COVER STORY 24 MARCH 2024 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition Ark Encounter Brings the Epic Story to Life in Biblical Proportions Shelly Pond Good News Editor In the heartland of America, a replica of Noah’s Ark built to biblical proportions rises above rural Kentucky drawing visitors from around the world to experience a piece of the Bible brought to life. The Ark Encounter, located in Williamston, Kentucky, is one of the largest faith-based attractions in the country, drawing one million visitors to the theme park each year. Based on the biblical account in Genesis, Noah’s Ark was a massive ship, built at God’s command, to save Noah, his family and representatives of every kind of land-dependent, air-breathing animal from the global flood that took place over 4,300 years ago. Now touted as the biggest timber framed structure in the world, the Ark is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet high. These dimensions are based on a historical understanding of a cubit as described in Genesis 6:14-16. For comparison, the Ark is one and a half times the length of a football field and about the height of a 7-story building. Amish tradesmen were enlisted to construct it by hand, using tools Noah may have had at that time. However, the interior of the Ark Encounter is fitted with informational displays, often utilizing modern animatronics to demonstrate what life on the Ark may have been like and describes scientific theories about the global flood, creation, the Ice Age and dinosaurs, among others. The park also features Ararat Ridge Zoo, Dining at Emzara’s restaurant, Noah’s Village, Screaming Eagle Zip Lines, an Answers Center and Truth Traveler Virtual Reality Experience. Ken Ham, speaker, author, founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis, is the visionary behind the full-sized Noah’s Ark. He became internationally known for his 2014 creation/evolution debate with Bill Nye “The Science Guy,” which has been watched by an estimated 20 million people, and started Answers in Genesis “to reclaim the foundations of our faith, which are found in the Bible, from the very first verse.” Mark Looy, co-founder and chief communications officer of Answers in Genesis, explains why Noah’s Ark is so critical to that mission. “About 70 percent of our guests at the Ark are Christians according to surveys, so for Christians we want to give them answers to the most asked questions people have about Noah’s Ark and the flood that in turn helps them to evangelize more effectively because in these days skeptics are constantly attacking the authority and accuracy of the Bible… And for non-Christians who visit, we’re very evangelistic. We do not hide the fact that we present the Gospel throughout the Ark and Creation Museum.” How it came to be The idea of building an ark as well as a creation museum goes back to around 1980 when Ken Ham was leading a creationist ministry in Queensland, Australia. “After Ken moved to America, we founded Answers in Genesis in 1993 and searched for a destination that would be easy to get to. We discovered that twothirds of Americans can drive to the Cincinnati, northern Kentucky area in one day,” Looy said. So, the 75,000-square-foot Creation Museum was built in 2007 on 70 acres near Cincinnati and an additional 800 acres was found just a 45-minute drive south in Williamstown, Kentucky, for the Ark Encounter themed attraction, which opened in 2016. It took more than six years to raise the $100 million to build Phase I, which includes the full-size Ark and infrastructure, including a 1,500-seat restaurant, playground and zoo; however, there are more phases to come, with organizers claiming only about 40 percent of their plans have been completed. Still the Ark draws about one million guests to the attraction each year and the Creation Museum, 45 minutes away, receives over 500,00 visitors annually. According to Looy, these numbers are holding strong, “although the state shut us down for almost three months during COVID.” Initially funded almost exclusively through individual donations, Looy said ticket sales and food consumed at the restaurant currently cover their day-to-day operations, and donations are earmarked for additions, such as a new welcome center currently under construction that will house a first century model of Jerusalem at the time of Christ. Interestingly, Looy said that when the initial funds were being raised for their Creation Museum, the late Dr. D. James Kennedy, senior pastor for 47 years at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, was their honorary chairperson and Ken Ham was invited to speak at Coral Ridge in the 1980s. A groundbreaking new documentary, “The Ark and The Darkness: Unearthing the Mysteries of Noah’s Flood” was also partially filmed at The Ark Encounter. The movie, scheduled to appear in theaters March 20-21, depicts the tale of a worldwide flood preserved in every major culture around the world and features interviews with leading scientists. Dan A. Biddle, Ph.D., executive producer of the documentary, said, “The Ark Encounter is a terrific representation of Noah’s Ark. The displays and exhibits inside take the visitor to what it would have been in a pre-flood world.” Why does he feel an understanding of the Ark is important? “Christians today can have their faith strengthened by understanding that actual, historical truth begins with the very first pages of Scripture, including the Flood. Jesus did not die for the sins of a mythical world deluged by a mythical flood that had fallen due to the sins of a mythical Adam. The Old Testament describes real people who lived in actual history,” said Biddle. Former South Florida Bible College & Seminary students visited Ark Encounter during a Spring Break trip. Pictured left to right: Monica Carvalho, Alda Sousa, Priscilla Ribeiro, Cristalia Anjos, Lucimar Beltrao, Marta de Melo and Tatiana Gonçalves.
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