Eighty-Nine Percent Of Young People Say There Is No Purpose In Life: In today’s program, we have special guest Ken Ham on from the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum. Is there a meaning and purpose in life? Well, eighty-nine percent of young people believe there is no purpose. As Christians, we know that God has a purpose and plan for our lives. So why are young people feeling a lack of meaning? Tune in now to find out.

Air Date: 10/22/2019

Guest: Ken Ham

On-air Personalities: David Barton, Rick Green, and Tim Barton

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Transcription note:  As a courtesy for our listeners’ enjoyment, we are providing a transcription of this podcast. Transcription will be released shortly. However, as this is transcribed from a live talk show, words and sentence structure were not altered to fit grammatical, written norms in order to preserve the integrity of the actual dialogue between the speakers. Additionally, names may be misspelled or we might use an asterisk to indicate a missing word because of the difficulty in understanding the speaker at times. We apologize in advance.

Faith And The Culture 

Rick:

Welcome to the intersection of faith and the culture. This is WallBuilders Live! Where we”€™re talking about today”€™s hottest topics on policy, faith, and the culture, always doing that from a biblical, historical, and constitutional perspective.

We’re here with David Barton, America’s premier historian and the founder of WallBuilders. Also, Tim Barton, national speaker and President of WallBuilders, and my name is Rick Green, I’m a former Texas state legislator, national speaker, and author.

We appreciate you joining us as well. As I said, we address these topics from a biblical, historical, and constitutional perspective because that’s how you get to the right answer on any issue of the day, whether that be a personal issue, family issues, something in your community, church, or our government. And, for all of us as a nation, we need to be addressing all these issues from a biblical, historical, and constitutional perspective.

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Okay, guys, later in the program Ken Ham will be with us from the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum. You know, we’re always saying, “€œthe intersection of faith, culture, and politics,”€ and are always talking about these big issues of the day. But, at the end of the day, does it really matter?

What”€™s the Purpose?

I mean, what’s the purpose of all these things we’re working on?

DAVID:

Well, you’re coming down to a big word, Rick, and that’s “€œpurpose.”€ And, there used to be a thing where we talked about our purpose in life. But, I don’t even hear that rhetoric much anymore.

Granted, I’ve gone through some generations, but that was that was a big thing in the 60s and the 70s: finding a purpose, a meaning for life. And, I think we’re getting back to that in some ways because there are now so many people with depression or other things, having trouble finding a meaning in life. Of course, from our perspective “€“ looking at things from a biblical, historical perspective particularly”€”we think there is a way to know meaning to life and a way to find it.

So, in thinking about this program, I just went back and looked at some Scriptures to say, “€œOkay, what verses can I find that tell us our meaning in life or give us a purpose, literally something to live for, other than just going to work and coming back and doing the same thing every day. What’s our purpose?

And, I was kind of captivated with Genesis 1:26 where God said, “€œLet’s make man in our own image.”€ Okay, I”€™ve got that; God made us. But, the next part of that verse, I’d really not paid attention to as a purpose.

Man”€™s Purpose: Dominion

He says, “€œLet us make man our image. Let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the heaven, the livestock, all the earth and everything that creeps on the earth.”€ It’s like Let’s make man, and his purpose will be to have dominion over everything else we’ve made. And, everything else that we create, that’s what his purpose is: to have dominion over that, take it, subdue it, use it.

I hadn”€™t really thought of it in that sense. I know that Tim Brooks, a friend that we have on the program periodically has said that man’s purpose, out of Genesis, was God created him to tend the garden. {That”€™s good} and I agree with that: God looked at creation and said, “€œWell, I’ve created everything; but, I don’t have anybody to tend my garden.”€

And so, this is back in Genesis 1 where it’s the same kind of thought as Hey, I’ve made you to have dominion over everything else on earth; that is your purpose. And, it is so hard for us to see, today, our purposes being that because we just see ourselves oftentimes insignificant and just a cosmic speck. But, I think that really gives us purpose when you see that God made us to have dominion over everything else that He created.

Purpose Precedes Production

TIM:

Well, certainly looking at the fact that there was a Creator Who is God. And, the fact we were made in His image {gives} value because the Creator of the universe determined that there was a need for our existence, because purpose always precedes production, right? You don’t produce something if you don’t have a use for it, if there’s not a purpose for it. So, the fact that God created us”€”

RICK:

Wait, wait, wait, wait. Tim, you’ve got to say that again; that’s pretty good. I don’t know if you got that from somebody else: purpose always precedes production.

TIM:

Yeah. So, the basic thought is”€”

RICK:

That”€™s good.

TIM:

Yeah, it makes a lot of sense. So, anybody that’s ever done any kind of work in a business, if you’re going to have a new product or whatever it is you’re doing, if you’re going to do something new or different or produce something in general, you thought: I need this, or We would like this or There is a use for this.

You don’t produce something and then go”€”over at the Apple store, they didn’t come out with iPhone 11 and go, “€œOh my gosh. What are we gonna do this now?”€ No, they had specific thoughts and ideas of We could do this and Something that we don’t have yet or features that we haven’t done yet.

So, there’s always a plan that precedes the production. So, there’s a purpose that always precedes production. But, if we say that there is no Creator or producer, then all of a sudden purpose has lost a lot of value, which is why you see for a lot of the younger generation, they are very cause-oriented. They want something that makes their life matter and be significant.

Finding Purpose in a Cause

And so, this is why you see them latch on to whether”€”climate change. Not that long ago at the UN, you have this 16 year-old girl who gets up and is so passionate about the climate. Well, you look for something to give your life meaning, or specifically a cause you can give your life to, therefore your life has a purpose because you’re committing it to a cause.

If there is no God, you are struggling to find something else to give your life to, which is why a lot of times even, if we were to say, “€œWell, climate change is really what’s sometimes people are making it out to be, or even evolution.”€ We could go down the list of things that are very frequently portrayed incorrectly.

The reason people get so defensive when you say that those things aren’t true or aren’t real is because you’re attacking their purpose and identity, because they didn’t find purpose in God. They found it in the calls they were giving themselves to.

But again, if there is no God and you’re only cause-oriented, eventually the cause fizzles out. And, eventually this cause isn’t worth it. So, you struggle trying to find something to give your life to.

And, ultimately you have a hard time finding meaning, which is something we’re seeing very, very consistent in younger generations.

DAVID:

Tim with what you’re saying about how purpose precedes production, that’s the case. When you lose your purpose, you feel like things have fizzled. And, since you don’t have a purpose anymore, you’re not productive. You quit producing.

So, knowing what our purpose is”€”we really believe that God makes it clear in the Scriptures. I was looking Ephesians 2:10, “€œWe are His workmanship, created for good works.”€ We”€™re created to do good things in His kingdom.

If You Don”€™t Know the Creator, Life Becomes Meaningless

First Peter 1:2, “€œYou were chosen by the purpose of God.”€ And, we were created to be productive and were made with a purpose. But, if you don’t know the Creator, then you don’t know your purpose, won”€™t be productive, and will be fairly frustrated.

So, Tim, as you mentioned, younger generations are kind of loosing that sense of purpose, that sense of destiny, of being productive. We recently saw this worked out in a very high percentage in Great Britain: 89 percent of young people in Great Britain say they see no meaning to life. Oh my gosh.

What is the future Great Britain when you have nine out of 10 of your future leaders who see no meaning, no purpose to life? And so, Tim, you’ve commented that a lot of what happens in Europe and Great Britain is in America just a few years after that. Therefore, when you say such a high percentage among the young people there, of what we consider Western civilization, what was a formerly Christian nation, you wonder Wow, what is that what does that mean for America just a few years from now?

And, we thought Ken Ham would be a really good guy to deal with this because he does deal with purpose, Creation, why God made man, how God made everything, and how it’s for purpose. So, we thought it would be really good to get Ken on to look at what’s happening in Great Britain. Then, how are we able to find solutions for that same kind of feeling this going here in America?

How do we deal with this so that people can feel like they have a purpose and be productive as a result?

RICK:

Ken Ham is our special guest today. So, stay with us, folks. We”€™ll be right back on WallBuilders Live!

Front Sight Handgun Training Course

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And, this is for everyone – guys, gals, everyone should take this class. No matter how much you”€™ve shot your whole life or if you”€™ve never touched a gun, learn how to defend your family. We”€™re going to be going several times throughout the year and we would love to have you be a part of that. Check it out at RickGreen.com today to find out the dates, get all the specifics, and get all of your questions answered. Check out RickGreen.com today to join us on this Front Sight trip for both your constitutional and handgun defense training.

Welcome Ken Ham

RICK:

Welcome back to WallBuilders Live! Thanks for staying with us. We are thrilled to have Ken Ham back with us from Answers in Genesis.

Ken, always a pleasure, man. We appreciate your time today.

KEN HAM:

Hi, great, anytime.

RICK:

Well, love what you guys are doing there. Obviously, love the Ark Encounter, the Creation Museum, and all the great curriculum and other things that you do. And, one of the most important things I think you do is just commentary on the culture and different things that come out.

There was this article talking about 89 percent of British young adults say, “€œLife has no meaning.”€ And, I really enjoyed reading your comments in response to that, because it’s the answer to not only those 89 percent in Great Britain, but frankly, all of us all around the world. But, what are your thoughts on the fact they”€™re finding no meaning in life?

Bill Nye Tries to Explain.

KEN HAM:

Well, it’s interesting. When I took Bill Nye through the Ark and we did what was called “€œThe Second Debate,”€ which was all videoed and available on YouTube, at one stage I said to him, “€œSo, Bill, what happens when you die?”€

He said, “€œWhen you die you’re done.”€

And, I said, “€œWell, if when you die, you’re done, what’s the point of you even opposing what we believe as Christians? I mean, you won”€™t even remember you were here.”€

And he said, “€œBut, we pass our genes on to the next generation, and then they might make some great scientific discovery.”€

And, I said, “€œBut when they die, they’re done.”€

He said, “€œYes, but then, they pass their genes onto others who can do things.”€

And, I said, “€œBut, when they die, they’re done. And, ultimately, when everyone dies, they’re done and won’t even know they were here, from your perspective. So, what is the point?”€

And, we’ve got to understand that generations of our kids have been going through an education system where they’ve thrown God out, the Bible out, prayer out, Creation out. They teach you to explain everything by natural processes. “€œThere is no God and you’re just an animal in this evolutionary process that’s been going on for supposedly millions of years.”€

A Deterioration Among Generations

So, ultimately, what is the purpose and meaning of life? Where do purpose and meaning come from? I mean, the only place you can get it from is if there’s a Creator who created us, owns us, tells us what’s right and wrong, and tells us what life is all about.

And, that’s the whole point. When you have generations in our Western world that have been so indoctrinated in an atheistic worldview”€”which is what’s happening”€”no wonder 89 percent of British young adults aged between 16 to 29 say, “€œLife lacks purpose and meaning.”€

And, it’s interesting to note, too, to look at the fact that 55 percent of those 60 and over answered that way. So, you see that as you go on, the coming generations are much more secular in their thinking. And, for the coming generations, increasingly they say, “€œThere’s no purpose or meaning in life, and so on.”€

So, what we’re seeing is the secularization of the coming generations through the whole Western world. You see it reflected in church attendance. I mean, in America 56 per cent of the Greatest Generation, those born before 1928, went to church. But, it’s only 18 percent for Millennials.

And, Generation Z: George Barna found that they’re twice as likely to be atheists as any previous generation. So, we’re seeing now, the younger generations”€™ foundation is: man determines truth. There is no ultimate purpose and meaning.

A Consequence of the Atheistic, Evolutionary Worldview

Therefore, what’s the point of it all? And, that’s where our whole culture is heading. But, it’s really just a consequence of the atheistic, evolutionary worldview they’re being indoctrinated with in our secular education system and through the media.

And, it’s a failure of the Church to ground them in the foundation of God’s Word and teach them answers to defend the Christian faith and answers to those secular attacks.

RICK:

I was really curious about this lack of hope and purpose,that maybe is part of what’s driving a lot of people to even come to the Ark and Creation Museum out of curiosity. I was shocked, Ken, to find out the number of people that come there who are not believers.

We were out there a couple months ago doing Comedy and the Constitution there at your amazing Events Center. By the way, as always, you do things first class, top notch. We learned that with Creation Museum when we came there the first time, then the Ark, and now to see your Events Center. They are all fantastic.

But, but to that to the point of this this particular program, you guys told me that it’s an incredibly high percentage of people that come to the Ark that are not believers. I thought it would be the hard core, guys like us, who would come to see the Ark. But, they said it’s something like 40; I don”€™t know; it was a high number.

KEN HAM:

It was actually 30 percent of those on the exit surveys; 30 percent of those who come into the Ark”€”and we would think probably similar to the Creation Museum”€”are non- Christians.

RICK:

Wow.

God Has Given Us a Conscience.

KEN HAM:

And, one of the things I’m finding in our culture”€”think about it. God has given us a conscience. He says, “€œThe law is written in our heart,”€ so we know there is right and wrong, good and evil. We know that inherently.

Not only that, but the Bible says in Romans 1: “€œGod has made it evident to all that He’s the Creator.”€ Think about when Paul went to the Greeks in Acts 17, and they didn’t understand the message of the Cross, but he was talking to them about who the real God is. And to do that, he looked in their own culture.

And, they had an altar to the unknown god. They knew there was something missing and that that they didn’t have all the answers. And, he took this altar to the unknown god and said, “€œLet me tell you who the real God is: He’s the Creator.”€

And, I believe people really want to know What is life all about? We’ve got this yearning inside. And, for those who don”€™t know the Lord Jesus and have trusted Him as Savior or believed in His Word, there’s this yearning. And, God puts it there, I believe.

So, they come to the Ark and the Creation Museum. Those people wouldn’t go to church, many of them.

RICK:

Right.

KEN HAM:

You couldn’t get them in a church if you blew them in with a stick of dynamite; but, they’re fascinated by the Ark and the Creation Museum. And, they come and challenge. Many of them say to me, “€œWe’ve never heard these arguments before; no one’s ever told us this before,”€ because it’s been censored from them.

RICK:

Right.

KEN HAM:

It really does challenge them. And, we see people who are converted. Then, they go out and tell others. Of course, the hardcore atheists like the Richard Dawkins type, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and so on, they are so blinded and so callous in what they do that their conscious are seared.

The Majority of People Want to Know What Life if All About.

They just they try to take everyone else down with them. But, the majority of people, even those who are not Christians, are not like that. They really want to know. And, they really want to know what life is all about.

So, if you have an opportunity to get them to a place where they’ll be challenged, a lot of them will come and listen.

RICK:

And, I think that’s part of what is so effective about what you’ve done, is that for that person that’s curious who”€™s maybe said, “€œThis is some fantastic theory that somebody put into a book; but, how would that practically work?”€ Well, when you walk through the Ark Encounter, you begin to realize how it would have worked.

I mean, it’s not just”€”Ken, the first time I came, I thought it was just gonna be a big boat to look at the size of the ark, that that’s what you had done. But, no. Inside the ark, you’ve shown us how it would have actually worked. And, it’s done in a way that makes someone who would not have considered the Bible as truth or considered studying this more, it makes them want to know more.

That’s why I love it. And, I think it’s working.

KEN HAM:

Well, absolutely. I mean, there are 132 exhibit bays, and some of them are big bays inside the ark. And, what we’re doing is making the Bible come alive.

But we want to show people: look, when you take the account of Noah’s Ark, can you make it come alive and make it real? And, does it work?
RICK:

Yes.

People”€™s Eyes Are Being Opened.

KEN HAM:

And, we can show you how the animals could get on board, how each kind of land animal could have. Noah could look after them. So, we go through all of those aspects there, of course: the consequences of the flood, the geology, How could Noah build it?

Then, people as they go through say, “€œThis is all feasible. This all makes sense, of course.”€ And, that’s what we’re trying to do: to help them realize that, yes, this was not just feasible, we’re saying, “€œIt actually did happen. This was real.”€

And, we can answer those questions, make it come alive for you, and show you how it could have happened. I tell you what: people’s eyes are opened, and it causes them to listen to the truth of God’s Word, not just in its history, but in the Gospel that’s based on that history.

RICK:

And, the fact that their eyes are being opened is part of why you’ve had the opposition you’ve had politically and the different entities coming after y”€™all. You mentioned Freedom From Religion Foundation. I mean, all these people that want to stop kids from being able to just come and see this and be exposed to it.

KEN HAM:

Yeah, well Freedom From Religion Foundation and the American Atheists have actually written letters three times now, to a thousand public schools all around the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum, threatening: “€œIf you even take your students there, we will sue,”€ and so on. So, that’s why I came out publicly and said, “€œHey, if there’s a public school trip officially organized from our public school, it comes to the Ark, we’ll let the kids and the teachers in free as an outreach, because the atheist so want to stop them hearing what we teach.

Atheists Are Scared.

And, think about it. If what we say is so wrong, and obviously so, and the science has just disproved it, why would the atheist even be worried about kids hearing it? They would realize it’s not true. But, it’s really the opposite that is so.

And, that is that the teaching of evolution is ant-science, anti-genetics, anti-biology, and it’s just a belief that’s a blind-faith belief. And, once students understand that and see that real science confirms the Bible’s history, it opens their eyes to the truth. Thus, that’s why the atheists are so against young people coming to the Ark and the Creation Museum.

They want to censor that information from them.

RICK:

Visit ArkEncounter.com to find out more, for those viewers who are listening. Families, I encourage you to go for sure. Get your kids there to the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum.

It will help bolster their faith and give them the apologetics they need to defend their faith, which is so vitally important. Ken Ham, God bless you, brother. Keep up the great work.

KEN HAM:

Hey, thank you. Great to talk to you.

RICK:

ArkEncounter.com Stay with us. We’ll be right back with David and Tim Barton.

America’s Hidden History

DAVID:

Hi, this is David Barton.

TIM:

And, this is Tim Barton, and we want to let you know about a series that’s happening right now on TBN on Thursday night. TBN is the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Every Thursday night, there’s a series that we’ve filmed called America’s Hidden History.

And, this season is called “€œAmerica’s Hidden Heroes.”€ The reason is, we highlight heroes from American history. For years we’ve been focusing on the forgotten history and heros of the nation.

And now, we have a TV show just highlighting some of those heroes.

DAVID:

These are inspiring stories about some of the greatest people maybe you’ve never heard about. We go on location to the sites and show you where the events happened. It’s the stories of folks like Bronco Charlie, Stagecoach Mary, Jedediah Smith, Robert Smalls, and so many inspiring folks.

TIM:

Now, this happens every Thursday night, and the time is gonna be different based on where you live. Either way, we think this is something that will so encourage and inspire you in learning some of these great stories for America’s Hidden History.

Add it to Your Bucket List

RICK:

Welcome back to WallBuilders Live! Thanks for staying with us today. And, special thanks to Ken Ham for joining us.

Be sure visit the Ark Encounter for great trip. Put it on your bucket list, and take your kids while they’re young. It’s a great place to go.

We”€™re back with David and Tim. Guys, as always, Ken has great answers to the to why we need that purpose and why it’s important to answer this question of the very beginning, Creation, and the role that God gives us.

David, you alluded to it at the beginning of the program. I mean, He gave us purpose right there at the beginning of Creation.

DAVID:

Well, Ken identified that more and more are being indoctrinated into what he called the “€œatheistic worldview.”€ And, when you have that, you’re going to have less hope, less purpose, less future. And, it’s interesting that he said, “€œWe talked to kids about more of what we do, and they respond, “€˜We’ve never heard these arguments before.”€™”€

We Need to be Putting These Arguments Out.

And, I think that’s a really important point. We need to be putting these arguments out, if you will. This is one of the things we see every year when we work with young people at what’s called the “€œLeadership Training Program.”€ Young people 18 to 25 who are going into college, are in college, or maybe in their masters, PhD, or maybe just graduated and whether it”€™s the subject Creation, free market, morality, or American exceptionalism; so often they’ve only heard one side.

And, when they get a different view, a different perspective, and hear both sides, they are able to make up their minds. Oh my! I mean, these kids turn into warriors in a really good sense because they’re now equipped, have heard both sides of the argument, and know where truth lies.

So, they’re able to go out and defend truth, which is so important. So, what Ken has laid out is such an important aspect of it. Now, we even go back to someone like Thomas Paine.

Thomas Paine Said Not to Teach a Secular View

We’re told the Founding Fathers were not religious. Well, if that were true, Thomas Paine is the least religious of the Founding Fathers.

And, even he said that when you teach world origins, you can’t teach a secular view; you have to teach that there’s a Creator. Otherwise, you create doubts in the minds of young people, and you turn them in the atheists. Now, that was the warning that Thomas Paine gave about Don’t let your teachings in science become atheistic and secular.

So, what Ken’s doing and what we’re saying in Great Britain are two sides of the same coin. And, what Ken is teaching, is actually the solution for kids in Great Britain, as well as kids in America. And, that’s where we can be a part of teaching those principles: there is a God; there is a purpose; we need to know that God and know that purpose.

That’s a big solution for America. It’ll be a big solution for Great Britain as well.

RICK:

We’re out of time for today, folks. That was Ken Ham on the program today. You can get more great interviews at our website WallBuildersLive.com.

That’s also the place where you can see a list of all of our stations across the country where we can be heard. You can also send in your questions to [email protected]. We try to get all those questions on Thursdays when we have our Foundations of Freedom Thursday program.

That”€™s when you get to drive the conversation on those shows by asking those questions.

Eighty-Nine Percent Of Young People Say There Is No Purpose In Life

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