by Patrick Thomas, Susan Trollinger, and William Trollinger

From the moment that the Creation Museum opened in May of 2007 we knew that something extraordinary was underway. At 70,000 square feet, this $27 million, state-of-the-art museum was built to defend the central claim of young earth creationism: that the Earth and the whole universe was created in their present forms less than 10,000 years ago.

Extraordinary, indeed.

Whatever one may think of young earth creationism, one can not ignore this museum or its parent organization, Answers in Genesis (AiG). Many people, including those within the Christian right, find its arguments and appeals compelling. The arguments and appeals on display at the Creation Museum are playing an increasingly important role in the political, social, and cultural discourse of the United States.

We hope this blog will provide ample opportunities for thoughtful people to:

• talk about the Creation Museum’s arguments, appeals, and the lines that they draw,
• discuss how these arguments shape political and social discourse in this country, and
• converse about the effects that they are having.

Our book provides a close understanding of the Creation Museum itself, supported by readings of other related texts, especially those that appear on the Answers in Genesis website.

But there are other places to look. Chief among them is the Ark Encounter, currently under construction just off I-75 in Williamstown, Kentucky and set to open on July 7, 2016. The Ark Encounter promises to extend the case for young earth creationism by way of a reproduction of Noah’s Ark, built according to the dimensions found in the Bible.

Beyond AiG efforts, we will be interested in the many ways that young earth creationism, Protestant fundamentalism, inerrancy, and so forth are re-shaping American Christianity on behalf of the culture wars and a right-wing political agenda.

We invite you to stay tuned to this blog and to submit your comments and questions. We look forward to hearing from you. In order that this blog might develop along friendly or, at least, civil lines, we invite you to take a look at our blog policy statement.