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 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! 4/26  King Jesus Notes    Sorry, the […]

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 would you respond to people who say “The divinity of Jesus was made up in the Council of Nicaea”? Answer: This is an oft-repeated claim which is not supported by the evidence.  It is true that the idea of Jesus’ divinity was in question at the Council of Nicaea, because a faction had […]

Question: In Judaic terminology, the phrase “Son of God” often signifies closeness to God rather than a literal or exclusive divine status. Given that the Bible frequently uses such language—and that both Jews and Christians address God as “Father”—it becomes difficult to see how this title alone justifies a unique claim to divinity for Jesus. […]

Question: Philo of Alexandria wrote in his work “Questions & Answers on Genesis” that: 43…On which account a certain prophet, the kinsman and friend of Moses, uttered an oracle of this kind, “If the omnipotent Lord had not left us a seed, we should have been like blind and barren People,” https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/yonge/book42.html This is a […]

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 ...