Question: After taking an Anthropology course (which is preceded by my philosophy course) I have to wonder what reasons are there for God creating Bonobo’s with such striking similarities to humans? Viewing footage of Jane Goodall’s work and other anthropological studies I saw, although through a biased lense, that bonobo’s and other species of primates […]
Question: Where can I find (if exists) a philosophically based break-down of the Christian world veiw? Having read Plato, Sartre, Macmurray, etc. Im interested in comparing directly these philosophies and world views with something other than my own convictions, which are more intimate and less universal. Answer: By coincidence, I just taught a lesson on […]
Note: The question is quite long, including some quotes from scientific journals. I have moved much of these quotes to after my answer so that the reader will not get distracted by too long a question. Question: I would love some help in one area, because I feel like I don’t know enough to tackle […]
Question: How can you be sure that God is outside of your mind instead of inside? Every spiritual or religious person seems to have their ideas about what God wants them to do, or what he (or she) is like. I am not a Christian, but very interested in the idea of faith. I am […]
Question: I am struggling with this: It is about Rev 21.3-4. How can there be no pain in heaven if I make it to heaven and feel much love (& there are many more loving people than me); It seems that I will be filled with pain for those I love that are not saved […]
Question: I have a question: please answer me logically "If God is an all power God can he create a big mountain which he cannot carry"? Answer: Some have tried to use this argument to prove that God is not omnipotent. This is really a rather silly argument. It is kind of like saying "God […]
Question: I have always felt that hell is a temporary place. I don’t understand a separation from God for eternity especially in an eternity of pain. I don’t understand how God who knows everything would justify a person being born if that person were to ultimately reject God and go to hell. Wouldn’t God have […]
Dr. John Oakes did a class titled Genesis and the Christian World View in Detroit, Michigan 2/19/2011. Audio is available in the EFC store. Power point and notes are included. Genesis and Christian World View Power Point 2.11 Mb Notes
Comment: (Editor’s note: This one is a comment, a response, another comment and another response) I do not view Christianity as a socially healthy phenomenon–I think it hurts far more than it helps, that it retards our growth globally. To prolong its survival isn’t an attractive proposition for me. Response: I do not question the contention […]
Question: I am the son of a Baptist minister and admit that I long ago dismissed Christianity as the most convoluted, indefensible patchwork of complete nonsense perpetrated on mankind in the last 2000 years. I believe this as strongly as you apparently believe in your inherited Jewish God from the magnanimous Jesus (oh, we lucky […]
Question: Would an infallible God PREORDAIN to have to kill himself in order to appease himself? Would an all-powerful God somehow suffer from a communication problem which compels him to recruit some primitive Jews to write his biography? Answer: I will have to say that your question seems like a reasonable one. However, it is based […]
An essay by Dr. John Oakes on the apologetic issue of Pain and Suffering. The Problem of Pain and Suffering
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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
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 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
A sermon given by John Oakes, PhD 6/13/2010 in Long Beach. Faith That Answers the Hard Questions
A class taught by John Oakes, PhD at the 2010 ICEC. A Defense of Christian Theology 1.17 Mb Notes: A Defense of Christian Theolgoy
This class was given at the 2010 ICEC by Dr. Robert Kurka of Lincoln Christian University. Note, the notes are more thorough than the ppt. PPT Science: Christianity’s Lost Child Notes for Science: Christianity’s Lost Child
Question: I am a Christian, but I am tempted to let go of my faith. My faith is based on fear (eternal damnation, hell, etc.). I just want to know any evidence of the authenticity of Christianity which is different from other religions. Others also have their divine scriptures and revelations. What makes Christianity different […]
Question: Are there any specific arguments you can make that would make the possibility of an afterlife highly likely? For example, what about arguments for the soul, the resurrection of Jesus, or whatever? I keep running into people who say that when we die, we’re just dead. How would you respond to this? If we really […]
Question: God cannot and will not tolerate sin. "The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) If this is so, then why did God allow sin to occur? If he is all-knowing, before he created the world, didn’t he know that sin would occur? If he hates sin, and he is the creator of all […]
Question: I have searched the Q&A’s and have not found an answer to this question. Is there a resource or an answer that you have to the following: If the point of us being on earth is to give us the opportunity to choose God, and suffering causes us to become more like Christ(simplified for […]
Question: It seems that the ideal of secular humanism is to do whatever benefits the well being of mankind. Does the idea of secular humanism conflict with God? Or does secular humanism put people on a pedestal above God? Answer: Secular humanism is a philosophy and world view which includes an assumption that the physical/natural […]
Atheism: A Falsified Hypothesis. An essay by Brian Colon, a member of the ARS board. www.KnowItsTrue.com 4/28/2010 Atheism: A Falsified Hypothesis by Brian Colón Several Atheists like to complain that Theism, unlike Atheism is unfalsifiable. If this is true, then it means that Atheism can be proven false, Theism cannot. Many Atheists consider this […]
Pregunta; Tengo una preguntas con respecto al Dios y el sufrimiento. 1) como explicamos las consecuencias (lamentables) que suceden cuando Dios llama nuestra atencion. Ejemplo: para buscar a Dios o paraque alguien se haga un cristiano, costo la muerte de un familiar? Si bien es cierto es bueno e increible de ser un seguidor, pero la […]
Question: I’ve just learnt that you’ve had a really big ‘quake in San Diego. You’re remarkably assured on this subject and bacteria in your apologetics. I wonder if you still feel the same. Answer: Well, if I hold to a world view and it is shaken by something like an earthquake, then it certainly was not a very […]
A class on Apologetics and World Religions was taught by John Oakes, PhD and Dan Conder in San Diego May 28-29, 2010. Notes on Apologetics and World Religions Power Point: Apologetics and World Religions 9.39 Mb I promised students a summary of the Book of Mormon by Joe Fields. Here it is. The Book of […]
See below for an essay on the Christian World View by John Oakes, PhD Apologetics and the Christian World View A number of years ago I wrote and published a book which I thought at the time covered all of the important basic topics relating to Christian Evidence for those trying to build […]
See below for the fourth part in a series of classes on World View by John Oakes, PhD. Apologetics and the Christian World View Part IV In the previous three essays, I have attempted to define the idea of a world view and shown why it is an extremely important thing for all of […]
Christian and Other World Views: A Power Point. A lesson on world views, including the Christian world view, and the world views of naturalism, postmodernism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jaina, Sikkhism, Confucianism and Islam. First taught by John Oakes in Manila 1/16/2010. Christian and Other World Views 7.49 Mb
A Defense of Christian Theology: Answering the hardest questions. The Problem of Hell, the Problem of Predestination and the Problem of Pain and Suffering. A presentation given by John Oakes first in Manila 1/17/2010. Defense of Christian Apologetics 2.06 Mb
Logical arguments for the existence of God. A power point. Notes included below. Existence of God 130.50 Kb Arguments for the Existence of God A philosophic question: Does God reveal his nature both through general (natural) and special revelation? On some level, both the cosmological and the teleological arguments assume general revelation is valid. […]
This white paper is by Tim Keller. Keller is a pastor for a church in New York and is not a member of ARS. The article is posted at BioLogos.org which is where I found this article. John Oakes Keller White Paper
Question: I have read through some of your pages (as an athiest) and have found many of them to be full of backwards-talk and fluff. The main page I’d like to indicate is this (https://www.evidenceforchristianity.org/index.php?option=com_custom_content&task=view&id=5033&Itemid=32) That is – proof of god. What is necessary to convince me that god probably exists is repeatable, scientific and […]
Question: I believe that God transcends time and by nature is timeless. However, AFTER Creation, did God enter into time and is now time bound? Many philosophers argue that God must be "in time" subsequent to creation if libertarian freedom is possible. How can God interact relationally with us if not in time and everything to […]
A power point for a titled What is Truth? A talk about Postmodernism, Naturalism and the Christian World View, given by Dr. John Oakes at Rutgers University 11/20-09. What is Truth? 880.50 Kb
Question: If God understands my humanity and sin nature better than I do, why does He still hold me accountable for what I cannot help doing? Answer: This is a very good question. This gets to the heart of the question. Is God truly fair and is he truly just to judge us for our […]
Question: I am not a Christian and had no kind of guided religious upbringing, though I have admittedly felt drawn towards Christianity at times. I never really thought about my origins or the reason for my being. However, lately I have been nearly consumed by those "big questions." The idea that the universe and our […]
Question: My question is about the relationship between brain and soul, and how damage to the brain can damage the soul. Say if I am a careful Christian who does everything the Bible asks of me and takes all its lessons to heart. But say if I have an accident that damages my brain and disrupts […]
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