Question: What do you make of the idea of protocells as a way of overcoming the problem of abiogenesis? Answer: If someone can explain how genetic information can self-assemble in these proto-cells, sure, but that is the problem. The concept of proto-cells does not solve any of the major problems of abiogenesis. In order for […]
Question: In an article in your website you talked about Zoroastrianism on some context. I’m a Christian with a broken faith. I have learned of so many discoveries of made up stories in the Bible when you look from a historical/archeological point of view at the OT. You said in the article you wrote that […]
Questions: I have an atheist friend, and we debated recently about religion and the existence of God. He made two points: 1. Just because something is complex it doesn’t mean it is designed. He mentions evolution as an example of his point. 2. He also says he is glad that he isn’t a Christian because […]
Questions: My friend has been struggling with his faith because he read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. He also says that there is a lot of evidence of the multiverse and he is turning towards atheism/materialism. Can you can answer his concerns? Answers: I wrote a review of The God Delusion that will be […]
Question: In Hebrews 1:10 we see that God is telling the Son that “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth…” However, Hebrews is quoting from Psalms 102:25-27 in which God isn’t speaking to the Son but rather a person is lamenting to God. How would you explain to someone who’s reading […]
John Oakes is now preaching regularly for the Bakersfield Church of Christ. We will be posting all of his sermons here. Services are now live streamed Sundays at 10:30 at www.bakersfieldchurchofchrist.com See you there. 3/14 and 4/4 we will post at 3:30. 4/4 The Resurrection We Should Have Known Resurrection Should Have Known Audio […]
Thanks much to Toney Mulhollen at IPI Books and to Amy Morgan, Ana Maria Caro Maita for help with the translation, Dr. John Oakes has his first book published in Spanish translation. Daniel: Profeta Para Las Naciones. It is available at www.ipibooks.com Please consider getting a copy and letting your friends know!
Question: I would like to ask a question on the subject of biblical interpretation. Should we interpret Bible verses strictly within its context? I understand that certain verses can be used to apply generally and in multiple aspects while certain other verses we can’t as it could create doctrinal issues and interpretation problems. Answer: I […]
Dr. John Oakes will be teaching a class on the Book of Isaiah for the San Diego Church of Christ and for the Bakersfield Church of Christ on five consecutive Sundays beginning Sun. 3/7 at 9:00 Pacific time on zoom at 342 225 5971 pw 857096 The class is open for all and is free. […]
Question: How did Mark, Luke and John know what was said between Jesus and Pilate before the crucifixion? And how did Luke know that Herod was very glad to see Jesus and that Jesus answered Herod nothing. Also, how did Luke know that Pilate and Herod became friends on that day? Answer: I have been […]
Questions: 1. What do you think of the idea of an infinite/eternal universe based on the theory of the doughnut shaped universe? (since it has no starting or ending point) 2. Are there evidences of biblical miracles? Answers: As a physics professor, my answer is that the dougnut-shaped universe is either EXTREMELY speculative or, more […]
Question: Skeptics say that the Bible is at error because of verses that have Jesus saying that some of you standing here will not taste death until they see son of man coming in his kingdom, Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man […]
Questions: My friend claims that the Bible is inaccurate and that means that Jesus was not God. Also because of the contradictions in the Bible, plus we do not have the original biblical texts, so Jesus is not God. By the way is there a way to get your book “Is There a God?” as […]
Questions: Will science be able to explain consciousness? What if this happened, how would it affect our understanding of spirit and soul? Why did god created us using evolution ínstead of creating us ex nihilo? Answers: This is a good question, but it is also a difficult question. It is a hard question because consciousness […]
Question: Does our soul leave our body when our heart stops working, when our brain does, or both? Answer: Obviously, I do not know the answer. The Bible does not answer this question and neither can science answer this question. However, we can use common sense to try to answer the question. There are plenty […]
(Editor’s note: Questions are in italics and answers are in normal type) Questions: It is said that the Gnostic Gospel of the Judas shows a gospel where God (our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth) is the bad guy and a fascinating contrast from the theology of Nicean Christianity. Early Christianity was diverse, unlike how many […]
Question: If god is love why did he create hell? Again, if God is loving why does he send people to hell just for the reason for not believing in him? There are good and moral people who do great deeds but just because they are unbelievers how can a loving God send them to […]
Questions: [Editor’s note: These questions are coming from someone in India who is clearly dealing with typical attacks on Christianity from Muslims there] I have 3 questions:- 1. Does 1 Corinthians 15:28 and 1 Corinthians 11:3 proves that Jesus is not God? 2. Why did Lot- a Prophet of LORD God- have sexual relations with […]
Questions: 1. Why would you say that space is something instead of nothing? I’m asking this because of hawking quantum model. 2. Are there mythological creatures in the Bible? Answers: Your first question is not a “Christian” question. It is not a theological question. I am not sure how it is related to questions about […]
Question: Unitarians claim that Zechariah 12:10 cannot be used to prove that Jesus is God because Zechariah 12:10 says that Yahweh will be pierced, but according to trinitarians- Yahweh is God the Father- and we know that God the Son was crucified and pierced- not Yahweh or Father. As a Trinitarian, how to respond to […]
Dr John Oakes is teaching a two-part, three hour class on issues related to Science and Christianity and Science and the Existence of God. The classes are Saturdays 3/27 and 4/3 at 9:00 AM Pacific Daylight Savings Time. Audio and power point will be posted. Is There a God PPT IsThereaGod Audio I […]
Question: Since we are all created in the image of God, why is there such a separation of groups as people are treated and looked upon in the world? Why is it that in the Bible the Hebrews were told to utterly destroy the Canaanites and Jebusites and all other people of color? Are we […]
Question: I have recently read an article that makes the argument that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. However, there is archeological evidence of another Bethlehem this therefore means that Jesus was not born in the town of David and that the gospel writers may have either lied about him being born in David’s Bethlehem or […]
Question: A commenter who is unbeliever said the following. Can you respond to this? The comment: So God put himself on the same level of his creation just to sacrifice himself for his creation, getting killed by his creation? Just doesn’t add up. Why does God of the go to such levels just to forgive […]
Statement: What do you make of the argument that we must assume that everything has a natural cause and explanation i.e Hume’s empiricism. We do not know everything, therefore I can not tell you what is naturally possible. This therefore means that supernatural forces are most likely non-existant. Occam’s razor and Poppers falsifiability also support […]
Question: My Muslim friend claims that Genesis 21:13-21, Isaiah 42:11, Isaiah 21:13-17 clearly prophesy about Muhammad. How do I respond to him- because I am confused. Answer: There is a grain of truth to the first passage being about Muhammad, but just a very small grain. Let me explain. The Bible makes it plain that […]
Question: It is said by some on youtube that there are over 10 significant major changes in the Bible and that the Bible has become corrupted over time. If it is true and that there are plenty of changes in the Bible, does it affect the core values belief of our Christianity like the resurrection […]
Question: Why is God so “active” in the Bible (like the flood or even the creation of man) but nowadays we have no direct interaction with him? Answer: This is a good question. But the answer is really fairly simple. God is sovereign, but he gives human beings free will. God only intervenes in history […]
Questions: What is exactly the Devil? Is it not arrogant for God to tell everyone to love him over all things? When someone behaves in an evil way for example stealing money, is it because the Devil is making him do that? Answers: Perhaps it is a big surprising, but the Bible does not actually […]
Dr. John Oakes is giving a six-session class on Romans for the campus group in Bakersfield, CA. You can join on zoom (but better if you are college age) at 856 354 6038 pw 568399 Wed 7:30 3/10. 3/24, 4/7, 4/21, etc. Notes, PPT and audio will be posted here. Romans Notes Romans PPT […]
Question: I have run across arguments by atheists that say that the universe is not fine-tuned for life, but life is fine tuned to the universe and they describe this in the “puddle” analogy. Basically they say it only appears the world is fine-tuned for life, but in actuality life was able to adapt to […]
Question: Since the early church father Clement who wrote 1st Clement was born in 35 A. D, why did he not talk about personally meeting the 12 apostles or meeting Paul? It is very obvious that Clement will have been a mature adult around 50s. During 50s , St. Paul was still alive plus all […]
Question: We see an incident in the Bible where Jesus says follow me and let the dead bury their own dead when a disciple tells that he should stay to bury his father. Why is Jesus, who is known for compassion, being rude and insensitive here? Answer: This is a good question. I certainly cannot […]
Question: My friend is losing his faith because in history we are learning about wars, and some of these wars we are studying include wars that were made because of Abrahamic religions. In these religious wars, a lot of people were murdered and tortured as well as other bad things done to them. How would […]
Questions: Was Jesus born on Christmas? Why did god make antimatter? Answers: Jesus definitely was not born on Dec. 25 (or on Jan 7, which is the Orthodox Christmas) No one knows the date of Jesus’ birth. Anyone who says they do is wrong, and should be ignored, in my opinion. The Bible gives us […]
Question: What happens to people with mental problems when they die since they cant think about their actions? Answer: Your question is a good one. It is one example of a wide range of similar problems. What about the person who dies before birth or immediately after birth? What about the person who was at […]
Questions: My Hindu friend asked 4 questions, please help me with how to respond i. Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda teach real Christianity. ii. Jesus taught Pantheism and Monism (as said by Swami Vivekananda). He claims that ultimately what is in the Gospels were written 40-100 years after Jesus’s death- and that’s why the real […]
Questions: My materialist friend says that we are just some cells that have not reached entropy yet. How should I answer this? Why would a loving God torture his sons in hell? Answers: On the first question, we are certainly more than mere cells. Your friend is taking an hyper-materialist stand here which will not […]
Questions: 1. As a Christian, do you believe, at least one ghost video is real, and if it is why does the soul stay on earth instead of going to heaven or hell? 2. Do we have evidence for Jesus’ miracles? 3. According to the standard big bang models, is God the cause? Answer: 1. […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a class on Old Testament/New Testament connections with his good friend Jerry Maday for the Worcester Church of Christ on several Wednesdays in March and April. The classes can be watched live at 7:30 Eastern time (4:30 Pacific time) on the following link: https://holycross.zoom.us/j/96477652791 It will be every Wednesday in March […]
Question: My question has to deal with skeptics/atheists when they claim they do not have the “burden of proof” in debates on God’s existence, origin of life, and other similar conversations. I have a hard time accepting/understanding why it’s okay to be skeptical of the Christian/theist worldview, but then say you don’t have to come […]
Question: Do we act because of our brain or because of our soul? Are all NDE (near death experiences) unreliable? Did Plato prove that the afterlife is real? Answer: Your first question is a good one, in my opinion. I do not think that this is a particularly “Christian” question. The Bible will not help […]
Question: Is it possible that the vile ruler of Daniel 11:21 is Vespasian? As he seized the kingdom by intrigue, he wasn’t a Roman royal and he plundered and looted etc. Answer: The vile ruler is Antiochus Epiphanes, who ruled the Seleucid territories from 175-164 BC. I believe that if you look into it, you […]
Question: My question is in regards to these types of scriptures on prayer (I capitalised some of the bits I’m trying to unpack). 1 John 5:14-15. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: That if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us–WHATEVER […]
Question; Why was there so much confusion even in the first and second century about whether Jesus Christ of Nazareth even existed as a historical person or not. One example of someone who questioned the reality of Jesus was Marcion of Sinope, a 1st century historical person. Also there were the Docetists, Gnostics and others […]
Question: Why does God allow natural disasters? Answer: God allows natural disasters because they are natural. This may sound like too simple an answer, but I believe it is the correct answer. God created a universe in which planets sustain life. In order for a planet to sustain life, it must have what we call […]
Question: I️ am reading through the gospels right now, I️ am in Luke. As I️ have been reading through it I️ have noticed a majority of the time after Jesus heals someone He tells them not to say anything. He also tells the demons to be quiet when they try to speak about Him. Why […]
Question: How do I prove it is more logical to propose that there is only one cause (God) than several causes or infinite causes? Isn’t it more reasonable to say that anything that exists has a cause, than anything that starts to exist has a cause? [editor’s note: he is talking about the difference between […]
Question: How do I refute the infinite past theory of the universe? Answer: The “infinite past” theory is normally called the idea of the eternal universe. This is the belief of Eastern cosmologies such as Hinduism and Buddhism, as pantheism requires an eternal universe. This idea is refuted by science. Before the 1940s physicists in […]
Question: 1. How do I convince my atheist friend that evolution does not contradict God? 2. How do I convince my young earth creationist friend that evolution does not contradict Adam and Eve or Genesis? Answer: I am fairly sure I already answered this question for you earlier. If not, then you can find a […]
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