Just one of over a hundred news items and blog postings about Answers in Genesis’ newest project, the Ark Encounter.

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Noah’s Ark focus of theme park
Las Vegas Review-Journal, page 8B.
by Dylan T. Lovan
August 20, 2011

Tucked away in a nondescript office park in northern Kentucky, Noah’s followers are rebuilding his ark. The biblical wooden ship built to weather a worldwide flood was 500 feet long and about 80 feet high, according to Answers in Genesis, a Christian ministry devoted to a literal telling of the Old Testament.

This modern ark, to be nestled on a plot of 800 acres of rolling Kentucky farmland, isn’t designed to rescue the world’s creatures from a coming deluge. It’s to tell the world that the Bible’s legendary flood story was not a fable, but a part of human history.

“The message here is, God’s word is true,” said Mike Zovath, project manager of the ark. “There’s a lot of doubt: ‘Could Noah have built a boat this big, could he have put all the animals on the boat?’ Those are questions people all over the country ask.”

read more…

Acts & Facts, Vol. 40, No. 8, August 2011, monthly, free. 24 pages.

Executive editor: Lawrence E. Ford.

Institute for Creation Research, PO Box 59029, Dallas, TX 75229. Website.

This issue of Acts & Facts takes a rather strong stand against compromising evangelicals! Henry Morris III in particular comes down hard on Peter Enns, Bruce Waltke and the BioLogos crowd. James Johnson follows up with a critique of the Intelligent Design Movement. John Morris covers the gap theory and theistic evolution as being particularly fatal to the Gospel because these interpretations place death before sin. Of additional note is Jeanson’s on-going examination of purported human-chimp genetic similarity. Vardiman, Sherwin, Thomas, and Forlow each round out this issue with short articles. Overall, another good issue of Acts & Facts!

Table of contents
From the Editor: The Donkey Strategy by Lawrence E. Ford. p. 3.
Balaam’s Error and Today’s Evangelicals by Henry M. Morris III. p. 4.
Events. p. 7.
Research: Human-Chimp Genetic Similarity: Refuting the Appeal to Human Genetic Testing by Nathaniel T. Jeanson. p. 8.
The Failed Apologetic of the Wedge Strategy : How the Intelligent Design Movement Treats the Bible as Irrelevant by James J. S. Johnson. p. 10.
Impact: Both Argon and Helium Diffusion Rates Indicate a Young Earth by Larry Vardiman. p. 12.
Back to Genesis: Doubt Versus Unbelief by John D. Morris. p. 15.
Back to Genesis: Fishy Evolutionary Explanations by Frank Sherwin. p. 16.
Back to Genesis: Fit for Flight by Brian Thomas. p. 17.
Education: Creation Expo VBS Reaches Thousands by Rhonda Forlow. p. 18.
Letters to the Editor. p. 20.
Stewardship: Can I Get a Witness? by Henry M. Morris IV. p. 21.
True Learning by Henry M. Morris. p. 22.

pdf of issue

From: Creation & Science Chronicle.

It’s not all atheists and evolutionists that are publicly displaying their disapproval of the Answers in Genesis Ark Encounter theme park. Apparently fellow creationist Todd Wood is not happy with AiG spending money that doesn’t belong to him (despite his claim to the contrary):

AIG’s latest project is indeed the Ark Encounter theme park, with a life-sized model of Noah’s Ark as the centerpiece.

What do I think? Personally, I don’t really care. I can easily think of dozens hundreds thousands of more important projects to spend $150 million on, but it’s not my money. What is curious though is why they think they ought to do this. Clearly the governor and the investors are excited about the economic impact. But what’s in it for the rest of creationism? We still don’t have a comprehensive model to understand Flood geology, a topic that creationists often bitterly and angrily debate. We’re also deeply divided in our approach to biological problems (witness the tempest over hominid baraminology), and we don’t have a generally-accepted (among creationists) young-age creationist cosmogony. So what should we do? Let’s build a theme park!

In all seriousness, I do hope that these endeavors of AIG (both the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter) will be used by God to inspire a new generation of creationist researchers. I also hope that God will bless the endeavors of those of us trying to make a place in academia for these up-and-comers.

Perhaps Wood’s view of Christianity and the creationist movement is too narrow. Perhaps he doesn’t really understand, or believe, that Answers in Genesis is also about the Gospel, not just creation “science” research. Implicit in Wood’s short posting is that no research is done at Answers in Genesis–the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter are distractions at the very least.  (That seems to be the impression he wishes to leave his readers…)

Yes, Todd, the various Answers in Genesis projects and programs will (and does) inspire and encourage a new generation…of researchers, pastors, teachers, parents, Sunday school teachers, laypeople, and professionals.    The Ark Encounter project is more than a theme park!

Thank God for the vision of AiG leaders! 

Where there is no vision, the people perish… Proverbs 29:18

cp

Much information about the Ark Encounter project. Interviews with: Ken Ham, Mark Looy, Mike Zovath, Pat Marsh, and Cary Summers. Includes overview of the project.

Governor Beshear, Ark Encounter Announce Plans to Build a Full-Scale Noah’s Ark
“Ark Encounter” to employ 900, expected to draw 1.6 million visitors in first year

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 1, 2010)—Governor Steve Beshear today joined the Ark Encounter LLC to announce the planned construction of a full-scale Noah’s Ark tourist attraction in northern Kentucky. Partnering with the Ark Encounter is Answers in Genesis, which is most widely known for its high-tech and popular Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky.

“We are excited to join with the Ark Encounter group as it seeks to provide this unique, family friendly tourist attraction to the Commonwealth,” said Gov. Beshear. “Bringing new jobs to Kentucky is my top priority, and with the estimated 900 jobs this project will create, I am happy about the economic impact this project will have on the Northern Kentucky region.”

The Ark Encounter is scheduled to open in spring 2014 in northern Kentucky. Multiple sites are being considered, although property in Grant County off I-75 is at the top of the list. A feasibility study conducted by the renowned America’s Research Group has indicated that the Ark Encounter may attract 1.6 million visitors in the first year and is expected to employ up to 900 full- and part-time staff.

The for-profit Ark Encounter project will be privately funded at an estimated cost of $150 million. The final site selection for the Ark Encounter is subject to the ability to acquire all of the land needed for the project, and the approval of certain state and local incentives and other assistance for the project.

“We are very pleased to be a part of this new project,” said Ken Ham, president and founder of AiG and the Creation Museum. “AiG has been blessed to see the Creation Museum host over one million guests in three years. Based on our experience and success operating the large, state-of-the-art Creation Museum, our board believes the time is right to partner with the Ark Encounter in building a full-scale Noah’s Ark. We hope that this fun and educational complex called the Ark Encounter will become another popular tourist destination for the state.”

In addition to the full-size Ark, the complex will include a Walled City much like was found in ancient times, live animal shows, a children’s interactive play area, a replica of the Tower of Babel with exhibits, a 500-seat 5-D special effects theater, an aviary, and a first-century Middle Eastern village.

To showcase the “green” construction methods and materials that will be used, the complex will also include a Special Events Area for large gatherings, highlighting some of the Leader in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building techniques used to construct the Ark Encounter.

One of the factors in getting the Ark Encounter to launch the Ark project at this time was a November 2009 CBS News survey, which revealed that the remains of Noah’s Ark would be the greatest archaeological discovery of our day. CBS News stated: “CBS’ 60 Minutes news program, in conjunction with Vanity Fair magazine, recently conducted a web survey asking which archaeological discovery people would most want to see made next. The response: Noah’s Ark (43 percent); Atlantis (18 percent); Amelia Earhart’s plane (16 percent); Nixon’s lost tapes (13 percent); and Cleopatra’s barge (5 percent).”

The report continued: “Noah’s Ark continues to capture the imagination of the general public, and this interest spans all social, religious and economic segments. The Ark and the flood is one of the few historical events which are well known in the worldwide global circle.”

Following the release of the article, the Ark Encounter group became even more convinced about the viability of the project. It will be assembling virtually the same team that designed and built the Creation Museum, and have these same talented staff design a full-scale Noah’s Ark.