Ken Ham, the founder and CEO of the apologetics organization Answers in Genesis, recently announced plans for a new Tower of Babel exhibit as a way to confront racism through a biblical lens.
"Our goal in building the Babel attraction at the Ark Encounter is to proclaim mankind’s true history as described in God’s Word,” Ham announced on Facebook over the weekend. “In doing so, we will boldly confront racist and ethnocentric philosophies and practices. Most importantly, we will proclaim the only solution to racism and every other sin that besets mankind: the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The Tower of Babel, detailed in Genesis 11, was built by Noah’s descendants who sought to build a city with a tower that “reaches to the heavens” in order to make “a name for ourselves.” In response, God would confuse their spoken language and scatter them over the earth, leaving the project unfinished.
According to ChurchLeaders.com, in a blog published to the Answers in Genesis website, Tim Chaffey, who serves as content manager for the Ark Encounter, explained why the forthcoming exhibit is being built.
“Our purpose in building a Babel attraction at the Ark Encounter is diametrically opposed to the reasons of the original builders over 4,000 years ago,” Chaffey explained.
“Our rebellious ancestors started building their city and tower in defiance of God’s command to fill the world and to glorify themselves (‘make a name for ourselves’),” he continued. “The structure we plan to build will be for the purpose of glorifying God by teaching the authority and authenticity of his Word and by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The second reason for the exhibit has to do with combatting evolution, a philosophy Chaffey described as “inherently racist.”
“While most evolutionists are probably not racists, the philosophy they hold is inherently racist, implying that some people groups are more closely related to apes than others,” he explained.
Chaffey also noted that the Babel exhibit will take on Critical Race Theory as “education systems and politicians throughout Western nations have incited and encouraged division by promoting racist concepts like critical race theory.”
“A large part of CRT is the ungodly idea that we must instruct people to see and judge people based on the melanin level in their skin, which is the opposite of what Scripture teaches,” he wrote. “All people are descendants of Adam, and we are all made in God’s image. Our true problem is sin, which includes prejudice and racism, and the solution is the same for all of us—the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
“It will take some time to design, raise funds, and then build this attraction. When it’s open, we believe you will be thrilled with its gospel emphasis and its answers to an important question of our day: where did all the people groups come from?” Chaffey concluded.
Photo courtesy: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/hsiangwent
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
