Question: The Koran taunted that unbelievers are waiting for God Himself to come to them in the shadows of the clouds, together with the angels (2:210). Isn’t this taunting on the Biblical concept of God’s arrival? Response: Muhammad can taunt whomever he likes. As Christians, we turn the other cheek to those who persecute us, […]
Question: Is this evidence for infant baptism being practiced in the early church? Hyppolytus: “Baptize first the children, and if they can speak for themselves let them do so. Otherwise, let their parents or other relatives speak for them” (The Apostolic Tradition 21:16 [A.D. 215]). Origen: “The Church received from the apostles the tradition of […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a multi-week class on the Book of Isaiah for the campus group at UC Merced on Wednesdays at 7:30 beginning 6/18/2025. The class is now complete! Isaiah Notes Isaiah PPT Isaiah Audio I Isaiah Audio 2a Isaiah Audio 2b (In 2 sections because of a recording […]
Question: In a post on original sin, you claim that the Roman Catholic Church teaches that we inherit sin that God must judge us for (I will leave the link of the article below for context.) however, it is my understanding that this is false. It seems to me that the Catholic Church teaches that […]
Question: How would you respond to people who say that Christianity caused the Holocaust? Answer: The immediate cause of the Holocaust was racial hatred from a person who was definitely not even a Christian, and from those who supported him. Hitler did not profess to be Christian. His immediate circle of criminal gangsters were also […]
Question: Recently I was witness to a debate in a comment section in an article on quora between an atheist and a group of believers. (I might also say that the atheist was very rude and had the tendency to act self important. Very narcissistic.) But, he said some things that I thought I would […]
Question: How would you respond to people who say “No one treated Isaiah 53 as talking about the Messiah before the 1st century AD”? Answer: I would respond by proving that this is quite simply a false statement. Anyone who says this is either ignorant of the facts or is purposefully lying. Let us hope […]
Question: Would you use the Talmud to support the notion that Isaiah 53 is talking about a human being (not a nation)? Answer: This is a great question. So many Jewish commentators today deny that it is a reference to the Messiah, for the rather obvious reason that it IS about the Messiah, and this […]
Question: Dear doctor. I wanted to ask you about the bias in mainstream Bible scholarship. You say that almost all scholars agree that Mark was written in the 50’s-60’s AD, but when I look it up the first thing I see is that mainstream scholars all put Mark around after 70 AD. Of course they […]
Question: According to the Koran, Jesus was only a prophet, before whom other prophets had passed away (5:75) and his mission to the Jews was to clarify for them some of what they differed about (43:63). It is in direct contradiction with the Prophets and Epistles. What should be the Christian response? Answer: What you […]
Scott Buchannan has written an excellent article on the prophetic meaning of Daniel 11:36-45, with an assist from Dr. John Oakes. The consensus opinion of scholars is that Daniel was written after the events prophesied in Daniel 11:1-35, undermining the very idea of biblical inspiration. The same scholars claim that the subsequent prophecy in Daniel […]
Question: I wanted to ask you your thoughts on the original monotheism. What are some of the examples we have of early monotheism and how far back it goes? Answer: This is a bit of a complex question. Really, there are two questions we need to ask: one of which requires some speculation and common […]
[Editor’s note: This question is very personal. I do not normally publish such personal questions, but have decided to do so because it provides a good example of how young Christians who are trying to learn how to defend their faith can help those that they are close to.] Question: First, I would like to […]
Question: Have you ever read Dr. Gerald Schroeder’s work offering agreement between the science data from the old earth and universe and the 6 days of creation based on Einsteins equations of General Relativity? If so, what are your thoughts? I realize he is Jewish and I am not sure if he is a Christian. […]
Question: Is Ezekiel 37:21 a reference to the modern state of Israel? Answer: No, it is not. It is a reference, either to the restoration of the Southern Kingdom of Israel when Persia conquered Babylon, as recorded in Ezra and elsewhere, or it is a reference to the spiritual restoration of Israel in the church. […]
Question: Dear doctor I wanted to ask you about morality laws of Jews and Christians, and how they compare to other religions. A lot of hardcore atheists ascertain that Christians during the spread of Christianity destroyed and erased cultures from existence and replaced them with Christianity. They lament that so much culture was lost. On […]
Question: My Muslim friend criticized the Bible and referred to his scripture 19:58 [editor’s note: The questioner is referring to Sura 19:58, which does NOT mention these prophets, except Abraham. This quote appears to be a false one. I am going to assume that he is listing other prophets mentioned somewhere in the Qur’an, or […]
[Editor’s Note: This Q & A is about matters internal to the Christian group known as the International Churches of Christ (ICOC). I normally do not post such in-house articles, but think that it might be relevant to others as well, so take it for what it is worth!] Question: I have been going through […]
Question: Martin Luther said that Virgin Mary was a perpetual virgin. Do you agree or disagree? Answer: No. Certainly not. Luther did teach the perpetual virginity of Mary earlier in his career, when he was reflecting his Roman Catholic heritage. Earlier in his career he had a very high view of Mary, but later he […]
Question: Christians only have the written record of a few prophets in their Bible. It seems Jews did not have a complete record of prophetic speeches, otherwise Jesus would not be rejected. What’s your say? Answer: The Old Testament includes the words of at least 16 prophets. That is quite a few prophets! What would […]
Questions: Dr. John, I would love to hear your insights on the following questions: 1. How could Jesus die for the future sins of people who hadn’t even been born at the time of His crucifixion? We can easily understand the ransom being paid for all the past and present sins. But how could we […]
Question: I’m wondering if there is any historical or biblical evidence behind there being a strain of Christianity that got it right throughout the centuries? I have heard Baptist apologists say that there is always a remnant (sometimes maybe only one person) with biblical truth. I have also heard mainline Church of Christers claim to […]
Question: I have a doubt about the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:6 that Jesus appeared to 500 after he rose from the dead. If this is true why didn’t the gospels or the book of Acts confirm this event which is very important? And why didn’t Jesus appear […]
Question: Tertullian says that Sentius Saturninus was the governor of Judea at the birth of Jesus. Is Tertullian correct, or is he wrong here? Answer: I believe that Tertullian is wrong here. Saturninus ruled over Syria (and indirectly over Judea) from 9-7 BC, which is almost certainly too early for the birth of Jesus, which, […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a short series of classes on the Church for the Merced Christian Church and the Alpha Omega Club April – June, 2025. Notes, PPTs and audio will be posted here. The Church Notes The Church PPT The Church Audio I The Church Audio II […]
Question: [editor’s note, this is a rather long question] I want you to respond to the following article: “The Resurrection Story of Jesus” Claims of “resurrection appearances of Jesus” in the earliest source, 1 Cor., do not list time, place, circumstances, nor whether Jesus spoke or did anything other than “appear,” and, Jesus appears […]
Question: The Ebionites had very similar beliefs to the Koran about Jesus and the Bible. They believed that Jesus was merely a prophet (same in the Koran) and the Torah had been distorted with false texts. Specifically, laws relating to animal sacrifice were later corruptions (similar to the Koran). It makes me believe that the […]
Question: I wanted to ask you about quantum gravity. I read an article published recently that said that there has been a major break through in the theory and that they think that they might be close to unifying everything. The article was by Sustainability Times titled “Gravity Isn’t Relative Anymore.” Are they right in […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a two-part lesson on the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians for the Iglesia de Cristo in Guadalajara, Mexico. He is also teaching a series of sermons from the Book of Hebrews. The classes will be in English, and translated into Spanish. Materials are posted here: […]
Dear Reader: I do not normally publish articles written by others, but, once in a while, I read one which is so good, I publish it at the site. This is one exception. Greg Koukl is one of the preeminent apologists working today. He published this article which is a defense of the reality of […]
Question: When doing apologetics research I like to compare my pro theist view with a different opinion so I can see with one has more merit. Usually this brings me to Reddit, which is known for being a cesspool of toxic atheism. Sadly they don’t really give me any actual information to work with, they […]
Question: What is the author of Hebrews trying to tell us in Hebrews 9:8-9? There is a strange build up to these verses talking about the first tabernacle (which notably included the Ark in its description, which may differentiate it from the 2nd Temple). This build up leads into a strange verse claiming that the […]
Question: Dear doctor, I’ve been doing apologetic and history research and I wanted to ask you about Yahweh being a Midianite deity that Moses eventually adopted into their worship. Apparently this is the scholarly consensus. Does this theory have any proof? Why is it the scholarly consensus? Is there even any evidence or is it […]
Question: Dear doctor, I’ve been doing apologetic and history research and I wanted to ask you about Yahweh being a Midianite deity that Moses eventually adopted into their worship. Apparently this is the scholarly consensus. Does this theory have any proof? Why is it the scholarly consensus? Is there even any evidence or is it […]
Question: According to Christianity, the sacrifices mentioned in the Pentateuch are replaced by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, after which no sacrifice can take place, but the historical fact is that the followers of Jesus Christ went on participating in the sacrificial system of the temple in Jerusalem until its destruction in 70 […]
Question: According to Christianity, Jesus is the light (Isa. 42:6) and he came to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness (Isa. 42:7). On the other hand, Muhammad is the Lamp Spreading Light (Sura 33:46) and who came to release Jews […]
Request: Thank you for responding to my earlier question regarding the blog post written by Bart Ehrman on Messianic Prophecy. Your answer was very helpful and I learned a lot from it. click here for article I was wondering if you could respond to one of his claims he makes later in the post. Ehrman lists […]
Request: Would you be willing to give a response to this blog post by Bart Ehrman? I hope that’s not too much to ask for since it’s rather short. https://ehrmanblog.org/jesus-and-the-messianic-prophecies/ The blog is about Old Testament prophecy and Jesus’ fulfillment of them. His main point is that the Gospel writers “worked backwards” and that their writings […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a lesson for the Los Angeles Church of Christ Sun 3/30 at 10:00 https://www.occhurchofchrist.com The lesson is on the “basics” of Christianity. What are the essentials of Christianity, without which, one is not saved by Christ? The outline and power point are here: Christianity The Basics Notes Christianity–The Basics […]
Question: According to the Qur’an (sura 2:83), God made a covenant with the Israelites: “Worship none but God; and be good to parents, relatives, orphans, and the needy; and speak nicely to people; and pray regularly, and give alms.” But no mention of sin-offering sacrifices as having God’s sanction. The Qur’an says (sura 22:37): “Neither […]
Question: Is water baptism (immersion) essential for salvation ? Answer: Yes, it certainly is. Biblically, baptism is WHEN one is forgiven of sins and receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38-41). Acts 22:16 provides further evidence, as Paul is told, “And now, what are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized, and […]
Question: Dear doctor. I have been reading your articles and while I agree with many things you say there are some I disagree with such as Trump and the issue of illegal immigrants. I don’t think it’s fair for you to say that Trump and his supporters are all cold hearted individuals. The Bible talks […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a lecture titled “The Bible and Evolution” at UC Merced 2/28/2025. He presented the idea that evolution is a viable scientific theory, but that the evidence points very strongly to the conclusion that the process is not a fully natural, random one, but that God has intervened at various times and […]
Question: In Isaiah 42:11 God is clearly saying that He will send the people of Kedar (i.e., the Arabs) a Prophet and they should “rejoice” and “raise their voices” in happiness. Also, “Let the desert and its towns raise their voices;” is clearly referring to Arabia, since Arabia is known to be made of mostly […]
Question: Concerning the exegesis of Zechariah 12:10, I read that the word translated “pierced” or “killed” theoretically could go either way, but how about the structure of the sentence? Jews seem to see it as not referring back to “ME” in the sentence where as the Christian interpretation is it does. Answer: I am not an […]
Question: If God’s Son had to be sacrificed, then why did the OT prophets not tell their generations in detail and leave it to the NT authors who interpreted passages like Isa. 52:13-53:12 to strengthen their case? If it was pre-planned, then why was God hesitant to reveal his son’s details to his beloved nation? […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a class on Church History for the West Coast School of Ministry this Spring. All notes, PPT and audio will be posted here: Church History Notes Notes Church History PPT Church History I Audio Church History II Church History III Church History IV Genesis […]
[Editor’s note: The article below concerns an article the inquirer found by Richard Carrier. Carrier is an atheist who tries to present himself as a scholar, but who writes fantastically poorly reasoned nonsense. My suggestion: Do not waste your time reading his blog, but it is up to you.] Request: Could I ask you to […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a seven-week class on Christian Theology at UC Merced, Wednesday nights at 7:30 in Rm GLCR 120, beginning on 2/5/2025. For those not in the Merced area (most of you!), I will be posting the notes, power point and audio here: Christian Theology Notes Christian-Theology Merced Christian Theology […]
Question: It’s is common knowledge that the early church held to what is called baptismal regeneration. We can find this through quotes and epistles from the fathers. What about quotes on infant baptism? I’m sure you’ve read a few that can supported infant baptism. What is your response to these quotes? Also, if we are […]
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