“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteouness” (Romans 1:18, emp. added).
The first introduction Jim and I had to the new Creation Museum was one we will not soon forget. There was a feeling of excitement in the air, and the entire staff appeared extremely happy to be working towards a common goal. Opening day was just a few short weeks away, and the reality was finally coming true. They had constructed an amazing facility that clearly taught a biblical worldview of man. During our visit, Mark Looy, the chief communications officer and co-founder of Answers in Genesis, received several calls from media sources who wanted a walk-through or interview. Mark let us know that every day they received a massive amount of calls from the press—some from “friendly cameras” and some “non-friendly.” But he also made it clear that the doors were open wide to all mainstream media who wanted to report on the museum. Everyone was welcome.
Contrast that with the reception from a natural history museum in Virginia. A few weeks after our visit to the Creation Museum, I conducted a Christian evidence seminar for a congregation in Virginia. While I was there, the preacher had arranged a group tour of the local museum of natural history. A large group from the Church shifted their work schedules so that they could enjoy a tour and listen to the museum educator describe all of the exhibits—with one minor caveat. I would be touring with the group, and the preacher asked if I would point out errors along the way. The day before we were to tour the museum, the preacher called all of the local media outlets within a 50-mile radius and invited them to bring their cameras and record the scene of a “qualified scientist pointing out errors in the museum.” Several media outlets called the museum and asked them what time the tour was to begin…and that’s when museum realized they had a serious public relations nightmare on their hands.
Originally, the group was scheduled to meet with our guide at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Not wanting to walk into the museum “cold,” I asked the preacher if I could have a few minutes in the museum without the cameras present. So he and I went through around 11:00 a.m. that morning—walking through like any other visitor. I quickly noticed that just like the Creation Museum, their great hall also featured a dinosaur. However, this replica skeleton of a T-Rex was “dated” during the late Cretaceous Period (89-65 million years ago). We also noticed that museum employees were closing down certain areas/exhibits within the museum, and as such there would not be a whole lot to see when the cameras were there.
Our reception at 2:00 p.m. that afternoon was cold. Where just three hours earlier the museum had been inviting and open, it was now covered with security guards. They made it immediately clear that the television cameras were not allowed in the museum. They were shut out. The museum’s media policy would only allow “positive” promotion. Our museum guide was a no-show. And so, with cameras rolling from the steps outside the museum, the media captured the moment that would later be retold on the evening news. It appeared the museum could not handle the truth—or at the least had something to hide. Proverbs 18:17 records, “The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him.”
One would think that all museums (whether supporting creation or evolution) would welcome media with open arms. As they often say in Hollywood, any publicity is better than no publicity. But this museum of natural history was unwilling to allow the cameras in to film the “errors.” After all, if the public caught wind of the errors, they might hold the museum accountable, or stop coming altogether.
Many might ask, “Why does it matter what we believe about dinosaurs? Why is this topic such an important one?” The reason centers on the worldview that our children and grandchildren are forming. Evolutionists are well aware that if they can implant “millions and millions” of years into the mind of a child, the end result will be the child grows up with a secular worldview that does not fit the accounts in the Bible. And they recognize dinosaurs are just the bait to hook our children. What about you? Have you taken the bait? When it comes to the worldview you have embraced and will pass along to your posterity, can it handle the Truth?