Resurrection Power
Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon on the power of the resurrection 3/31/2013. Notes, power point and audio are attached. Resurrection Power audio Resurection Power ppt Resurrection Power notes
What is the doctrine of Soul Sleep? Did the thief immediately go to Paradise with Jesus?
Question: “I have two questions for you, what is the doctrine of Soul-Sleep and did the thief immediately go to Paradise with Jesus? A friend of mine believes in the doctrine of soul-sleep.” Answer: Thanks for the questions, below are my answers I hope this helps! What is The Doctrine of Soul-Sleep? The (false) doctrine […]
Please comment on Thomas Herron's thesis that the letter of 1 Clement was written just before AD 70
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 […]
What do you know about Helena Roerich? Can a Christian believe in what she taught?
Question: Hi, John! I want to ask you about the informaiton at this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Roerich What do you know about this teaching and her influence on Christianity today? (In my church there is a member who believes in this teaching. And she doesn’t want change it) Your book about Daniel is very good! I am enjoying it! Answer: […]
New class in the ARS Christian Apologetics Certificate Program now available
We are excited to announc that the seventh of an eventual ten classes in our Apologetics Certificate Program is now available. The class is Archaeology and Christianity. The principal teacher is Dr. John Wilson of Pepperdine University. Dr. Douglas Jacoby and Dr. John Oakes also are teachers in this calss. The classes now available are: […]
ATheological-Hermeneutical Approach to Genesis1-2
Randall Hroziencik, one of the students in our ARS Apologetics Certificate Program submitted a paper on the cultural and theological background to the two Genesis creation accounts, focusing on the genre of the first part of Genesis. We feel that this paper is of a very high quality and offer it for your consideration. Thank […]
There is proof Jesus came to India, made a deep study of Hinduism, and taught it when he returned to Jerusalem.
QUESTION: Since the birthplace of Jesus is too far from the Indian subcontinent, there is a viable chance for him travelling to India or Tibet. All the story of Jesus is mythological like Indian mythology. Hence, there is solid proof that Jesus Christ came to India and has made a deep study of Hindu religion. After returning […]
What is the correct formula/words to say for doing a baptism? Are there historical accounts which can help to decide this question?
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 […]
Class on World Religions in San Diego
Dr. John Oakes taught a six-week class on World Religions on six consecutive Saturdays beginning on 2/23 9:00-11:00. See below for suggested reading and schedule. World Religion Notes World Religion PPT World Rel Audio 1a World Rel Audio 1b World Rel Audio 2a World Rel Audio 2b World Rel Audio 3a World Rel Audio 3b […]
If life existed on another planet, how would that affect our understanding of the Bible, God, the Anthropic Principle or on our place in the universe?
Question: If life is discovered on another planet, how will it affect our understanding of the Bible, God, the Anthropic Principle, and our place in the universe? Answer: In a word: no effect. If God created life here, he can create life elsewhere. That is God’s prerogative. The Bible does not suggest one way or […]
Please give your thoughts on the significance of the discovery of Higgs Boson–the God Particle.
Question: Your thoughts on the new information concerning the Higgs-Boson, the “God particle”? Response: My thoughts on the new information about the Higgs Boson is that it changes absolutely nothing from a Christian Apologetic point of view. First of all, the theory about the existence of this particle–the one responsible for giving mass to particles–has been […]
Report on Missionary Teaching Trip to Indonesia, Singapore and Australia
John and Jan Oakes just returned from a 20 day teaching trip in Jakarta, Ambon, Surabaya, Medan, Singapore, Brisbane and Perth. A report is attached. Indonesia Singapore Australia Journal
At what point in the evolutionary line did humans develop having the image of God? What will be the eternal fate of our ancestors?
Question: At what point in the evolutionary line did humans develop the Image of God? At what point in time did we fall into sin? What is the eternal fate of our evolutionary ancestors? Please forgive my rusty science, but what I am asking is will there be neanderthals, cro-magnons, etc. in heaven Answer: Humans […]
Was Jonah really swallowed by a whale/fish? How did he survive?
Question: How do we understand the Book of Jonah? Was he really swallowed by a whale/fish/something else? How did he survive for three days in whatever it was? Is this just one of those things we must just understand as a miracle? Answer: According to the writer of the Book of Jonah, when Jonah was […]
Power Points in Bahasa Indonesia
Dr. John Oakes taught a series of lessons in Indonesia January, 2013. Power points in Bahasa Indonesia are included. Kingdom of God Day of Lord-Kerajaan Allah dan Hari Tuhan PPT God and Science Tuhan Dan Ilmu Pengetahuan PPT
Does a biological cause for behaviour negate free will?
Editor’s note: This recent Q & A is of sufficient interest that we have turned it into an article. See below.
Atheists point out that behaviors have a biological bases from evolution. Does this negate free will?
Question: I recently read an interview with atheist psychologist Steven Pinker about one of his books that he wrote. It was on a website (unfortunately,I can’t recall it). The topic of concern is the apparent biological basis for behavior and the impact this has on the traditional understanding of the Free Will Doctrine. As you […]
Why did God not send anyone to India to bring salvation to good people like Buddha?
Question: May I know why God did not send anybody to India or some other countries just like he sent Jonah to Nineveh? Some good people in India such Gauthama Buddha searched for truth. Why did the true God Jehova did not respond to them by sending some angels to inform them? Answer: God did send […]
You are wrong that prophecy has ceased.
Are there modern-day Christian prophets? (Editor’s note: This question is a response to another Q & A posted earlier at the site) I disagree with your statement that there are no modern day prophets in these last days, not only that but scripture has been used out of context especially in your sentence “Like Paul […]
Could the "man" created in Genesis 1:27 be something different than the offspring produced from Adam and Eve?
QUESTION: In Genesis 1:27 it is stated that God created “man”, with gender male and female. In Genesis 2:5-7 it is stated that God formed a man and called him Adam. Does this mean that God has created “man” first then later God formed Adam and Eve? In Genesis 6:1-2 it is stated that in […]
How does atheism answer our most important questions?
Author: Bill Pratt Editor’s note: This article is taken from the web site www.toughquestionsanswered.org Old-school atheists like Friedrich Nietzsche recognized that atheism utterly failed to answer the most profound of human questions, and thus atheism, he believed, led inexorably to nihilism. Nowadays, most atheists are very uncomfortable with nihilism and want to distance themselves from […]
How could God create a material world out of nothing?
Question: How could God create this material world out of nothing? We know nothing comes from nothing. Did God turn the energy of His words into matter? Kindly, explain this to me. Thanks. Answer: What a great question! I am afraid that this is one of those questions which will forever be beyond human ability to […]
New Course in the ARS Apologetics Certificate now available
We are pleased to announce that the sixth of an eventual ten courses in our Christian Apologetics Certificate Program series is now available for students to take the course. The topic is The Existence of God. The class is taught by Dr. Douglas Jacoby and Dr. John Oakes. The class is $150 ($125 in the […]
A Closer Look at the Laws of Thermodynamics.
A number of related questions have come in lately about abiogenesis/the origin of life, so we thought it would be a good idea to reproduce an appendix from the book Is There a God (www.ipibooks.com) which addresses this topic. See below. John Oakes
Did the Jews use the Greek Septuagint, even though it contained the uncanonical Apocrypha?
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 […]
Are there any contradictions between science and scripture?
Question: I was wondering if science and scripture have any contradictions. I have done a small study on the creation account, and when doing that, I wanted to show how evolution was irrational, not logical, and so on. Even Darwin had doubts in his own theory, people of his day did not accept his theory. But […]
Can you comment on the statement "Religion is darkness" from the movie/book Life of Pi?
QUESTION: What can you say about this statement: “Religion is Darkness”? This comes from the character Mr. Kumar in the book and movie Life of Pi. It turns out that Mr. Kumar is an atheist. Answer: What I can say about this is that it is a meaningless statement. What does this atheist mean when […]
Was the flood over the whole world or just part of it?
Question: Was the flood over the whole world or just part of it? Answer: I have previously answered a similar enough question that I will copy and past below. Let me add just a couple of thoughts. The Old Testament is not a careful, scientific analysis of events in the past. We […]
Who created the argument that the head of the church in Rome had special authority using Matthew 16?
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 […]
What is freemasonry? Are they the antichrist?
Question: What is freemasonry? Is it a religion or is it a fraternity? What are their beliefs? Can a christian be a freemason? Or are they anti-christ? Answer: The definition of freemasonry is complicated. It is a fraternal order with very strong religious overtones. The essence of the group is that it is a service organization. […]
How do we know that Paul wrote Ephesians or Romans and John wrote John?
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 […]
Class on the Book of John
Robert Carrillo and Dr. John Oakes taught a six week class on the writings of John. The class was on Saturdays 10/6,13,27, 11/4,11 and 1/26/2013 at the Mission Center of Hope 6162 Mission Gorge Rd., San Diego, CA 92120. For more information, contact Jan Oakes at joakes01@san.rr.com or 858-505-8841. Schedule and recommended reading below. Recordings are now in the […]
A Survey of World Views
Did Adam and Eve really exist? What about wiki answer's statements?
Question: Did Adam and Eve really exist? Some say they have disproved their existence. I have seen this claimed many times. For example, on wiki answers they say that the Bible does not contain the earth rotating on its axis. But we can look at what God said in the book of Job (38:12-14) “Have you […]
How do I respond to a New-Age friend who says Jesus had many incarnations (supporting the idea that all religions are a way to God)?
Question: I have had a discussion with a New-Age friend. Jesus is the only way to God (as opposed to New-age belief many roads lead to God) mainly based on Jesus’ statement in John 14:6. and also from Acts 4:12. My New-ager friend is aware of these passages and asks “How do you know that Jesus hasn’t […]
What is the result on the doctrine of Original Sin if we accept theistic evolution?
Question: First, let me just say I love your website. It is one of the few Christian websites I know of that answers such difficult questions and so many of them. To the heart of the matter: I understand you are a theistic evolutionist and I am wondering how the Doctrine of Original Sin fits […]
Why would Jesus turn water into wine at a wedding if it helped people to get drunk?
Question: So many people in the OT times needed salvation, the same way we need it today. We have the privilege of salvation. But why do we have it, and they didn’t have it? I have heard that question several times but couldn’t really answer people except for “But when the fullness of time had […]
Help! I am a Christian who is close to converting to Nihilism due to issues about evolution!
QUESTION: I know that you are probably busy but I hope you can answer some of my concerns. I am currently a Christian bordering on converting to Nihilism. I grew up believing in God creating everything as per the Genesis account even though I believed in an old universe. I believed that God physically created […]
If Adam be Razed, is Our Faith in Vain?
Editor’s note. This article was recently published by Dr. Robert Kurka, a professor at Linconln Christian University and a good friend of us at ARS. He carefully discusses the theological and biblical implications of recent evidence from biology with respect to the origin of human beings. If Adam Be Razed
How can I share the gospel in a simple manner with a friend who is a Hindu, but not a strong believer?
QUESTION: Can you please tell me how to share the gospel in a simple manner? My friend is a Hindu but does nt particularly believe in it Answer: My experience tells me that most Hidus respect Jesus, but do not understand who he was and what he said about himself. You should start with theatcommon […]
Why did God wait for millions of years after creation to create man?
QUESTION: I was reading your questions and answers section and it got me thinking… Is there anyway of knowing why God would create the world and not create man until millions of years later? What would be the point? Just curious, and maybe that is something I will have to wait to ask God when […]
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 […]
How dare you ascribe such rubbish to God as having God defecate or urinate in his clothes or come out of a mother's womb?
MESSAGE: How could Jesus be GOD even though he used to defecate in his clothes when he was an infant? How could Jesus be GOD even though he used to urinate in his clothes when he was an infant? How could Jesus be GOD even though he could NOT even walk properly when he was […]
What can I say to a Hindu friend who practices idolatry who says that the Christian use of the cross is the same thing?
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 […]
What is the name of the person who received the message of Jesus from Theophilus?
Question: What is the name of the person who received the message of Jesus from Theophilus? Editor’s note: This letter is coming from a Muslim who is trying to show that one cannot trust Luke because we do not even know who the book was written to. This will explain some of the answer below. […]
I CHALLENGE you to prove to me that GOD and his son are ONE GOD.
Challenge: I CHALLENGE you to prove to me that GOD and his son are ONE GOD. This is something you can NEVER do. Be a man and accept my CHALLENGE. HOW CAN GOD AND HIS SON BE ONE GOD? Response: I am sorry, but I get the very strong sense that you simply want to […]
A brief comment on the new book on Mormonism at www.ipibooks.com
I just wanted to let you know – I started reading up on Mormonism last year and spent about 4 hours on it with our staff as part of a World Religions class in May 2011. I picked up your book and am about 80% through it… you did a fantastic job on it. I […]
What is your response to Astro-theology?
Question: The fad of Astro-theology is really starting to take a hold with some ex-Christians and other people I know who’ve studied the Bible but never became Christians. Here is the Facebook post from someone who has left Christianity. This is going to be a new form of false theology that many in our ministries is going to […]
Why is the Holy Spirit not active today as during the Old and New Testaments?
Question: The Holy Spirit was pretty active during the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Seems the Holy Spirit has not been very active in past 2000 years. Your thoughts on this? Am I wrong in thinking this? Answer: The Holy Spirit has been extremely busy the past two thousand years–convicting people of sin, […]
Review of the 2012 ICEC UCLA
See below for a review of the 2012 Christian Evidence Conference
