One of the most significant Greek New Testament manuscript finds of all time was revealed in a recent article in CNN http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/21/living/gospel-mummy-mask/ . If confirmed, then this will be a game-changer in the way it supports by physical evidence the early date of the writing of the gospels. As will all such claims, it is wise […]
This is the first of a three part series on the Book of Mark taught by Dr. John Oakes and Robert Carrillo in San Diego for the Church staff of the San Diego Church of Christ February and March, 2015. Gospel of Mark Notes Mark PPT Mark Part I […]
Robert Carrillo and Dr. John Oakes taught a class on Christian Theology in San Diego in the fall of 2011. The audio for the last three classes is attached. Christian Theology PartIV Christian Theology Part V Christian Theology Part VI
Dr. John Oakes will be teaching a three-part class, along with Robert Carrillo, on the Book of Mark in San Diego, California Feb. 6, 20 and March 6, 2015. This series will not be open to the public, but the audio, notes and power point will be made available at the web site after the […]
Dr. John Oakes will be doing a teaching weekend May 1-3 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. There will be an evangelistic event on Friday evening: God and Science, an in-depth Bible class on Daniel on Saturday and an evangelistic sermon for the Vancouver Church of Christ on Sunday. For locations or more information, contact Brian […]
Editor’s note: This Q & A was of sufficient interest, that I have decided to post it as an article as well. Question: If evolution and abiogenesis have simply naturalistic explanations behind the origins and development of life itself, then wouldn’t this replace any need for a god? Abiogenesis for example gives forth purely scientific and […]
John Oakes has been traveling in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Below are some of the audios as well as some notes and power points for the lessons on this teaching trip. Daniel audio Harare Daniel PPT Kingdom of God audio Harare Kingdom of God notes Living by Faith audio Harare Living by […]
I have passed through Windhoek, Namibia, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth Durban and Johannesburg, and am heading back to San Diego. The final report is posted below. John Oakes Picture is from the monument to the tribal leaders who achieved independence for Botswana from the UK in 1966.
Dr. John Oakes will be teaching a class titled “Evidence for Jesus” at the Mission Center of Hope in San Diego, CA on six consecutive Saturdays beginning Saturday Feb 21, 2015 from 9:00-10:30. The audio, notes and power point will be posted at the web site. Cost: $20, which included light refreshments. The […]
Dr. John Oakes will be traveling to teach for churches in Harare, Zimbabwe, Gaboronne, Botswana, Windhoek, Namibia and in Port Elizabeth, Durban and Johannesberg, South Africa Jan 2-19. He will be posting updates on his travels and experiences visiting churches in these cities at this web site, on Twitter (@evidence4christ) and on Facebook.
Dr. John Oakes gave a lesson about Freedom in Christ, on the use of gifts and Christian membership for the Iglesia de Cristo en Tijuana 12/14/14. The class is in English, with Spanish translation. Libertad para que audio Libertad en Cristo PPT
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 […]
Dr. John Oakes and James Shults will be teaching a class on biblical books covering the period after the exile of Judah and Israel. The theme of these books is returning to God, restoring our relationship with God and rebuilding our lives with God. The books covered will include Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Ezra, Esther and […]
Kedron Jones, a member of the ARS board, gave a lesson recently titled “Know How to Answer: Conversational Apologetics” The class was taught 10/18/14 at Los Angeles Church of Christ campus ministry. The notes and power point are attached. Know How to Answer Outline Know How to Answer PPT
QUESTION: I have a question concerning the usage of numerous names for God. I have been reading that Yahweh developed from the word El which was a Canaanite god. In addition El Elyon was a different deity from Yahweh and was a Caananite god in the city of Salem inhabited by the Jebusites. Why would […]
QUESTION: 1. What is a good resource for learning more about Calvinism and how to refute it. 2. How do you best defend the Word of God with someone who says “the Bible is not perfect.” We obviously know of a few clerical errors but he uses those mistakes and others to justify his own […]
Foster Stanback, the Chair of the Board of Apologetics Research Society (the sponsor of this website) has teamed with York College in York, Nebraska to establish a Museum of Ancient History to specialize in items of interest to Christianity. The grand opening of the Museum will be in April, 2015. We have future plans […]
Editor’s note: The following is a series of questions and answers. The tone is more familiar than usual because this discussion is happening with a good friend. Question: I just read your paper, “A Closer Look at the Laws of Thermodynamics.” It was great. Thanks. I have a comment, though. From Pr 16:33 we learn that anything that […]
Question: Have you ever heard of the Doctrine Molinism? I haven’t studied concerning the process of salvation in awhile. The last place I essentially left off was being convinced of the ideology of this doctrine. And as of now I still hold to Molinism. Thanks much. Answer: I am copying and pasting an article from Google […]
John Oakes taught three classes for the Spokane Christian Church 9/27/2014. Audio is available here. History, Archaeology and the Bible MP3 History Archaeology and the Bible PPT The Holy Spirit MP3 Shadow to Reality MP3
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a class on the Book of Ezekiel on four consecutive Thursday evenings, beginning 9/12/14. The class is in San Diego at the Mission Center of Hope (6162 Mission Gorge Road San Diego, CA 92120. Suite A) from 7:30-8:45. Notes, power point and audio will be posted. Ezekiel notes Ezekiel […]
Question: Hello Dr. Oakes. I recently have had the desire to study out the biblical support for Jesus being the Messiah and why the Jews don’t consider him to be the Messiah. I listened to a podcast by a Jewish Rabbi on the Trinity. He talks about a few things: he referenced John 10 saying […]
My Eye Weeps to God By David A. Goodman, Ph.D. This is an article written by a friend David Goodman. He has been a neuroscientist for fifty years and is a believer. The perspective is unusual, but we thought there may be some interest in what he has to say. It is about the […]
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: A skeptic has claimed to me that the Christian saying “Do unto others” (what we call our “Golden Rule”) was actually plagiarized by the Bible writers from something originally taught by Confucius. Are you familiar with this? I doubt this is true, since no source could be provided, but I have to ask. Answer: […]
Question: My brother recently vacationed in Utah and visited some of the Mormon sites, including the Mormon Tabernacle. He was quite convinced that they are Christian. I explained to him that they are not and introduced him to your website. Question he asked was about the Mormon Tabernacle choir. They sing Christian music, including songs […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon on Christian membership and Freedom in Christ in San Diego 8/31/14. The lesson uses material from his new book Golden Rule Membership (www.ipibooks.com) Golden Rule Membership Notes Golden Rule Membership PPT Golden Rule Membership MP3
Dr. John Oakes did a sermon on God and Science recently in San Diego. There were multiple requests that the audio be made available. The class was not recorded, but we are posting a nearly identical class taught in London, England in June, 2014. Science and God PPT God and […]
[editor’s note: This question rambles quite a bit. I did a lot of correcting of grammar, spelling and the like, but I am afraid it still is a bit hard to follow. Hopefully, you will get the idea.] Question: Aren’t the Bible and the Christian religion a Catch-22? This would be defined as a […]
Dr. John Oakes engaged in a debate on the existence of God titled “God is Not Dead” at a teen camp in Jamul, California on 6/17/2014. His opponent was recent high school graduate Hunter Garnier. Hunter is no slacker, as he was valedictorian of his class and is heading off to UC Berkeley in […]
John and Jan Oakes traveled July 10-Aug 5 to teach for churches in Buenos Aires, Asuncion, La Paz, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Below is a report on the 24 day teaching trip.
Question: You are kidding right? The fact that God offers a “last chance” to people before he destroys them does not change the fact that he did indeed kill them all. What about Eden? Now since God knows all, past present and future; he knew that Eve would take of the fruit and he then […]
John Oakes has a new book available as of 7.15.14. The title is Golden Rule Membership. It is about the proper use of Christian Freedom and on the role of Christian membership and how to apply the Golden Rule to being part of God’s Church. The book includes practical ideas on Christian membership from Ron […]
Editor’s note: This has already been posted as a Q & A, but I hear this question often enough that I though I would post it as an article as well. John Oakes QUESTION: Hello, I have recently been wondering why Judaism seems to reject Jesus as the Messiah. I have found that they have […]
Question: I was looking over you site and was wondering if there has been any evidence found that the “sun stood still” or “altered it’s position”? As recorded in Joshua 10:13-14 and Isaiah 38:7-8? I may be wrong as I’m not acquainted with astrophysics but I can only imagine that our earth or the sun’s […]
Dr. John Oakes has been teaching a series of lessons in Brazil. Included are audio in English and Portugese and, where they have been made, translated power points. Historia da Igreja PPT Ações e História da Igreja Audio Historia da Igresa I Audio Historia da Igresa II Audio Vivendo pela […]
Dr. John Oakes taught three classes in Asuncion, Paraguay and La Paz, Bolivia which were translated into Spanish. The three are From Shadow to Reality (De la Sombra a la Realidad), Living by Faith (Viviendo por la Fe), and God and Science (Dios y la Ciencia). Also included are power points for two of […]
Question: When I share my faith ( usually before bible talk) I almost always come across at least one person a week that uses the excuse of being Jewish to not come out to the discussion. I want to be able to have a response for that because I find myself not having one because […]
This course was taught by Kedron Jones, a board member for the Apologetics Research Society. The aim of this course was to train and equip individuals to winsomely and articulately communicate the content of the pro-life position in an attractive manner. Successful pro-life apologists pursue four essential tasks. First, they clarify the debate by focusing public […]
Dr. John Oakes taught a class on the Book of Jonah in San Diego 7/3/14. Jonah Notes Jonah PPT Jonah Audio MP3
This is a class on the Book of Hosea given by Dr. John Oakes 6/27/14 in San Diego. Hosea Notes Hosea PPT Hosea MP3
Question: I read in one of your recent Q & A in which you explained Calvin’s predestination (or was it more accurately Beza’s double predestination) as a false doctrine. In this light, what is your opinion of the most logical relationship between God’s atemporality, foreknowledge, sovereignty, omniscience, and humanity’s free will without infringing upon one […]
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: […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a class which was a comparison of the Christian to other World Views in Edinburgh, Scotland at the Eric Liddle Center 6/13/14. The title was What Is Truth? The audio of the lesson can be found here What Is Truth Audio
Dr. John Oakes gave a presentation in both Manchester and Edinburgh June, 2014 on the role of freedom in the Christian life as well as on a healthy role of membership in the Christian church. He will be publishing a book on this topic titled “Golden Rule Membership” from IP Books in just a […]
[editor’s note: This inquiry is the result of a presentation I gave in King’s College, London 6/12/14. This is a rather high-level discussion, so be forewarned that this might be above the head of many of our readers. ] Question: I wanted to thank you again for the time you took to meet me last […]
Dr. John Oakes did a presentation at Kings College, London 6/12/14 on evidence that Jesus is who the Bible says he is. This is not brand new material, but it is the first time this combination of material about who Jesus is, about his miracles and his fulfillment of prophecy in one class, so I […]
[Editor’s note: This is a series of interchanges which might be a bit hard to follow, but I decided to post this pretty much as is. It is a series of exchanges on the rather abstract question of where Quantum mechanics interacts with free will.] Question: Dr. Oakes, I am researching a study for my […]
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 […]
John Oakes traveled to Ireland and the UK to teach for a number of churches June 6-16. See below for the report on this teaching trip. (some have requested the notes and power points for the lesson, so I am posting some of them here) WhatIsTruth PPT What is Truth notes LivingbyFaith PPT livingbyfaith notes Science and […]
