Answers
Magazine: A
Voice of Truth
By Jim Day
“Hey
Mister, where did you get that really cool dinosaur magazine?” the young boy asked
as he peered over the man’s seat during the morning train commute.
“Yeah,
it’s pretty cool, isn’t it? Here, take this one—it has the same story about the
fossils of two fighting dinosaurs. It even has a poster inside,” he said as he
pulled out the kids insert from the middle of the magazine.
“Wow
– thanks, mister,” the boy said as he handed the mini-magazine on dinosaurs, fossils,
and red-eyed tree frogs to his mother.
In addition to having something cool to hang up on his wall, the young
boy and his mother received something unexpected that day: answers 
from
the Bible. Within the eight pages of the Kids Answers section of Answers Magazine, they learned that dinosaur
fossils aren’t millions of years old—they are a result of the global Flood
that happened about 4,300 years ago.
Sadly,
when it comes to being taught the earth is millions of years old and other
evolutionary ideas, this mother and son are not alone. From museums, to the
zoos, to public school classrooms, the pervasiveness of this false belief
system is relentless. And it’s a worldview that’s totally devoid of God. A
quick stroll past the magazine section of any bookstore is proof of that. But thanks
to Answers Magazine, more families are learning the truth about history,
biology, geology, anthropology, astronomy, dinosaurs, and more—all explained
from a biblical worldview.
Launched
by Answers in Genesis in June 2006, Answers
Magazine fills a niche for those who expressed their desire for a magazine
that had a biblical worldview emphasis in addition to creation/evolution
issues.
The
need for solid biblical material is evident, even among a plethora of Christian
publications who claim to present the true
biblical worldview. But consider one survey by the Barna Institute which
revealed that only 5% of adults and half of the country’s Protestant pastors
(51%) have a biblical worldview. And, although it is disappointing that less
than half of all adults who identify themselves as ‘born again’ believe in
absolute moral truth, only a dismal 9% of born-again teenagers hold that belief.
In our morally relativistic society, people don’t know what to believe—even Christians.
This
quarterly publication, which is printed in St. Louis by Cenveo Color Art, teaches
families how to develop and build a biblical worldview that starts with the
very first verse. In fact, its primary purpose is to illustrate the importance
of Genesis in building a
creation-based worldview. In addition, it equips readers with practical answers
so they can confidently communicate the gospel and biblical authority with
accuracy and graciousness. In today’s culture of compromise, being able to
effectively defend God’s Word has never been more important.
One
Answers reader affirmed this in her
letter: “As a new Christian, I had many questions and doubts in my head
regarding evolution and such. Your magazine helps answer these questions and
give me such a security that I can trust the Bible to be the infallible truth.”
Since
its editors began laying out the inaugural June 2006 issue, Answers Magazine has grown
significantly—going from an original 33,000 paid subscribers to roughly 50,000
in just one year. Comments on their recent issue on Noah’s Ark and the Flood,
which included an extra 16 pages, have confirmed that this new magazine is a
hit. And subscribers want even more ‘Answers.’
“I
hope you continue this for many years to come,” one reader wrote. “My only
complaint about your magazine is that it is only published four times a year.”
Answers at a Glance
Here is a look at some of the
features of Answers Magazine:
Themes
Each
issue of Answers Magazine offers a
nice balance of creation science and biblical worldview topics. Its themes cover
such questions as the origin of holidays, the value of life, Noah’s Ark and the
Flood, education, biblical authority, astronomy, the origin of people groups,
biblical creationism, and more.
Authors
Articles
are written by a variety of authors who stand firm on God’s Word. Authors
include creation scientists Dr. Andrew Snelling, Dr. David Menton, Dr.
Even
though numerous articles are written by authors with PhDs, they are written at
a level that the average person can understand. As one reader recently wrote, “[Answers] has a way of answering all (the)
questions your readers may ask without making it read like a doctoral thesis as
other publications sometimes do.”
Kids Answers
This colorful, special pull-out section is designed to engage children
ages 6-10 about young earth creation, the trustworthiness of Scripture, 
and
to teach them how to connect the Bible
to real life. A colorful poster with teaching points is sure to find its
way to the walls of many homes and classrooms.
Since
its introduction, many Answers
readers have asked when Kids Answers
might expand to a full-blown magazine in order to rival evolution-filled
material such as Ranger Rick.
Pull-out
Chart
Science
and Culture News
These
sections offer an overview of some of the more prominent science-related and
culturally-relevant news items that Christians should know about. The Culture
News section includes an original editorial-style cartoon by cartoonist, Dan Lietha,
movie reviews, and brief articles about current happenings in the culture.
Creation
Evangelism
Before you share the good news of
salvation with others, you first need to explain the bad news of sin and the need
for a Savior. Missions organizations and individuals have found that when they start
in Genesis and discuss where we came
from, how sin entered the world, and why we need a Savior, people understand
the gospel much more fully. These two pages include
articles about every day people who incorporate truths from Genesis in their evangelistic outreach
efforts.
Education
Spotlight
How
do you find a Bible-believing
university that doesn’t compromise on God’s Word? What questions should parents
and potential students ask prospective schools? What is being taught in public
schools today? Should I consider homeschooling my children? These questions and
more are answered in these two pages.
Father’s
Corner
Geared
toward husbands and fathers, this section provides devotional ideas, encouragement
from other fathers, ideas on what it means to sacrificially love your wife, and
expands on the example that Christ sets for men.
Biblical
Authority Bible Study
This
recently expanded section includes a biblical apologetics column along with
discussion questions and Scripture verses to look up. Sunday school classes and
small groups will find many uses for this section.
Truth
4 Youth
Statistics
show that youth are walking away from the church and abandoning their faith. In
fact, a survey commissioned recently by Answers in Genesis showed a substantial
percentage of young adults started to doubt the Bible as early as fourth grade. This new column will equip today’s
youth with answers and show that God’s Word can be trusted in all areas of
life.
AnswersMagazine.com
Like
many popular magazines and newspapers, Answers
Magazine has a companion website, AnswersMagazine.com which includes bonus
material such as videos, audio recordings, exclusive articles, and children’s
games. Subscribers can access all the articles online and can even email the
articles to friends and family. Archives of past issues are also available.
International
Version of Answers
For
international readers, there is a special version of Answers Magazine that includes several articles that speak
specifically to issues in other parts of the world. Written by staff at the
Answers in Genesis-UK office, these articles offer a glimpse into the state of
the Church and culture across the globe.
Helping
Spread the Truth
Much
of the work done by creationists to present the truth about origins has been at
the grassroots level. More Christians than ever are engaging the culture with
the truth from God’s Word. One way has been through providing public and
university libraries with gift subscriptions to Answers Magazine. It is an excellent way to bring a balanced view
to the bookshelves. And the magazine is a great evangelistic tool for unsaved
family members and friends. For instance, who isn’t interested in Noah’s Ark
and the Flood?
Recently
the head of the Periodical Department of a state university in the east asked
the Answers Magazine staff if it would consider extending their free
subscription because it was about to expire. They had been the recipient of a
free gift subscription from an anonymous donor and wanted to them to consider
extending it “because of the nature and potential exposure to many.”
For
Tim Butler (the man on the train), giving a gift subscription to a friend was a
no-brainer. It was the next thing he did after his conversation with the young
boy and his mother. He considered his experience as his reward and wanted to
share that with others.
If
you want to be equipped to share and defend the Christian faith, from the very
first verse of Genesis, then Answers Magazine is for you!
My
wife and I are subscribers and we can’t begin to tell you how much we enjoy
reading this magazine. It’s a wealth of information on subjects which are near
and dear to our hearts. I highly recommend that everyone reading this article
subscribe. You won’t be disappointed. In fact you’ll probably find yourself
saying “I wish this was a monthly magazine!”
Below is a subscription form. So, take the time right now and subscribe.
If you can’t find an ink pen, you can also subscribe online by going to www.answersbookstore.com.
You may also want to consider sending a gift subscription to a friend, loved
one, your pastor, youth leader or anyone you would like to bless.
