This power point is for a class given by Dr. John Oakes at the 2012 ICEC at UCLA October 20, 2012.  The focus is on the radical claims of Jesus and why, based on the evidence from filfilled prophecy and the miracles of Jesus, a reasonable person will conclude that Jesus’ claims about himself are believable.  […]

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QUESTION: I have a question pertaining to evolution and an interpretation of scripture.  Acts 17:26 states that all men were created through one man.  However, according to Darwinian evolution not just one man evolved and procreated with the rest of the women.  But there were multiple beings that evolved into human beings simultaneously. How would […]

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QUESTION: I’ve recently watched a debate between Bart Ehrman and Daniel Wallace about the reliability of The New Testament text. Bart Ehrman brought up a point that the Acts of the apostles or Acts was transmitted in two different editions. I was wondering have you ever read the edition that’s different from our Acts in […]

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Question: I was wondering about this scripture in Mark 11:23-24:   “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever […]

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QUESTION: I’ve been looking a bit into Quantum Physics and Mechanics and recently found this question asked on Yahoo Answers: Christians, two of the most fundamental concepts in quantum mechanics disproves your god. I’ll explain below. Just remember, you can’t say this is just a theory (even though a theory means an unproven fact in […]

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QUESTION: Is social drinking bad?  Should Christians abstain from alcohol like Muslims do?  The Bible warns against drunkeness and taking drugs.  If so, then what does 1 Timothy 5:23 mean? Answer: This is an interesting question for a Christian Evidences web site! To answer this question, I really need the context of the question. What […]

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Question: I am getting hit with this subject more often. The bassist in my band who I basically live with when on tour sent me this video after a long talk we had on the tour bus. There are a lot of claims with no evidence to back it up however I think it’d be great […]

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Question: I had a another question concerning scripture that I wanted to get your point of view on. What is your take on these two scriptures?  1 Kings 22:17-23 (NIV)  [17] Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, `These people have no master. […]

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QUESTION: Have you read Sigmund Freud’s Moses and Monotheism? Freud suggests that Moses was actually an Egyptian, based on the origin of his name, and that Judaism was passed down from Egyptian monotheistic beliefs. Apparently most Egyptologists hold this to be true. Could you tell me about the historical accuracy of the claim that Moses […]

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QUESTION: What do you believe about a random “Super Spiritual” (I say this loosely) guy comes up to you and tries to look into your life and tell you about your future? So what I am asking is do you believe in people being able to prophesy about your life (like Agabus or Barnabus who […]

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QUESTION: A few sections of Ezra (4:8-6:18;7:12-26) and Daniel (2:4b-7:28) are written in Aramaic. From some of the research that I have read I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s most likely “Official Aramaic”, however I can’t seem to find a good reason why the author would write in Aramaic and Hebrew. I was wondering […]

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Question: An article appeared in Yahoo a day or two ago. It quotes theoretical cosmologist Sean Carroll. Here is the article detail: Will Science Someday Rule Out the Possibility of God? By Natalie Wolchover | LiveScience.com Here is the core section shared by Carroll: Carroll argues that God’s sphere of influence has shrunk drastically in modern […]

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QUESTION: I read this article and wondering is it true??  Here is the link: http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/14893067/early-christians-believed-jesus-wed-harvard-expert/ Answer: The article is “true” in the sense that a fourth century papyrus with seven partial lines of script in the Coptic language was found.  It is also true in the sense that the papyrus manuscript has a phrase “Jesus said […]

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Question: I know Yahoo Answers isn’t a very reliable source, so I am asking you about an answer that was  there. Someone commented on a question that was asked. The question was ” Where were the Gospels written?” One of the answers was “Tons of people compiled, copied and translated and edited the gospels all […]

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QUESTION: I’ve had a question that has really troubled me. Why is it that God would want us to be upset & regret Jesus dying on the Cross for our sins when his sacrifice was apart of God’s eternal plan in the first place? In other words, how could we feel “cut to the heart” […]

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ARS, together with the Los Angeles International Church of Christ, are putting on a one day conference designed primarily for university students and singles.  The event includes a “Dialogue With a Skeptic” between Douglas Jacoby and Michael Shermer.   To pre-register (cost $5) go to   http://laicc.org/resources/answers        See below for more information.   We will be having a follow-up event […]

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QUESTION: Why do you think David uses gruesome imagery for righteous victors over wicked foes in the following verses? Psalm 58:10 “The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.”Psalm 68:23 “that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes, while […]

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Question: Many people cite Isaiah 17 as further evidence of a coming Armageddon. In current news, syria (and damascus ) do have an internal war going on. Verse 4-6 seem to imply Israel will be attacked or face a consequence related to the destruction damascus, concurrently. My question is: Has the destruction of Damascus happened […]

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Question: I am in a discussion with a friend in St. Louis. One issue he has brought up and its implication is that theistic evolution cannot be true as death did not enter into the realm of creation until Adam and Eve sinned and thus the geological sediments and all the animals and plants could […]

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Question: I just have one question for you.  Do you believe there is a hell of fire and brimstone where the God of love, the God of the Bible, will annihilate billions of His creatures?  This is an extremely important question as the implications for the answer are light years beyond gigantic, whatever the answer.  Thank […]

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QUESTION: I was reading the Gospel of John earlier today and I came across the crucifixion account. There was one verse that I’m pretty sure I’ve looked over before but caught my attention this time around. John 19:36 “For these things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled, “Not a bone of his will […]

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Question: Does this not give you something to think about ?  [editor’s note: some personal info about where the questioner got this info and generated the question is left out here] Bruce wrote: “There are texts which may have lacked the Prayer of Forgiveness on the Cross in Luke (so like Luke to invent this in the […]

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