Dr. John Oakes is now leading a church planting in Merced, California. His lessons and sermons will be posted here. There is another, earlier article, with many sermons and lessons from 2022 to 2025. Here is the link: Earlier Merced Sermons More recent sermons are below. 9/5 1 Thess III Our Joy Our […]
Dr. John Oakes is giving a class at a Jubilee Conference in Queretaro, Mexico July 31 and Aug 1. The notes in English, as well as the Power Point in both English and Spanish are here. I will upload the audio after teaching the class. Answering Calvinism Notes Answering Calvinism PPT Respondiendo […]
Question: I came across this biblical argument for the papacy and was wondering if you have heard it before and if you had any thoughts on it. As I’m sure you know, the typical passage that is often cited in support of the papacy by Roman Catholics is Matthew 16:17-19. However, in more more recent […]
Today is St. Patrick’s Day. Just for fun, here is a Bible study using the life of the amazing Patrick of Ireland as the basis for a group Bible study: St Patrick’s Day Bible Study Purpose: To encourage us to take on the spirit of the great evangelist, St. Patrick of Ireland. Introduction: Born in […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a series of lessons for the Iglesia de Cristo de Tijuana Feb 5-8 on various topics, including baptism, Calvinism, the Holy Spirit and more. Materials will be published here. Bautismo PPT Bautismo Tijuana Audio I Baptism Tijuana Audio II Baptism Audio III Libertad en Cristo PPT […]
Dr. John Oakes did a six-part class on the history of Christianity for the campus ministry at UC Merced in Merced, CA Fall, 2025. The class was intended to help students understand what Christianity ought to look like today–how to navigate the various strains of how church is done in the modern context. Notes, PPT […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a lesson for the Los Angeles Church of Christ Sun 3/30 at 10:00 https://www.occhurchofchrist.com The lesson is on the “basics” of Christianity. What are the essentials of Christianity, without which, one is not saved by Christ? The outline and power point are here: Christianity The Basics Notes Christianity–The Basics […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a class on Church History for the West Coast School of Ministry this Spring. All notes, PPT and audio will be posted here: Church History Notes Notes Church History PPT Church History I Audio Church History II Church History III Church History IV Genesis […]
Dr. John Oakes taught a series of classes at the Univ. of California, Merced for the campus group. Notes, Power Point and audio are here. Revelation PPT Revelation Notes Revelation Audio I Revelation Audio II Revelation Audio III Revelation Audio IV Revelation Audio V Revelation VI Audio […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a multi-part class on the Book of Acts for the Merced Christian Church July and August, 2024. Notes, PPT and audio are included here. Acts Notes Whole Class Acts PPT Acts I Audio Acts Audio II Acts III Audio Acts Audio IV Acts V […]
Dr. John Oakes and his wife Jan are on an anniversary travel expedition to Ireland and England. The trip includes teaching for churches in the London area, so we will be posting notes, audio and power point from the lessons taught. If you are in the London area, you are invited. Information below. Lessons taught […]
Dr. John Oakes has completed a twelve-week, 24 hour class on the history of Christianity for a ministry training program in Port au Prince, Haiti. The class began on 1/27/2024. The power points, notes and audio will be made available here. L’Histoire de l’Eglise PPT Church History Notes The first two classes were […]
I am excited to announce that the last volume of my four-part book series on the history of Christianity is now available for purchase. The volume covers the First Great Awakening and the work of Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley and George Whitefield, the Second Great Awakening and the rise of Evangelicalism, the Stone-Campbell Movement, Adventism, […]
Dr. John Oakes is doing a missionary teaching trip to West Africa Feb 16-Mar 5, 2023. He will be posting all or nearly all of his lessons, outlines and ppts here. Great Bible Study Time Notes Great Bible Study PPT Great Bible Study Audio Reliability of the Bible notes Reliability of […]
Dr. John Oakes taught a 12-hour class on the history of Christianity for the West Coast School of Ministry Fall, 2022. All outlines, Power Points and audio are available here. Church History Notes Church History PPT Church History Audio I Church History Audio II Church History Audio III Church History Audio […]
Dr. John Oakes is giving a three week, six-hour class on the History of Christianity, both in-person and on-line on three consecutive Saturdays, beginning Jan. 29 at 9:00 Pacific Standard Time. He recently completed the fourth and final volume of his series on Church History, which is a good time to be teaching this mini-class. […]
John Oakes is giving a class on the history of issues related to unity and division within the Christian Church. This is part of a mini-seminar titled The Unbreakable Church for the Spokane Christian Church. He will be covering issues related to ecumenism and restoration/patternism and how the church, historically has succeeded or failed in […]
Dr. John Oakes is doing a four-part series on the Book of Revelation in Spanish for Iglesia de Cristo de Guadelajara. Power point and autio are being posted here Apocalypsis ESPAÑOL PPT Apocalypsis Guadalajara Audio 1 Apocalypsis Guad II Apocalypsis III Dr. John Oakes is doing a six-part series of classes on […]
Dr. John Oakes will be featured in a podcast sponsored by “The TribeExchange” on Wed July 14th. The interviewers will be Elias and Rachel Delault as well as Christian Ray Flores. The topic will be church history, but the discussion ranges into modernism, postmodernism and much more. The podcast will be available on facebook or […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a class on the Stone/Campbell movement for the Rocky Mountain School of Ministry. The SC movement is also known as the Restoration Movement, which is the historical root of the Churches of Christ, the Christian Church and the Disciples of Christ. Notes, PPT and audio are attached. Unfortunately, the first twelve […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a 12-hour class on Church History for campus interns in Bakersfield, California 7/24-25/2020. Notes, power point and audio are available here: Church History PPT church history notes Part I Church History Notes II Ch Hist Audio 1 Ch Hist Audio 2 Ch Hist Audio 3 Ch Hist Audio 4 […]
Dr. John Oakes taught a class on Christian theology. The class covered topics such as Trinity, the qualities of God, the problems of evil and suffering, theodicy, predestination, heaven and more. The class is now completed. Here are the notes, PPT, audio and link to the video. God: Christian Theology PPT God–Christian […]
Dr.John Oakes gave a lesson on an introduction to church history for the West region of the Los Angeles Church of Christ. This is a very short review, but it will be a good starting point for accessing this important topic. Dr. Oakes has a three volume series of books on church history, The Christian […]
Many in our churches who spend time on our college campuses have come across the rather strange sect which teaches about the Mother Goddess. I had not come across this group personally until a recent experience while sharing my faith at Bakersfield College in Bakersfield, California. Normally, I like to avoid writing against groups I […]
Dr. John Oakes is doing a very brief teaching tour in Mexico, specifically in Tlaxcala and Puebla. These two cities are part of old Mexico. Tlaxcala is the location of the first Catholic diocese in Mexico and is the route through which Cortex conquered Tenochtictan/Mexico City. Heb 11 Living by Faith Tlaxcala Viviendo por la […]
Dr. John Oakes is one of the organizers of a Christian Teachers Conference coming up March 6-7 in San Antonio. We wanted to get the information out there. A brochure is below. Detailed schedule, cost and the ability to register will be coming soon.
Dr. John Oakes taught a class on the biblical doctrine of predestination for an all-Mexico conference in Toluca, Mexico 7/20/19. The class includes biblical evidence against “once saved, always saved,” a history of the doctrine of predestination, a description of Calvinism, a refutation of Calvinism and a presentation of the biblical doctrine of predestination. Notes […]
Dr. John Oakes taught a class on the history of Christianity for the Los Angeles School of Ministry and Missions Nov 30-Dec 1 2018 and March 8-9, 2019. Notes and power point are here: church history notes Part I Church History Notes Part II Church History PPT Church History audio 1 Church History Audio […]
I will be posting many lessons from my current teaching trip. All will be in English, but with translation into Russian, Japanese, or Mongolian. Freedom in Christ Russian FreedominChrist Russian ppt Hebrews Russian 1 Hebrews Russian 2 Hebrews Russian 3 Hebrews Russian PPT Christian World View Russian Christian World View Russian PPT From […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon as an intro to a series on Acts in San Diego 4/29/8. The lesson focuses on the Holy Spirit in Acts, on the growth of the New Testament Church and on the elements of that amazing growth. The theme verse is Acts 1:8–to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends […]
The following is an essay by Dr. John Oakes. It is a reflection on the Christian Reformation in light its 500th Anniversary. A Reflection on the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation There is much interest in the Christian world on the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Even in mostly-atheist Germany, awareness of the […]
Editor’s Note: The following document, clearly, has no relationship to Christian evidence, but a good friend published this treatise on the Restoration Movement which I believe will be of interest to some of our subscribers. It is written by a friend John Teal who has himself been part of a group within the Restoration Movement […]
[Editor’s note: I have had a lot of positive interaction with Roman Catholic believers, but I also get a lot of comments accusing this web site of being anti-Catholic and biased against that viewpoint. Normally, I simply respond respectfully, but I wanted to give a more complete response and publish it as an article, so […]
Dr. John Oakes is delivered a number of lessons on a missionary teaching trip in South Asia Jan 5-22, 2017. Attached are power points, notes and audio for these lessons. From Shadow to Reality India Audio Existence of God Audio Reliability of the Bible Audio Marriage Divorce and Remarriage Audio Marriage and Divorce Notes Acts […]
We are reposting an article on a biblical and historical perspective of Christmas from 2007 for your enjoyment. Merry Christmas. John Oakes Question: Is Christmas a Christian Holiday? Answer: Christmas sure has taken a beating lately, seemingly from all sides. The secularists demand that we say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, while some believers have […]
Last weekend we brought together eight teachers from across the US for a conference on History, Archaeology and Christianity. We are really grateful to York College in York, Nebraska for hosting the conference. A few of the notes and power points from the conference are attached here. The audio is available through the membership option […]
After a three year hiatus, Dr. John Oakes has published the second in what will (God willing) be a three part series of books on the history of Christianity. The Christian Story Part II: Finding the Church in Church History. This books covers the years 450-1500 AD. Topics include the Church of the East, the […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a series of classes on the Book of Acts for the Singles ministry of the San Diego Church of Christ on Thursday evenings beginning September 3 at the Mission Center of Hope. Notes, power point and audio are attached. Acts Class Notes Acts Class PPT Acts Audio Part I Acts […]
Dr. Robert Kurka gave a class at the 2015 ICEC designed to help us gain perspective on how to deal with a world in which there is a plurality of religions. He argues that we should strongly approach the philosophy of religious pluralism (no religion has absolute truth) but that we should not be overly […]
Dr. John Oakes taught a class on the commonly-held doctrine known as “Once Saved, Always Saved”, also known as Perseverance of the Saints. The class was taught in San Diego Nov. 6, 2014 at the Mission Center of Hope. The outline of the class was: I. Where did this doctrine come from? II. What proof-texts […]
John Oakes and Robert Carrillo are team teaching a class on the history of Christianity for the staff of the San Diego Church of Christ over the next couple of months. The notes and power point for the class are available here. John Oakes has a book on the topic “The Christian Story: Finding […]
Question: Catholicism VS Christianity I was told that from the beginning there was one real church, which was the Roman Catholic Church. But later on because of conflicts within the church, a man named Luther left the Catholic Church and formed another church which is today’s Christian church. How much truth is in this? Answer: […]
Question: I was just wondering if you could answer some of these questions. Keep in mind I don’t expect you to answer every single question but maybe a couple answers would help. I recently compiled most of the complaints from a very unusual website called Jesusneverexisted.com. Honestly at the end of the day none of […]
Question: Have you read questioningpaul.com ? Hab 2 is quite the prophecy about the coming of Shwaul as the”plague of death” and the one who “gathers all the Gentiles unto himself”, etc. Paul never quotes the Torah correctly. Response: I spent some time looking at the document you suggested and found this to be a […]
QUESTION: Hello. I was wondering about the information on the Gospel of Barnabas. I’d like to know who after this site and from which point of view was the gospel taken. I couldn’t find about the writer or the author? Another question please, how can the author judge the language of the bible and even the […]
Question: I am an American pastor in Thailand. This season I have been approached about our Easter celebration being pagan and reflecting too much of the Catholic doctrine. Suggestion has been made to drop the term Easter and adopt the Passover as the true form of worship. Can you illuminate for me any biblical reasons […]
Question: I talked with someone from Asembly church and they say we should worship God on Saturday which is Shabbat day. Here are some scripture he showed me. Gen 2:1-3 Exo 20:8-11 Num 28:9-10 Mat 5:17-18 Jn 1:29 Lk 4:16 Mat 7:21-23 Mat 15:7-9 Mk 16:9 He said, worshiping God on Sunday is the ritual of men […]
QUESTION: I have been a devout follower of Jesus Christ for 22 years. Recently, I have been questioning the validity of Christianity. The Freemasons tell their members that they have made up Christianity and all world religions as a way to better society. When I look at the ancient Sun God worship Mithraism and other forms […]
[Editor’s note: This question has little to do with Christian evidences, but I have gotten several versions of the question. Apparently it is on the minds of many EFC users, so I am providing an answer.] QUESTION: In Acts chapter 8 Philip, one of the Seven, goes to a city in Samaria and preached the gospel. […]
Editor’s Note: I just posted a Q & A on cremation a couple of weeks ago. Normally, I would not post two in a row on the same topic, but apparently my fairly short answer raised as many questions as it answered, so I am publishing a second question and the follow-up. I suggest that […]
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