Answers in Genesis: Upholding the Authority of the Bible from the Very First Verse

This meeting was held in the Waterfront, an auditorium that seats 2,009 people. Every seat was full. We think this may have been the largest public creation meeting ever in the UK (and most likely Europe) in modern history. Several people commented on the real buzz of excitement they felt as they entered the auditorium.

There were so many comments and discussions, but here are a few highlights:

• The box-office people who sold tickets for this event told us that, based on the calls they had received, they could easily have sold this event out at least three times over and possibly for the whole week.
  * As I began the meeting and looked around this auditorium, what hit me was that at least one third, and possibly more, were young people. I have noticed in recent times that the number of young people attending our meetings has increased dramatically. They want answers—many people told me that these answers made sense.
• After the meeting, I stopped to talk to a group of about eight university students who were all carrying AiG bags loaded with books they purchased. One of them said, “We were just talking and planning on who we are going to talk to and how.” It was so thrilling that they had gotten the message, were fired up, and were going to start doing something about it. They told me that it is so hard at the university because evolution is really pushed there. They said this is a real stumbling block that keeps other students from even listening to the Bible.
  * At the end of my second talk, two students and a man came down to talk to me. The man introduced himself as a university professor who had come with two of his students. Referring to his students, he said, “They often ask me questions on this issue, and I must admit, at times I’m stumped.” He then thanked me for the lectures and said he really appreciated the bit on bacterial resistance. I don’t know if he was a Christian or evolutionist, but he was obviously greatly affected.
• One man told me at the end of the night that he brought his non-Christian workmate. He said he has been trying to witness to him but could never get through to him. After last night, this man was so excited. He told me, “My workmate was really impressed. He said he wouldn’t be able to sleep all night thinking about the things he heard. I bought him the Answers Book and will follow up with him tomorrow at work.”
• Again, so many people told me they were using the website and what a help this was to them. One man said, as he passed me, “I go to your website every day. Thank you.”
• The businessman who had the vision for this and financially backed the entire event (the man who found out about AiG when he was looking for answers on the web to help cope with the loss of his young daughter) was just beaming from ear to ear, and his wife was thrilled. They want to come to the opening of the Creation Museum. But not only that, he is already talking about doing something even bigger next time. I’m not sure what, but personally I think Northern Ireland is ready for a “real” creation blitz, where we bring all our speakers for a week, get into churches all over the country, and end with a big public meeting in the Waterfront again. We all think this is feasible.
• At the end of the night, I gave the people a real challenge. I told them that Northern Ireland has not fallen as far as the rest of the UK. “Look at the interest in standing on God’s Word. Look at the interest in this topic,” I told them. “You people could make a real difference in your own country and in the whole of the UK, and who knows, maybe even the rest of Europe. This could be the start of something really big, really special. Take this information and do something with it. Make a difference. At this point in time, you are to do a great work for the Lord.”
• We prayed, they clapped long and hard at the end, and then they went out and purchased a ton more resources. The books and DVDs were “vacuumed” right off the tables.

After showing the video about the planned museum, many people in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland said they want to come for the opening. I think we can expect a lot of international visitors when it opens.

We all believe this was a historic moment. I wish you were all here to experience this. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. We all feel something special happened. While I was giving the challenge at the end, one man told me later, “Shivers went down my spine and my hair stood on end.”