Dr. John Oakes taught a lesson 1/31/2014 in Memphis at Memphis University on God, Science and Miracles The Power Point is attached.

1. God and Science
Beirut, Lebanon
6/29/2013
John Oakes PhD

2. Thomas Huxley, Darwin’s “bulldog”
“We are as much the
product of blind
forces as is the falling
of a stone to earth, or
the ebb and flow of
the tides. We have
just happened, and
man was made flesh
by a series of
singularly beneficial
accidents.”

3.  In the universe of blind physical forces and
genetic replication, some people are going to
get hurt and other people are going to get
lucky: and you won’t find any rhyme or reason
to it, nor any justice. The universe we observe
has precisely the properties we should expect
if there is at the bottom, no design, no
purpose, no evil and no good. Nothing but
blind, pitiless indifference. DNA neither knows
nor cares. DNA just is, and we dance to its
music.

4. Accident or Design?
William
Paley

5. The Teleological Argument
Evidence for Design in Nature
The Anthropic Principle
Boeing 747
Design or
Accident?

6. 1. Ideal solvent to support life (dissolves ions and
molecules
2. Right boiling and melting points
3. High specific heat
4. Solid floats on liquid
5. Contracts from 0 to 4 degrees centigrade
Water

7. Designed Elements?

8. Carbon: The Central Element of Life
3-D molecules
Large, complex yet flexible
molecules

10. The Ozone Layer:
Is oxygen a designed element?

12. a) b)
DNA

13. Protein

14. Nature creates order, but not information

15. A House of
Cards: Order
and Information.
A much better
analogy for
living things.

16. Simplest life form: break it down
• E. coli: about 1 trillion bits of information.
• E. coli have 3000-4000 different proteins.
• DNA and RNA to make and be made by
these proteins.
• Lipids (membrane), Carbohydrates, etc.
• The simplest living cell is an unimaginably
complex nano factory

17. Charles Darwin
“It is mere rubbish
to think at this
point of the origin
of life. One might
as well think of the
origin of matter.”

18. Science before the 1950s:
The universe was NOT created.
Hebrews 11:3
“By faith we understand that the universe was
created… so that what is seen has been made from things that
are not visible.”
Genesis 1:3
God said “Let there be light,” and there was light.
The Big Bang
· 1929 Hubble. The Red Shift: The universe is expanding.
· 1965 Penzias and Wilson, background microwave radiation.
Physicists now:
The universe was created.

19. Physics:
The Finely Tuned Universe

20. .
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21. Fine Tuning of the Universe
Constant A Little Bigger A Little Smaller
1. Gravitational constant very short-lived stars no stars
2. Ratio of electrons to protons no stars or galaxies no stars or galaxies
3. Strong Nuclear Force no hydrogen, fusion only hydrogen
4. Weak Nuclear Force all H2
 He at big bang no He at big bang
no heavy elements
5. Electric Force no chemical bonding no chemical bonding
6. Expansion rate of universe no galaxies universe collapses quickly
7. Ratio of matter to antimatter too much radiation for life not enough matter
for galaxies to form
and many more….

22. A finely-tuned
instrument
built by
humans. Good
to one part in a
billion?

23. Fred Hoyle on Fine-TuningFred Hoyle on Fine-Tuning
“… a super-intellect has monkeyed with
physics, as well as with chemistry and
biology.”

24. Conclusion:
“Since the creation of the world God’s
invisible qualities—his eternal power and
divine nature—have been clearly seen,
being understood from what has been
made, so that men are without excuse.”
Romans 1:20
The heavens declare the glory of God; the
skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day
after day they pour fourth speech. Night
after night they display knowledge
Psalms 19:1-2

25. Part II
Science and the Bible
Delos B. McKown:
“Christianity is scientifically unsupported
and probably insupportable, philosophically
suspect at best and disreputable at worst, and
historically fraudulent.”

26. Papyrus Ebers

27. The Ebers Papyrus:
“To prevent hair from turning gray,
anoint it with the blood of a calf
which has been boiled in oil or with
the fat of a rattlesnake.”
“A mixture of six fats, namely those
of the horse, the hippopotamus, the
crocodile, the cat, the snake and
the ibex.... to prevent hair loss.”

28. Drugs of Choice in Papyrus Ebers:
• Lizards blood
• Swine’s teeth
• Putrid meat
• Moisture from Pigs’ ears
• Excreta from animals including human
beings, donkeys, antelope, dogs, cats and
flies

29. “I will not bring on you any of
these diseases...”
Exodus 15:26
“The pig... is unclean for
you...those that walk on their
paws...the weasel, the rat...are
unclean for you.”
Leviticus 11

30. “The sting of a hornet is healed by
the house-fly, crushed and applied to
the wound.”
“The gnat, feeble creature, taking in
food but never secreting it is a
specific against the poison of the
viper.”
An ancient Hebrew medical manuscript.

31. “Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will
be unclean for seven days. He must purify
himself with the water on the third and
seventh day...take some hyssop, dip it in the
water and sprinkle the tent and furnishings
and the people who were there.”
Numbers 19

32. Semelweiss

34. Vienna, 1847
• In maternity wards one out of
every six women dies.
• Obstetricians ascribe deaths to
constipation, fear and poisonous
air.

35. Death Rate falls from
18% to 0.5%

36. Thymol: A Powerful Disinfectant

37. “As long as he has the infection he remains unclean.
He must live alone; he must live outside the
camp.”
Quarantine for infectious disease
Leviticus 13:46

38. LEPROSY
• Killed millions of people in Europe and
around the world for thousands of years.
• “Fear of all other diseases taken together
can hardly be compared to the terror
spread by leprosy.”
—Dr. George Rosen

39. Leprosy

40. MEDICAL COMMUNITY HAD NO
ANSWERS
They taught that it was brought on by eating
hot food, pepper, garlic and the meat of
diseased hogs.
Other physicians said it was caused by a
malign conjunction of the planets.
Leviticus 13:46
“As long as he has the infection he remains
unclean. He must live alone; he must live
outside the camp.”

41. The life is in the blood
Leviticus 17:14 “… the life of every
creature is in its blood. That is why I have
said to the Israelites, ‘You must not eat the
blood of any creature, because the life of
every creature is its blood; anyone who eats
it must be cut off.’ ”

42. Bloodletting
The most common medical practice
in 1700s and 1800s

43. 1693).
George Tiemann & Co. American armamentarium
Bloodletting Instruments from 1800s

44. “For the generations to come,
every male among you who is eight
days old must be circumcised...”
Genesis 17:12
Vitamin K
Prothrombrin: a clotting protein.

45. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
days
%ofnormal
Clotting Protein Peaks on Day Eight
Available Prothrombin

46. DayDay
CircumcisedCircumcised
Number of HebrewNumber of Hebrew
BoysBoys
Number of DeathsNumber of Deaths
11 823823 44
33 759759 66
55 693693 88
77 855855 33
99 770770 22
1111 698698 44
How Did Abraham Pick the Eighth Day?

47. Part III Miracles
 What is a miracle?
 Lewis: I use the word
miracle to mean an
interference with nature
by a supernatural force.”
 Webster: “A miracle is an
event which apparently
contradicts know
scientific laws”
 Oakes: An event which
requires the intervention
of God C. S. Lewis

48. Miracles?
 Reggie Miller scores 9
points in last 11 seconds
to win a playoff game.
 1969 “Miracle Mets”
 A man rescued after 28
days in the rubble in Haiti
 Miraculous transformation
of lives by God

49. Miracles: Acts 2:22
 Jesus… accredited by… miracles,
wonders and signs.
 miracle = dunamis “Power or ability,
physical or moral, residing in a person
or thing.”
 wonder = teras “Something strange… a
marvel”
 sign = semeion “Sign or signal”
 In apologetics we are most interested in
the third definition.

50. Do Miracles Happen?
 If miracles happen then supernatural/God
exists, but that is circular reasoning.
 What does science tell us?
 Science cannot answer the question of
miracles; it can only help us to define the
miraculous.
 If that happened, it would definitely be a
miracle!

51. Jesus and MiraclesJesus and Miracles
 Four Possibilities:Four Possibilities:
• He neither worked miracles nor claimed to workHe neither worked miracles nor claimed to work
miraclesmiracles
• He claimed to work miracles, but he was aHe claimed to work miracles, but he was a
charlatan.charlatan.
• He worked genuine miracles, but as a sorceror/byHe worked genuine miracles, but as a sorceror/by
the power of Satan.the power of Satan.
• He worked genuine miracles and his claims aboutHe worked genuine miracles and his claims about
himself are validated by those miracles.himself are validated by those miracles.

52. Reasons to believe Jesus worked miraclesReasons to believe Jesus worked miracles
1. A great number of the miracles were done publicly, often in front of the
greatest skeptics and harshest critics of Jesus.
2. There were tens of thousands of eyewitnesses from every background to
these events.
3. The apostles openly proclaimed that Jesus worked a great variety of
miracles during the lifetime of those who could have refuted the claims.
4. Both Roman and Jewish histories report at least the general fact that
Jesus worked “wonders.”
5. Pharisees and Rabbis did not deny miracles, but instead claimed Jesus
did his signs by the power of demons.
6. Those who recorded the miracles as eye-witnesses (the gospel writers
except Luke) have every appearance of being credible.

53. About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man. For he was one
who wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such people as
accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the
Greeks. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the
highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified,
those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up
their affection for him. For the prophets of God had prophesied
these and countless other marvelous things about him. And the
tribe of Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not
disappeared.
Antiquities 18:3:3
Josephus AD 38-100

54. On the eve of Passover they hung Yeshu and the crier went
forth for forty days beforehand declaring that "[Yeshu] is
going to be stoned for practicing witchcraft, for enticing
and leading Israel astray. Anyone who knows something
to clear him should come forth and exonerate him." But no
one had anything exonerating for him and they hung him
on the eve of Passover. Ulla said: Would one think that we
should look for exonerating evidence for him? He was an
enticer and G-d said (Deuteronomy 13:9) “Show him no
pity or compassion and do not shield him.” him?
Babylonian Sanhedrin 43a-b
Talmud (1st
and 2nd
Century AD)

55. Why Did Jesus Do Miracles?
 Because he had compassion. Matt 14:14
 To fulfill prophecy. Matt 12:40
 To validate his message. John 10:36-39
 Because of people’s faith. Matt 15:21-28
 To create faith in people. John 20:30-31
 Because his mom asked him to. John 2:1-11

56. The Miracles of Jesus
 Why he did it
 What it tells us about Jesus
Go and report to John what you hear and see: The
blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have
leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
and the good news is preached to the poor. Matthew
11:4-5

57. John 2:1-11 Water to Wine
 Jesus the Creator
 Why? To meet a
need and
because his mom
asked him to.

58. John 6:1-14 Feeding 5000
 Surely this is the Prophet!
 Jesus the creator and the
sustainer of life
 Jesus is “the bread of life”
 Jesus is spiritual food
 Jesus the source of eternal
life

59. Jesus, Miracle Worker
 John 6:35 “I am the
bread of life. He who
comes to me will never go
hungry, and he who
believes in me will never
be thirsty”
 John 6:1-15 Jesus feeds
5000 men, plus women
and children.

60. John 11:1-53 Jesus Raises Lazarus
 Jesus is the resurrection
and the life.
 Jesus will raise those who
put their faith in him.
• Hundreds present
• The smell of death was
strong
• Lazarus came out
• Look at the responses.
There are only two
rational responses to
Jesus the miracle-worker.

61. The Ultimate
Miracle: The
Resurrection of
Jesus

62. Why is the resurrection so important?
 1 Cor 15:13-19 If Christ has not been
raised then your faith is futile; you are still
in your sins.
 If Jesus was raised, then there is life after
death.

63. “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof”
David Hume

64. Jesus of Nazareth was
crucified under Pontius
Pilate in Jerusalem

65. From the very beginning, the
church unanimously claimed
that Jesus was resurrected

66. The tomb was empty

67. Jesus of Nazareth was
crucified under Pontius Pilate
in Jerusalem

68. Josephus AD 38-100
About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man. For he was one
who wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such
people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews
and many of the Greeks. When Pilate, upon hearing him
accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had
condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first
place come to love him did not give up their affection for
him. The prophets of God had prophesied these and
countless other marvelous things about him. And the tribe of
Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not
disappeared.
Antiquities 18:3:3

70. To squelch the rumor [that he had started the Great
fire in Rome], Nero created scapegoats and subjected
to the most refined tortures those whom the common
people called ‘Christians,’ [a group] hated for their
abominable crimes. Their name comes from Christ,
who, during the reign of Tiberius, had been executed
by the procurator Pontius Pilate.
Annals 15.44

71. On the eve of Passover they hung Yeshu
Babylonian Sanhedrin 43a-b
Talmud (1st
and 2nd
Century AD)

72. Thallus 50 AD
Quoted by Julius Africanus in the 3rd
century.
Attempted to explain anecdotes about the
darkness that happened at the time Jesus
died.
Claims it was an eclipse of the sun.
There was no eclipse of the sun at that time.
Proof that the darkness happened? Maybe.
Thallus believed it happened.
Evidence that it was common knowledge of
the resurrection and miracle claims
surrounding Jesus.

73. From the very beginning, the
church unanimously claimed that
Jesus was resurrected
Acts 2:24 But God raised him from
the dead…
How else to explain the growth of
the church?

74. The tomb was empty
If not….

75. 1. Jesus’ body was taken from the tomb.
2. Jesus did not actually die (swoon
theory).
3. Jesus was bodily resurrected from the
dead.

76. The Stolen Body Theory
 Who would have stolen the body?
• The Jews?
• The Romans?
• The disciples?
 Could they have stolen the body?
 Did they, in fact, steal the body?

77. The Swoon Theory
 Beaten to the point of near death.
 No food or water for more than two
days.
 Crucified and died.
 Pierced with a sword.
 Separated blood and “water”
(plasma)

78. The Mass Hallucination Theory
 The women at the tomb.
 Peter and John.
 The twelve apostles, including
doubting Thomas.
 Many other appearances.
 Over 500 witnesses.
 Do hallucinations eat fish?

79. Genesis 22:1-12 Abraham received Isaac
back from the dead on the third day.
(Hebrews 11:17-19)
Jonah 1:7 Jonah was raised from the dead
on the third day. (Matthew 11:40 For as
Jonah was three days and three nights….)

80. Prophecies of the Resurrection
 Feast of Firstfruits. Lev 23:9-14
 Jesus is the firstfruit from among the
dead. His resurrection is a promise of
ours. Colossians “the first fruit from the
dead.”
 Romans 6:2-7 If we have been united
with him in his death, we will certainly
also be united with him in his
resurrection.

81. Implications of the Resurrection:
 Validates the claims of Jesus
• John 11 I am the resurrection and the life
 It confirms that we, too, will be resurrected.
• 1 Peter 1:3-4
 It confirms that there will be a judgment
day.
 Our doubts become much less significant.
• What about…. Jesus was raised from the dead!

82. What Is Your Reasonable Response?
 John 11:45-48 Either;
• Put your faith in Jesus or
• Radically reject him and all he stood for.
A Challenge:
Have Resurrection Faith.

83. Topics not touched on:
1. The origin of the universe.
2. The origin of life.
3. The origin of species;
especially of humans.
4. The age of the earth.
www.evidenceforchristianity.org