Why is Ken Ham Believed?

That question, “Why is Ken Ham believed?”, is an important, insightful and puzzling one raised by RJS on the blog Jesus Creed. As that post, “Anointed? … Evangelicals and Authority 1,” points out:

Ken Ham, with no scientific credentials, no credentials in biblical scholarship, no evidence, and no research program, has become the front person, the spokesman for a large segment of evangelicalism. He proves nothing, he asserts what he finds to be truth and tells a story to make it so.

Why do people continue to fall for the charlatans who oppose evolution rather than believing any of the many Christians who actually work in the field of biology and would most likely know what they are talking about? Why do they believe the people who ride roughshod over the Bible rather than the scholars who treat it with the attention and respect it deserves?

Perhaps the answer is “pride”: many Christians felt left playing a defensive game, adapting their beliefs as science progresses and makes inroads in understanding processes that were once pointed to as evidence of God. Anti-evolutionism lets Christians go on the offensive, challenging well-documented credible science in the name of their faith.

But while being on the attack provides one with a stimulating rush and a boost to morale and ego, isn’t it more important to actually be right about both the Bible and science? If so, then people like Ken Ham are obviously not the ones to be looking to in order to accomplish that.