Answers in Genesis (AiG) is a Christian apologetics organization founded in 1994 and headquartered in Petersburg, Kentucky. It promotes young-earth creationism (YEC) - the view that the universe, Earth, and all life were created by God within the past six to ten thousand years, as interpreted from a literal reading of the Book of Genesis. AiG operates the Creation Museum (opened 2007) and the Ark Encounter theme park (opened 2016), both located in northern Kentucky, and publishes extensive materials arguing that biblical accounts of creation, the global flood, and related events are scientifically and historically accurate.

AiG was founded by Ken Ham, an Australian-born author and speaker, along with other associates who had previously worked with the Creation Science Foundation in Australia and the Institute for Creation Research in the United States. The organization's stated mission is to defend the authority of the Bible from its opening chapters and to present the gospel of Jesus Christ as foundational to Christian faith. AiG produces books, videos, a website, and the Answers Research Journal, a peer-reviewed publication (reviewed by YEC-aligned scholars) that publishes research from a young-earth creationist framework.

The organization holds that naturalistic explanations for the origin of the universe, the age of the Earth, and biological diversity are incompatible with a faithful reading of Scripture. AiG explicitly rejects not only atheistic evolution but also old-earth creationism, theistic evolution, and the gap theory, viewing these as unacceptable compromises with secular science. Critics, including both secular scientists and many theologians, dispute AiG's scientific claims and its claim to represent the only biblically faithful interpretive framework. Whether AiG's arguments constitute legitimate scientific inquiry or religion dressed as science is a matter of ongoing debate - see Answers in Genesis - Debate.

AiG's relationship to mainstream science is defined by sharp conflict. The scientific consensus in cosmology, geology, and biology places the age of the universe at approximately 13.8 billion years, the age of the Earth at approximately 4.5 billion years, and the diversity of life as the product of evolution over hundreds of millions of years. AiG contests each of these conclusions, arguing that the dating methods and theoretical frameworks underlying them rest on unprovable assumptions. The breadth and basis of that consensus are documented at Answers in Genesis - Science Consensus.

Within Christian communities, AiG's insistence that young-earth creationism is the only biblically faithful position is itself contested. Old-earth creationists, day-age theorists, framework hypothesis proponents, and theistic evolutionists each offer alternative readings of Genesis that they argue are exegetically sound. AiG's interpretive approach and its implications for Christian theology are addressed at Young-Earth Creationist Viewpoint.

There is broad consensus across the natural sciences - including cosmology, geology, paleontology, genetics, and evolutionary biology - against young-earth creationism's core factual claims. See Answers in Genesis - Science Consensus for documentation of that consensus. No comparable consensus exists within Christian theology or biblical studies regarding the correct interpretation of Genesis, and denominational positions vary widely.

• Young-Earth Creationist Viewpoint - AiG's own position: Genesis is historically and scientifically accurate; the Earth is thousands, not billions, of years old; Noah's flood was a global event responsible for most of the fossil record.

• Old-Earth Creationist Viewpoint - Accepts mainstream dating of the Earth and universe while rejecting Darwinian evolution; critiques AiG for conflating biblical authority with a particular interpretive tradition.

• Theistic Evolution Viewpoint - Accepts the scientific consensus on evolution and deep time while maintaining theistic belief; views AiG's framework as a misreading of Genesis genre and purpose.

• Secular Scientific Viewpoint - Holds that AiG's claims fail as science by rejecting methodological naturalism and misrepresenting the evidentiary record; does not engage AiG's theological arguments as within the scope of science.

• Biblical Inerrancy Debate Viewpoint - Some inerrantists argue AiG correctly understands the stakes of Genesis interpretation; others holding inerrancy reject YEC as a non-sequitur reading of the text's genre and intent.

• Answers in Genesis - History
• Answers in Genesis - Debate
• Answers in Genesis - Science Consensus
• Young-Earth Creationism
• Creation Museum
• Ark Encounter
• Ken Ham
• Genesis Interpretation
• Theistic Evolution
• Intelligent Design
• Gap Theory

1. Answers in Genesis. “Our Mission.” answersingenesis.org. Accessed 2025. https://answersingenesis.org/about/mission/
2. Numbers, Ronald L. The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design. Expanded ed. Harvard University Press, 2006.
3. Ham, Ken. The Lie: Evolution. Master Books, 1987. Foundational statement of AiG's framework.
4. Answers Research Journal. https://answersresearchjournal.org/. Peer-reviewed journal publishing YEC research.
5. National Center for Science Education. “Answers in Genesis.” ncse.ngo. https://ncse.ngo/answering-aig
6. Biologos Foundation. “What is the Biologos perspective on Answers in Genesis?” biologos.org. https://biologos.org/
7. Mortenson, Terry, and Thane H. Ury, eds. Coming to Grips with Genesis. Master Books, 2008. Multi-contributor YEC exegesis.