Was Noah’s Ark Round?

Interest in the story of Noah’s Ark is on the rise again, thanks to a new discovery that suggests the vessel may have been round.

A British scholar has decoded a 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablet containing a story that is strikingly similar to the biblical account, with one major difference: The ark in this version is round. The scholarly world is abuzz over the find. How should Christians who follow the Bible respond?

Pastor and author Dr. Dean Posey, the author of a new book about Noah, cautions against getting caught up in scientific and historical debates. Rather than drowning in controversy, he says, modern-day readers should focus on what Noah’s Ark teaches us about God’s faithfulness and His interactions with mankind.

Recently appointed as senior minister of the 3,500-member Trinity United Methodist Church in Arlington, Texas, Dr. Posey dives into this ancient story to reveal 12 Gifts We Can’t Afford to Lose: What Noah Can Teach Us About Surviving the Storms of Life and Living Well (HigherLife Publishing).

“As we look at this story, we see a loving God who is willing and able to give incredible gifts to humankind,” Dr. Posey explains. “They are given to us not based on our worthiness or goodness; they are given based on His faithfulness and unfailing love for us.”

Reducing the story of Noah to merely a “cute Sunday School lesson” would also be a mistake, the author adds: “Noah’s total commitment to God not only changed his life, it changed human history.”

Having faced the greatest storm of all time, Noah can also teach us a great deal about trusting in the midst of adversity, especially when God seems absent.

“During the 375 days of Noah actually being closed up in the ark, not one time is it recorded that God spoke to Noah,” Dr. Posey recounts. “In the midst of life’s storms, in the midst of life’s traumas, do we feel that God has abandoned us? I believe it is during those times that God wants us to trust in His presence more than our circumstances.”

Dr. Posey is donating all proceeds from the book to support Trinity Sports Ministry, which seeks to introduce Jesus Christ to unchurched and underchurched children, youth and families by developing a Christian sports ministry in Arlington, Texas. Learn more at 12gifts.com.