Question: 1. I’m not sure what 1 Cor. 3:15 means. This verse comes from a passage about God testing the quality of our work. And this verse appears to be saying that even if our work and lives as Christians do not measure up to God’s standards, we can still be saved. Yet this verse […]
Question: I recently had someone tell me that Jesus spent his "lost years" studying other religions. I am aware that there are unproven theories that Jesus travelled to India and Gladstonbury but no mention about whether he studied other religions. I want to be fully informed before I answer this person. Answer: This is one […]
Question: I have been studying out the idea of selfish ambition because I can be a selfish person from time to time! I noticed that in the NASB version it says "disputes" instead of "selfish ambition"……..why the difference? Answer: I assume you are talking about Galatians 5:21. A good rule of thumb is that when you […]
The sixth class in our program leading toward a certificate in Christian Apologetics Apologetics and the Miracles of Jesus Notes: Apologetics and the Miracles of Jesus Power Point: Apologetics and the Miracles of Jesus 3.71 Mb Apologetics and the Miracles of Jesus Saturday Feb. 20, 2010 Instructors: Foster Stanback and John Oakes, PhD Location: Mission […]
Power Point Presentations for a class by Glenn Giles of Denver, Colorado on Apologetics, Biblical Criticism and Inspiration. Class was taught in San Diego Dec 11-12 2009. Class 1 History of Biblical Criticism 170.00 Kb Class 2 The Issue of History 146.50 Kb Class 3 OT Textual Criticism 15.06 Mb Class 4 NT Textual Criticism […]
A six-part Church History class taught by John Oakes in San Diego October-November 2009. Notes on Church History Power Point on Church History 1.23 Mb
The 2010 ICEC will be at Concordia University, Irvine, CA June 11-13. Science and Christian Evidences. 2010 ICEC Flyer ICEC Registration Form Conference Schedule Evolution Forum and buy a ticket Flyer: Why I Left Atheism Friday Event Concordia U. Map 1.62 Mb Frequently Asked Questions We at Apologetics Research Society are excited to announce […]
Question: Do you know where should I look for information on how old were the apostles when they joined Jesús? Answer; I am definitely not an expert on this question, but I have read a number of speculations by different authors on this subject. Bottom line, the Bible provides no direct evidence for […]
Notes for class by Glenn Giles 12/10-11/2009. Class 1 History of Biblical Criticism Class 2 Objectivity of History Class 3 OT Textual Criticism Class 4 NT Textual Criticism Class 5 The Documentary Hypothesis Class 6 NT Source Criticism Class 7 Form Criticism Class 8 Redaction Criticism Class 9 Tradition Criticism Class 10 Erosion of Inerrancy […]
Question: I am part of the Dubai inter-cultural fellowship here in Dubai. Some of my co-workers who are Muslim ask me how can I explain that their religion is the last & final one. They say Jesus is already passed. They say Islam is the last & final religion. How can you answer this claim? I told them that […]
Question: Could you please help enlighten me – I am trying to research what happened to Joseph. He assumed loco parentis during his early childhood, his geneology was respectfully referred to as if he were blood related , which in itself confuses me, as we don’t suppose he was his father. I can see no […]
Question: How can historians be sure about specific years in history? For example, how did you find the decree of Artaxerxes (the king to issue first instruction to rebuild Jerusalem) to have taken place in 458 BC specifically? I don’t think the Bible mentions these dates. Is there a special way or a tool for this? Answer: There are some […]
In view of the season, I though I would post this recent question about the Jewish Messiah as an article for your encouragement. J. O. Question: I’m very confused regarding a Jewish objection to Jesus as the Messiah which goes like this: "The Bible says that the Messiah would be of the tribe of Judah […]
Question: It seems to me that there is a fairly big contradiction in whether or not God allowed the Israelites to intermarry. How does one explain this? "Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man" […]
Question: I believe that God transcends time and by nature is timeless. However, AFTER Creation, did God enter into time and is now time bound? Many philosophers argue that God must be "in time" subsequent to creation if libertarian freedom is possible. How can God interact relationally with us if not in time and everything to […]
Question: The book ‘Is There A God?’ was amazing! It helped to reshape my thoughts & it gave me a better vision on how to think. Thank You. My question has to do with the 2012 myths that are out there. I really enjoy watching Dr.Neil deGrasse Tyson of Nova on PBS. He made some […]
A power point for a titled What is Truth? A talk about Postmodernism, Naturalism and the Christian World View, given by Dr. John Oakes at Rutgers University 11/20-09. What is Truth? 880.50 Kb
Attached is a power point for a presentation titled Science and Christianity by John Oakes in New Brunswick, New Jersey while visiting Rutgers University 11/21/09. Science and Christianity Rutgers 10.74 Mb
Question: Is there a prophecy of when and where Jesus was born? Answer; Yes, definitely there is. First of all, Micah 5:1-5 is a prophecy that the Messiah will be from Bethlehem Ephthrah. "But you, Bethlehem, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will […]
The International Christian Evidences Conference will be at Concordia University in Irvine, CA June 11-13. The theme will be Science and Christianity. The conference will include a four-way forum on Christian views of Evolution. Confirmed speakers include John Clayton, Douglas Jacoby, John Oakes, Robert Kurka and many more. Information on registration, cost and housing will […]
I hope you and Jan are fine. After many months you leave Spain I’m still very happy of having received your classes and wisdom in God. Let me tell you that I have read your books, Reason for Belief and Is there a God?, and I have it shared and preached to my agnostics and atheist […]
Question: Can you please explain the Gabriel stone? How will this affect Christianity? Answer: This is a good question. The "Gabriel Stone" has now been around for a while and it is a good time to begin thinking about its significance. I have learned from experience that when a new find comes out it is […]
Question: How do we show those that think Jesus is Michael that he is not? How might you use Jesus’ prehuman existence to bring this out? Answer: I do not think that "we" need to show that Jesus is not Michael the Archangel. I believe that surely the burden of proof is on those who try to teach […]
Question: I need your help regarding the Sabbath. One of my friends is Thai and he needs to learn about this topic. Please help in this area. If you have any Scriptures regarding this area please share them. Answer: It is hard to know where to start, because I do not know the issue being raised by your Thai […]
Question: Reading John 8:12-41, do you think Jesus in verses 31-32 is referring to what he has just said to the Jews as ‘his teaching’ or do this passage refer to his teaching more generally? The distinction is important as the first interpretation says it is our core belief in understanding who Jesus really is […]
Question: In the case of Acts 2:2-4, is there any evidence supporting the events of the day of Pentecost? Answer: As far as I know, there is no independent extra-biblical source for the events on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 2. Bear in mind that this lack of specific extra-biblical support […]
Question: Can you comment on the material about the "historical Jesus" at commonsenseatheism.com? The featured video clips claim that many of the messianic prophesies were taken out of context to apply to Jesus. Can you respond to particularly the claim that Psalm 22:16 is mistranslated particularly the word "pierced"? Also, Matthew 27:9-10, a prophesy from […]
Question: If someone leaves the church what can he or she do to return? Another question: Does a person who leaves the church lose thier salvation? Answer: The Bible does not prescribe a fixed means by which those who have chosen to leave the church should be returned to the fellowship. We could look to 1 Corinthians 5 […]
Glenn Giles, Elder for the Denver Church of Christ will be teaching a class for the ARS Apologetics Certificate Program in San Diego Friday Dec. 11th and Saturday Dec. 12th. The title is Apologetics, Biblical Criticism and Inspiration. This will be a 10 hour class. The cost is $40 to include dinner on Friday. For […]
Question: If God understands my humanity and sin nature better than I do, why does He still hold me accountable for what I cannot help doing? Answer: This is a very good question. This gets to the heart of the question. Is God truly fair and is he truly just to judge us for our […]
Question: I often read articles from Christians and other Creationists in which most of their time is spent on disproving arguments which are put forward by scientists against Creationism. For example, a great deal of time and effort is dedicated to raising issues inherent in the theory of evolution. In fact, most Creationists have gone […]
Reasons For Belief: A class taught by John Oakes, PhD at Harvard University 10/16/2009. The subject is reasons to believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. See EFC store for the recording Reasons For Belief Harvard 2.76 Mb The Bible: From God or Man? Delos B. McKown: "Christianity is scientifically unsupported and […]
A class taught at MIT by John Oakes, PhD 10/17/09. See below for notes. See EFC store for the recording. The Resurrection of Jesus 914.00 Kb The Resurrection of Jesus An Outline Q: Is it logical to believe that Jesus was raided from the dead? Q: Why is this important? 1. If Jesus […]
Question: If the bible was written so long ago and interpreted in many different ways and has been re-written so many times how can we be sure the version we read today is not complete fiction? Answer: I have answered this question a number of times and in various ways at the web site. I […]
Question: I have a friend who believes that Daniel 11 gets Antiochus’ death incorrect. Is this true? I tend to believe he is wrong however I don’t know the history all that well. Here is what he gave me http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_11 The second paragraph speaks about details of his death and how they do no match up with what […]
Dr. John Oakes and Robert Carrillo will be offering a class on Christian Church History Saturdays 9:00-10:30 beginning Saturday 10/10/09. Location will be at The Mission Center 6162 Mission Gorge Rd. Suite A San Diego, CA for the next six Saturdays. Cost for the entire series is $10. For more information or to register, contact Jan at […]
Question: I am studying the timelines in the Bible regarding the lifetime of both Daniel and Esther for a school project and I’m hoping to get all my facts straight. I am confused about the dates from my research and was hoping for some clarity. When I research the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, I find that […]
I RECENTLY READ AN ARTICle WRITTEN BY A CHRISTIAN APOLOGIST EXPLAINING THE MEANING OF 1PETER.3:10-13. I ALWAYS ThOUGHT THAT THIS PASSAGE HAD REFERENCE TO THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WHOLE WORLD AT ARMAGEDDON. HOWEVER, THE APOLOGIST WROTE THAT 1 PETER.3:10-13 HAD REFERENCE TO NOT THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ENTIRE PLANET, BUT THE DESTRUCTION OF THE OLD […]
Question: I have debated with a friend over the verification of the Bible and he has pointed me in your direction. I ask you, give me one solid fact that would prove God exists. Answer: One cannot "prove" that God exists in a mathematical kind of proof. We can present facts and evidence which makes […]
Question: What do you think about the convictions of Charles Finney about the power of Holy Spirit today? It´s possible pray to receive a miracle? Answer The biblical evidence is that the events at Pentecost (Acts chapter 2) and when Cornelius and his friends were baptized (Acts chapter 10) were unique. The apostles certainly saw […]
Question: Were the Elohim the Anunnaki’s? Answer: Many people try to claim that the Jews borrowed their idea about Jehovah from the neighboring peoples: especially from the religions in Mesopotamia. This is certainly not a new claim. I will admit that there is at least some marginal parallel between some of the concepts the Jewish […]
Jesus and Christian Apologetics. A class taught by John Oakes PhD 9/26/09, on question, Who is Jesus Christ and evidence that the real Jesus is the Jesus of the gospels. See the notes below and the attached Power Point. Power Point Jesus and Christian Apologetics 2.25 Mb Who was Jesus of Nazareth? Our recent […]
Question: I had heard about some debates on whether Jesus was crucified on a Thursday or on a Friday. Tradition teaches that it was a Friday, and we see that tradition in the day called Good Friday. Jesus did say that He would be buried for three days and nights. Those who propose He was […]
Question: I enjoyed reading the PowerPoint "Who Is My Brother?" that is found on this website. I imagine it is sometimes difficult to determine if a particular denomination or other Christian group belongs to the third or fourth layer of fellowship (the third layer being those who are saved Christians and the fourth layer being […]
Question: What evidence for Jesus is there outside the Bible? Answer: Let me supply a set of notes I just put together for a class I am teaching on the subject this weekend. They may not be fully edited, but the notes are fairly complete. John Oakes Extra-Biblical references to Jesus: 1. Tacitus, Roman historian […]
My question is, why are disobedient children stoned in Deuteronomy 21:18-21? Isn’t that cruel? Answer: This is certainly a reasonable question. I will have to say that my first emotional response to this commandment is to say that it certainly seems harsh. I am not sure about cruel, but certainly it appears harsh or like […]
Question: The Philistines did not come to Palestine until circa 1200BC at the time of the invasion of the Sea Peoples. How did Abraham & Isaac come to meet them? Answer: I do not know. Believe it or not, I had never noticed this, which is surprising to me. The evidence, as you point out, […]
Question: I read "Daniel, Prophet to the Nations" recently and was quite awestruck by the prophesies! I’ve been reading online that the Christian persecution under Domitian was historically uncertain and debated. Although the early church fathers routinely mention Domitian, the persecution is seemingly absent from the writings of Tacitus and Suetonius (and other Roman historians). […]
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