Answers in Genesis: Taking the Message of
Scriptural Authority to the People

By Jim Day

Answers in Genesis-USA (AiG) was started in early 1994 to help support the Church in returning to a belief in the authority and reliability of the Bible from its very first verse. Founded by Australian Ken Ham and two colleagues, the AiG ministry is attempting to bring reformation to the Church concerning its attitude toward the Bible. One of the most effective ways that this is done is through teaching meetings or Answers Conferences.

AiG’s first major conference was held in March 1994 in Denver, Colorado, where 2,200 adults and over 4,000 students attended. Currently, the ministry averages over 350 conferences each year. Most of the conferences are made up of multiple sessions and cover a broad range of topics related to biblical authority. There are nine full-time staff members who travel around the United States and internationally to share the AiG message. During a recent seven day time period, AiG representatives conducted conferences in New York, Tennessee, California, Indiana, Michigan, Kansas, Nevada, Arizona, Missouri, Florida, and Virginia!

Answers in Genesis-USA also reaches far beyond our country, and in the last twelve months has carried it’s message to Russia, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Thailand, Cambodia, Israel, Jordan, Switzerland, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Coming up shortly are trips to Saipan and India. The AiG speaking team has a wide variety of educational and professional backgrounds.

The demand for their conferences continues to increase, and interest in these live events is expected to grow even stronger with the opening of the Creation Museum near Cincinnati. Founder and CEO Ken Ham notes “We live in a world where the Bible’s credibility is attacked in several ways. Many Christians don’t know how to answer these questions or defend their Christian faith.” He tells us that AiG’s Answers Conferences are designed to equip attendees with the information and resources that they need to do just that.

These conferences are available in packages ranging from small scale video conferences where specially trained and certified AiG volunteers work with requestors to share ministry video messages, to large scale, multi-day venues with thousands of participants and several speakers. Answers in Genesis has the infrastructure to deliver high quality, God honoring events of all sizes. They receive glowing testimonies on a regular basis.

Tom Miller, who heads AiG’s Outreach Program, shared the following letter with me that he received after a seminar conducted by Dr. Tommy Mitchell:

“Just wanted you to know how well our seminar went presented by Tommy Mitchell. I’m afraid we worked him pretty hard. He was scheduled for three sessions and we added another, with his permission. His presentations were very well done and received well by all who attended. “We set a new record of attendance at the Sunday school hour and the church was filled for the morning service. The afternoon program, which was added, was also very well attended, as was the evening session. Tommy and Elizabeth are a great addition to the Answers in Genesis family and anyone thinking of having them in for a presentation should be strongly encouraged to do so; they will not be disappointed. From our previous experiences with AiG we knew any involvement with them would be absolutely first class and this was no exception.

“We and the entire congregation of our church thank you for all you do in promoting the Biblical authority of His Word. We look forward to our next event with you. G.H. Tennessee.”

AiG Speakers

The word “impressive” doesn’t even come close to describing AiG’s list of speakers which follows. Aside from being highly respected in their individual areas of expertise, these folks have an incredible passion for getting out the Truth and bringing people to Jesus.

Ken Ham, president and founder of Answers in Genesis–USA, is now one of the most in-demand Christian speakers in North America. Ham, a native Australian now residing near Cincinnati, Ohio, is the author of numerous books on Genesis, the accuracy and authority of the Bible, dinosaurs and the destructive fruits of evolutionary thinking (including a popular book on the “races” and racism, One Blood: The Biblical Answer to Racism). He also hosts a daily radio program (Answers … with Ken Ham), heard on more than 800 stations worldwide and is one of the editors and contributing authors for Answers magazine.

Dr. Menton joined AiG on a full time basis having relocated from St. Louis to the Answers in Genesis office near Cincinnati. He is one of the most requested speakers at AiG, and is often called upon to lecture at colleges and universities. He retired as Associate Professor Emeritus of Anatomy at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dr. Menton has been a guest lecturer in gross anatomy, a former course master of Microscopic Anatomy at Washington University School of Medicine, and a consulting editor in Histology for Stedman’s Medical Dictionary, a standard medical reference work. He has also served as a Sunday school teacher for high school students, president of the Missouri Association for Creation, and Technical Advisor for the Institute for Creation Research in San Diego, California.

Dr. Tommy Mitchell is the latest dynamic lecturer to be added to AiG-USA’s growing speaking staff. As a scientist, physician, and father, Dr. Mitchell has a burden to provide solid answers from the Bible to equip people to stand in the face of personal tragedy and popular evolutionary misinformation. Using communication skills developed over many years of medical practice, he is able to connect with people at all educational levels and unveil the truth that can change their lives.

Like most people, Dr. Mortenson grew up in an educational system that taught evolution as fact. During his first year at the University of Minnesota and shortly after becoming a Christian, he began to see that the idea of billions of years of evolution is false. He has a B.A. in math, a Masters of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago and a Ph.D. in the history of geology from the University of Coventry in England. He served with Campus Crusade for Christ for 26 years (mostly in Eastern Europe) and has spoken and debated on creation and evolution for over 25 years in 17 countries. He is the author of The Great Turning Point (2004) and he and his wife, Margie, have eight children.

Dr. Crandall has been involved in full time ministry for nearly 40 years. For over 30 years he served as Senior Pastor of two dynamic churches in the states of New York and Indiana. For the last 12 years he has served as International Director of Gospel Literature Services (GLS). He led this ministry to publish and translate Christian literature into 117 different languages, and he has ministered cross-culturally in 68 different countries. In his final year at GLS, gospel literature was placed in the hands of 350 million people. In 2006 God directed him to join the team at Answers in Genesis as the Director of AiG WorldWide and is responsible for taking the creation ministry of AiG around the world. To date, AiG materials are published in 75 different languages.

To our knowledge, Dr. Georgia Purdom is the first female Ph.D. (in molecular genetics from Ohio State University) scientist engaged in full-time research and speaking on the Book of Genesis for a creationist organization (i.e., which accepts Genesis as literal history, including a young earth). Dr. Purdom’s main area of specialty is cell and molecular biology. Her graduate work focused on genetic regulation of factors important for bone remodeling. Her particular interest is in the role of mutations and horizontal gene transfer in microbial populations (and other organisms) in natural selection. The addition of Dr. Purdom to AiG’s growing faculty will enable AiG to reach audiences (such as major women’s conferences) that have been formerly un-reached.

As a former world-class athlete in the multi-event decathlon (i.e., becoming proficient in ten athletic events, with each decathlon conducted over two grueling days), it’s not surprising that Mike is also versatile in his ‘creation evangelism’ efforts. Mike holds a degree in mathematics and a graduate degree in education. He has been heavily involved in creation ministry for more than twenty years, and has gained such a good reputation as a speaker, that he is often a keynoter at many meetings, including various homeschool conferences in the United States. Before becoming involved in creation ministry, Mike was a US Marine (rising to the rank of captain) and during his career as a Marine, appeared on a widely distributed recruiting poster for the Marines. In his professional life, Mike worked for many years in the computer field with Microsoft (yes, he has met Bill Gates).

Gifted by God in many ways, Buddy Davis is a speaker, author, and singer/songwriter for AiG. He is an adventurer and paleo-artist, and he leads the very popular “Creation Adventure” children’s workshop at AiG conferences. As a speaker for AiG, Buddy’s talks cover a wide range of topics. Whether geared for adults, children, or the whole family, Buddy’s messages are aimed at the lay audience. His easy-to-understand style makes him popular with listeners of all ages. Buddy is also called upon to speak at wild game dinners which provide churches with a unique evangelistic opportunity to reach outdoorsmen of the community.

Carl Kerby, one of the founding board members of Answers in Genesis and one of its speakers on Genesis, had grown up in a very liberal church and in a family that was involved in the wild world of professional wrestling (Carl’s father was known as Luke Brown the “Kentuckian,” and wrestled from 1958-1974). Since becoming a Christian in 1986 and later hearing AiG’s message from a professional pilot (he introduced Carl to Ken Ham’s book The Lie: Evolution.) Carl’s faith was totally changed. He now knew that God’s Word is true from the beginning (Psalm 119:160). Carl left his work as an air traffic controller (at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport) to join Answers in Genesis full-time. He is an in demand, dynamic speaker who shares his passion about the Truth of God’s Word with audiences around the world.

Bodie attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC) and received a BS and MS (in 1996 and 1998 respectively) in mechanical engineering. He was only 24 years old when he began teaching undergraduate engineering courses at the university. After working for SIUC for a couple of years, Bodie accepted a position as a test engineer through Aerotek Engineering to work for Caterpillar Inc. in Peoria, Illinois at the Peoria Proving Ground. He did this until accepting a position with Answers in Genesis in 2003. Currently, Bodie is a speaker, writer, and researcher in AiG’s Outreach Department. His skills in research compliment his natural style of speaking.

Spread the Truth

AiG’s slogan is “Upholding the authority of the Bible from the very first verse” and that’s just what their outreach conferences are designed to do. Regardless of the size of your church or congregation I encourage you to contact AiG and invite one or more of their speakers to make a presentation. AiG’s conferences are a terrific way to spread the Truth and bring people to Christ – young and old alike.

If you would like to learn more about hosting an Answers Conference, you can contact the Answers in Genesis conference team at www.AnswersinGenesis.org/go/requestevent, or give them a call at 800-350-3232 ext.403.