HOPE Presentation Monday 1/22/07
Click below to open or download a power point presentation which is pictures from the mission/teaching trips of John Oakes
How does one conclude that morality exists and is given directly by the Christian God?
QUESTION: How does one conclude that morality exists and is given directly by the Christian God? I am a Christian, and have been raised in a very conservative Christian home, but I’m afraid I’m growing weaker all the time. It’s getting especially harder for me to understand the whole morality issue. It seems that many […]
Why would a loving God create a person, knowing that he or she would eventually go to hell?
Question 1 – If God is all knowing that would mean that he knows when anyone is born and how he or she would turn out and whether he or she would go to heaven or hell. My question is this, if he knows that someone would eventually go to heaven or hell why would […]
Did God took rest on the seventh day of creation, if so then he can get tired & weary. Also who does the work during the rest time?
Question: Did God took rest on the seventh day of creation, if so then he can get tired & weary. Also who does the work during the rest time? I want to know the correct interpretation. Answer: In answer to your question, God does not get tired, Isaiah 41:28 gives us some insight into this, […]
Do you believe that God uses Satan's evil to bring us closer to following Christ?
Question: Do you believe that God uses Satan’s evil to bring us closer to following Christ? Answer: I believe that everything which happens is either caused by God or allowed by God. God does not use evil. God does not do evil. God is willing that the evil done by those who do not love […]
I heard in a recent lesson you gave that even in quantum theory and relativity God has left his finger prints. Can you elaborate on this?
Question: I heard in a recent lesson you gave that even in quantum theory and relativity God has left his finger prints. Can you elaborate and illuminate on this? Answer: Quantum mechanics tells us that the simple mechanical view of the universe of Newton and LaPlace is not correct. Quantum mechanics tells us that light […]
Richard Dawkins and Derren Brown deny God and the truth of Christianity, and say the stories of Jesus come from more than 200 years after his death. What is your response?
Question: I am a Christian in the UK. There are a couple of best selling books in the UK at the moment that deny the existence of God and the truth of Christianity. On is “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins and the other is “Tricks of the Mind” by Derren Brown. The latter is […]
Will only 144,000 be in heaven with God, and will others reign in an earthly kingdom with Jesus?
Question: It is taught that by some that only 144,000 people will receive eternal life in heaven with Jesus Christ as co-rulers over the earth. Witnesses believe that in the war of Armageddon, which they believe to be imminent, the wicked will be destroyed. The survivors of this event, along with individuals deemed worthy of […]
What about the Gospel of Barnabas? Who wrote it and why? Was he an apostle?
Question: What’s this about a Gospel of Barnabas? Who wrote it and why? Was Barnabas an apostle or not? Answer: The New Testament speaks of a 1st Century Jew named Joseph, a Levitical priest from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, who became a follower of Jesus. He “was a good man, and full of the […]
What about the Gospel of Barnabus? Who write it? For what? Was Barnabus is apostle or not?
Question: What about the Gospel of Barnabus? Who write it? For what? Was Barnabus is apostle or not? Answer: My answer will depend on whether you mean the Epistle of Barnabas or the Gospel of Barnabas. Of the two, the more well known is the Epistle (letter) of Barnabas. The question of whether Barnabas was […]
i have a question i came across this book what happen to you after you die by Dr.Douglas Jacoby i was thinking about getting this book but i was just thinking that base on what is already writting is there more information on this subject .
Question: I came across a book about what happen to you after you die by Dr.Douglas Jacoby. I was thinking about getting this book but I was just thinking that based on what is already written, is there more information on this subject .Answer: Thanks for your question regarding a long neglected teaching! In addition […]
Can a baptism for salvation be valid if the person being baptized is mistaken and thinks that it is only a symbol? Can a person be "accidentally" saved?
Question: I Am just reading your book “From Shadow to Reality” about all the types for salvation through baptism (which I also believe to be true). What I have always wondered though, is whether people can be “accidentally” saved by participating in a baptism they believe to be symbolic, as in the baptist church, where […]
The Ultimate Miracle: The Resurrection of Jesus? John Oakes, PhD
The Ultimate Miracle [Note: this is a chapter on the resurrection taken from the book Reasons for Belief by John M. Oakes Illumination Publishers, International www.ipibooks.com] In the previous chapter we looked at the miracles that Jesus performed, examined evidence that Jesus really did work these miracles and considered what they imply about the miracle-worker […]
The Resurrection of Jesus: An Outline
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 was in fact raised from the dead, this validates all his claims. If not?.. 2. It explains a lot The changed […]
The Miracles of Jesus: Knowing the Mind and the Heart (and Knowing the Future)
? Knowing the Mind and the Heart (and Knowing the Future) [Note: this article is a chapter from a book by John Oakes and Dave Eastman on miracles to be published in 2007] The miracles we have looked at thus far involve Jesus violating physical laws of nature. We will now consider a […]
Old Testament Miracles
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ARS Evidence For Christianity Letters to the editor December '06
Hi J.Oakes, Thanks for the email. We were touched by your concern and "tears" for our welfare and that of our children as ministry staff. We cannot forget that. Thanks for the inspirational classes as well. Hope you will make Lagosthis year either during AFRICAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE or later in the year. Titi, Philip […]
The Problem of Pain and Suffering Part III
Note: This is part three in a series on the problem of pain and suffering. The others are available at the site. Part III Suffering: A Human Problem. Human pain and suffering raises an apologetic problem. How can the idea of a loving and powerful God be consistent with the existence of evil, […]
Jeremiah 43 prophecies that Egypt would be conquered by Babylon. Secular historians said that Egypt was conquered by the Persians. Can you explain this discrepancy?
Question: According to Jer 43 Egypt would be conquered by Babylon, but secularhistorians attribute this conquest to the Persians. Do you have any infoon this? Answer: Your information is correct. The Persians/Medes did conquer Egypt under Cambysses, the son of Cyrus in 525 BC. However, the Persians were not the first to conquer Egypt. The […]
What do you think about Johathin Sarfati's explanation of the Big Bang in his book "Refuting Compromise?" Do you agree that the Big Bang is no more science than Intelligent Design, given that it cannot be proven by experiement?
Question: I have read your material on evolution being “scientific” and your view of the Big Bang. Would you object to the Big Bang being taught in school as it is not “science” any more than intelligent design? One cannot do an experiment to prove or disprove Big Bang. Have you read the book by […]
What was the law before the mosaic laws? What was the penalty that goes with sin under that law?
Question: What was the law before the mosaic laws? What was the penalty that goes with sin under that law? Answer: As far as we know, the law given to Israel under Moses was the first formal covenant between God and a nation or large group of people as a whole. The time before Moses […]
How can the theory of evolution explain how species change, yet can continue to reproduce? Isn't this a problem for the theory of evolution?
Question: One concept I do not understand of evolution, is that if change happens by chance over time, how does it account for reproduction? That is, how is it that species mutated to the differentiation we see today with the ability to reproduce every step of the way? We have to assume fully functional reproductive […]
Is Anyone at Home?? (a college paper submitted for ENGL 1A by Johnas Changsek
Note from John Oakes: This is a college lever paper submitted by a user of the web site. It is not at an extremely scholarly level, but I am proud of Johans for doing an excellent job of defending theism in view of scientific knowledge. I hope you enjoy his paper. J. O. […]
Can you help with history of city of Corinth and at present what's their condition?
Question: Can you help with history of city of Corinth and at present what’s their condition? Answer: Corinth is on the isthmus separating the Peloponesian peninsula from mainland Greece. For this reason, it was in important and wealthy city from ancient times. During the 500’s BC it played a role as the or one of […]
God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to Tarturus according to 2 Peter 2:4. If God sends angels to Tarturus when they become bad, is Satan the only spiritual force of evil in the heavenly realm that we are fighting against?
Questions: 1. God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to Tarturus according to 2 Peter 2:4. If God sends angels to Tarturus when they become bad, is Satan the only spiritual force of evil in the heavenly realm that we are fighting against? 4For if God did not spare angels when […]
How can you explain Romans 11:26 and Matthew 2:23 are prophecies? In one case, it is not a correct quote from the Old Testament. In the other case, there is no prophecy in the Old Testament about a Nazarene.
Question: Ever since last year, I’ve been sharing with a Jewish friend I have. He told me about this small book he read about why you can’t trust the Christian Bible and why not to believe in Jesus. The thing that made me think the most is when this little book talked about how scriptures […]
Introduction to World Religions: Judaism
Introduction to World Religions: Judaism. Click on the link below for a Power Point presentation by R. D. Baker (Phoenix, AZ) and Ryan Cartwright (Edmonton, Alberta). This is a general introduction to a course on world religions, followed by the body of the class, which is on the background of Judaism. Power Point: Judaism 2.29 […]
Did Jesus claim to be God? Did he talk about the trinity? Did he say that salvation would come through his blood?
Question: Did Jesus Christ himself claim to be God and that we should worship him? When he was teaching in the synagogues and temples wheretheJews went, did he teach the following fundamental beliefs? 1. Trinity 2. His supposed divinity 3. That salvation will come through his blood. What didhe mean in John 17:3-4 where he […]
The Problem of Pain and Suffering:? Part II
The Problem of Pain and Suffering Part II John Oakes 11/1/06 In the previous essay I proposed a two-pronged strategy to considering the problem of pain and suffering. The existence of evil and of suffering is both an apologetic problem and a human problem. In the first part, I tackled the apologetic issue. […]
The Problem of Pain and Suffering, Part I
The Problem of Pain and Suffering John Oakes 9/27/06 This past summer I traveled to the UKon a teaching trip. I was asked to speak on the problem of pain and suffering. When I received the request my first thought was to wonder why they thought I might be qualified to speak on this […]
Isn't the teaching of the Catholic Church about Mary just a "Christian" version of mother goddess worship?
Comment: The oldest representations of gods are female & one of the oldest is the Venus of Willendorf, dating from the Upper Palaeolithic about 30,000 years ago. Coming closer to the present is the Mother Goddess of Skorba in Malta which dates from the Neolithic about 6,500 years ago. Isis, the Mother Goddess of the […]
An islamic web site claims that the Qur'an gives an accurate value for the speed of light. What do you think about this?
Question: I was at an islamic apologetic web site which claimed that the Qur’an has a correct value for the speed of light, which supposedly proves the Qur’an is inspired by Allah. Below is the quote. 299,792.458 km/sis the speed of light in vacuum. However, according to Einstein’s theory of General Relativity, the speed of […]
Isn't it odd that God created such a huge universe which existed for 13 billion years if we exist for such a small time and in such a small place? What was God doing the other 13 billion years?
Question: If the age of the Cosmos is regarded as 24 hours, Homo Sapiens did not appear until the last second and Jesusdid not appear until almost the last 1/100th of a second. Is it impertinent to enquire what God was doing for the rest of the 13,000,000,000 years ? Was he pondering the future […]
A professor of mine claimed that astrology came from Judaism and that it was part of later Judaism and early Christianity. Is this possible?
Question: I realize that astrology and the Zodiac today is something that God would not condone, but I heard some argue that the Zodiac was originally a biblical concept that was corrupted during the time of the tower of Babel. Is there any proof supporting this claim? ;Also, in my Rome and Jerusalem class, we […]
Does Mark 16:16 "those who believe and are baptized will be saved." contradict salvation by grace only?
Question: Doesn’t Mark 16 where Jesus says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” contradict teachings on salvation by grace alone? Also, if you say that Mark 16 was inserted over time then doesn’t the Bible fall short of it’s claim to be inerrant? Answer: First of all, you will not find the phrase […]
Please explain the prefigures and foreshadows in the book of Esther. Who do Esther, Mordecai, Haman etc. represent?
Question: After studying through the book of Esther and trying to draw parallels, I had a few things that I just could not make sense of. First, I had a hard time figuring out King Xerxes and Queen Vashti?s interaction in the first chapter. I could not be sure who was the villain and who […]
Christian Science and Scientology: A Power Point
Christian Science and Scientology. What do they have in common? Not science!!! Click below to view or download the Power Point Presentation Power Point: Christian Science and Scientology 300.00 Kb
Eastern Religions and the New Age Movement: A Power Point
Power Point: Eastern Religion and New Age
Cristianismo y Ciencia: Una Historia
Cristianismo y Ciencia: Una Historia. Las notas son en ingles pero, un powerpoint en Espanol esta aqui. Christianity and Science: A History San Diego, CA August 5, 2005 John Oakes evidenceforchristianity.org The ancient world: Chaos vs Cosmos 1. Thales (585 BC) Predicted a Solar Eclipse: Nature is predictable. Cosmos and the […]
I have been developing a theory…. A questioner presents his own philosophy of how religion should work. What is wrong with my idea?
Question: I have been developing a theory or a concept for living according to God’s plan for mankind. Please tell me where there are flaws in my concept. God created man and all other creation according to his will and pleasure. He differentiated man to be in his own “image,” which I think should read […]
Why did God allow Satan to be in the garden of Eden. If he was not there, they would not have sinned.
Question: I have heard a few sermons preached on the situation that took place in the Garden of Eden. Eve being tempted by the snake, Adam standing by and also partaking in the forbidden fruit. The questions of Adam’s fault or Eve’s fault seem secondary to the question why let the #&@% snake in the […]
How do you resolve the difference between the 23,000 mentioned as killed in 1 Corinthians 10:8 and the 24,000 mentioned in Numbers?
Question: I had a question about a passage I read recently. It’s the passage in 1 Corinthians 10 that talks about the 23,000 killed for sexual immorality. However, in Numbers, it states that 24,000 were killed. I ‘ve read Paul was referring to Ex 32 and not the passage in Numbers. I’ve also read that […]
How do you explain petrified trees found standing vertically in many layers of sedimentary rock? Doesn't this call into question the idea of uniformitarianism?
Question: Thanks a lot for your extremely informative book “Is there a God?” I have read it several times. I totally agree with your opinion that the Creationist’s theory about the creation of up to thousands of feet of sediments through the flood (described in Genesis 7-9) is wrong. Nevertheless, in a creationist book I […]
What caused the break-up of Christianity into so many groups? Since the Catholic Church can trace itself to the beginning, doesn't that make them the true church?
Question: I wonder why the break-up in the churchof God. I mean Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, International Church of Christ etc…. Sometimes I imagine why most group claim to be the only Christians among the Christian circle. What caused the break up? How did it happen? What could be done? The Catholic Church has been existing […]
Why did the disciples not recognize Jesus when he had resurrected? Could it be because his beard was ripped out or his wounds in general?
Question: For a long time I have wondered why Luke and John describe the Mary?s and the disciples not recognizing Jesus after the resurrection. Even Thomas didn?t recognize him until he saw the scars (even after the other disciples told him who he was.) I guess I just always chocked it up to the disciples […]
Is Moses striking the rock, versus speaking to the rock a foreshadow of the first and second coming of Christ?
Question: I heard someone say they thought Moses striking the rock in to get water in Exodus 17 and then the second time being told to speak to it, was supposed to be a model of the first and second coming of Christ that Moses messed up. (1st he had to be “struck” and killed […]
Do you think there were significant scientific changes that occurred with the fall of man? Is it possible it was not until this point that the spiritual and physical realms became separate?
Question: Do you think there were significant scientific changes that occurred with the fall of man? Is it possible it was not until this point that the spiritual and physical realms became separate, or was it just that Adam and Eve didn?t realize it until then? Also, I remember from chemistry talking about the theory […]
Is the shrewd manager's action in Luke 16:9 a good or a bad example for a Christian?
Question: I have been talking to a friend and we are trying to understand luke 16:9. My friend sees this as something negative “…buying your friends” because of the previous context, but I see it as something positive. Can you help me understand this verse? Answer: This is a good question. There are a couple […]
What is the significance of the angel that appears to Daniel in chapter 10 telling him that he was summoned 21 days ago but was held up by ?the Prince of the Kingdom of Persia??
Question: What is the significance of the angel that appears to Daniel in chapter 10 telling him that he was summoned 21 days ago but was held up by “the Prince of the Kingdomof Persia”? I believe every scripture is there for a reason and God does not bother with insignificant issues, so what is […]
Is doubt sinful, or is it an act of trying to find God?
Question: My question is about doubt. I have to write a paper for a Bible class I take at my school. The paper is on the subject of doubt. I was just wondering if you think doubt is a sinfull act or an act of trying to find God. What do you think is the […]
