AiG helping to influence the Christian community

I thought I would share with you just two ways AiG  has been helping to influence the Christian Community behind the scenes:

1. NRB—MEDIA

I received a report this evening from Dale Mason, our VP of Marketing & Media. He leads the radio, video, and magazine teams here, among other things. With the growth of AiG’s radio program (now on 900 USA stations!), the increasing telecasts of various AiG video productions, the growth of the web site, and the launch of Answers magazine—plus of course the tremendous media attention surrounding the Creation Museum—he was contacted last spring and invited by the president of the National Religious Broadcasters Association, Frank Wright, to be part of a small group that consults Mr. Wright and NRB leadership on various media-related matters. We count it a privilege and serious responsibility to be in a position of influence such as this.

Dale wrote to me while on a layover on his way back from two days of meetings in Los Angeles. He said:

Ken, it’s amazing what the Lord continues to do through AiG as we just keep sticking to the truth and authority of the Bible. This “President’s Council” group consists of about 30 ministry representatives invited from among the 1,300 ministry organizations that are members of NRB. We received briefings about legislation and culture trends that have the ability to tremendously muzzle radio ministries such as our Answers with Ken Ham daily broadcast. They threaten to do so by labeling much of the Bible teaching that you do as hate speech or by saying that it causes “bodily injury” in the form of mental duress. Another tactic will be to demand equal time for alternative perspectives … which, of course, could be the end of our radio outreach and the end of many Christian radio stations as well.

This NRB group is very forward thinking, and I deeply appreciated the networking and one-on-one conversations that I was able to have with executives from such ministries as Focus on the Family, Grace to You (Dr. MacArthur led us in devotions throughout our two days together), various Christian radio networks, stations, etc. I am bringing back a lot of useful information and was able to help others through what AiG has done and experienced as well. One unexpected but very interesting part of our time there in L.A. was that when the chairman of Walt Disney Studios (Richard Cook) heard that we were coming, he asked us to stay and meet with several of their lead people (including their lead animator, Glen Keane, who is a believer). They had us on the lot until after midnight Tuesday. They gathered us in a posh, relatively small motion picture theater and announced to us that, basically, they have heard the collective voice of the Christian community and committed that, “going forward, there will no longer be profanity or sexual innuendo in Disney family films.” That’s a great start. Now the Church needs to help them understand that they need to remove the evolution that permeates so many of their productions as well. The bigger problem is that first the pastors need to be convinced  to remove it from their pulpits! (God is in control.)”

AiG is not a political group in any way, but we do have the responsibility to be aware of what’s on the horizon … and to bring it to our people for prayer! I praise the Lord for the rapidly increasing notoriety of AiG in America and around the world, but we desperately need your help and your prayers to keep moving forward—and to take on only those challenges and opportunities that the Lord is actually calling us to.

2. CREATION AND THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Mark Looy of our ministry filed this report over the weekend while he was in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where he recently attended the memorable funeral service for pastor and creationist leader Dr. D. James Kennedy. This city may become memorable again for another reason: it plays host to an unusual debate Monday evening. Here’s the story:

“While AiG is not a political activist group in any way, we did want to bring to your attention Monday evening’s debate among the Republican candidates for the U.S. presidency. Why? We understand that another creation/evolution question (it has popped up twice this summer in previous Republican presidential debates) will be posed tonight in Ft. Lauderdale, where 7 of the 11 declared Republican candidates will be asked questions about “values” (the forum has been dubbed ‘The Values Voter Debate”). We have been given advance notice of the evolution-related question that some of the candidates will be asked, but the organizers (for obvious reasons) have asked that the specific question be embargoed. It will be interesting to see how the candidates will answer, but we expect that most will give a rather generic answer about believing in God (come to think of it, which candidate would admit to being an atheist?), and just leaving it at that. Or some may go a little out on the limb and say they believe in God, but that He used evolution (which has been the stated position already for a few candidates). Or in the reverse, someone may go way out on the limb and say that he believes in a literal, straightforward reading of the book of Genesis, including a young earth. But don’t hold your breath if you’re watching on SkyAngel TV tonight at 7:30pm eastern time (see their website for information) or listening on the web at www.vcyamerica.org.

Regardless of the answers that might be given, it does show that the creation/evolution controversy continues to be a national topic in America’s “culture wars.”

By the way, the same organizers of this “Values Voter Debate” have invited the Democratic presidential candidates to participate in a comparable debate, but there have been no takers.” —Mark Looy

TENNESSEE

Mally and I are still in Tennessee for my speaking engagements at Stevens Street Baptist Church in Cookeville. On Sunday morning I spoke at two services of about 600 each—then last night approximately 1200 turned out (normally they have about 300 on Sunday evening). I met people who drove long distances to come. One man came from Nashville—he shared with me how he has given quantities of the Evolution Exposed book to students at a public school in Nashville. Quite a number of the Mennonite community came last night (we often find considerable numbers from the Mennonite community attending our programs). A number of them are charter members of the Creation Museum. Today I speak five times, including a lunchtime meeting where church folks invite people from the local community as an outreach. Please be in prayer for these meetings.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying.

Ken