Falling into the hands of an angry God
By Bob Baysinger
Managing Editor
March 30, 2004
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Creationist warns that America is facing God’s judgment
JEFFERSON CITY – God is in the process of turning America over to judgment.
This is the warning Ken Ham, one of the nation’s leading Christian apologists, carried to Missouri Baptists March 21 when he spoke to overflow crowds at Concord Baptist Church in Jefferson City.
“Romans 1 clearly teaches that when God is turning a nation over to judgment, homosexuality is rampant across society," said Ham, the founder of the Answers in Genesis ministry.
“Do you know that the Bible (Prov. 16:7) teaches that ‘when a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him?’" Ham asked. “Personally, I believe that if this nation was still under the authority of God’s Word, we wouldn’t have the problems were having now with terrorists.
“God wouldn’t allow it. He’s in charge. It’s happening because God is allowing it. He raises up kings and destroys kingdoms."
Ham, who said he moved from Australia to America 17 years ago as a missionary to the church, stressed there is a connection between the American culture’s rejection of morality and its rejection of the Gospel message that comes from Scripture.
“It’s because they (Americans) have been told that the Bible’s history is not true," Ham said. “Generations of kids are being told that about the Bible. If that is so, they say, how can ultimately its message of the Gospel be true? If the Bible’s geology, biology, anthropology, astrology, physics and chemistry is not true, how can they trust the Gospel to be true?"
The problem, Ham contends, lies with many Baptists.
“A majority of Christians believe in the Big Bang creation theory," he said. “The problem with this is that it is not a matter of what we think God could do, it’s a matter of what God did do and what He says in His Word.
“It states that ‘in the beginning God created’ and that He created it in six days. A majority of Christians don’t get the connection between not believing in six literal days of creation and the ‘gay’ marriage issue. I know it sounds a little radical, but it ultimately has to do with physical authority."
Ham called on Missouri Baptists to be ready always to give an answer for the hope that they have.
“Christianity is not a blind faith," Ham said. “Many have been taught things at school that contradict the Bible. You witness to these people and they respond: ‘Where did Cain get his wife? What about dinosaurs? What about ape men?’
“Most people (Baptists) will say, ‘I don’t know about that, but you need to believe in Jesus anyway.’ What a difference it would make if you could say I’ve got an answer for this or I’ve got an answer for that.
“It will show them that the message of Bible history is true. Its message of geology is true and that its message of the Gospel and morality is also true."
Ham urged his Baptist audience to adopt a literal interpretation of Genesis 1-11 because, he said, it “provides the foundational history for the rest of the Bible."
“Can you see that if generations are brought up to believe that Genesis 1-11 is not true, they will abandon marriage," Ham said. “These verses also tell us that Jesus had to die on the cross because of the sin that happened back in Genesis 1-11. It tells us why we have the seven-day week. It tells us why we need a new Heaven and a new earth.
“If you want to attack the basic Christian doctrines, attack Genesis 1-11!"
Too many Christians, Ham said, use the New Testament only, contributing to the idea that the Old Testament is not important.
“Isn’t it true that the average sermon is about moral and spiritual things, not history?" he said. “It’s the history that involves science.
“Have you read in John 1 where the Word was with God and all things came into being by Him. The Word is the Creator, and Jesus Christ is the Word. One of the things that people seem to have forgotten is that the words of Jesus are not just in red. He wrote the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
“Some say Jesus didn’t deal with the gay ‘marriage’ issue. But if He is the author of the entire Bible, He dealt with gay ‘marriage’ in Leviticus, in 2 Timothy and in Romans 1. It is important to know and believe the Old Testament."
Ham quoted statistics from a recent George Barna Research survey which indicated that 70 percent of teenagers in homes where parents claim to be born again plan to walk away from the church after getting out of school.
“Look at America ," Ham said. “It’s the largest Christian nation on the earth. It has the largest number of churches, the largest number of Bible colleges, the largest number of seminaries, Christian colleges and Christian resources, Christian radio and TV. But America is becoming less Christian every day.
“Why? It’s because the church is not touching the culture; the culture has invaded the church."
Ham said Christianity is dead in England , with only 7.5 percent of the population now attending church.
“Where England is today, America is headed – and for the same reasons," Ham stated. “They lost biblical authority in England . Satan used the same method on England as he did on Eve in the Garden of Eden when he asked, ‘has God said?’
“This is the same question that is being asked today. Did God really say that? You don’t have to trust the Word of God. You can interpret it for yourself. He (Satan) is creating doubt, and this leads to unbelief."