Dr. John Oakes is now leading a church planting in Merced, California.  His lessons and sermons will be posted here.  There is another, earlier article, with many sermons and lessons from 2022 to 2025.  Here is the link:  Earlier Merced Sermons       More  recent sermons are below! 5/17  Romans 5 6 Dead to Sin […]

Dr. John Oakes gave a series of classes Winter, 2026 at the University of California, Merced.  Dr. Oakes covered topics in which Christianity interacts with modern culture.  Topics include Bioethics, Gender Issues, War and Peace, Christianity and Race, Christianity and Politics, Abortion and more.  Some, but not all, of these topics are not directly addressed […]

Dr John Oakes preached a series of eight sermons from the Book of Joshua in Merced, Winter, 2026  Notes, PPT and audio are available here: Joshua I Be Strong and Courageous Notes    Joshua I PPT    Joshua I Strong Audio    Joshua II Preparing to Enter Notes    Joshua II PPT    Joshua II […]

Question: How does the historicity of Jesus compare to the historicity of Buddha? Answer: Both Jesus of Nazareth and Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) are certainly historical figures.  I am not sure what is to be gained by asking which of two certainly historical persons is more certain. How much more certain can we be than certain? […]

Question: Some scholars argue that certain details in the Gospel accounts were intentionally shaped to mirror passages from the Hebrew Bible. Examples include soldiers casting lots for Jesus’ clothing (echoing Psalm 22), Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey (reflecting Zechariah 9), and vinegar being offered to him during the crucifixion (paralleling Psalm 69). From this […]

Editor’s Note.  There is a follow-up question and follow-up answer below Question: Christian Fundamentalist church leaders have put the stamp of inerrant, infallible, perfect Divine Revelation on every last word of the entire collection of the Bible. This may have been necessary in the past in order to maintain Church discipline and to put down […]

Dr. John Oakes gave a series of eight sermons from 1 Peter in Fall, 2025 for the Merced Christian Church.  Two sermons from 1 Peter 2 were delivered by others during the series, so this series of sermons covers only about 80% of the book.   Notes, PPT and audio are included. 1 Peter I Elect […]

Dr. John Oakes did a six-part class on the history of Christianity for the campus ministry at UC Merced in Merced, CA Fall, 2025.   The class was intended to help students understand what Christianity ought to look like today–how to navigate the various strains of how church is done in the modern context.  Notes, PPT […]

Dr. John Oakes taught a series of many classes for the Iglesia de Criso en Tijuana. Bautismo PPT    Baptismo Tijuana Audio I    Baptism Tijuana Audio II    Baptism Audio III    Libertad en Cristo PPT    Libertad en Cristo Tij Audio    Answering Calvinism Notes (in English)      RESPONDIENDO AL CALVINISMO PPT ...