Dr. John Oakes gave a lesson on the Book of Ephesians for the San Diego Church of Christ. Ephesians Coming Home Devo Notes Ephesians Home Devo Audio ...
Dr. John Oakes gave a lesson for the singles in Bakersfield, CA Dec. 2020 on the Book of Hosea. Hosea 11:1-12:6 Notes Hosea 11:1-12:6 Audio ...
Dr John Oakes gave a series of classes on being in Christ for the Lifeway Region of the LA International Church of Christ. In Christ Audio I In Christ Audio II One Another III Audio One Another IV In-Christ Lifeway In Christ PPT ...
Dr. John Oakes gave a series of 15 sermons from the Gospel of John for the Bakersfield Church of Christ in Nov-Feb, 2020/21. Notes, power point and audio are attached. John Whole Series Notes John Whole Series PPT John I Woman in Adultery audio John II Meet Jesus Audio ...
[Editor’s note: The one asking is Russian, which will explain some of the awkward wording below. The intent of the question is fairly clear] Question: We have a question from our readers. Can help us to answer, please? I’m interested in a question about profanity. I have been made to understand that the word means […]
Question: Why do you think aborting is a sin? My friend tells me that a fetus has no life before some weeks and you can abort him if he has no life. Answer: I assume that your friend would agree that it is wrong to take the life of a living breathing human being simply […]
Question: If Jesus of Nazareth indeed did miracles, healed the sick and raised many dead people, was crucified and was resurrected, then why don’t we have documents by non-Christian authors (Romans or Greeks or others) within His lifetime or within the first century. Many prominent leaders, kings, historians will surely have heard about such unique […]
Question: “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” Matthew 16:28 NIV. What did Jesus mean here? Is he referring to his second coming? Answer: In Matthew 16:28 appears at first glance to be a reference to the second […]
Dr. John Oakes, along with his very good friends and colleagues, Dan Conder and Kedron Jones are teaching a series of three classes on Sat. 11/7, 11/14 and 11/21 at 9:00 Pacific Standard Time on answering the hard questions. Here is the link to register for the class: https://event.webinarjam.com/register/37/8rr9qan5 Topics include Why is there suffering […]
Questions: I have two questions about the evolution theory and Christianity. 1. Where do Adam and Eve fit in evolution? 2. Is it okay for a Christian to think evolution is correct (because I think it is but some priests tell me that its wrong)? Thanks. Greg: There are two legitimate possible Christian views on […]
Question: I have 2 questions right now, I hope you can answer me. 1. Is the cosmological argument irrefutable? 2. Did the flood occur before prehistoric times, for example the ice age, or after it? Answer: Refutability is in the eye of the beholder! Here is the Kalaam Cosmological Argument: Premise: All things that […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a series of Christian Evidence classes for the Tucson Church of Christ. Notes, PPTs and audio are attached. Evidence for Jesus PPT EvidenceforJesus Audio History Archaeology and the Bible PPT Hist Arch and Bible Audio Christian Worldview PPT Christian Worldview Audio […]
Question: Recently I got a question asked by a Muslim about the Bible and Jesus. It is this: The Bible says that anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse (Deuteronomy 21:23). Using this verse they ask that if Jesus is the true Messiah by being crucified is he not cursed and […]
Question: Hi all at EFC, I was wondering, how do I help someone who asks “If God truly wants a relationship with me, why doesn’t he give evidence that he knows that I would have to believe in him.” Thanks. Answer: God provides us great mountains of evidence for his existence, and also that the […]
Question: Help me! Mythicists insist that Josephus’ account of Jesus of Nazareth in BK XVIII of his *antiquities* is a wholesale forgery. They also insist that the passage about “James the brother of Jesus who was called Messiah” is not, in fact, about Jesus of Nazareth but “Jesus, son of Damneus” They also insist […]
Dr. John Oakes is giving a lesson on the Christian and other worldviews for a campus conference this coming weekend Oct 24/25. The audio (but not the video) as well as the power point are available here. Christian Worldview PPT World View Audio […]
Dr. John Oakes taught a series of classes for the Los Angeles School of Missions and Ministry Feb 4,5,11,12 2021. He was co-teaching with Dr. Gregg Marutzky. The books Dr. Oakes covered are Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Minor Prophets Audio 1 Minor Prophets Audio 2 Min Proph Audio 3 ...
[Editor’s note: This question was sent to me (John Oakes) and to my friend Douglas Jacoby. You will see both of our responses below, with Doug’s first. It is posted both at my site and at Doug’s www.douglasjacoby.com] Question: Douglas and John, would you please address the issue of Christians smoking mushrooms, especially for healing, […]
Question: Hey all at EFC, how would you respond to this quote from Robert Ingersoll in 1885: “We now know that the Hebrews were never enslaved by the Egyptians, that the entire story (Exodus) is a fiction. We know this because there cannot be found in the Egyptian language one word of Hebrew origin and […]
Question: There are some people influenced by NT Wright, and some are even Christians, who have doubt whether Paul was a genuine Christian. It is said that one must study the second temple period of Jewish history if we want an unfiltered understanding of the first-century church and all things about Paul. More so, it […]
Question: Bible critics and atheists say that none of the nine non-Christian writers like Thallus, Josephus, Tacitus and others actually wrote about Jesus of Nazareth of the Bible in their documents. They say those documents were all fabrications by a Christian. Your response? Response: This is quite simply a lie, and ought to be labeled […]
Question: Is there any extra-biblical evidence for the triumphal entry? Answer: No. There is no mention of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The non-believers who mentioned Jesus and Christians only mentioned the most general facts, such as their devotion to Christ, the death of Jesus, the fact that people believed in his resurrection […]
Question: When did the ice age occur in the Bible? Answer: The ice age is not mentioned in the Bible. Neither are dinosaurs, mass extinction events, saber-toothed tigers, Chinese people, the existence of microbes, the content of the atmosphere, the existence of planets, or any of millions of things that are not relevant to the […]
Question: If everything comes from God, doesn’t that mean that evil comes from God as well? Thanks Answer: Yes and no, but more no than yes. Let me explain. God created everything, and it was all good. In fact, it was very good (Genesis 1:31). At creation, everything God made was good and there was […]
Question: I have a question. In 2 Kings 1:1-18, at the end of vs 18 it says “The Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel” My question is this: what is the book of annals of the Kings of Israel? Is it the same as the books of 1 Kings and 2 Kings? […]
Question: Since the 360 day Hebrew calendar should be used when calculating the 70 weeks, if we calculated from 457 BC we would end up in 18 AD before the ministry of Christ. How can this be explained? David: According to whose authority must the 360 day Hebrew lunar year be used to make this […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a class on Modernism and Postmodernism for the Dacca Church of Christ in Bangaladesh Saturday 10/24/2020. The class is not necessarily a condemnation of either modernism or postmodernism, but discusses the strengths and weaknesses of both, as well as where they fall short of being helpful to a Christian worldview. Here […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a four-part class on the Book of Galatians for the Bakersfield Church of Christ. The class is focusing on Paul’s teaching that salvation is based on what Christ did on the cross, that salvation is by faith and that life in Christ is based on the work of the Holy […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a series of lessons for the Spokane Christian Church 8/23/2020. The lessons were intended to increase the faith, both of members and visitors. One lesson is From Shadow to Reality–a lesson about finding Jesus in the Old Testament. Shadow to Reality Notes Shadow to Reality PPT Next was a lesson on […]
Question: In John 9:39 Jesus says, “For judgment I came into this world.” But then in John 12:47-48 Jesus says “I did not come to judge the world but to save it.” Are these not a contradiction and how do we resolve this? Answer: A great question. I had never noticed this potential contradiction. When […]
Questions: I have 3 questions to ask you. Why did God not do anything when Abraham has a concubine and when Solomon had multiple concubines? What did Jesus mean when he said that if your eye causes to see a women lustfully pluck it out and when a hand causes you to sin cut it […]
Question: What do you think about people that criticise christianity, because they reject the idea of using a condom. Thanks Answer: The Bible does not address the topic of birth control. Birth control techniques on the ancient world were primarily through abortion–either by the taking of poisonous herbs in non-fatal dosages, or by surgical killing […]
[Editor’s note: this question is an “insider” question from someone in the churches of Christ. For those who are not part of this fellowship, please understand and perhaps excuse that I am publishing a question that you may not be able to relate to.] Question: I am a college student and a part of the […]
Question: Does our Eurocentrism harm the way we live in the church? Some say that our Eurocentric or Western perspectives hinder our reading of religions. Therefore, we cannot talk about the inferiority of other religions as this would be Eurocentric. Answer: I am guessing that you have read an article which claims that Eurocentrism is […]
Question: Why do you think God allows natural disasters? Also, why do people not believe in God, although its clear that he exists? Thanks. Answer: This is a common question. The atheist asks the Christian believer why God, if he is so loving and so powerful, does not prevent natural disasters. Actually, I assume that […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a podcast on the Book of Hebrews, sponsored by Illumination Publishers (www.ipibooks.com), on four successive Mondays. Here are the power point and notes for the class: Hebrews PPT Hebrews Notes The audio for class #2,3 are here: Hebrews Webinar II Audio Hebrews Webinar III Audio Hebrewd IV Audio Here are the […]
Dr. John Oakes will be teaching a five-week class on the post-exile Old Testament books, including Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Esther, Nehemiah and Ezra. The theme of these books is God restoring his people to a relationship with him. There is much about the Kingdom of God here. The classes will be on five consecutive Saturdays […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a series of classes on Christian Evidence topics for the Tucson Church of Christ in October, 2020 EvidenceforJesus Audio Tucson History Archaeology and Bible Audio Christian Worldview Audio Tucson Christian Worldview PPT ...
Dr. John Oakes gave a four-part class on the Book of Galatians September to November, 2020. The title is Galatians: Living by Law vs Living by the Spirit. Galatians Audio I Galatians Audio II Galatians Audio III Galatians Audio IV Galatians Whole Class Notes Galatians Whole Class PPT ...
Dr. John Oakes gave a four-part eight-hour class on the post-exile prophets in Bakersfield September, 2020 Repent, Return, Restore, Rebuild Audio I Repent, Return II Audio Repent Return Restore Rebuild III Repent Return Restore Rebuild IV Repent Return Restore Rebuild notes Repent Return Restore Rebuild PPT ...
John Oakes did a series of midweeks on the reliability of the Bible in Bakersfield, summer, 2020 Reliability of Bible Manuscripts Reliability History Archaeology and Bible ...
John Oakes gave a series of nine sermons from the Book of Luke Aug – Oct, 2020 in Bakersfield, CA Luke I Upside Down Luke II Savior in a Manger Luke III Help for the Poor Luke IV Jesus Calls Disciples AudioLuke V Jesus and Women Luke VI Jesus and the Poor Audio ...
Question: Do coincidences happen? Or does God cause them? Thanks Answer: This is a fun question to think about. I am sure many believers have asked themselves this intriguing question. My answer is yes, of course coincidences happen. For example, when someone wins the super lottery, it is a fantastic coincidence that they happened to […]
Question: What would you answer to someone that asks you: what if universes are the only thing that doesn’t need a Creator? I hope you can answer me, thanks Answer: The Bible says in Proverbs 26:5, “Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.” So, I will […]
Question: What would you answer to someone that tells you that people believe in God because they are afraid of death? I hope you can answer me. Answer: I am sure that there are some people who believe in God, at least in part, out of fear of death. That is not why I believe […]
Questions: I listened to all the 1 hour lectures you gave at a university recently. The evidence about the life of Christ, and lack of info about other claimed messiah types like Zoroaster was very helpful. I’m definitely struggling with your views on a approx 14 million yrs old earth ( I’m not sure that […]
Question: Is it true that Christianity endorsed Hermeticism at the beginning? Answer; I am going to guess that you saw someone somewhere claim that Christianity borrowed its belief system in part from Hermeticism. The simple answer to your question is a hard no. No, Christianity never has endorsed Hermeticism and especially primitive Christianity certainly did […]
Question: Please respond to this article: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/jesus-body/ Is it true that Jesus’ resurrected body was a spiritual one only according to 1 Peter 3:18, and that we too will have spirit, not physical bodies in heaven? Answer: First of all, you will do well to not listen to Jehovah Witnesses, both in person and […]
Question: I read a passage in the Bible where it said that there was a blackness and an earthquake after Jesus died. [Editor’s note: Luke 23:44 for the darkness, Matthew 27:51 for the earthquake] Is there historical evidence of people seeing this? Answer: Many people fail to recognize that we have very little information about […]
Question: I have a question about the Temple mentioned in Ezekiel Ch 40-48. It says that there will be sin sacrifices, but how can that be so if Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice? I know that there are both literal and figurative interpretations, but everything I have seen has favored the literal view of these […]
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