ICR recently had the opportunity to place messages on billboards in the Dallas area. We prepared the artwork and crafted the wording to inform drivers about the ICR Discovery Center for Science & Earth History and the work of the Institute for Creation Research. One of our billboard designs prominently displayed a toothy T. rex image with our logo, website, and the question “Dinosaurs and the Bible?” But soon after we submitted the ad, we were surprised to get an email from the sales rep that said two of the billboard owners wouldn’t run it. The message was too “divisive.”
Which part did the billboard sales rep object to? You got it—the Bible. More specifically, the Bible being included in the same context with dinosaurs. Here’s the complete explanation we received: “It’s controversial to have a statement that may challenge local beliefs. Saying ‘Dinosaurs and the Bible?’ may stir the pot in that area and cause problems for the sign in that area.”
There you go. We stirred the pot with four simple words. We made people think about something that might be outside their paradigm. We encouraged them to consider that what they’d been taught all those years in school might not be based on truth. We challenged local beliefs, and we were censored.
It’s hard to imagine that sharing the message of Genesis 1:1 is considered divisive to local citizens. This is a conservative area—the Bible Belt, even. And we can’t associate the word “Bible” with the word “dinosaurs”?
This censorship underscores how far our culture has moved from embracing the Bible’s teachings. And it even more emphasizes the need for ICR’s message—that a Creator created everything from nothing, and science backs it up. He completed His work in only six 24-hour days. Each creature was created after its own kind, and He made people for the world’s stewardship and His glory. Jesus was not only present at creation, He was the Creator, and He became our Savior. That’s the message the world needs to hear.
In this issue of Acts & Facts, what challenging ideas can you expect to find? How are ICR scientists stirring the pot? Dr. Jake Hebert points out problems with the Big Bang model (“Continuing Troubles for the Big Bang Model”). He concludes that “instead of attempting to harmonize the inerrant Word of God with a flimsy scientific model, Christians would do far better to simply take God’s Word at face value.”
Dr. Brian Thomas confronts the popular claim that dinosaurs died out long before humans existed (“St. Davids Dragon—Fantasy or Reality?”). He describes a medieval dragon carving that looks a lot like a sauropod dinosaur with wings. He says, “The St. Davids sauropod may represent a real, though extinct, reptile with imaginary body parts added on purpose.” Dr. Thomas offers explanations for how the artist could have known intricate details about the creature.
In “Evolutionism Maligns Christian Edification”, Dr. Randy Guliuzza sheds light on how evolutionary beliefs impact the church. He says, “Possibly the most pointed confrontation of naturalistic evolutionism against edification is in the practice of prayer.”
With groundbreaking research and creation-based analysis, our scientists are changing the conversation. But it doesn’t take a Ph.D. to make a difference. When you consider that just four words were considered a challenge to cultural beliefs here in the Dallas area, think about what impact your words can have on a daily basis. How can you start a conversation with the people in your circle? How can you point them to the truth of God’s Word? You might be accused of stirring the pot. But that’s okay—your life is your billboard. And every day you can choose the message you display.
* Jayme Durant is Director of Communications at the Institute for Creation Research.
