DICKSON, TN – Some might argue that faith and science can’t coexist, but a museum in Tennessee is challenging that belief. Just outside Nashville sits the Wonders Center & Science Museum, featuring 100,000 square feet of exhibits.
It explains the mysteries of science and history, space, paleontology, animals, literature, including a 1,000-year-old Bible scroll, all from a Creation perspective.
Founder and Director David Rives says the mission is to educate and inspire through God’s magnificent Creation.
“We want people to walk through and be inspired with science, with hands-on activities, with world-class exhibitry, with NASA artifacts, with planetarium shows that take you fully immersive into space and then point it right back to this idea that all of the universe shows these design patterns, and they’re pointing us right back to not just to our creator, but ultimately to our Savior, Jesus Christ,” Rives said.
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What are some of his favorite exhibits right now at the Wonders Center?
“We just opened up Wonders of Africa. I lead African photo safaris for families, take them into the heart of South Africa and show them how animal biology points back to this amazing design from the beginning. And so we just opened up an entire exhibit hall, our second largest exhibit hall ever, which transports you into the bush field of Africa, past lions, past all of these other animals through a watering hole where you can see these things up close and personal, and then teaches you lessons about their design,” he said.
Rives’s passion for science began at an early age, picking up fossils near his home in middle Tennessee. As a young man, astrophotography – taking photos of the night sky – captured his imagination and stirred a desire to explain the purpose and majesty behind the universe.
“And I saw the blues and the purples and the reds and all of those stars and all of that beauty, I said, ‘wow, the heavens declare the glory of God,’ just like Psalm 19 says. And the next thought that ran through my mind was, why is this a hobby? Why couldn’t I use that passion for Christ? And why couldn’t we actually use it as a witnessing tool to encourage people, ‘Hey, you’re not a cosmic accident. You were born with purpose, and that purpose is fulfilled through Christ.'”
Rives is known for his groundbreaking research on the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as his amazing dinosaur discoveries.
“We actually lead dinosaur digs to places like Kansas and step on millions of fossils. But when we collect the big fossils, suddenly an entire creature can be exposed for the first time ever. And you start to piece these things back together again, and you say, ‘Wow, there were really 50-foot-long marine dragons swimming around in the middle of Kansas,'” he said.
Rives believes the Wonders Center offers something for everyone.
“You’ll get to see and experience things like racing cars downhill and learn physics and principles. You’ll learn about the Bernoulli Principle, which helps airplanes stay aloft. You’re going to be able to experience 1 million volts of lightning in our Tesla coil experience, where we put you in the same room with that electricity playing music, and then you’ll get to see one of the top 10 planetariums in the entire world floating through space.”
The ultimate goal is to remind people that God created the entire universe because He wants to have a relationship with us.
“Whether it’s the blade of grass out of their window or the hummingbird flying past their door, look at that in a different way and not just be amazed at nature, but be amazed at God’s creation,” he said.
