. How do you respond to people living nearby who say the museum is not being a good neighbor?  On the contrary, many of our neighbors are very happy for us to be here. They recognize that some industrial complex or warehous could have been built on this property near exit 11 of I-275. Because we have 49 acres, which also includes beautiful botanical gardens we put in this year, we have not only preserved most of the natural rural beauty of this piece of property, but greatly enhanced it. I believe we have set a standard for this intersection, so that when the rest of it is developed, others will have to come up to this very high standard. We work extra hard in many ways to be good neighbors in this area.

12. What would you like to say to convince people that your museum is worth a tour? We strongly encourage inquiring people to consider an opposing view of the origin of the world - one that is largely censored from our schools and natural history museums. We want them to tour and, using their critical thinking skills, weigh the nature of the evidence for themselves and ask the question: Which worldview, creation or evolution, best explains our world around us?

AiG and its Creation Museum are a family friendly place. And even if one does not agree with our stand on the Bible, it is a place where people can learn -- in a non-threatening way and through cutting-edge technology -- what the Bible teaches about the history and meaning of the universe.