Dr. John Oakes – Page 65 – Evidence for Christianity

Repont on Teaching Trip to Monterrey

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Uncategorized .

Teaching Trip to Monterrey, Mexico 1/30-2/1/2009 Teaching Trip to Monterrey, Mexico 1/30-2/1/2009 Jan and I traveled for a teaching weekend in Monterrey, Mexico. Unfortunately, the airline cancelled our flights without informing us. A last-minute standby flight got me to the city nearly on time, but left Jan behind in Tijuana, to fly through Guadalajara. […]

What about the two different and contradictory authors of the creation accounts and the flood account (other supposed contradictions as well)

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Creation, General, Reliability of the Bible, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible, The Flood, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: The work that I have been reading a great deal about is that of Christina Hayes, who is absolutly brilliant. Also, the work of Naham Sarna is another of my favorite biblical scholars. They both are finding many examples of symbolism and contridictions. You say that these things are simply not true, but I […]

Is it sinful to watch such shows as South Park and Family Guy?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Practical Christianity .

Question: I had an interesting discussion with a Christian friend the last few days about certain TV shows that are clearly not good for Christians to watch. One such example includes "South Park" though some Christians I know would debate about this and perhaps about "Family Guy" and "The Simpsons." I used to think (and […]

What is the meaning and message of John chapter one?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: How do you explain the meaning and purpose of John chapter one? Answer: My suggestion is that you ought to find a good commentary on the book of John to help you answer this question. You are probably asking too big a question for me to answer in brief form here. Nevertheless, let me […]

Is it true that Genesis was written by four different competing groups and that it is very contradictory? What about the idea that it borrows from the Gilgamesh epic?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Reliability of the Bible, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible, The Flood .

Question: I learned that the Pentatauch is attributed to Moses was, in fact, a compilation of 4 very different sources, which reflect the interests and biases of the author. This is a highly accepted theory and can be found everywhere in the Pentatauch if you know where to look. Like the story of the ark, […]

Questions: Does Daniel prophesy the future? Meaning of 1 Cor 11? What about Calvinism? What about falling away?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Daniel, End Times, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Prefigures and Foreshadows, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Note; Each of four questions is followed by an answer, so there are four separate Q & As below. Question #1: I noticed on your power point concerning prophesy that when talking about Daniel’s vision of four beasts you referred to ancient kingdoms I thought this vision referred to the end times or does it have a […]

Power Point and outline on Christian Theology

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Teaching, Other Religions, Philosophy, PowerPoints, World View .

Eastern and New Age World View

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Other Religions, Philosophy, Theology, World View .

Part III in a series on World View and Christianity by John Oakes, PhD. Click on the icon. Christian World View Part III New Age and Eastern Religion/Philosophy In the previous essays we considered the definition of world view and why the consideration of world view is important for the believer, and for the […]

Your interpretation of Sura 19:32-33 is inaccurate. Jesus did not know that his life would bring about uncommon events. Comment?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions .

Question/Comment: Your interpretation of Sura 19:32-33 is a little inaccurate. This is a quote from Jesus, not about Jesus, about what he knew of his life. He could not see the future, and therefore made a statement about what everyone knows, we live, we die. He didn’t know that his life would bring about uncommon […]

Why does God not require Christians to circumcise male children if it has health benefits for us?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Science and the Bible .

Question: I have a question about something you said in a CD on Science and God I got from IPI. You stated that circumcision was done on the eighth day due to Vitamin K levels being 120% above normal during this period. And thus making the procedure safer to save the Hebrew boys for Gods […]

How do you reconcile death before sin (theistic evolution) with Romans 5:12?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Creation, General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: I have a question about Theistic Evolution, which clearly puts death before sin. Evolution would state that many organisms died in the intermediate steps leading to man, which then sinned. How would you reconcile death before sin to Romans 5:12? "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, […]

Exodus does name the Pharaoh. Some say this makes it impossible to verify the story–that the story is not reliable. Any help on this?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, History .

Question: My question is do we have any answer to the question of the Pharaohs in Genesis/Exodus that some say no names so no way to verify. and because of no names no reliability. Any help on this? Answer: A good question. For whatever reason, the fact is that Exodus does not name the Pharaoh […]

Could the entire universe come into existence from nothing like quantum mechanics says subatomic particles do?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Science and the Bible .

Question: My question is one to do with the Big Bang. The creationist argument is that everything that has a beginning needs a cause and since the Universe had a beginning it need a cause- God. Since God did not have a beginning he did not need a cause. However, quantum electrodynamics claims that subatomic […]

What does Jesus mean when he says in Mark 10, "no one is good but God alone"? Is he claiming to be God?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General .

Question: One of the Bible passages most often pointed to by Jews and Muslims is Mark 10:17-31. They claim in this passage that Jesus claims not to be God; however there are many passages where Jesus undeniably claims divinity for example Mark 14:62. What was Jesus trying to say then when he said: "Why do […]

Don't the prophecies of Jesus contradict? (some will not taste death, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel and …the gospel…preached to all nations… before Son of Man comes)

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, End Times, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question: Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." (Matthew 16:28) I thought that Jesus might be referring to his ascension here, but it didn’t seem to make sense in the context of the passage. Jesus […]

How do you see the fulfillment of the prophecies of Nebuchadnezzar conquering Egypt and the Nile drying up? If the Bible's prophecies are not reliable, then is that not like the Koran or rhe Book of Mormon?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question: (a very long one!!!) The books of the Bible are written by people claiming inspiration from God. Many people claim inspiration from God or supernatural forces. Muslims claim the Koran is divinely inspired, Mormons claim their Book of Mormon is divinely inspired, and I am sure many pagan sects say that their "book of […]

What is the evidence for the martyrdom of the apostles, which is often used to support the believability of the resurrection?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: One of the popular evidences for the resurrection of Jesus is the martyrdom of his disciples. It is claimed that eleven of Jesus’ twelve disciples went to their deaths defending their faith. It is later concluded that no one would die for something knowing it is a lie. I agree completely. However, this […]

How should we interpret Proverbs 20:30 which seems to imply that physical discipline can have spiritual advantages?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General .

Question: I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on Proverbs 20:30. I could see how based on this, many have taken things far (like monks constantly hitting themselves – I think in the Philippines they practice crucifixion – etc, etc)….Knowing that Proverbs are to help us "attain wisdom, discipline, understanding, discernment, guidance." (Proverbs 1:1-7) I’m struggling […]

What do you think of recent claims that the Dead Sea Scrolls are not valid?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General .

Question: During your recent trip to teach in Dallas, I mentioned to you an article published recently, challenging the authenticity of the Dead Sea Scrolls. As promised, here are the links: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1885421,00.html?cnn=yes Here is a 2nd article: http://mideast.blogs.time.com/2009/03/18/more-doubts-on-dead-sea-scroll-auth ors/?iid=sphere-inline-bottom While I don’t have a speicfic question, I would appreciate your general opinion of the articles. […]

What are the seven statements made by Jesus on the cross and what are their significance?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General .

Question: What do you think about the seven statements Jesus made on the cross? How do you explain those words? Can you explain to me each of these words, with scriptures. Answer: If we take together all four gospel accounts, scholars have compiled seven statements made by Jesus while he hung on the cross. This does not mean that […]

A friend asked me about the story of Jonah. She said that the story of the fish is impossible. How do I respond?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: An athiest friend asked me about the story of Jonah being eaten and thrown up by a fish. She said that this seemed imposible. How can I explain this to her? Answer: Your friend is right that the story of the swallowing and later regurgitation of Jonah alive on the third day is impossible. […]

Who are the "subjects of the kingdom" in Mathew 8:12 (one of 18 questions from Matthew!!!

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Miracles, Reliability of the Bible, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Questions and Answers: 1] In Matthew 8;12 Who are the subjects that Jesus is talking about? "The subjects of the kingdom" are the Jews who do not receive Jesus. One can generalize this to include anyone who has been saved but later chooses to ignore his own calling, but in the context, Jesus is telling […]

Does the existence of Sheol mean there is no such place as hell?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Someone told me that theres is no hell because sheol means grave and when we die we go to the grave and sleep. Answer; Your friend is partly right. Both the New and the Old Testament describe a place where the soul goes after life which is a sort of in-between existence before the […]

How can a young person learn to discern lies and bogus arguments in the vast information about religion out there?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, General Apologetics, Philosophy, Practical Christianity .

Question: Someone once said something like this "Even if someone tells me the truth, I will above it hold God’s truth". I can go online and search for the ark of the covenant, or Noah’s ark, and I can find all sorts of lies. I can go online or to libraries and find books talking […]

Is it okay to call Jesus Jehovah in order to defend his deity?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: There is so much info out there it is hard to get accurate information! I was reading Prepared to Answer (by Gordon Ferguson) in its section on Jehovah’s Witnesses. Here the author referred to the name "Jehovah" or Yahweh as refering to the Godhead or Father Son and Holy Spirit. How would I find the […]

How do I defend a Bible translation as accurate in comparison to the New World Transation from the Jehovah's Witnesses?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Versions of the Bible .

Question: How would I go about defending the Bible translation as accurate in comparison to the New World Translation that the Jehovah Witnesses use? Answer: First of all, I do not want to discourage you, but I am afraid that the majority of Jehovah’s Witness believers are so well trained to not think or ask […]

Is God above logical absolutes, or his he subject to them?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Philosophy .

Question: I have two questions pertaining to God and logical absolutes/axioms. I truly hope you can help. First, logical absolutes exist. They are not physical, but they do not seem to be conceptual either, like logic. They seem to be the thing that logic is contingent upon. But if they are not physical, and not conceptual, […]

Review of the book "Pagan Christianity"

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Uncategorized .

Click for a review by John Oakes of the book Pagan Christianity by Viola and Barna Pagan Christianity by Viola and Barna A Review Those who follow trends in Christianity will soon notice that ideas on how to do church come and go much like the fickle fads of fashion. In the late nineties […]

I think belief in extraterrestrial influence on humans is silly, but how do I know it is silly and my belief is not?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, General Apologetics .

Question: I believe in God and all that his Bible says. So my question is in answering unbelievers who think we (humans) were put here by extraterrestrials. To me that idea is very silly, yet they seem to have their own set of "evidences" that confirms their beliefs. what do I say to these people? […]

What is the biblical meaning of Easter? Should we celebrate it?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: From the Bible’s point of view, what is the meaning of Easter? Should we celebrate it? Answer: From the biblical perspective Easter has no meaning. In other words, the particular celebration on a set day of the year of the resurrection of Jesus is not mentioned or even hinted at in the Bible. Having said that, […]

Muslims claim that the Qu'ran has scientifically accurate information about embryology. Can you comment on this?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions .

Question: Many Islamic apologists claim that the Quran contains scientifically accurate information regarding embryology, can you comment on this? Answer; Muslims have a problem in the intellectual realm. This problem is that on the apologetic level they cannot compete with Christianity. They do not have fulfilled prophecy. They do not have miracles confirming the message. […]

Why do you disagree with eschatologists who say the last week of Daniel is seven years of tribulation at the end of time? Are you not being inconsistent?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Daniel, End Times, General .

Question: As I review the Questions & Answers section, I find it interesting that you DISAGREE with eschatologists (you call "futurists"), who believe teach that the 7 WEEKS of troubled times in Daniel 9 actually represents the 7 YEARS of the Tribulation. Yet you think it valid to claim that a "DAY" in Genesis 1 […]

Could Genesis 10:25 ("the earth was divided during [Peleg's] life") be a reference to the breakup of the continents discovered by scientists? Might this explain some of the facts about the flood?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Science and the Bible, The Flood .

Question: A comment regarding the question of "If Noah’s Ark landed on Mt. Ararat, how did animals get to North and South Amaerica?". Your response was "I do not know the answer." Then, you proceeded to share a few theories. I believe that the answer is in the Bible! We understand that the continents were […]

Do you agree with William Golightly that Adam and Eve evolved and were not a special creation?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Creation, General, Science and the Bible .

Question: I recently read an article on your website by William Golightly entitled Genesis and the beginning of Humanity. The author made a few points that were very new to me. The main point was that evolution took place in Humanity before Adam and Eve, and that when they evolve to a certain level, God began to […]

A question about vanity

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General .

Question: Hair rebonding is very epedemic in Filipinos as of this time…can that can be considered as vanity? Answer: I have no idea, as I do not even know what hair rebonding is. Peter encouraged women, or more specifically wives, that their beauty should not consist chiefly of outward things and elaborate hairstyles or the […]

Does God respond to the prayers of unbelievers?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Does God respond to the prayers of the unbelievers? 2-Is it true that the Bible or at least some passages of the Bible can be used to harm people? 3-Is there any position (kneeling, standing and so on.) that pleases God more when we pray or are there objects that we can associate to our prayers […]

If Jesus "fulfilled the requirements of the Law" does that mean that we are free to commit adultery, lie, steal and so forth?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: You say in your article that "Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-20 that he fulfilled all the requirements of the Law, so that we are free of the need for that Law". So….. you are telling me that I can commit adultery, murder, steal, covet, lie, have many other Gods, worship images take the name […]

Are there exceptions to the commandment "You shall not kill?'

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: I’m confused on why the ten commandments included the law "you shall not kill." Are there exceptions to this rule? Moses himself ordered the death of some people because they sinned against God (Exodus 32: 19-28). And despite the constant wars that occur in the Bible, God even orders his people to kill children (1 Samuel […]

2009 International Christian Evidence Conference

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Announcements .

Our third annual Apologetics conference was held June 12-14 in Houston Texas. The theme is Jesus: The Witness of History. A debate under the premise Jesus, Man, Myth or Messiah was held between Dr. Douglas Jacoby and Dr. Robert Price. Conference Flyer debate_flyer and info sheet 413.88 Kb Conference Presenters We request that those who attended fill […]

Who was the first to say that Jesus was God? What about the idea that the early church did not believe this?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Who was the 1st person to say that Jesus was God? I’ve heard a lot of people say that early Christians believed that Jesus was nothing more than a great prophet. Which leads to the question, how do we know that Jesus really is God, and not just a prophet? Answer: That is […]

Is Luke 10:1-2 a verse about evangelism?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Practical Christianity .

Question: I’ve heard a lot of people in the past use Luke 10:1-2 to support the idea that we should all do "cold contact" evangelism. When I look at this verse, I see that it says not to "greet anyone on the road" (verse 4). Does Luke 10 really apply to cold contact evangelism? Answer: […]

What does the Bible say about witchcraft? Can a Christian be the victim of witchcraft?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions .

Question: 1- What does the Bible say about witchcraft? 2- Can a Christian can be a victim of bewitchment? of witchcraft? 3 – When is it the invocation of the blood of Jesus against the demons when you pray? Answer: The first question is very easy, the second question is hard to give a hard […]

Did scholars at the time of Constantine and the church councils change the Bible to fit their agenda?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Reliability of the Bible .

Some of my friends say there is evidence that during the reign of Constantine and the meetings at that time, many scholars met and decided which books to put in the Bible and eliminated others that didn’t fit their agenda and they changed the wording of many of the verses and deleted others. Yet the […]

What diseases are associated with demon possession? What does it mean to be possessed by a demon?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: What are the diseases associated with demon possession in the New Testament (for example in Matthew 4:24; Luke 8:27, and Luke 8:26-39.)? Also, during the time of Jesus, what was the meaning of being possessed by a demon? Answer: Many commentators have noticed a similarity between the symptoms of demon possession described in the New Testament […]

Apologetics and the Christian World View Part II

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Teaching, Creation, Foreshadows and Prefigures, Jesus, Miracles, Other Religions, Pain and Suffering, Philosophy, Theology .

Scientific Materialism/Naturalism an article by John Oakes, PhD Apologetics and the Christian World View Part II Scientific Materialism/Naturalism In the previous essay we looked at why people ought to think carefully about their view of the world, and at the importance of forming and holding to a consistent world view. We have considered a […]

Teaching Trip to Seoul and the Philippines

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Uncategorized .

A journal for John Oakes’ trip to teach in Korea and the Philippines 1/2-1/18/2009 Seoul/Manila 2009 Journal Seoul, Korea Jan 3-6, 2009 I arrived in Incheon Airport, one hour from Seoul. Seoul is a city of 12 million + inhabitants. It is a prosperous industrial city where everyone is in a hurry. Korea appears […]

Class on Christian Theology

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Announcements, Philosophy .

christian_theology_outline and infoDr. John Oakes and Robert Carrillo will be teaching a class on Christian Theology on Saturdays starting 3/21 in San Diego from 9:00-10:30. See attached information sheet. The location will be the clubhouse at Portofino in Tierra Santa (10690 Escobar Dr, San Diego 92124). Recordings of the classes are also attached. Christian Theology Outline Power Point 2.46 Mb […]

How can it be that Jesus worshiped and prayed to God if he was God?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: I am very confused about the identity of Jesus. If he is God, why did he offer worship and pray to his father? and if he is God, why does he not refer to himself as God? Answer; I will have to admit that the biblical doctrine of Jesus and his divinity is hard to […]

Why is Enoch's prophecy quoted in Jude 14? Why was Enoch not included in the Bible?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Reliability of the Bible .

Question; I have question about the Book of Enoch. In Jude 1:14, Enoch’s prophecy is quoted from. Why was the book of Enoch not included in the Holy Bible? Answer: We do not have a detailed account of the process by which the Jewish scribes chose what books to include or to not include in the canon of the […]

What is the place of reason in Christianity?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Philosophy, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: What is the point of, or the reason for, the difference between the premodern notion of “reason” and the modern notion? What are the pluses and minuses of each? 2. How do you think reason is related to : (a) authority (b) love (c) intuition: (d) mysticism (e) symbolism (f) hope 3. How . […]