- John 1:12
- Is John the Baptist Elijah, or not?
- John 1:18
- Can God be seen, or not?
- John 1:21
- Is John the Baptist Elijah, or not?
- John 1:28
- Is this a geographical error?
- John 1:32-3
- Did John the Baptist know who Jesus was, or not?
- John 2:4
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- Was Jesus rude to his mother?
- was the Cana wedding Jesus' own wedding? [Off Site]
- John 2:6-10
- Did the miracle of Dionysus influence this story? Part of a larger article on the alleged influence of Dionysus on Christianity.
- John 2:15
- Isn't the Temple cleansing incident an example of violence? [Off Site]
- John 2:20
- The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" McKinsey regards this as incorrect because Josephus in his Antiquities 15.11.6 says that the temple was built in a year and a half, between 19-17 BC. Had McKinsey looked into the period of the history further he would have discovered that while the main temple building was indeed "done" at this time, construction on it continued up until 63 AD - including through the time period referenced above.
- John 2:23, 3:12
- Is John's geography confused?
- John 3:5
- Does this verse teach that baptism is needed for salvation? -- part of a broad article that also touches on the general faith-works relationship question.
- John 3:13
- John 3:23
- Is this a geographical error?
- John 4:5
- Is this a geographical error?
- John 4:39-40
- Skeptic Solomon Tulbure asks, "Was Jesus received by he Samaritans?" -- counterpointing this verse, in which one particular village of Samaritans did, with Luke 9:52-53, where one particular village did not. That one's not hard to figure out. :-)
- John 5:8-11
- Did Jesus actually break the OT law?
- John 5:19, 30; 6:57, 7:16
- Do these verses refute the divinity of Jesus? -- part of a reply to Brian Tozer
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- John 5:22, 8:5, 12:47
- Does Jesus judge, or not?
- John 5:31, 8:14
- Is Jesus' witness to himself valid, or not?
- John 5:36
- If this is so, what about demonic signs?
- John 5:37
- Can God be seen?
- John 6:1
- Is John's geography confused?
- John 6:53-4
- Does this passage endorse cannibalism?
- John 7:7
- Does this verse indicate Gnosticism?
- John 7:8-10
- Did Jesus tell a lie?
- John 7:15
- Was Jesus illiterate?
- John 7:34
- Will Jesus always be with us, or not?
- John 7:38
- "This is nowhere found in the OT!"
- John 7:39
- This says the Spirit had not yet been given, but what about times prior to this, like Luke 1-2 when the Spirit filled Elizabeth, Zechariah, and Simeon? "Given" is a KJV add-on for clarity; the verse actually says "the Holy Spirit was not yet", period. The context is set by the prior phrase, "(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive..." "Receive" is a word meaning act upon or grab hold of. This does not match with the experiences of Liz and the others who received the Spirit passively as it came upon them.
- John 7:52
- Dennis McKinsey wins another Golden Duh for this one: Search and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. McKinsey says, "Yet several of the prophets, such as Jonah, Nahum, Hosea, and Elijah, were from Galilee." Well, this is what the Pharisees told Nicodemus, in an effort to discredit Jesus. It is perhaps an accurate recording of their mistaken comment, probably included to point out that they themselves didn’t know the scriptures as well as they thought they did; but more likely they have in mind when they say "a prophet" is the specific prophet sought for that was predicted in the Jewish Scriptures.
- John 7:53-8:11
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- Articles
- Does this passage belong in our Bibles?
- Does this show that John wrong about the Jews not having capital power? -- part of a larger essay on the trial of Jesus
- Articles
- John 8
- Was Jesus a Samaritan? -- answer to an off-the-wall Islamic objection [Off Site]
- John 8:50, 12:23, 17:5
- "I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge." This is pitted by McKinsey, along with Matt. 11:29, against John 12:23: "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." This is said to be "hypocritical", but how is this so? The latter glory is not sought by Jesus, but is given to him. (John 17:5, also cited in the #27 issue of the BE newsletter, falls under the same rubric: Jesus is acceeding to that which the Father will do in glorifying him.)
- John 8:51, 11:26
- How can this say we will never die?
- John 8:58
- The Gospel Truth About John 8:58 -- a response to JW abuses [Off Site]
- John 8:59
- Is Jesus being deceitful here?
- John 9:2
- Does this verse teach pre-existence? No -- see Chapter 3 of The Mormon Defenders.
- John 10:30
- If Jesus and the Father are one, who was Jesus talking to while hanging on the cross, or praying?" -- part of a secondary article on the relation of Jesus and the Father, with foundations laid here.
- John 11
- Did John just invent the story of Lazarus? [Off Site]
- John 12:14-15
- Did Jesus steal the donkey he rode into Jerusalem?
- John 12:24
- Is Jesus promulgating a scientific error?
- John 12:32
- Has Jesus indeed "drawn all men"?
- John 13:34
- A new command I give you: Love one another. C. Dennis McKinsey claims that this is not a new command, but the same as Lev.19:18. However, he fails to note that the "new" version by Jesus says, "as I have loved you." Jesus loved enough to die for us, and this makes the "new" version much more demanding than the measured benevolence of the OT's "love thy neighbor as thyself."
- John 14:2
- When was heaven prepared for us?
- John 14:7
- Can God be seen, or not?
- John 14:12-14
- Does this verse offer magical powers as a reward for faith? Also see here on praying for "anything".
- John 14:26
- Did the Father send the Spirit or did Jesus (15:26)? Watch carefully: Solomon Tulbure only quotes 14:26 as far as the italics: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name..." 15:26 says, "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father..." and he leaves out the italicized part.
- John 14:27
- Was Jesus for war or peace?
- John 16:33
- Is Jesus' burden easy or hard?
- John 17:12, 18:9
- Did Jesus really lose none of his sheep?
- John 18:20
- Did Jesus teach openly, or in secret?
- John 18:27
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- Do the Gospels disagree on how many times the cock crowed?
- Were roosters not permitted in Jerusalem?
- John 18:28, 19:14
- Do the Gospels disagree on the date of Jesus' crucifixion?
- John 18:31
- Is John wrong about the Jews not having capital power? -- part of a larger essay on the trial of Jesus
- John 18:34, 37; 19:9
- Dennis McKinsey accuses Jesus of rudeness and insolence in these verses -- which merely reads emotive value into them. McKinsey thinks a simple yes or no would have been polite -- he clearly hasn't been in a courtroom in his lifetime. Explanations can be made politely!
- John 18:37
- "You are a king, then?" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." Dennis McKinsey wonders why Jesus cannot tell the difference between a question and a statement. What exactly is the problem? What prohibits Jesus or anyone else from responding to an "inquiry" like Pilate's with this sort of response? How is this an "error" or a moral issue?
- John 19:17
- Did Jesus carry his own cross or not?
- John 19:25
- Item 49 -- Close by or far off?
- John 20:9
- "For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead." "What scripture says this?", the critic asks. As we see in Acts 2:27, Psalms 16:10 at the very least was interpreted this way, as a signal of the resurrection, by early Christians. Other verses so interpreted included Hos. 6:2 and Lev. 23:11. Of course this interpretation does "beg the question" of Jesus' resurrection and divine identity. But critics beg the contrary question. The argument cannot rest on this cite in solitude.
- John 20:17
- "Jesus said, 'Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, "I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."'" Dennis McKinsey describes this scene as "pathetic" in that Jesus refuses to allow his loving disciple to touch him. This is the sort of analysis we would expect from skeptics who place human emotion over the standards of holiness. That said, there have been any number of reasons proposed as to why Jesus replies to Mary Magdelene this way; the most sensible I have found, offered by Raymond Brown (The Gospel According to John, 1012) is that there is an allusion here to verses 14:18-19 and 16:22, in which Jesus promises "the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me" and "Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy." Mary and the disciples probably took this to indicate a permanent return of the Risen Jesus, and here, Jesus is dispelling that false idea.
- John 20:29
- Does this verse promote a "blind faith"?
- John 21:20
- Is this homosexual behavior by Jesus?