Noah's Ark

I read through the account of Noah's Ark recently (Genesis chapters 6-9) and once again I was faced with many questions concerning this biblical story. Like the creation story in Genesis chapter one, do I really believe in the literal explanation of the flood that destroyed mankind and Noah's Ark that basically restarted humanity and the entire animal kingdom? So I decided to do more research on it with a somewhat open mind, while holding on to a few basic premises like: I believe in a God that created heavens and the earth; I believe the bible is one important way God communicates with man; and, I believe that all biblical stories point to Jesus who brings salvation to all man.

These are some interesting facts from Wikipedia:
"God gives Noah detailed instructions for building the ark: it is to be of gopher wood, smeared inside and out with pitch, with three decks and internal compartments; it will be 450' long, 75' wide, and 45' high; it will have a roof "finished to a cubit upward", and an entrance on the side.

Although some religious organisations fully embrace the story of the ark as canonical, since the 19th century few scholars have believed the story to be literally true. Among other issues are the immense difficulties of explaining how collecting, housing, watering, feeding and caring for very large numbers of animals in a wooden ship smaller than many modern ships could be achieved. Additionally there are the problems of how the animals subsequently travelled to where they are now geographically found. For these and many other reasons the ark story is generally considered to be apocryphal. Various archaeological expeditions have focused their attention on Mount Ararat in the search for Noah's Ark but no conclusive evidence has been uncovered."

Proponents of a literal interpretation (X-Evolutionist.com, answersingenesis.org) of the Noah's Ark story explain many of the common objections:

• How large was Noah's Ark? How could Noah build the Ark?
• How could Noah round up so many animals? Was Dinosaurs on Noah's Ark? How could Noah fit all the animals on the Ark? How did Noah care for all the animals?
• How could a flood destroy all the living things? How could the Ark survive the flood?
• Where did all the water come from? Where did all the water go? Was Noah's flood global? Where is the evidence in the earth for Noah's flood? Where is Noah's Ark today?
• Why did God destroy the earth that He had made?

John Lennox, the mathematician and Oxford Professor, is definitely my wife's favourite Christian Apologist. In his book Seven Days that Divide the World, he proposes a succinct method of reading and interpreting the first chapters of Genesis without discounting either science or Scripture. He wrote a three-part series (taken from chapter 2 of his book) on Biologos Forum on Science and the Bible. Although he did not explain his position on Noah's Ark specifically in these articles, he laid down important principles in interpreting the bible. However, he is not without harsh criticism from the Creation Scientists and Young Earth believers (just google John Lennox on Noah's Ark).

My nephew William brought me to see a replica of Noah's Ark a few years ago while visiting Hong Kong. It is an interesting "theme park" which I think does a fair job to bring in the biblical account of the great flood and explain how the Ark represented God's salvation which is available to all mankind.

Am I closer to have my own position to explain to believers and skeptics alike concerning the Noah's Ark? Yes, to some extent. I should be able to explain the polarizing positions between atheists and theists, as well as between the hard line creationists and someone like me! I will try to focus on God's plan of salvation to us, in a humble and gentle sort of way.