Bill Nye Debates Ken Ham

Both these passages came up in my reading today Day 461.

Jon 1:17    Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Mat 16:1    The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.

Mat 16:2    He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.

Mat 16:3    And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

Mat 16:4    A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

I had a chance to listen to this long (165 minutes, skip the first 12 pre-debate count down clock) debate by Bill Nye the science guy with Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis.

I agree with most of the reviews I've read about this and I really recommend that you watch it yourself.

Ken Ham was bold in proclaiming our foundation on the Bible and on reiterating the gospel, and did not sound like an idiot.

Bill Nye Debates Ken Ham - HD - YouTube

► 165:33► 165:33

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6kgvhG3AkI

3 days ago - Uploaded by Answers in Genesis

Is creation a viable model of origins in today's modern, scientific era? Leading creation ...

I don't know how long it will be available free I watched on my iPad and connected it to the TV so I could watch is on the big screen.

I have about six pages of observations which I won't bore you with.

Bill Nye used a lot of straw men and tried to knock them down.

I really don't think he made his points that well.  He even late in the debate threw out the old heathen who never heard the gospel argument. And referred to all the other religions of the world which billions of people take comfort in, as do the majority of "professing" Christians who do not believe as Ken Ham does, in creation and the Bible. Neither of which did Ham address, though he did readily admit to be of the minority.

Exo 20:1    And God spake all these words, saying,

Exo 20:2    I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Exo 20:3    Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Exo 20:4    Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

Exo 20:5    Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Exo 20:6    And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Exo 20:7    Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Exo 20:8    Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Exo 20:9    Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

Exo 20:10    But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

Exo 20:11    For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it

Mat 7:14    Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Mat 7:15    Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Rom 1:18    For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Rom 1:19    Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

Rom 1:20    For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Rom 1:21    Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Rom 1:22    Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Rom 1:23    And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Plus he kept referring to these as "Ken "Ham's" creation ideas and he kept referring to The English Bible as though because it was in English or American English that it must be wrong. And he kept referring to those in Kentucky as being the unfortunate people subject to Ken Ham's philosophy. He was making ad hominid arguments not very effectively. 

That aspect of the debate was rather bizarre.

Ken Ham, I gave him great credit for being articulate and answering the points. Plus he constantly reiterated the creation story as literal, his foundation on the Bible, and the Gospel.

Clearly made his point that creation believers can be good scientists.

Pray that those, including Bill Nye, hearing this repeatedly spoken, will be given ears to hear the gospel message.

Sadly Bill Nye challenged those listening worldwide via the internet to turn from this creation message in the Bible...."Ken Ham's Creation Story". Nye even invoked good old American patriotism, saying with these beliefs America would lose it's competitive edge.

In a public forum like this it's amazing that someone would be so bold to the word of God the Bible

I do find that at several other points Ham missed the opportunity to respond.

I don't fault him for this as the debate was long and he was crisp in his responses throughout.

It must have been tiring.

Bill Nye whether he knew it or not at several points spoke about the sun as being our source of power and he also spoke about how evolution is really what makes everything happen, i.e. is the source of creation. So in a sense he made both the sun and evolution as an idol or a substitute for God.

Ken Ham did not explicitly pick up on those particular points. Although early in his discussion he did point out that evolution-naturalism is a religion, now taught in our schools.

One final observation is Bill Nye spoke about wanting to have some kind of a sign, he phrased it in terms that he wanted something that just proves something in science wrong or he wanted something that proved a predictable future event.

Ken Ham didn't actually pick up on this. I personally think that this could've been the closer to the whole argument.

We get this in Jesus' discussion with the Pharisees about the sign that they wanted.

Mat 12:38    Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.

Mat 12:39    But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

Mat 12:40    For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The critical sign is the resurrection.

If you examine all the great speeches in the book of Acts the contentious point came down to the resurrection. See this instance of a Peter and John teaching.

Act 4:1    And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,

Act 4:2    Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached throughm Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

Act 4:3    And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.

You see this again from Stephen in Acts 7 and Paul in Acts 13, 26, and 28 as well as in other texts.

Paul says.

1Co 15:12    Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

1Co 15:13    But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

1Co 15:14    And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is alsovain.

1Co 15:15    Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

1Co 15:16    For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

1Co 15:17    And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

I personally think that Ken Ham could have emphasized Jesus' resurrection as an event that was documented by witnesses and martyrs and is sustained throughout history, and is something that no scientist could ever explain. Never has any man risen from the dead to never die again.

Although Ken Ham to his credit did mention the resurrection briefly, when describing the aspects of the Gospel, I think that he could have use this point very effectively in the debate.

In a way that Bill Nye probably didn't understand himself, that this was really the answer to his question for sign.

BTW The Bible and Jesus seem to make the case that man can not come to this revelation on his own.

Mat 16:15    He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

Mat 16:16    And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Mat 16:17    And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

I hope you listen and enjoy...and truly consider if what the Bible says is true.