Dr. John Oakes will be teaching a class on Christian theology by livestream on four consecutive Saturdays 9:00-10:45 AM Pacific time starting this Saturday, June 13. The last class will be July 11th. The class will cover topics such as Trinity, the qualities of God, the problems of evil and suffering, theodicy, predestination, heaven and […]
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 […]
Question: It is a privilege to contact you and be able to share my dilemma. I am hoping you have time enough to direct me to readings where I can, upon understanding of them, inform my daughter-{recent “convert” to Catholicism}-of how Catholicism has detoured from Jesus’ original teachings. If you would just point me in […]
Comment: I think Mr Oakes needs to take a course in logic. He attempts to discredit Robert Eisenman by using, not the extant historical evidence, but the unsubstantiated writings of “early church fathers”,and the new testament “writings” of Peter and Luke. First of all there is not a single writing of the church fathers and […]
Question: This is starting to circulate on the internet. Facebook……etc. I am sure young christians in our congregations may have a hard time with it. Just curious if you guys have heard about it yet. http://uk.prweb.com/releases/2013/10/prweb11201273.htm Response: Ancient Confession Found: ‘We Invented Jesus Christ.’ A new “theory” to explain the genesis of Christianity is making […]
Question: I have recently been troubled by a theological dilemma regarding 1 Corinthians 11 and veiling. Actually, I should say I’ve been wrestling with it for years and the conflict comes and goes. How can we as disciples of Jesus KNOW that Paul is speaking culturally? I know that David Bercot is popular throughout churches […]
Question: I have seen your view about the book of Enoch.first I have to tell you where I am from , I am actually from Ethiopia. the only christian country that accepted the book of Enoch as canon.please I want much evidences that can disprove its authenticity. do you have? Answer: I did not say […]
Questions: I was listening to a Rabbi debate with a Christian and wanted to ask you about some of the points that the Rabbi made that the Christian didn’t respond to, if i may. 1. Christians had to “make up” the second coming of the Messiah to harmonize why Jesus did not restore peace in […]
Question: Reading several articles, I have the impression that many people don’t trust Josephus’ writings because of the additions by the Christian scribe[editor’s note: He is talking about the “Testimonium Flavium” which mentions Jesus]. It seems that if one passage was tampered with then we don’t know what to trust. Also, concerning the passage in […]
Question: [editor’s note: this lengthy question and points being made come from a Jewish Christian who believes that Christians are required to obey kosher food laws, such as the prohibition of eating pork and shellfish. The article he and I both refer to is one about the interpretation of Acts 10. I am attaching […]
Question: This question hit me and I wondered if you knew anything about it. Is it possible for a Christian to completely stop sining? I mean completely sinless at a certain point in a Christian follower’s life? I understand that everyone in this world at one point sins, but can a Christian once and for […]
Question: Some believe that John the apostle was indeed not the author of 1 John, 2nd John, and his Gospel. Some declare that it was LIKELY that John “the elder” was the writer if these pieces of scripture. They say and I quote “This would explain those passages in the gospel that speak about the […]
QUESTION: Is there historical evidence that the apostle Paul was real? I have come across talk on the internet saying that there is no real evidence that Paul ever existed. I would appreciate it if you can shed some light on this. Thanks and God bless. Answer: Yes, there is historical evidence that Paul was […]
Comment: Shalom, Revelation 22:7 King James Version (KJV) 7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. Revelation 22:20 King James Version (KJV) 20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. QUICKLY= GREEK TACHU = SWIFT-QUICK. Matthew 28:7 […]
Question: Do we need to keep Sabbath? Which Bible verses supports your answer? Are the Ten Commandments important? Answer: There is no indication in the New Testament that Christians are required to keep some sort of Christian version of the Sabbath. All the evidence from both the scriptures (Acts 20:7 which says that the church […]
Question: Do you have any references you could pass along that might shed some light on 1 Clement, both in terms of its dating and his possible authorship of Hebrews? I saw a recent question on your site regarding dating 1 Clement to the late 60’s (which makes a lot of sense to me). All […]
Suggestion: Hi, please do read the doctoral thesis by the late Thomas Herron in which he presents a persuasive argument for re-dating 1 Clement to just before 70 AD. There are of course explosive implications if 1 Clement was pre 70 AD – for example if Clement is quoting at least one of the gospels […]
Question: In baptism, the church I go to does a good confession by saying “Jesus is Lord” and there are scriptures that supports it like Romans 10:9. How can we be sure that we are doing it the way the early Christians did? Did the 3000 baptized in Acts 2 undergo the same practice as we […]
QUESTION: The Greek translation of the Hebrew OT was called the Septuagint and I’ve read it was used in the early NT church and often quoted by NT writers. I’ve also read that it contained the Apocrypha, which was not accepted into the Hebrew OT canon. Question #1 “Was the Septuagint read in the NT […]
Question: I’ve really enjoyed reading your book, “The Christian Story” (editor: www.ipibooks.com) and hope to finish it soon. A question came up in our last Bible study that I didn’t remember reading about, so I’m hoping you could answer it for me. Who started the argument that the head of the Church was in Rome and […]
Question: Thank you so much for your faithful work and dedication to answering my questions. The Bible calls us to be ready in and out of season, so i would like to knock down a question about the writers of the Bible. The Bible claims that John wrote his gospel, Paul wrote Romans, and Paul wrote […]
QUESTION: In Revelation chapters 2 & 3, there are 7 churches mentioned. Is there any reason why these particular churches were included in the list? Why only seven? Are they the only churches that was persecuted by the emperor that time? Why were the church in Rome or Jerusalem or other churches that we commonly know in New […]
QUESTION: When I told my friend who is a Hindu that idolatry is wrong, she said that as we Christians take the cross as our representation we take a idol and worship it. How am I supposed to answer such a question? Although its not the cross itself that we worship, but it represents faith in […]
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