Would discovering Noah’s Ark be ‘silver bullet for Christianity’?

As excitement around recent news on the possible discovery of Noah’s Ark in Turkey continues to build, founder of Answers in Genesis and the Ark Encounter Ken Ham cautions Christians to wait until all of the testing is completed before making any final judgements.

In a recent video, Ham specifically pointed to one headline claiming a recent discovery has “100 percent” confirmed Noah’s Ark being found on Mount Ararat.

“Christians need to be very careful about sensational claims,” Ham urged, “particularly claims that have been made and refuted many times before.”

The site making headlines, Ham noted, is known as the Durupinar formation in eastern Turkey which is located about 18 miles south of modern Mount Ararat.

“This isn’t a newly discovered site,” he said, pointing out this particular site has been promoted as Noah’s Ark for decades. Back in 1992, Ham noted, Answers in Genesis conducted research and found many of the claims surrounding the site to be “false.”

What’s changed?

Ham acknowledged some recent deep-core drilling has uncovered some promising “organic-rich material” and “cavities below the surface” some believe is consistent with the Bible’s descriptions of Noah’s Ark. 

Noah’s Ark Research Project vice president Andrew Jones recently told Fox News the latest work at the site, which included a drill bit shattering, could also point to petrified wood. All of this, he added, will be tested during the winter, but he believes these recent discoveries should give skeptics “pause.”

Ham added this is where Christians should use “discernment” and to not “exaggerate evidence” before it is thoroughly tested and examined by “qualified independent laboratories.”

“I say, yes, investigate it, test it, analyze it,” he said. 

“But let’s not turn ‘we hit something hard’ into ‘we found Noah’s Ark.’ We have heard this before,” he continued. 

“We are to be people of truth,” Ham noted. 

“If Christians repeatedly announce Noah’s Ark has been found and then the evidence doesn’t stand up to scrutiny, eventually it becomes like the boy who cried wolf—and that can undermine our credibility when we’re proclaiming something infinitely more important, the truth of God’s word and the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said. 

What if it is Noah’s Ark?

Even if the recent research does hold up under thorough testing, Ham said, he personally doesn’t believe it would be a “silver bullet for Christianity” that would convince hardened atheists to suddenly believe the Bible.

“Find the Ark and everyone will have to believe the Bible. Well, no they won’t,” Ham said.

In the video he recalled one atheist telling him, “Even if somebody found a giant ship on Mount Ararat and brought it down and dragged it right through the main street of [my] town, [I] still wouldn’t believe it was Noah’s Ark.”

“Why?” Ham explained, “Because ultimately this isn’t simply an evidence problem. It’s a spiritual problem.”

“Jesus tells us the issue goes much deeper. ‘They have Moses and the prophets.’ In other words, they have the word of God, and ultimately, one actually did rise from the dead, the Lord Jesus Christ, and people still reject him,” Ham continued. 

In Jones’ interview with Fox News, he affirmed he also knows atheists who aren’t taking the research seriously. 

“I have friends who are atheists or agnostic, and they think that I’m looking for Santa’s house or something,” he said.

Authority of God’s word

While evidence does matter, Ham said, Christians should not place their hope in the latest archaeological discoveries.

“We don’t use evidence to judge God’s word,” he noted. 

“We use God’s word as the foundation from which we correctly understand the evidence. Our ultimate authority isn’t a radar scan or a drill core. It isn’t a supposed piece of petrified wood, and it certainly isn’t the latest sensational headline. … Let’s put our confidence where it belongs, in the authority of the word of God and in the saving gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.