Ken Ham

Can God be trusted when there’s so much suffering and tragedy in the world? Does the Christian faith prevent us from building a better society? Today, I respond to two individuals who raised these objections.

Do you realize how absurd evolution really is?

Well, the midterm elections are over. And you know what? Whatever happened in the election does not change the mission of @AiG one bit. Presidents come and go. Political parties gain and lose power. Congress changes. Supreme Court justices change. Laws change. Cultures change. But God’s Word never changes. And mankind’s greatest problem has never changed either. It’s sin. That’s why I’ve said for decades that the ultimate answer to America’s problems—or Australia’s problems or the problems of any nation—is not ultimately political. The answer is God’s Word and the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, don’t misunderstand me. Government is important. In fact, government is an institution ordained by God. Romans 13:1 tells us, “For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist have been appointed by God.” After the Flood, in Genesis 9, God instituted human government and delegated to mankind the responsibility to administer justice. Because we live in a fallen world, government has a God-given responsibility to restrain evil, punish wrongdoing, protect innocent life, and maintain order. So Christians should care about government. We should pray for those in authority. We should vote wisely. We should evaluate candidates and policies according to God’s Word. But government cannot change the human heart. Government can restrain evil, but it cannot remove our sin nature. Congress cannot regenerate a sinner. A president cannot give someone a new heart. The Supreme Court cannot reconcile a person to his or her Creator. Only Jesus Christ can save. That’s why Answers in Genesis has never been a political organization. Our authority is not the Republican Party platform. Our authority is certainly not the Democratic Party platform. Our authority is the Word of God. Where any political party agrees with biblical truth, we can commend that position. Where any party contradicts God’s Word, we must lovingly but boldly say so. You see, as I teach so often, there is no neutrality. That’s one of the foundational messages we’ve taught at Answers in Genesis from the beginning. There are ultimately only two foundations for our thinking: God’s Word or man’s word. Every person starts with one of those foundations, and governments are made up of people. So governments aren’t neutral either. If God’s Word is rejected as the ultimate authority, then who decides what is right and wrong? Fallible man does. And that’s exactly what we see happening in our culture. Who defines marriage? Who determines when human life begins and whether that life has value? Who determines what a man or a woman is? Who determines right and wrong? If man is the ultimate authority, then ultimately these things are determined by human opinion, judges, politicians, majority votes, or whatever the culture decides at the time. But when we start with God’s Word, we understand that our Creator has already spoken and He defines everything. God created human beings in His image. God created us male and female. God created marriage. God determines the value of human life. God determines right and wrong. That’s why the battle we’re engaged in is much deeper than politics. It’s a battle of worldviews because it’s a battle of foundations. It’s ultimately the same battle that began in Genesis 3 when the serpent asked Eve, “Has God really said?” Yes, I’m concerned about what’s happening in America. I’m concerned about the younger generations. I’m concerned about abortion, gender confusion, the redefinition of marriage, increasing lawlessness, the rejection of Christianity, and the increasing hostility toward biblical truth. But ultimately, we’re not going to change this culture merely by changing politicians. We need to see people change their foundation from man’s word to God’s Word. And above all, we need to see people repent and trust Christ for salvation.

The Flood was a major event in Earth’s history.

Christian persecution is getting worse. The persecution and oppression of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world is getting worse, according to a report from Aid to the Church in Need UK. This report on the persecuted church found the “oppression of Christians has worsened in 55% of countries . . . without any country showing an improvement.” According to the report, which looked at persecution between August 2024 and June 2026, Christians “are being forced from their homes through conflict, extremism, and religiously motivated violence in 18 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.” This means 220 million Christians are “directly exposed to persecution worldwide.” The report listed a few examples of what this persecution looks like: “Chinese authorities have intensified their oppression of Christians, as they aim to align religious doctrine more closely with communist principles. This has led to mass detentions, clergy being jailed on legal technicalities, churches closing, and online religious content being controlled. “The report tells of the persecution in Nicaragua, where the regime increased its crackdown on Christians, arresting and exiling clergy, preventing ordinations, seizing Church institutions, and preventing people entering the country with Bibles. “[In Iran] the arrests of Christians doubled within 12 months . . . as crackdowns have intensified.” This month, November, is designated by Voice of the Martyrs as a month of international prayer for the persecuted church. So many of our brothers and sisters are suffering at the hands of extremist groups, hostile governments, or even angry family members. The Bible commands us to remember our fellow Christians, as if we were in prison with them: “Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you yourselves also are in the body.” (Hebrews 13:3) I encourage you to take time to remember and pray for our fellow believers who are suffering in ways we can’t imagine. VOM encourages believers to pray specifically for four things: 1.Pray that God will lead them to places where they can worship and fellowship with other Christians. 2.Pray that they will continue to witness boldly in the face of persecution. 3.Pray that they will know Christ is with them and that they are not alone. 4.Pray that their ability to forgive their family members will lead many to faith in Christ. As Christians, we aren’t surprised by persecution—Jesus told us it would come, and we’ve seen waves of persecution all throughout church history—but reports like this are a sobering reminder to those of us who experience relative freedom to practice our beliefs that we need to remember those who are suffering for Christ and lift them up in prayer. And remember, America is not exempt from persecution happening here as well. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

Christian leaders will not be able to give answers until they accept Genesis 1–11 as real history (and real science).

We need to be reminded of the past. The level of ignorance regarding history and America’s Constitution and what it means is rather shocking—people need to be reminded about the past! But, even more so, people need to be reminded of something else many have forgotten—the truth of God’s Word and the gospel. I believe the life-size Ark at the @ArkEncounter is one of the greatest reminders on this planet of the truth of God’s Word and the saving gospel. That’s why we stepped out in faith to build it. And the Lord has mightily blessed. Because the Ark project received so much attention, we believe it is more vital than ever that we ensure everyone has the opportunity to clearly hear the gospel message. The gospel is tastefully presented many times inside the Ark. We are unashamedly Christian. There is nothing more important that the message of the saving gospel. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14–16).

When God made the trees, He knew that a tree would one day be used for the evilest event of history: Jesus’ crucifixion.

Is it unloving to rebuke compromise? When we stand against Christian leaders who compromise, I sometimes get accused of being unloving and have people tell me that I should be going to these leaders personally as per Matthew 18. But it’s not a personal matter. It is not a Matthew 18 situation. When Christian leaders make public statements and teach compromising positions on God’s Word beginning in Genesis publicly, then we need to judge what they teach against God’s Word publicly. We need to warn people. It’s not a personal conflict situation. Now I’m not saying all those who compromise God’s Word are not Christians. But those who are compromising God’s Word are not only undermining its authority but unlocking a door for a stumbling block to be placed in people’s way in regard to trusting God’s Word. I believe many in the younger generations have been led astray by Christian leaders who have compromised God’s Word. I have often been reminded of the watchman in Ezekiel: “Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul” (Ezekiel 33:7–9). When we have the opportunity to do so, we must stand lovingly, graciously, with gentleness, but boldly against compromise to warn people, knowing such compromise can put people on a slippery slide of unbelief.

Today, I am talking about the recent midterm elections and why the failure of the church to address generational compromise led to where we are right now, along with how we can move forward as Christians from this point on.

The first time the gospel was preached was in Genesis 3:15.

There is one thing I really dislike about being in the @AiG ministry! What I hate about it is something every Bible-believing Christian should hate. I hate it when we have to publicly oppose, debate, and challenge sincere Christians who, while they believe the gospel (and would even say they believe in biblical inerrancy), compromise God’s Word in Genesis. That is what I’m most saddened and stressed about. And all Christians should be saddened by this as Genesis 1–11 is the foundation for everything, for all doctrine, for our Christian worldview, and for the gospel. I hate it when the world sees this contention among believers. But at the same time, it’s very important for Christians and non-Christians to see us boldly, uncompromisingly, and unashamedly stand on the authority of God’s Word from the very first verse. As I’ve stated many times, and as we have documented with research published in various books, compromise on Genesis (particularly with Christians who add millions of years into the Bible) has had a devastating impact on how this generation views the Bible. And sadly, this compromise has been a major factor as to why so many people are leaving the church and are now secularized in their thinking. It must be perplexing to many people that Christians with a heart for the gospel, who say they believe in inerrancy, battle each other over their views on Genesis. But it’s our contention that compromising Christians (as I call them) have an inconsistent approach to Scripture that unlocks a door to undermine biblical authority in Genesis—and puts people on a slippery slope toward unbelief through the rest of Scripture. Such compromising Christians are trusting man’s word over God’s Word in Genesis. They are doing what I call eisegesis not exegesis. We plead with Christian leaders to apply a consistent hermeneutic to Scripture and reject compromise that undermines the authority of the Word, which has such a negative impact on the people they influence.

God created the land animals (including what we today call dinosaurs) as well as the first two people (Adam and Eve) on the sixth day of creation.

I praise the Lord for the impact my father had on our family and on me as one of his sons. When my father was dying in hospital in 1995 at age 66, one of my younger brothers was with him and asked him, “Why did you love God’s Word so much?” All of us knew that our father would never knowingly compromise God’s Word. He hated compromise. He taught us to spot compromise regarding God’s Word at a million miles away! My father answered with something like this: “My father died when I was 16, so then I didn’t have an earthly father, so I turned to the words of my heavenly Father and read them and studied them over and over again.” He became a student of the Word! He knew what God’s Word stated. And he wanted to make sure he let God speak to him through his Word. He understood that once someone used ideas outside of Scripture to begin reinterpreting parts of God’s Word that was unlocking a door to undermine the authority of Scripture. He knew that once the door was unlocked, it could easily be pushed open further and further as doubt led to unbelief. Our father would always stand boldly on the authority of God’s Word. When he was asked to preach in church or was teaching a Bible study group, I can still see and hear him as he would get so excited about quoting Scriptures such as, “Have you not read, ‘it is written’” and “Thus says the Lord.” When he quoted such verses, he would remind everyone of the authority of God’s Word. At my father’s memorial service in 1995, each of the six children gave a brief testimony about their father. We all independently prepared what we were going to say. As each of us gave our testimony honoring our father, we all said many different things in different ways, but we also said the same thing! What came through each of the testimonies was the impact our father had on each of us regarding standing uncompromisingly and boldly on the authority of the Word of God. Yes, our father’s stand on biblical authority came through loud and clear. After the service, one of my good friends came up to me and said something like, “Wow! What phenomenal testimonies about a father’s impact on children concerning the authority of the Word of God. I’m going home to ask my children, ‘What are you going to say about me when I’m dead?’” I thought to myself, that would be a great title for a book. Imagine this title, “What Are Your Children Going to Say About You When You’re Dead?” That certainly is something to ponder. What spiritual impact are you having on your children and others?

Molecules-to-man evolution is not true.

I had no idea where this promise would take me! When I was 10 years old, my parents were involved with a missionary from the Open Air Campaigners organization (which was founded in Australia) who was going to run a program for children at the church we were attending. My parents would invite children from the local area to come to the program, and they would offer to pick them up and drive them to and from the program. They were the days when there were no seatbelts in cars, and you could pack as many people in a car as you could! During this particular outreach program, the missionary gave a challenge to the kids. I remember him saying something like, “For those of you who have put your trust in Jesus and are willing to do whatever he wants you to do and go anywhere he wants you to go, I want you to sign this piece of paper with this commitment on it.” I remember saying to myself, “Yes, I trust the Lord Jesus to save me. I want to be like my parents and tell people about Jesus and his Word in the Bible. I want to do whatever he wants me to do and go wherever he wants me to go.” I really meant this. I did not know that I would become a schoolteacher, and God would call me to start a creation apologetics ministry in our home. I did not know that the Lord would call me and my family to go to America and eventually start the @AiG ministry that also would build the two leading Christian themed attractions in the world. Yes truly, the Answers in Genesis ministry is a legacy of parents who loved God’s Word and had a burden to reach souls for the Lord. Like I said yesterday, I challenge you: what legacy are you leaving for your children?

Today, I sit down with @ToddFriel to talk about the idea that quietly reshaped our culture and made its way into the church. You’ll hear how it connects to the biggest issues of our day and what Christians can actually do about it.

The supposed millions of years for the age of fossils (and the earth and universe) are simply not true.

What will your legacy be? At the @CreationMuseum, in the lobby of the Legacy Hall auditorium, there is an exhibit called the “Ham Family Legacy Exhibit.” This exhibit features my father and mother and tells of the phenomenal spiritual impact they had on their family. Inside a glass case is my father’s Bible, opened at Genesis, showing his many notes he had written beside the text. He would use such notes as he taught Bible studies not just on Genesis but through the whole Bible. There is also a wooden model of Noah’s ark that he built me many years ago, not knowing that one day we would build a life-size Noah’s Ark attraction. I’ve had the opportunity to speak to people who were at the exhibit contemplating what was being conveyed. I’ve asked them, “What does this exhibit mean to you?” The answers go something like this, “It’s challenging us about what legacy we are leaving in our children and what legacy we are leaving in this world.” I’ve told people that really the ministry of @AiG, the @ArkEncounter, and Creation Museum that impacts (conservatively estimated from our research) 30 million people directly and tens of millions more indirectly each year is a legacy of parents who taught their children to stand boldly and uncompromisingly on the authority of the Word of God. What legacy will you leave for your children?

“Unless Yahweh builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1).