Olmec Origins

The Olmec and a Biblical Perspective of Ancient History

By Bethany Youngblood
When I was a child, we would sit together as a family and watch documentaries about ancient history. My parents would mute or forward through places where the narrator talked about certain things; ideas about history that were secular. The Bible did not talk about that stuff, so young ears did not need to hear about it. But a young mind starts to connect the dots, begins to wonder why the only way to look at ancient history is from a perspective that doesn’t agree with the Bible. As I got older, I realized that the realm of interpreting ancient history has been largely left up to the Non-Christian crowd. This passive acceptance of a secular worldview is hindering Christians in their understanding of history. Instead of seeing God’s special design for mankind, we get lost in the popular speculation that ancient man was less intelligent or less capable than we are today. Adopting a Biblical worldview when looking at ancient history is something every Christian should consider. If Christians were to peel back the layers of secular speculation and get at the realities of ancient man, they would see that everything secular historians present as evidence fits perfectly within a Biblical model.

Reviewing Ham vs. Nye

Dear readers,

We are sure many of you are aware of the significant event that took place in Petersburg, Kentucky last night. It was broadcasted live online and reached an estimated (minimum) two million people! Not to mention the many more who will watch the recorded version available online for free or later purchase as a digital download or DVD copy. This event is the Ken Ham vs. Bill Nye debate.

Our team would like to take this opportunity to publicly express our thanks to Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis (AiG) and also briefly share each of our thoughts on the debate.

Ken, praise the Lord for using you to share His Word with so many people worldwide! You stepped up as a leader and represented Him well by sharing the Truth. You engaged countless unbelievers and believers alike by drawing attention to this crucial discussion that has already produced numerous print and digital articles, social network conversations, and other multimedia resources. You upheld the ultimate authority of the Bible as the very basis of the laws of logic, science and morality. You presented the Gospel clearly several times throughout the debate, and we pray the Lord will use the message you shared to draw many hearts to Himself!

We pray each of our readers would take the time to contemplate the messages presented in the debate. We hope you were encouraged and will continue in what Ken Ham has started here. Follow Christ and share the Truth with those who have no hope!

Here are a few thoughts from our team:

Drawing Worldview Conclusions

Don Landis
Pastor of CBC, Chairman of Board at AiG, President of JHBC

Mr. Nye wanted a prediction. Here it is: Believe in evolution (his worldview woven with evolution, relativism, and humanism), and the culture that follows you will have no morals, no values, no self-worth, no true equality between man and woman or black and white, no understanding of why there is evil and abuse, no purpose for living other than self, no foundation for love or compassion of others, and no hope or future. After your very short years you die and rot and your conscious ceases to exist anywhere. You have no one to quote but yourself; your opinions are worthless and, by your own admission, meaningless.

(Read Pastor Don's full review here)

An Answer to the Mysteries 

Analea Styles

As I watched the debate last night I was struck by the very real joy that Bill Nye has for science and discovery. No one can deny that Bill Nye, “The Science Guy”, has a deep passion for learning about the universe and desperately wants to figure things out “scientifically”. He mentioned that one of our greatest questions is “Why are we here?” In fact he was keen on pointing out that mankind has many big questions about life, the universe, and origins – things we don’t understand and he willingly admitted, “I want to know”...

... I love that Ken Ham repeatedly pointed to God’s Word as the answer. We do not back down on the truth – that we base our beliefs on FAITH in God and His perfect Word. We have our confidence in Him. We know the compelling and wonderful truth of the Bible, the true joy that comes from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), faith in God (Romans 15:13), and salvation in Christ (Psalm 51:12)! 

(Read Analea's full review here)

The Proper Way to Engage

Matthew Zuk

I thought that Ken did a phenomenal job of standing firm on the authority of God’s Word and he presented the Gospel at least four to five times throughout the debate. He stayed on message and presented his position very well throughout the night. He remained gracious to Bill Nye and did not resort to ad hominem arguments to tear Bill down. Ken maintained composure regardless of what Bill said and simply stayed on the message that there is only one absolute authority: God, and only one door to salvation: Jesus Christ. 

It is important to remember that it is not our job to “win” debates when we are talking to unbelievers. They are blind to the truth and so no matter what evidence we bring up it will never convince them. They will always find some way to refute the evidence we present, even if our evidence is conclusive and their points make no sense. 

 (Read Matthew's full review here)

Why You Should Watch the Debate

Timothy Thornton

Two and a half hours could never have gone so fast! The debate last night with Ken Ham and Bill Nye was extremely enthralling. The topic of debate was: “Is Creation a viable model of origins?” Ken Ham proposed that Creation as described in the book of Genesis is the only model of origins, while Bill Nye explained that the mainstream scientific view of evolution and millions of years of natural processes should be the only model of origins taught in schools. 

While neither of the debaters could convince the other of their own views, the debate was not a frivolous event. Some may wonder why people would debate something that cannot be agreed upon, or why people would even want to watch it. However, there are several reasons that the debate was not pointless; that it was actually very valuable, and if you have not watched it yet, I highly recommend you do for those very same reasons...

(Read Tim's full review here)

How does all this apply to you? 

Derrick Zuk

My feelings were mixed while watching this debate. I cheered Ken Ham on, but also felt disappointed with some of his responses. He had many great arguments, but he seemed to lack in several key areas I wish he addressed more. Namely these things: 

• That the "Bible, as written in English, translated many many times over the last three millennia" (Bill Nye quote) is trustworthy
• That we are not respecting "Mr. Ham's word" but God's Word as our absolute authority.
• That Nye has no basis for his claims to truth, morality and science itself.

After everything Bill Nye said, my mind raced to tear apart and destroy his statements; it was too easy, I began laughing at the absurdities he called compelling evidence. Yet part of me reminded myself of who Bill Nye is and who he represents. He is lost, a sinner in need of a Savior who cannot understand spiritual things and whose wisdom is reduced to foolishness – and he represents a lost world. He needs prayer, so through the debate I prayed for his heart and for those who support him.

I encourage each of you to do the same, and also to share it with others. Get a copy of the DVD, show it to your churches and youth groups, talk with your unsaved friends about it. The world is full with people like Nye who ultimately reject God because of their love for sin. They know the truth, but they suppress it in unrighteousness. Eternity is a long time; pray for Bill Nye and all those who choose to reject Jesus Christ. Only the Holy Spirit can change hearts and draw the lost to Himself. Pray for believers to take advantage of this opportunity to share the hope that is within us!

On this blog, the Ancient Man Team is dedicated to presenting history through the lens of Biblical authority. Please explore our blog posts about ancient man and feel free to contact us with any questions or comments!

What were your thoughts on the debate? Do you agree or disagree with any of our responses? Or maybe we missed something that you noticed. Let us know in the comments!

Drawing Worldview Conclusions

Reactions to the Ken Ham / Bill Nye debate
By Don Landis

Now that the big debate is over everyone is dialoguing over the different issues and evidence, but the stage is set plainly with a choice between two worldviews.

1. Believe there is a God who created all things 
2. Believe that everything came about on its own, through naturalistic processes

If you choose to believe in God, there are solid, absolute grounds for values, morality, purpose, equality and hope.

If you choose to believe in evolution and naturalistic processes, then you are willingly believing that you are the product of chance, thoughtless, relative chance. In this world there can be no authoritative right or wrong, no absolutes, no morality, and no equality between sexes or colors of skin.

Mr. Nye wanted a prediction. Here it is: Believe in evolution (his worldview woven with evolution, relativism and humanism), and the culture that follows you will have no morals, no values, no self-worth, no true equality between man and woman or black and white, no understanding of why there is evil and abuse, no purpose for living other than self, no foundation for love or compassion of others, and no hope or future. According to your beliefs, after your very short years you will die and rot and your consciousness will cease to exist. You have no one to quote but yourself Mr. Nye; if this is the case, your opinions are worthless and, by your own admission, meaningless.

If this is what the evolutionary worldview is selling, why on earth would I buy into it??

As a creationist and Christian, I "sell" a product that brings absolutes by which to live, since there is an immutable (unchanging) God. I have a base for true human value since we are made in His image. I have a base for equality since man and woman are both made in His image. I have a base for equality of tribes since all men are of one blood. I have a purpose for taking care of the world since we understand we are stewards of God's creation. I have meaning and purpose in life since there is reward now and after death. I have hope for the future since Jesus has conquered death and we will live forever with Him.

We heard Mr. Nye refer several times to things he thinks we should do. He felt troubled and unsettled over Ken's views. But upon what basis can he claim anything being right or wrong? The feeling of angst he felt shows he is making a judgment call. He wants to advance science to get ahead of other countries? To help us be a leader? To aid the economy? What moral promises and personal desires he shows here!

He condemns Ken, asking why we are to believe what Ken says, but at the same time he expects people to accept what he and "mainstream scientists" claim, to be truth. He has placed himself and other fallible human beings as the authority to determine absolute truth. He says that he will not believe anything that he cannot see with his own eyes - he has truly made himself the real authority.

If he was honest he would have to allow even in his own scheme of thinking that, just as it took time for Pasteur's views of germs to overcome the "mainstream" scientists and doctors of his day to see the truth, perhaps Ken has evolved to a higher state than Nye and the rest of the scientists pack.

Thank you Ken and keep up the good work.

Here on this blog we will continue to present evidence that confirms the authority and absolute accuracy of the Bible. Please feel free to explore our other posts and contact us with any questions!

The Proper Way to Engage

A Response to the Ken Ham / Bill Nye Debate
By Matthew Zuk

First of all I would like to praise God for giving courage, wisdom, grace and clarity of thought to Ken Ham. We must always remember to give God the glory for all of our accomplishments as everything we have; all of our gifts, talents and abilities come from our Creator God who made us in His image! I thought that Ken did a phenomenal job of standing firm on the authority of God’s Word and he presented the Gospel at least four to five times throughout the debate. He stayed on message and presented his position very well throughout the night. He remained gracious to Bill Nye and did not resort to ad hominem arguments to tear Bill down. Ken maintained composure regardless of what Bill said and simply stayed on the message that there is only one absolute authority: God, and only one door to salvation: Jesus Christ.

It is important to remember that it is not our job to “win” debates when we are talking to unbelievers. They are blind to the truth and so no matter what evidence we bring up it will never convince them. They will always find some way to refute the evidence we present, even if our evidence is conclusive and their points make no sense.

Romans 1:18-23 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” (Emphasis added)

These verses explain how we should expect the unsaved world to interpret the knowledge they receive. All people know that God exists, however they reject Him and exchange serving Him with serving themselves and other created beings. They exchange the Creator for the created, the infallible with the fallible, the righteous with the unrighteous, the perfect with the sinful, and the infinite with the finite. As believers we see how absurd this exchange is, however these verses explain that the people who reject God and suppress the truth have become futile in their thinking. I think last night’s debate was a great example of this; no matter what Ken said, Bill would always reject it for what he considers “real science”, even if it has no basis. He would rather reject logic than accept God, and thus, as Paul in Romans states, he was futile in his thinking.

This is why we cannot convince someone with evidence to accept Christ; only the Holy Spirit can change an unsaved person’s heart. He must change their desires and open their eyes to see the truth. And what is the truth? They are sinners who deserve eternal torment; they are hopelessly lost and cannot obtain salvation through works of their own. Only the sacrifice of Christ by the grace of God can save them and that all they need to do is put their trust and faith in Christ and repent of their sins.

Our mission whenever we speak to unbelievers is to properly represent Christ and to present them with the only means to their salvation: the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. We need to present the truth. That is our message, that is what we have been commanded to carry out to all ethnicities.

Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

That is our purpose, to go out and reach people with the Gospel and to hold the Word of God as the supreme authority. We are to do all things to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31) and I would like to thank Ken Ham for striving to reach this goal, for being a leader in taking a stand on the authority of the Word of God and for recognizing he can only achieve this through God’s grace and strength! Pray for Ken and all of the staff at Answers in Genesis and pray that God will open the eyes of Bill Nye and those who have rejected the truth. And praise God for all that He has done; He is truly awe inspiring!



Read more of our debate responses:

• An Answer to the Mysteries - Analea Styles
• Drawing Worldview Conclusions - Pastor Don Landis

Biographies of Ancient Man: Adam

By Analea Styles

In The Genius of Ancient Man we contrast two beliefs of human origins:

“The naturalistic, evolutionary model depicts the first humanoid beings as brutish creatures evolving out of slime, looking more like apes than humans. Their behavior would be only slightly more advanced than the rest of the animal world from which they were evolving…By going to the Word of God, Christians are able to refute this claim of primitive man with truth that coincides with the physical evidence.“[1]

We want to introduce you to some of the most ancient people of history, men and women created in the image of God, intelligent, creative, strategic and skilled. People whom God chose to tell us about in His perfect, authoritative Word.

The Gospel: The Greatest Message of all Time

By Matthew Zuk

Photo taken by Derrick Zuk - Design by Derrick Zuk

The Gospel is the core of history and the Bible, the entire Old Testament points forward to the cross and the New Testament points back to the cross. What Christ did for us in His death and resurrection is the focal point of time.

Henges: Commonalities Across the Globe

By Sarah Ann Rowen

"Ales Stenar", Sweden's stone circle
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/47102902/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/swedish-stonehenge-well-thats-debatable/#.UhO6cs1JuJY

Shrouded in mystery, henges have captured the attention of millions of people around the world. Whether one has a casual tourist-minded interest, a curious, investigative mind, or an intense desire to research and discover their purpose, these sites appeal to almost anyone.