Question: You mentioned in one post that you believe in the coexistence of God and macroevolution and the idea that God controls this process. Take a look at 1 Corinthians 15:39 and explain: "For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another […]
An essay by Dr. John Oakes on the apologetic issue of Pain and Suffering. The Problem of Pain and Suffering
Question: If the tallest mountain was covered by 22.5′ of water, what would be theevaporation rate until the surface of the earth was visible, does the Gensisaccount get anywhere close to what would be proveable, just wondering? Answer: A couple of comments. First of all, the flood is clearly presented as a supernatural miracle. For this reason, […]
Question: It appears there is physical evidence for great floods – submerged cities all over the world. Many cultures speak of the great floods, isolated by location and time, these cultures seem to share similiar beliefs and architecture (i.e. pyramids built from south america to China). It seems as if, this ties in with the […]
Question: I have believed in God and the main teachings of Christianity for my whole life up until this past year. I was taught there was a God by my parents and the main points of Christian belief (heaven, hell, free will, gift of eternal life, sacrifice of Christ). I never questioned these beliefs or thought […]
Comment from "Disappointed": We most certainly did evolve, over the period of millions of years. As a matter of fact, if one were to visit the earth just 30,000 years ago, one would have found not one but several species of "human" forms. Today, scientists from around the world direct major projects pursuing answers to outstanding […]
Question: I have just observed a response on this website to Richard Dawkins book titled The God Delusion. The response seems to be written with a sense of aggresive defence, why is it that religious people tend to become immediatly angered when their faith is questioned or is it aggression as a chosen emotion to […]
Question: Under the heading of Biblical Manuscripts and Textual Questions, the following query was posted at your site: "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 […]
Class taught by Dr. John Oakes at the Mission Center of Hope, San Diego Feb 26, March 5, 2011. Notes: Answering the Hard Questions Power Point: Answering the Hard Questions 13.69 Mb Topics include the Trinity, Foreknowledge vs Predestination, The Question of Evil, The Problem of Pain, Violence, Slavery and other difficult questions from the OT and The […]
Article by John Oakes attached. 2012 Mania
Question: Just a random thought here. Scripture says: Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 How do you reconcile that Christ is God, yet the God of the OT appears to be nothing like the God of the NT i.e. Jesus Christ. Can you ever hear Christ telling his Church to go […]
Class taught by Dr. John Oakes 11/14/10. The lesson focuses in on the definition and evidence for biblical inspiration, the meaning of biblical inerrancy, errors of copyists and translators, followed by an introduction to the English translations. The final section discusses claims that the King James Version is the only acceptable translation and that others are of […]
These are notes and a power point for a lesson delivered by Dr. John Oakes 11/14/10 in Ingelwood, CA for the Metro Region of the LAICOC. Holy Spirit notes Holy Spirit Power Point
Question: I want to learn from you Please help me: Can you please help about Miracles? One of my friends says ‘"ou people don’t believe miracles." I told him I believe when we pray God answers our prayers he heals, and I told him we need to consult doctors too. I Answered him, When Jesus […]
The notes and power point are from a class taught by Dr. John Oakes 11/30/2010 as part of our ARS Certificate in Christian Apologetics. The examples used are ones which are particularly useful in using archaeological finds to illustrate important biblical teachings. Notes: OT Archaeology, Teaching and Preaching PPoint OT Archaeology Teach/Preach 3.85 Mb
Science and Religion are Not Enemies. An essay by John Oakes, PhD. This essay was written for inclusion in a new college textbook for a class titled "Intro to Scientific Thought." Because of the nature of the class, the essay is about the relationship between science and religion in general, and does not deal specifically […]
Question: I have a question on your answer to the 13 year old wanting proof that evolution is not real. You say that you believe in God’s creation and that he guides the evolutionary process. I was wondring if you think that the earth is older than 6000 years old or if you think evolution […]
Below is a short but nicely reasoned article on the reliability of the canonical gospels by Brian Colon. Evidence for the Reliability of the Gospels Brian Colón 10/20/2010 When assessing the truth claims of the Gospel narratives, the first question that usually arises is the question of the burden of proof. In other words, […]
Question: I was reading some Wikipedia articles about early Israel and came across and interesting section regarding the origin of Yahweh http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_ancient_Israel_and_Judah#Religion Ill let you read it but I’m adding quotes from it that I was hoping you could respond to. "It is generally accepted among modern scholars that the narrative of […]
Question: I am currently working on an informative lesson for an adult Sunday school class regarding Jewish ideas about the Messiah prior to Jesus’ birth. I am curious if there are non-biblical writings or prophecies that give us an idea of what the Jews were expecting in the Messiah? Or perhaps you could explain why […]
Question: I wonder if I could have the privilege of picking your brain. I’ve been thinking a lot about Jesus as a real figure in history recently – and the fact that He is the head of the church, and it has led me to question what about Jesus’ ministry sets him apart from all other […]
A twelve point outline of logical arguments for the existence of God. Note from the editor: I recently got this nice little outline of arguments for the existence of God from a friend Lee Tavares. I have much of this in different presentations on the topic of the existence of God at the web site, […]
Question: I have been taking a class on The History and Reliability of the Bible, where we recently discussed the subject of Noah and the Ark. I have gone back and forth before on whether the flood was a regional one, perhaps partly because of a statement made to me by a member of my biological family. My […]
Question: I was wondering if you could address and refute these claims made by Jews against Jesus being the Messiah: "The Messiah must be from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10). Under Jewish law, tribal affiliation is conferred through the birth father only (Numbers 1:18-44,34:14,Leviticus 24:10) (Criterion for being the Messiah is not met – in […]
Comment: After reading your reply to the question regarding the geology of Hawaii could you explain to me why anyone should believe the Bible? 2 Timothy 3:16 states that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God" and Titus 1:2 says that God cannot lie. Now, the question arises, what does one believe? Is it […]
Question: How would you respond to the late Henry Morris’s comments in his book The Genesis Record?: In the first place, the order of creative events narrated in Genesis 1 is very different from the accepted order of fossils in the rocks representing the geological ages…. Second, as already pointed out when discussing the gap theory, […]
Question: On the Discovery Channel I saw a show on the subject of Hawaii. The show touched on how the Hawaiian Islands were formed. According to the dominant view among geologists, the crust or plate on which the Hawaiian islands rest, is slowly moving north and each island was formed when the crust or plate below the future island […]
Question: And the Lord said unto me. They have well spoken that which they have spoken, I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to […]
This public lecture was given by Dr. John Oakes at the University of Stockholm in Sweden 9/5/2010. It discusses atheist arguments against the existence of God, why atheism fails and logical arguments for theism. The Existence of God 814.00 Kb The Existence of God
This lesson was taught by John Oakes, PhD in Bergen, Norway 9/2/2010. Norway is a mainly atheist or agnostic country where traditional Christian apologetics may not work. The lesson uses Acts as a model for how to do Christian apologetics depending on the culture. Using Apologetics in Christian Outreach Notes Using Apologetics […]
Question: What do you think about the Gospel of Barnabas? It clearly states that prophet Muhammed is the messenger of God. Dont tell me that it was written by a Muslim or changed by a Muslim. I think no gospel was changed by Muslims. Only Christians change it as per the church. Answer: It is […]
This is a very brief description of various philosophies about how best to create Christian faith through evidence. The class was given by Dr. John Oakes 8/27/2010. Types of Christian Apologetics Outline: Apologetics Strategies
From a class taught by Dr. John Oakes 8/27/2010. These are fairly brief notes and a power point. A Short History of Christian Apologetics 335.00 Kb History Christian Apologetics Notes
This is a very interesting article by a good friend Jerry Maday on the evidence from the human ability to perceive music as evidence for design and an intelligent designer. He also includes an interesting analogy to the mathematical relationship between musical scales and the radius of orbit of the planets, reminiscent of Kepler’s "Music […]
Question: I’ve been doing some research on extra Biblical evidences as I continue studying the Bible with Chinese people. In my search I came across something about the moon turning to blood. Every time I study out that section in Acts 2, I’m not really sure whether that’s going to happen in the future, or […]
Question: Catholicsm is a tradition which has been passed for a long time. Where was its origin and the approximatly when did it begin? Answer: I will assume you are talking about the Roman Catholic Church. There is also the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church and the Coptic Catholic Church. These names are in a sense […]
A review of the Forum at the recent International Christian Evidence Conference by Brian Colon, a member of the ARS board. See below. Editor’s Note: This review was written by Brian Colon. In the intereste of full disclosure, John Oakes gave some editing suggestions, but all edits were approved by Brian. 2010 ICEC Forum: Four Christian […]
See below for information regarding a class August 27-28 sponsored by ARS, taught by Dr. Douglas Jacoby and Dr. John Oakes in San Diego, CA Intro to Christian Apologetics: The Existence of God. Friday Aug 27th and Saturday August 28th at the Mission Center of Hope in San Diego. This is the seventh in our series […]
See below for a review of the evolution forum at the 2010 International Christian Evidence Conference. The review is by Brian Colon, a member of the ARS board. Review: ICEC Forum, "Four Christian Views of Evolution" Editor’s note: In the interest of full disclosure, John Oakes, who was one of the participants in the forum, did […]
Question: Why did God place the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden? Answer: This is a good question. Of course, we do not have a direct answer to this question, either in Genesis or anywhere else in the Bible. Yet, I believe that from what we know of God elsewhere in […]
The power point and outline are for a class taught 6/22/2010 for the LAICC intern by Dr. John Oakes. The theme is how the early church grew and why it grew like it did which is accomplished by looking both at Acts and church history. Thoughts on Acts and World History 14.56 Mb Acts/Church History notes
View a video of Dr. John Oakes giving a lecture The Bible, From God or Man? in both English and Hungarian. Go to this URL http://vimeo.com/13257586
Question: What is the underlying issue that influenced the formation of the Essene religious group? Answer: It is hard for us to trace the roots of the Essene group. As far as I know, its history is not well known at all. We know quite a bit about the history of the Pharisees, a bit less […]
See below for outline of the class "Master and Commander: The Moral Argument for the Existence of God" by Dan Conder from the 2010 ICEC. Master and Commander: The Moral Argument for the Existence of God Romans 1:18-2:16 (see also Genesis 1-3) "You don’t have to believe in God to be moral." In principle, […]
A power point by Dr. John Beggs, professor at Indiana University for 2010 ICEC on his research in neuroscience and the philosophical and theological questions of the existence of the human soul. PPT Defense of the Soul 2.36 Mb
The notes and power point are from a class taught by Dr. William Golightly at the 2010 ICEC. The notes/essay attached are particularly good, providing a fairly comprehensive description of where cosmology is at today, as well as listing anthropic fine tuning arguments. Essay: God and Cosmology PP God and Cosmology 3.78 Mb
Question/Comment: You say, with regard to the Letters, that "my assumption…. is that these are inspired writings." I have to point out that whenever God-inspired Scripture is spoken of in the NT, that it is the Jewish Bible that is spoken of. There is in fact no Biblical warrant for the inspiration of the NT […]
This power point is the one used by John Clayton at the 2010 ICEC in Irvine, CA Why Human Suffering 11.72 Mb
This is the power point used by John Clayton for his public lecture "Why I Left Atheism" at the 2010 ICEC in Irvine, CA Why I Left Atheism 12.57 Mb
A sermon given by John Oakes, PhD 6/13/2010 in Long Beach. Faith That Answers the Hard Questions
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