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List of contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Chapter 1: Reception Studies: The Initiation
Chapter 2: Hamming it up with Answers in Genesis
Chapter 3: Moon Pools and Poop Chutes
Chapter 4; Biblical Hiraeth and Stories of Home
Chapter 5: Dragons, Dinos, and Tech
Chapter 6: Something Terrible is Coming
Chapter 7: Noah Stops a Knife Fight
Chapter 8: The Fake Ark Delugion
Chapter 9: Adam is Too Sexy!
Chapter 10: “Expecting Some Flatbread Sandwiches
Chapter 11: Playing it Safe at the Museum of the Bible
Chapter 12: Strangers in Their Own Land
Bibliography
About the author
Paul Thomas is Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Radford University, USA.
Summary
Paul Thomas chronicles a multi-level reception study of the Bible at both the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter in Kentucky, USA. Thomas explores the commercial presentation of biblical narratives and the reception of those narratives by the patrons of each attraction, focusing upon three topics; what do young Creationists believe, how they interpret their beliefs from the Bible, and what is the user experience at the museums?
The volume begins by explaining how Answers in Genesis (AiG) use Bible passages to support young-Earth creationist arguments, allowing for the chance to consider the Bible via physical means. Thomas then examines how the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter visitors receive the Bible (as presented by AiG) and how this presentation informs visitors’ understanding of the text, exploring concepts such as the most prominent displays of the two attractions, the larger context of museums and theme parks and the case studies of the Methuselah display and The Noah Interview. He concludes with the summary of the user experience generated by the attractions, analyzing the degree to which patrons accept, negotiate, or resist the interpretation of the Bible offered by AiG.
Foreword
A multi-level work in Bible reception, this volume examines the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter presentation of biblical narratives and the reception of those narratives by patrons of each attraction.
