Dr. John Oakes is teaching a series of classes for the Sacramento Metro Church of Christ 7/9-11/21. Notes, power points and audio are here: Problem of Suffering PPT Pain and Suffering Audio Problem of Pain Notes Hebrews Audio I Hebrews Audio II Hebrews Notes Hebrews Living by Faith […]
Question: Is the doctrine of once saved, forever saved true? Are those who “fall away” not the true disciples from the beginning? Answer: Once saved, always saved, also known as “perseverance of the saints,” is a false doctrine that was created in the sixteenth century by the likes of Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin and […]
Question: Why did God send an evil spirit to torment king Saul? Answer: This is a tough question. It can be hard to square our understanding of God as a loving father with biblical statements that God allows people to be overcome by evil. I would explain this by pointing out that there are a […]
Question: Muslims says: Quran was written down in its entirety at the time of Muhammad’s death and the Sira (prophetic biography) of Muhammad lists the names of 17 scribes of the Quran. By distinction, the prophetic books of OT were posthumous writings and scribes are not even named. What happened to prophetic scrolls during Exile? […]
Question: Muslims say the Bible cannot be God’s word because it contains many cheap things unlike Qur’an for e.g. (1) God ordered Isaiah to be naked (Isa. 20:2) (2) The language of sexually morbid man used in Ezekiel 16 & 23 where it talks about large genitals, breast fondling of women and emission of men. Do […]
Question: My Muslim friend says: There were a number of oracles delivered by recognized prophets which did not come true. For example, Ezekiel predicted the destruction of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar (Ezek. 26:7-14), but he himself later acknowledges that the king’s siege of the city was UNSUCCESSFUL (Ezek. 29:17-20). Both Haggai’s (2:21-23) & Zechariah’s (4:6-7) glorious […]
Question: The writings of several prophets were destroyed by the ruling class of the Jews. According to Justin Martyr, the Jews have omitted sayings by Jeremiah and Ezra, as well as the words “from the wood” after “The Lord reigns” in Psalm 95(96):10 (Dialogue with Trypho, 71-73). It means Jews were NOT honest keepers of […]
Question: In scriptures such as Leviticus 18:21, 2 Kings 23:10, and Jerimiah 32:35, the Bible seems to make it very clear that child sacrifice is evil, and not acceptable. However, In In Judges 11:34 – 40 it seems as though God is accepting the taking of a child as a sacrifice in exchange for allowing […]
Questions: 1. Where does the idea that God created natural laws so these could act (such as evolution) come from? Is it reasonable? 2. What are your thoughts on Christian websites which deny evolution, and even the existence of dinosaurs? 3. As a scientist can you please give me your opinion on this article of […]
[Editor’s note: We do not normally copy and paste Q & A’s from other websites, but I appreciate Hugh Ross’ courage to put forth actual dates sufficiently to publish this from the website https://reasons.org/explore/publications/questions-from-social-media/what-are-the-scientific-dates-for-the-starts-and-ends-of-the-six-creation-days Like Hugh Ross, I am a day/age creationist] Question of the week: What are the scientific dates for start and end times […]
Dr. John Oakes will be featured in a podcast sponsored by “The TribeExchange” on Wed July 14th. The interviewers will be Elias and Rachel Delault as well as Christian Ray Flores. The topic will be church history, but the discussion ranges into modernism, postmodernism and much more. The podcast will be available on facebook or […]
Question: 1. Which is the best atheist argument? 2. Can science disprove or prove the existence of god? 3. What do you think about this video on free will debunked? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpU_e3jh_FY You don’t have free will, but don’t worry. In this video I explain why free will is incompatible with the currently known laws […]
Question: Philo (c. 20 BCE – 50 CE) did not mention the crucifixion of Jesus or the 3 hours’ darkness although he was contemporary of Jesus. Christians present Josephus and Tacitus as Non-Christian proof of Crucifixion but they wrote long after Jesus. What’s your response? Answer: We have no idea of whether Philo ever mentioned […]
Question: A Muslim started to debate with me about evidences of Islam, and he immediately shared a link which shows 19 convincing proofs of splitting of moon by Muhammad (a supposed miracle of Muhammad). Actually I almost lost my Christian Faith after reading the website he provided–it really contains shocking empirical evidences of splitting of […]
Question: I am supposed to be a Christian man, and I can’t seem to NOT like looking at porn. My question is this: Why would God make man to desire the beauty of a woman, then call it sin when he’s excited by them? The dilemma is that the basic instinct of a man is […]
Question: My question is this: If Jesus was fully human, that would mean he had DNA, just like the rest of us. Our DNA is a combination of our biological parents’ DNA. Jesus’ biological mother was Mary, so half of His DNA would have been from her. I believe He was conceived by the Holy […]
Question: What is the best evidence for mind/body dualism? Where can I find such evidence? Answer: The “mind” is a metaphysical idea, which I am convinced does have a physical component in the brain. When we think or when we decide, neurons fire and neurochemicals are released in the brain. However, “mind” is not a […]
Question: I have a question about Surah 41:11-12. It says the nearest heaven was made for protection. Does that mean the Qur’an is describing the earth’s atmosphere/ozone layer protecting it? Is it a scientific fact? Answer: It sounds like you have been looking at the web site of a Muslim apologist. What we need to […]
Question: The following link I have sent you is to a discussion I found online about some interesting theories on consciousness and free will. The article in question notes that it is quite possible that matter and even the universe itself may actually be conscious, as some scientists now believe. It is claimed that consciousness […]
Question: Is there evidence that Old testament prophecies like those in Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Nahum, Jeremiah etc. were made prior to the events they prophesied? Answer: Yes, of course. Many of the prophecies in the Old Testament certainly were fulfilled after the prophecies were written down. However, there are also Old Testament prophecies–especially in Jeremiah and […]
Question: 1. Can you tell me when do you think God has intervened in all the history of the world? 2. Does the witch of Endor prove that the Bible talks about ghosts? 3. As a PhD scientist in quantum physics, what do you think about Schrodingers cat? How can something be alive and dead […]
Question: I understand that Catholics came into existence first and then later the Protestants. The Catholic’s Bible has additional material such as extra chapters of Esther and extra books like 1 Maccabees, unlike the Protestant Bible with 66 books. This causes me to think that Protestants removed the additional books and chapters from the Bible […]
Question: How do we know that Mathew Mark Luke and John were actually written by the people whose names they were accredited to? I will grant that it was probably at least written by a member of the church because it was widely accepted as the holy word of God by the early church who […]
Dr. John Oakes is giving a series of classes on the Book of Romans for the Bakersfield Church of Christ campus ministry March – May, 2021. Romans Audio I Romans 9 God’s Sovereignty Romans Audio II Romans Audio III Romans Audio IV Romans PPT Romans Notes Romans V...
Dr. John Oakes is giving a series of several sermons, mostly from the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament for the Bakersfield Church of Christ, Spring, 2021. Hosea I Unrelenting Love Audio Hosea II A Parent’s Love Audio Amos God’s Justice Audio Habakkuk Is God Faithful audio Who Would Have Believed...
Question: What are your thoughts on irreducible complexity? I read your essay on the four kinds of theistic explanations of creation a while ago and I remember you writing that you do not side with Intelligent Design and that irreducible complexity is an ID teaching. I’m currently reading your book “Is There A God?” and […]
Questions: I have three questions concerning me a little bit. 1. My atheist friend says that random things can make something really complex, like random mutations in evoltuion. 2. He also says that humans create better things than God, for example the wild old bananas compared with the genetically modified ones. 3. What do you […]
Question: Is there any credible evidence for the supernatural (miracles, immaterial conscience, life after death, demon possession, etc.) ? Answer: Yes, there is. Quite a bit, actually. The evidence for Jesus of Nazareth’s resurrection is very strong. There is the fact of his execution by crucifixion, the fact of his empty tomb and the fact […]
Comments: Can you show the continuity of the chain of transmission of So-called Gospels? These were not revealed by God but promote a pagan concept of God/Son or Man-God which was in fashion during times of Jesus. You will know after your death that what have you done to yourself. Good Luck! For your kind information, […]
[Editor’s Note: This is a series of several questions from a Muslim who has criticism of the Bible. Q & As are interspersed] Question: If you read Quran, you will observe that God is addressed as God for All Universe but in case of Bible, God is just a Tribal God addressed as “God of […]
Question: People usually accuse religions, including Christianity, of having a black and white view on sin. They are very direct like “you shall do this and you shall not do this” without considering the nuances. If God wrote his law in our hearts (conscience), then shouldn’t everyone or at least most people understand how homosexuality […]
Question: If you read the Quran, you will observe that God is addressed as God for all the universe but in case of Bible, God is just a tribal God addressed as “God of Israel”. Moreover, the Quran says: We surely sent a messenger to every community, saying, “Worship Allah and shun false gods.” but […]
Dr. John Oakes is giving a series of lessons on how to study the Bible with those we think may not yet be saved. Coming Home Studying PPT Coming Home: Studying with People Seeking God and Word of God StudySeek Word PPT Seeking God Word of God Study audio Discipleship Study...
Dr. John Oakes gave a series of eight sermons from the Book of Isaiah Summer, 2021. Isaiah Sermons combined Notes Isaiah Sermons Combined PPT Isaiah Sermon I Audio Isaiah Sermon II Audio Isaiah III Two Kings Audio Isaiah IV Audio Isaiah V Remnant Audio Who Would Have Believed...
Dr. John Oakes gave a series of lessons for the Sacramento Church of Christ July, 2021 Pain and Suffering Audio Hebrews Audio I Hebrews Audio II Hebrews Notes ...
Dr. John Oakes gave a series of classes on the Book of Revelation, both for the church in Dubai and in Guadalajara, in English and in Spanish. Revelation notes Revelation PPT Revelation Audio I Revelation Audio II Rev Audio III Rev Audio IV Rev V Audio ...
John Oakes gave a series of practical classes from the Book of Ephesians in Bakersfield, Spring, 2021 Ephesians One In Him II Notes One In Him II PPT One In Him Eph II Audio Ephesians III Family Practicals Eph III Family Living Audio Ephesians III Family Practicals Ephesians IV Family Practicals ...
Dr. John Oakes taught a series of classes on the Book of Hebrews for the Church of Christ in Sao Paulo Summer, 2021. Hebreus traduzido Porguguês PPT Hebrews Brazil I Audio Hebrews Portuguese II Hebrews Portuguese III Hebrews Portuguese IV ...
Question: I was wondering if you could help me with something. Recently I’ve been studying the Fine Tuning Argument for the Universe. I came across this blog that attempts to debunk it. I’ve looked through your questions and answers section but haven’t been able to find anything that addresses the counter argument that this blog […]
Question: Christians (non-Calvinists) tend to say that we have free will and that we ourselves are responsible for going to hell because we have the ability to choose between Christ and our worldly desires. But does free will exist to an extent that people generally believe? Isn’t everyone a subject to the family they were […]
[Editor’s note: This is a VERY long question, which is simply copied and pasted from a web site. There are far too many issues raised for me to answer all of them in limited time. What I do afterward is give a general response, rather than address all of the issues raised. If this article […]
Question: Was Peter the first pope? If true, would this prove Catholicism: Answer: Catholicism can neither be proved nor disproved. You cannot “prove” a religious group. Catholicism has beliefs and practices which are biblical and Catholicism has beliefs and practices that are unbiblical. I am sure this is true of all Christian groups. One of […]
Questions: I was reading on a website some questions of skeptics that had me thinking. 1 How can God love us if love is just an effect of chemicals inside our brain? 2 Your thoughts on the libet experiment? 3 Why do we have a brain instead of being a brain? Those were all my […]
Questions: 1. I was taught the following about the Book of Revelation: Because in Rev 1:1 it is written concerning “what must soon take place”, therefore all of the Book of Revelation speaks about the events immediately after it was written (96 AD). There are many images of plagues and disasters referring to the decline […]
Question: What do you think about the debate between William Lane Craig (theist) and Graham Oppy (atheist) about the applicability of mathematics to describing the laws of nature? [Editor’s note: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WE1y00bwCU&t=2163s&ab_channel=CapturingChristianity Response: This is a really fun discussion between two absolutely brilliant philosophers. Craig knows less mathematics but more philosophy than Oppy, yet he holds his […]
Question: It is clear in the Bible that we are saved by Grace through faith in Christ Jesus alone, but the confusing part is, if we are saved by grace alone through faith alone, why do we need to keep holy or doing good works to maintain(or maybe earn) salvation? Does this have the effect […]
Question: Does Srinivasa Ramanujan receiving mathematical instructions from Hindu Goddess prove that Hinduism is a true religion? It certainly cannot be a mental problem of Ramanujan- otherwise he could not give correct original mathematical ideas. Can you explain? Answer: I really cannot say very much about Srinivasa Ramanujan because I have never met him. Nor […]
Question: I have been trying to study the translations of the Bible, specifically the King James Version (KJV). I have been asked to give an answer to the question, “How do we know the King James version doesn’t leave things out of the Bible?” Also, the Geneva Bible translation came before the King James version. […]
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: 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 […]
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