Ken Ham (above) is an evangelist leader of the Answers in Genesis ministry in Petersburg, Kentucky

LGBT Twitter users offered tongue-in-cheek praise to an evangelical minister from Kentucky on Thursday who is urging followers to ‘take back the rainbow’ from the gay pride movement since he claims it was originally meant to symbolize Noah’s Ark.

Ken Ham, the Australian-born evangelist who heads the Answers in Genesis ministry which is based in Petersburg, Kentucky, says that the biblical purpose of the rainbow was to symbolize a divine covenant with Noah.

'Christians need to take back the rainbow as we do @ArkEncounter,' Ham tweeted on Thursday.

'God owns it. He decreed it's a sign of His covenant with man after the Flood.'

The Ark Encounter, which is billed as a biblical theme park, is a life-size replica of Noah's Ark, according to Ham.

The 500-foot-long structure which first opened last July cost $100million to build.

Ham has been trying to co-opt the rainbow from the LGBT pride movement.

'After the Flood, God made a covenant with Noah, his family, their descendants, and the living creatures on the Ark,' Ham wrote on the Answers in Genesis website.

'The sign of this covenant was the rainbow.'

Ham says that the biblical purpose of the rainbow, which has been used to symbolize the struggle for LGBTQ rights, was to symbolize a divine covenant with Noah. The Ark Encounter (above) is billed as a biblical theme park and life-size replica of Noah's Ark, according to Ham

'Christians need to take back the rainbow as we do @ArkEncounter,' Ham tweeted on Thursday. 'God owns it. He decreed it's a sign of His covenant with man after the Flood.'

'Even today the rainbow represents the "everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth".'

Now Ham is calling on his parishioners to 'take the rainbow back.'

This has ostensibly led to some amused reactions on Twitter.

'I didn't realize Noah was so progressive!' tweeted Rylan Raymond.

'Look at this gay boat,' tweeted another user while attaching a photo of Ham's attraction.

'I approve of the Ark museum flying the rainbow in solidarity with gays and lesbians,' tweeted another Twitter user.

'Who knew they were so liberal.'

The reactions are sarcastic given that Ham has long been an advocate of 'taking back the rainbow.'

'To many people it means freedom, love, pride, a new era, and, specifically, the LGBTQ movement,' Ham said last year.

'But the rainbow itself wasn't designed to be a symbol of freedom, love, pride, or the LGBTQ movement,' Ham wrote.

'God created this beautiful, colorful phenomenon and designated it as a sign of His covenant with Noah and his descendants forever.'

'Sadly, people ignore what God intended the rainbow to represent and proudly wave rainbow-colored flags in defiance of God's command and design for marriage,' he wrote.

Ham says that the purpose of the rainbow decorations was to urge Christians to 'take back the rainbow' from the gay rights movement. Above is a stock image of a gay pride parade taken in Melbourne, Australia, on January 31, 2016

'Because of this, many Christians shy away from using the rainbow colors.'

'But the rainbow was a symbol of God's promises before the LGBTQ movement—and will continue to be after that movement has ended.'

'As Christians, we need to take the rainbow back and teach our young people its true meaning.'

In the first few months of operation, Ham's theme park attracted over 400,000 visitors, according to USA Today.

Gay rights advocates were not impressed with Ham's appeal.

'I think the rainbow is big enough for all of us,' said Josh Wagoner of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network of Greater Cincinnati.

Chris Hartman, the head of the Kentucky Fairness Campaign, said that the rainbow symbolized love, acceptance, and inclusion, 'none of which Mr. Ham or his operation embrace or embody.'