Question: Does Paul assume that all Christians have been baptized? Answer: The simple answer is yes, definitely. He assumed this because all the apostles and other inspired teachers in the early church believed this. Paul did not discuss baptism all that much in his letters because the question of baptism was not an issue in […]
The notes and power point are from a class taught by Dr. John Oakes 11/30/2010 as part of our ARS Certificate in Christian Apologetics. The examples used are ones which are particularly useful in using archaeological finds to illustrate important biblical teachings. Notes: OT Archaeology, Teaching and Preaching PPoint OT Archaeology Teach/Preach 3.85 Mb
Science and Religion are Not Enemies. An essay by John Oakes, PhD. This essay was written for inclusion in a new college textbook for a class titled "Intro to Scientific Thought." Because of the nature of the class, the essay is about the relationship between science and religion in general, and does not deal specifically […]
Question: What do you think about demonic possession? How does one respond to a Christian who claims that they have had a demon tormenting them (so much that they cannot forget the pain of it and makes it hard for them to go to sleep)? Having studied out mental disorders, I am a bit skeptical […]
Question: I have a question on your answer to the 13 year old wanting proof that evolution is not real. You say that you believe in God’s creation and that he guides the evolutionary process. I was wondring if you think that the earth is older than 6000 years old or if you think evolution […]
Below is a short but nicely reasoned article on the reliability of the canonical gospels by Brian Colon. Evidence for the Reliability of the Gospels Brian Colón 10/20/2010 When assessing the truth claims of the Gospel narratives, the first question that usually arises is the question of the burden of proof. In other words, […]
Question: I was reading some Wikipedia articles about early Israel and came across and interesting section regarding the origin of Yahweh http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_ancient_Israel_and_Judah#Religion Ill let you read it but I’m adding quotes from it that I was hoping you could respond to. "It is generally accepted among modern scholars that the narrative of […]
Question: I am currently working on an informative lesson for an adult Sunday school class regarding Jewish ideas about the Messiah prior to Jesus’ birth. I am curious if there are non-biblical writings or prophecies that give us an idea of what the Jews were expecting in the Messiah? Or perhaps you could explain why […]
Question: About your article on fasting: Jesus said WHEN, not IF you fast. He used the same word WHEN in Luke 14:12-14 WHEN thou givest a dinner or a supper (when you lay out a big feast). That can’t be construed as Jesus ordering people to throw feasts, Jesus was addressing the attitude of the […]
Click on the link for our most recent newsletter which includes a report of the teaching visit by Dr. Oakes to Bergen, Norway and Stockholm, Sweden. October, 2010 ARS Newsletter
Question: I’m sick of these programs saying the earth is millions & billions of years old when they speak of the Earth. Where in the Bible can I prove to someone that the earth in NOT millions & billions of years old? Answer: There are no scriptures which prove the earth is not millions or […]
Question: 1. Should non-Christians who attend Church service be allowed to eat of the bread and drink of the wine served during observance of the Lord’s Supper? Any scripture to draw inference? 2. What is the message of John 6: 35 – 69? Some like Gordon Ferguson in his “Prepared to Answer” said it is not […]
Question: I wonder if I could have the privilege of picking your brain. I’ve been thinking a lot about Jesus as a real figure in history recently – and the fact that He is the head of the church, and it has led me to question what about Jesus’ ministry sets him apart from all other […]
See below for a brief report on the 2011 ICEC. Report on the 2011 ICEC: Christianity and the Paranormal The 2011 ICEC Christianity and the Paranormal was a great success. Eighty gathered to hear about and discuss a topic normally avoided in church settings. Meeting on the Queen Mary provided a great background for considering […]
A twelve point outline of logical arguments for the existence of God. Note from the editor: I recently got this nice little outline of arguments for the existence of God from a friend Lee Tavares. I have much of this in different presentations on the topic of the existence of God at the web site, […]
Question: I have been taking a class on The History and Reliability of the Bible, where we recently discussed the subject of Noah and the Ark. I have gone back and forth before on whether the flood was a regional one, perhaps partly because of a statement made to me by a member of my biological family. My […]
Question: I was wondering if you could address and refute these claims made by Jews against Jesus being the Messiah: "The Messiah must be from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10). Under Jewish law, tribal affiliation is conferred through the birth father only (Numbers 1:18-44,34:14,Leviticus 24:10) (Criterion for being the Messiah is not met – in […]
Question: There are some "Christian" churches that seem to promote a spiritual healing of physical ailments and diseases. How should one approach a spiritual healer or the practice of spiritual healing? Answer: From the tone of your question, I can see that you are quite skeptical of the claims of modern spiritual faith healers. I […]
Question: Do you know of an Old Testament scripture that alludes to us having the authority to use OT scripture as allegory for future events? I’m pondering, praying and studying with one of my best friends and former pastor John Wickes. He asked me what gives us the right or authority to use Old Testament […]
Question: Do you believe there is life on other planets? I have never even considered this idea until recently. I have been reading a lot of C.S. Lewis’s works and he seems to believe there is life on other planets. Also, after watching a video from the book CRAZY LOVE called "Awe Factor" I just […]
Comment: After reading your reply to the question regarding the geology of Hawaii could you explain to me why anyone should believe the Bible? 2 Timothy 3:16 states that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God" and Titus 1:2 says that God cannot lie. Now, the question arises, what does one believe? Is it […]
Question: Why do you think about the Song of Songs in the Bible which talks about adultery? Answer: The Song of Songs is not about adultury. It is about physical love between a man and a woman. There is no adultery here at all. I do not know who told you that there is adultery in this book, […]
Question: How would you respond to the late Henry Morris’s comments in his book The Genesis Record?: In the first place, the order of creative events narrated in Genesis 1 is very different from the accepted order of fossils in the rocks representing the geological ages…. Second, as already pointed out when discussing the gap theory, […]
Comments: In regard to your article about Genocide in the O.T., I would have to believe that the LYING PEN of the scribes have attributed to God, words and events that He is not responsible for. Not only did God NOT murder people in the Old Testament era, he NEVER asked Abraham to commit child sacrifice […]
Question: On the Discovery Channel I saw a show on the subject of Hawaii. The show touched on how the Hawaiian Islands were formed. According to the dominant view among geologists, the crust or plate on which the Hawaiian islands rest, is slowly moving north and each island was formed when the crust or plate below the future island […]
Question: And the Lord said unto me. They have well spoken that which they have spoken, I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to […]
This public lecture was given by Dr. John Oakes at the University of Stockholm in Sweden 9/5/2010. It discusses atheist arguments against the existence of God, why atheism fails and logical arguments for theism. The Existence of God 814.00 Kb The Existence of God
This lesson was taught by John Oakes, PhD in Bergen, Norway 9/2/2010. Norway is a mainly atheist or agnostic country where traditional Christian apologetics may not work. The lesson uses Acts as a model for how to do Christian apologetics depending on the culture. Using Apologetics in Christian Outreach Notes Using Apologetics […]
Question: What do you think about the Gospel of Barnabas? It clearly states that prophet Muhammed is the messenger of God. Dont tell me that it was written by a Muslim or changed by a Muslim. I think no gospel was changed by Muslims. Only Christians change it as per the church. Answer: It is […]
This will be the eight in our series of ten-hour classes on Christian Apologetics. The class on History, Archaeology and the Bible will be taught by Dr. John Wilson, Pepperdine University, Dr. Douglas Jacoby, AIM, Dr. John Oakes, ARS and Foster Stanback. Date: October 29,30 in Irvine, California. See below for schedule, outline and other […]
This is a very brief description of various philosophies about how best to create Christian faith through evidence. The class was given by Dr. John Oakes 8/27/2010. Types of Christian Apologetics Outline: Apologetics Strategies
From a class taught by Dr. John Oakes 8/27/2010. These are fairly brief notes and a power point. A Short History of Christian Apologetics 335.00 Kb History Christian Apologetics Notes
Question: I’m am reading your book,"Reasons for Belief" and I had a question on p.38… Can we be sure about Babylonia Sandhedrin 43a in the Talmud is refering to Jesus of Nazareth? Do we have any Jewish sources confirming that it is Jesus of Nazareth? The Talmud certainly fits very well with what we know […]
This is a very interesting article by a good friend Jerry Maday on the evidence from the human ability to perceive music as evidence for design and an intelligent designer. He also includes an interesting analogy to the mathematical relationship between musical scales and the radius of orbit of the planets, reminiscent of Kepler’s "Music […]
Question: According to NIV & TNIV, Apollos was a Jew & an Egyptian (a native of Alexandria) (Acts 18:24) but GNB says he was a Jew but born in Alexandria. Is NIV & TNIV correct to say a Jew is also an Egyptian? Answer: Now, that is an easy one. In the first century Alexandria […]
Question: I’ve been doing some research on extra Biblical evidences as I continue studying the Bible with Chinese people. In my search I came across something about the moon turning to blood. Every time I study out that section in Acts 2, I’m not really sure whether that’s going to happen in the future, or […]
Question:A lot of anti-Christian biblical skeptics often use this objection to the Bible: “The Bible tells the story of Jesus being born when Herod was king (Matthew) and traveling to Bethlehem (Luke) for the census as if the two accounts were compatible but, they are actually ten years apart. Luke has Jesus born at the […]
Question: In your article on slavery you state "Therefore, for his own reasons, God chose to regulate the cruelty of slavery rather than to ban it outright for the Jews under the Law of Moses. He commanded that slaves be set free automatically after a certain amount of time But I read in Lev that […]
Question: Catholicsm is a tradition which has been passed for a long time. Where was its origin and the approximatly when did it begin? Answer: I will assume you are talking about the Roman Catholic Church. There is also the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church and the Coptic Catholic Church. These names are in a sense […]
Question: Many non-Christians see the Bible as just another book rather than accepting that it is inspired. What do we say to the non- beliver about the Insipriation of Scriptures? Answer: To be honest with you, Randy, this is really too broad a question for me to frame a reasonable answer. My simple answer is send them […]
Pregunta: Quisiera entender un poco más aquello de que Dios nos elige, entonces que ocurre con los que no elige Dios??… Si Dios no los elige son culpables? Dios endureció el corazon del faraon, si? No se trata de que el hombre quiera y se esfuerce sino de que Dios enga compasión. Respuesta: Dios elige […]
Question: Most biblical scholars claim that the King James Version isn’t the best to use today because of the archaic terms and non-usage of the latest surviving documents. Are there any flaws within the New King James Version? Answer: You have the right scoop on the KJV, otherwise known as the Authorized Version. The principle […]
Question: In studying the Bible carefully, I noticed that the type of wine which is mentioned in the New Testament is actually the unfermented grape juice. Certainly this is evidence that the Bible forbids the consumption of wine. You seem to say in your book Reasons for Belief that moderate consumption of wine is not bad. on what basis […]
Question: In 2nd corinthians 8:5 at the end I don’t quite understand if it means to also give yourselves to the people or just to God. I was wondering if you could help since i am teaching a class on stewardship. Answer: In the passage in question, Paul describes how the Macedonian Christians had given […]
Question: How should one approach those who believe that Christians can achieve sinless perfection at some point in their lives? Answer: It is hard to know how to answer this question. My answer would depend on where the person who believes this is coming from. Is this someone who knows very little of the Bible? […]
Below is a report of a teaching trip by Dr. John Oakes to the Caribbean July 16-22, 2010. Jamaica, Barbados, Trididad July, 2010 Kingston, Jamaica July 16-18 This is my first time in the Caribbean. I was met by Sonia and Greg Baugh, the couple who lead the church here. Actually, the churches, as […]
A review of the Forum at the recent International Christian Evidence Conference by Brian Colon, a member of the ARS board. See below. Editor’s Note: This review was written by Brian Colon. In the intereste of full disclosure, John Oakes gave some editing suggestions, but all edits were approved by Brian. 2010 ICEC Forum: Four Christian […]
See below for information regarding a class August 27-28 sponsored by ARS, taught by Dr. Douglas Jacoby and Dr. John Oakes in San Diego, CA Intro to Christian Apologetics: The Existence of God. Friday Aug 27th and Saturday August 28th at the Mission Center of Hope in San Diego. This is the seventh in our series […]
See below for a review of the evolution forum at the 2010 International Christian Evidence Conference. The review is by Brian Colon, a member of the ARS board. Review: ICEC Forum, "Four Christian Views of Evolution" Editor’s note: In the interest of full disclosure, John Oakes, who was one of the participants in the forum, did […]
A Hungarian translation of God and Science given in Bucharest, July, 2010. Science and God Romanian PPT 3.36 Mb
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