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 speaker and writer. He is known for his strong belief in a literal interpretation of the Bible's creation story. He lives in the United States.
Ken Ham is the founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis (AiG). This is a Christian group that teaches about creation. AiG runs two popular attractions: the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter.
Ham believes that the creation story in the Book of Genesis is a true historical event. He thinks 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. They also say the universe is about 13.8 billion years old.
Contents
Ken Ham's Early Life
Ken Ham was born on October 20, 1951, in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. His father, Mervyn, was a Christian teacher and school principal.
Ham studied applied science at the Queensland Institute of Technology. He also earned a teaching degree from the University of Queensland. After finishing college in 1975, Ham started teaching science. He taught at Dalby State High School in Australia.
Building a Career in Creationism
In 1977, Ken Ham taught at a high school in Brisbane. He noticed that some students thought science textbooks proved the Bible was wrong. This made him want to teach about creationism. In 1979, he left teaching. He and his wife started a group to provide materials for teaching creationism.
In 1980, their group joined with others to form the Creation Science Foundation (CSF). This group later became Answers in Genesis.
As CSF grew, Ham moved to the United States in 1987. He gave talks about his beliefs. His talks focused on three main ideas. He believed that the idea of evolution led to problems in society. He also thought the first parts of the Book of Genesis held the true story of how the universe began. Finally, he believed Christians should stand up for their faith.
In 1994, Ham left the group he was working with. He started Creation Science Ministries with friends. In 1997, this group changed its name to Answers in Genesis.
From the start, Ham wanted to build a museum. He thought America was the best place for it to reach many people. The Creation Museum opened on May 27, 2007. It is located in Petersburg, Kentucky.
In 2018, Ham was first uninvited from speaking at the University of Central Oklahoma. This happened after a student group raised concerns. However, the university later reinvited him, and he gave his speech as planned.
Working with Other Groups
Around 2005, there were some disagreements within the Answers in Genesis group. Ken Ham and Carl Wieland had different ideas about how things should be run. This led to the Australian branch changing its name to Creation Ministries International (CMI). Ham continued to lead the American and UK branches of AiG.
In 2011, Ken Ham was disinvited from some homeschooling conventions. The organizer said Ham had made "divisive" comments. This happened after Ham criticized another Christian scholar. That scholar had a different view on the story of Adam and Eve.
Debate with Bill Nye
In February 2014, Ken Ham had a public debate with Bill Nye. Bill Nye is a well-known American science educator. They debated whether young Earth creationism is a good scientific explanation for origins.
Many people watched the debate. Ham said the attention from the debate helped raise money. This money was used to build the Ark Encounter theme park. The Ark Encounter opened on July 7, 2016. This date was chosen to match a Bible verse about Noah entering the ark.
Ken Ham's Beliefs
Creationism and Earth's Age
Ken Ham says his father inspired him to read the Book of Genesis as true history. He started to disagree with the idea of evolution in high school.
As a young Earth creationist, Ham believes the Book of Genesis is entirely true. He thinks the universe is about 6,000 years old. He also believes that Noah's flood happened about 4,400 years ago.
Most scientists have different views. They use methods like radiometric dating to study the age of things. These methods show the universe is about 13.8 billion years old. They show the Earth is about 4.5 billion years old.
Other Beliefs
Ken Ham also does not agree with the scientific view on climate change.
Personal Life
Ken Ham is married to Mally Ham. They have five children.
Works
Ken Ham has written many books and articles. These works explain his views on creationism and the Bible.
See also
In Spanish: Ken Ham para niños
