Going Down Under

My brother Steve is in charge of AiG's Worldwide ministry outreach. (See my previous blog post about the handover that occurred recently as Dr. David Crandall retires as our international director). Steve wrote the following article for the Worldwide outreach blog that I wanted to share with you.

Very soon, my brother Ken will be in Australia. Australia is our home country, and we always enjoy returning to visit family, re-engage with some of our favorite foods, and reacquaint with many special friends who have supported us in ministry and who pray for us regularly. While Ken is in Australia, he will take some time out to speak in a couple of different venues (see a conference schedule). He finds people everywhere who are hungry for the biblical authority message and the real answers that God has given to the Answers in Genesis ministry.

I would like to spend some time telling you a little bit about Australia. Perhaps you can pray for this nation that is close to Ken’s heart (and my heart as well). Australia has a population of around 22 million people and yet has a land area quite similar to that of the USA.  28 percent of Australians are also born overseas, and actually, Australia is quite a young nation. While Christianity was once growing in Australia, in recent times those who identify themselves as Christian have been declining. Australia is burdened with increasing pluralism and aggressive secularization, and in a sense, the nation has become proud of its diversity of religions. There is an increasingly condescending attitude against those who hold to an ultimate authority for truth and only one way of salvation. As in the USA and the UK, absolute truth has taken a bashing from the era of postmodern thinking.

Not surprisingly, the issues of the existence of God and origins are a hot part of the debate in Australia. This is a country desperately in need of the Answers in Genesis ministry and message. Australia is a country where opinion counts and there are often forums to discuss such matters as these. Please pray that Christians would step up and graciously share the truth of God’s Word—particularly the gospel. Pray that people will do this while standing authoritatively on the Word of God.

Lastly, there is great opportunity. With the large amount of immigration to Australia, there are diverse communities that have yet to hear the gospel and are hungry for it. Before moving to America, my wife and I had opportunities to reach out to many Muslim families who lived in our local area, and churches have a unique opportunity to touch many people groups in their own localities. If you ever want to get a picture of the diversity of people groups within our one human race, Australia is a great place to see it. But if you go, take our message. These people are evolutionized and are being taught in a system that has its basis in naturalism.

Please pray for Ken’s upcoming trip and pray for our country. Australians need Christ, and they need answers to know that the Bible that testifies of Him is absolutely reliable.

In our Creator who is Savior,

Steve Ham

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken