Dr. John Oakes taught a class on the Book of Hebrews for the Igresia de Cristo en Sao Paulo Brasil on successive Wednesdays in April and May, 2021. I am posting the power point and the audio. Unfortunately, we do not have the notes in Portuguese, so I am posting the notes in English. […]
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 […]
Question: I want to ask one question. One skeptic New Testament scholar Robert McNair Price says that since our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth was a miracle working historical person who did many miracles like multiplying thousands of bread and fishes, raised the deaths, turning water into wine, healed the sick persons, resurrected, ascended and […]
Question: How to respond to a query about Jesus–whether he is a liar, a lunatic or God? Answer: I respond to this by asking the people to read my book “Reasons for Belief” (available at www.ipibooks.com). In this book I spend two chapters delving into the liar/lord/lunatic question. If they do not want to spend the […]
Question: Did the big bang just happen?? Answer: The phrase “just happened” has two meanings. It can mean that the thing happened quite recently. It can also mean that it happened, but that there was no cause or reason for it to happen. In other words, when we say it “just happened” we mean that […]
Dr. John Oakes, Dr. Gregg Marutzky and Dr. Steve Kinnard are teaching a class on the twelve “Minor Prophets” of the Old Testament Feb4,5,11,12 for the Los Angeles School of Ministry and Missions. The notes and power point and audio from Dr. Oakes are here. The Minor Prophets Notes LASMM Minor Prophets LASMM PPT […]
Question: Is time real and how did it start to exist? How can we still be evolving and be in God’s image? Answer: Is time real? I suppose that depends on how you define realness. This is a deep, philosophical question. However, I am going to duck the philosophical question of the definition of realness […]
Question: Why did God tell Hosea to marry a prostitute? Many from other religions such as Hinduism and Islam ask me this question. If God of the Bible is sinless how can he tell Hosea to marry a prostitute? Answer; Honestly, any fair-minded person could answer this for themselves. In the first three chapters of […]
Question: Is there mythology in the bible? Answer: The simple answer is no. According to the common, Western idea of mythology, the Bible has no mythology. The layperson’s definition of mythology is something like this: fictitious stories created by cultures to tell themselves about the nature of reality. The key word there is fictitious. If […]
Question: How would you respond to someone who says that the big bang is false because explosions don’t produce stuff like matter or energy? Answer: I would say, first of all, that this person is correct in that it is true that explosions do not produce “stuff.” However, his argument is incorrect for this reason. […]
Question: I have read on your website that you are in great support of the Cosmological Argument, but I have not been able to find what your thoughts are on the Teleological Argument (That everything is fine-tuned and directs to belief in a creator). I also know this argument is favored by Intelligent Design supporters […]
Question: We have plenty of evidence that the world didn’t start with an original couple, but Genesis says that it did. What are your thoughts on this? Answer: Actually, the evidence says that the universe started about 13.5 billion years before there were any people, and the earth began about 4.6 billion years before there […]
Question: How did Moses know what to write in Genesis? If we say God revealed things to Moses, why did he write allegorical things and why did he use literary figures? Answer: I have no reason to believe that Moses wrote Genesis. This is a tradition which has been accepted by many believers for a […]
Dr. John Oakes did an exegesis assignment for his masters degree program. The assignment is posted here. Exegesis Hosea 11.1 – 12.6 Here is a lesson from the same passage given for a singles devotional. Hosea 11:1-12:6 Notes Hosea 11:1-12:6 Audio […]
Question: How would you respond to people who say that evolutive processes ( like the creation of stars and animal evolution) need no God, and therefore who reject the idea of God on that basis? Answer: I believe that the processes of star-formation and animal evolution are natural processes which proceed according to the natural […]
Question: 1. Which do you prefer: the kaalam cosmological argument or the original cosmological argument of Thomas Aquinas? 2. How can one refute the idea of an eternal universe? Answer: That is an easy question. The kaalam cosmological argument is definitely the superior one. That is why it was proposed in the first place. Here […]
Question: What do you think about the fact that the number of Christians is constantly getting less and less? This personally worries me. [Editor’s note: A follow-up question to my answer came in since this was posted. This person saw a claim that only 10% of the people in Mexico are Christians and this seemed […]
Question: 1. Why do some people say the earth was created 6000 years ago? (since the bible does not mention this at all) 2. Why do you think God loves us so much? 3. Is your website Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, or a different type of Christianity? Answer: The reason that some Christians claim that the […]
Question: What are some good arguments to support this statement: Evolution needs to have an intelligent creator so it can work? Answer: Normally I write out answers to all questions, but in this case I am going to do something different. I am going to give you a list of resources you can use to […]
Question: What are your thoughts on the theorem of an eternal universe because of the quantum world? Answer: To tell you the truth, I have never seen quantum theory used to defend belief in an eternal universe. The steady-state theory, also known as the theory of continuous creation, was formerly defended by a minority of […]
Question: Do you think God made the sun by himself, or do you think used physical laws as a plan so the sun could be created from the elements? Also, should we find a scientific explanation of what we read in Genesis or we should just interpret it as something merely poetic and not literal? […]
Dr. John Oakes and Jerry Maday are teaching a 7-week class on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 Eastern time on Jesus in the Old Testament, beginning 3/3/2021. The notes and audio from John Oakes’ part of the class will be posted here. The class can be attended by going to the following zoom link: https://holycross.zoom.us/j/96477652791 Jesus […]
Question: Many say that in the age of science it’s absurd to say that Bible is reliable when it says that the Creation took 6 days to complete and God created man when evolution is proven. How do I answer them? I’m not a science student but how can we answer such questions? Answer: I […]
Questions: Did Moses copy the Old Testament from another book or source? If the last statement is true then would that mean that the only reliable thing in the Bible are in the New Testament? Answer: First of all, Moses was only responsible for a limited portion of the Old Testament. Almost certainly he did […]
Question: I have three questions. 1. The New Testament says that non believing Jewish leaders were accused of handing Jesus over to be killed by the Romans. The first century Jews did not deny this historical fact, as they knew that they played a role in killing Jesus by handing him to the Romans soldiers. […]
Question: Did Moses copy the Old Testament from another book or source? If the last statement is true then is the only reliable part of the Bible the New Testament? Answer: First of all, Moses was only responsible for a limited portion of the Old Testament. Almost certainly he did not write Genesis. There is […]
Question: How do you thing the gospel writer Matthew could have gotten information about Pontius Pilate wife’s dream regarding Jesus in his Gospel? What kind of person do you think Pilate was? For this question please see these two links: [Editor’s note: these are two articles in which Bart Ehrman argues against the reliability of […]
Dr. John Oakes is giving a series of lessons for the Lifeway Church of Christ (part of the Los Angeles Church of Christ) on two successive Wednesdays 12/2 and 12/9 on being In Christ. These lessons come from a book titled In Christ (www.ipibooks.com) Notes, power point and audio are available here: In-Christ Notes […]
Question: Dr. William Lane Craig and others have pointed out that first century Jews were not waiting for humble Messiah who will suffer, let alone will rise from the dead. They waited for king who would free them from the Romans. But I found information in a video about Dr. Knohl who decoded an inscription […]
Question: How would you respond to someone who says the universe is self-thinking and conscious? How would this work in terms of the universe creating itself and also fine tuning? Would that prove pantheism? Answer; As you appear to recognize, you are describing a view of the cosmos known as pantheism. This is a theology […]
[Editor’s note: An excerpt from the article this question refers to, as well as a link to the article are found after my response to her question. It would be a good idea to look at the link in order to understand the issue being raised] Question: What do you make of this article that […]
Question: I have tried to find some info about kabbalah on your site and didn’t find any. If I understand correctly, Kabbalah is an invention of the Middle Ages from Jewish people who were involved in the occult. I even saw something about a kabbalistic upside down Christmas tree which troubled me. I have interacted […]
Question: 1. What would you say to a person that claims this: Before the universe there was a quantum vaccuum that created the universe? 2. Does god know all the future events that may or may NOT happen? Answer; On the first question, if anyone says this then I assume that they do not know […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a series of 16 sermons from the Gospel of John Nov-Feb, 2020/2021 for the Bakersfield Church of Christ. The notes, power point and audio are provided here: John Whole Series Notes John Whole Series PPT John I Woman in Adultery audio John II Meet Jesus Audio John III Jesus in […]
Question: I read recently that Elon Musk said that religion and/or spirituality, has no place in science. What are your thoughts on this? Answer: Believe it or not, I agree that Elon Musk is correct on this question. Religion involves things like the supernatural, ultimate purpose, meaning, faith. Science involves things that can be measured […]
Question: Since the Bible and we as Christians think that God made nature perfect with only 2 sexes, what do you think about the following questions? 1. How do we answer and how do we act toward with hostile feminists and lgbt supporters? 2. Is interex the 3rd sex? Answer: First of all, we need […]
Question: Does science know what happens when you die? Do we have any evidence for our soul/spirit? Answer: On the first question, it depends on what you mean. Science can answer physical questions about physical, measurable things. Science can tell us that, when we die, our bodies begin an immediate process of decay back to […]
Question: Should Christians believe in ghosts? What do you say to people who think believing in ghosts is stupid? Answer: First of all, we need to define what a “ghost” is. If we do not know exactly what we are talking about, then we will not be speaking precisely, and I want to speak precisely. […]
Question: Hi, I was just reading your article from May of 2005 about how scholars date ancient manuscripts and I had a question. In the article, you lay out the different methods of determining the dates, like styles of script or types of paper. My question is, how did historians determine when each style was […]
Question: What do you think of a theory that says that we are still living in the sixth day of the bible right now? Answer: I do not think that this is a good theory, to be honest. I hope I can say that without offending you. I am also not sure why it would […]
[Editor’s note: This is a long question with an even longer answer. The questioner makes some rather personal comments, so my response is more personal that I normally would use. Feel free to give me feedback. J. O.] Question: Bart Ehrman claims the Bible was changed and is unreliable in his book “Misquoting Jesus–The Story […]
Question: What does the Bible mean when it says that God made man from dust? Answer: No one takes the statement that God made man from the dust of the earth literally–at least not that I know of. As far as I know, no one believes that God literally swept up some dust and miraculously […]
Question: In your opinion which is better, theistic evolution, natural evolution or evolutionary creation? Answer: I see no measurable difference between natural evolution and evolutionary creation. One is an essentially atheist view, while the other comes from believers, but as far as science is concerned, they cannot be distinguished. Both propose that all living things […]
[Editor’s note: There are several questions here. Answers are interspersed in italics] I am struggling with questions! I have so many and need to discuss with someone. 1) There is nothing that exists that was not created by GOD, so why make wickedness/evil to begin with? I am currently teaching a class in which I […]
[Editor’s note: This question is a follow-up from the class Answering the Hard Questions which we have been teaching the past three weeks.] Question: Hi guys! Thanks for the great apologetics series! I left last session with two questions. One is regarding the use of the “copying error” as a tool for explaining discrepancies between texts. […]
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