Ken Ham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ken Ham
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Ham in 2012
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| Born | 20 October 1951 Cairns, Queensland, Australia
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| Education | Queensland Institute of Technology (B.AS.) University of Queensland (DipEd) |
| Occupation | Christian apologist, Evangelist |
| Organisation | Answers in Genesis |
| Title | Founder, CEO |
| Spouse(s) | Mally Ham |
| Children | 5 |
Kenneth Alfred Ham (born 20 October 1951) is an Australian Christian speaker and former science teacher. He lives in the United States. He is the founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis (AiG). This is a Christian organization that runs the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter.
Ken Ham believes in biblical literalism. This means he thinks the creation story in the Book of Genesis is a true historical event. He believes the universe and Earth were created about 6,000 years ago. This idea is different from what most scientists believe. Scientists say the Earth is about 4.5 billion years old and the universe is about 13.8 billion years old.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ken Ham was born on 20 October 1951 in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. His father, Mervyn, was a Christian educator. He worked as a school principal in different schools across Queensland.
Ham earned a bachelor's degree in applied science. He focused on environmental biology at the Queensland Institute of Technology. He also has a Diploma in Education from the University of Queensland. While in college, he was inspired by a book called The Genesis Flood. After graduating in 1975, Ham started teaching science at Dalby State High School in Dalby, Queensland.
Career and Organizations
In 1977, Ham began teaching at a high school in Brisbane. There, he met John Mackay, another teacher who believed in young Earth creationism. Ham was concerned that some students thought science textbooks proved the Bible was wrong. This experience made him want to teach about creationism.
In 1979, he left his teaching job. With his wife, he started Creation Science Supplies and Creation Science Educational Media Services. These groups provided materials for teaching creationism. In 1980, the Hams and Mackay joined with Carl Wieland's Creation Science Association. They formed the Creation Science Foundation (CSF).
As CSF grew, Ham moved to the United States in January 1987. He gave talks with another creationist group, the Institute for Creation Research (ICR). His "Back to Genesis" talks focused on three main ideas. He said that evolutionary theory had caused society to decline. He also said that reading the first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis literally showed the true origin of the universe. Finally, he believed Christians should stand up against atheism and humanism.
Ham became very popular in the United States. In 1994, he left ICR. With his friends Mark Looy and Mike Zovath, he started Creation Science Ministries. In 1997, Ham's organization changed its name to Answers in Genesis (AiG).
From the start, Ham planned to open a museum and training center. He wanted it near AiG's headquarters in Florence, Kentucky. He said America was the best place to build such a facility to reach the world. The museum, called the Creation Museum, opened on 27 May 2007. It is located in Petersburg, Kentucky.
Debate with Bill Nye
In February 2014, Ken Ham had a public debate with Bill Nye, a well-known American science educator. The debate was about whether young Earth creationism is a good way to understand how things began in today's scientific world.
Ham said that the attention from this debate helped raise money for the Ark Encounter theme park. The Ark Encounter opened on 7 July 2016. This date was chosen because it matches Genesis 7:7, a Bible verse about Noah entering the ark. The day after it opened, Bill Nye visited the Ark Encounter. He and Ham had another informal discussion there.
Beliefs
Creationism
Ken Ham says his father, who also believed in young Earth creationism, inspired him. He learned to read the Book of Genesis as "literal history." He first disagreed with the idea of "molecules-to-man evolution" when he was in high school.
As a young Earth creationist, Ham believes the Book of Genesis is historical fact. He thinks the age of the Universe is about 6,000 years. He also believes that Noah's flood happened about 4,400 years ago. This is different from scientific findings. Scientists use methods like radiometric dating to estimate the age of the universe at about 13.8 billion years and the age of the Earth at about 4.5 billion years.
Ham often asks scientists and educators, "Were you there?" when they talk about evolution or the Big Bang. He argues that these events cannot be directly observed. However, scientists explain that evidence from the past helps us understand what happened. Ham believes that if the Bible is God's word, then creationism is not questioned by "Were you there?" because God was there.
Personal Life
Ken Ham is married to Mally Ham. They have five children.
Images for kids
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Ham in 2012
See also
In Spanish: Ken Ham para niños
