Shows / Undeceptions with John Dickson
Undeceptions with John Dickson
Every week on Undeceptions we’ll explore some aspect of life, faith, history, culture, or ethics that is either much misunderstood or mostly forgotten. With the help of people who know what they’re talking about, we’ll be trying to ‘undeceive ourselves’ and let the truth ‘out’.
Episodes
Undeceptions with John DicksonSINGLE: Environmental Jesus
Sam Allberry was involved in environmental activism when he became a Christian - a development that his activist friends saw as bad news. After all, why would…
Undeceptions with John DicksonSINGLE: 39 Books
The Old Testament is sacred not just to the Christian but also to the Jewish religion. Its 39 books cover thousands of years with an array of literary genres…
Undeceptions with John DicksonREWIND: Global Christianity
The 21st century has seen—and will continue to see—the rise of Christianity in the ‘Global South’, with surging conversion numbers in Asia and Africa. That’s…
Undeceptions with John DicksonREWIND: Christian Revolution
We interviewed Tom Holland, historian and co-host of the extraordinarily popular podcast The Rest is History, back in 2021 for episode 45, Christian…
Undeceptions with John Dickson138. Van Gogh
Artists have used their tools not just to capture beauty and transcendence, but also the essence of what it means to be human. In this episode, we learn from…
Undeceptions with John Dickson137. Bible Unlocked
Is there a "right" way to read The Bible?Millennia of Ink has been split trying to answer that question.Surely if The Bible is God's word it should be easier…
Undeceptions with John Dickson136. Question Answer XII
Why did God make the tree of knowledge of good and evil? Can Christians smoke weed? Why does God allow natural disasters to happen? John Dickson tackles your…
Undeceptions with John Dickson135. Intelligible Universe
Famed Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson once (well, several times actually) claimed Christianity was irreconcilable with the science of the Universe. But…
Undeceptions with John Dickson134. History Wars
Is history under threat? Increasingly, the modern, individualistic global West is coming to see history as a discipline that's irrelevant, harmful, and…
Undeceptions with John Dickson133. Why Trust?
Trust is everywhere. It underpins our institutions, our health, and our relationships. However, experts are worried that the world is facing a trust crisis. If…
Undeceptions with John Dickson132. True Crime
True Crime is one of the most popular genres of film, podcasting, literature, and TV worldwide. We are obsessed with tales of the morbid, dark, and most…
Undeceptions with John Dickson131. English Language
Half a billion people alive today speak English as their first language. But how you speak English depends on where you live, where you come from, and how it…
Undeceptions with John Dickson130. On Augustine
There's a reason our guests have mentioned Augustine more than any other theologian or philosopher. St Augustine of Hippo was an intellectual giant whose…
Undeceptions with John DicksonSINGLE: On Persuasion
Reasoning can take us to almost any conclusion we want. We ask "Can I believe?" if we want to believe, or "Must I believe?" if we don't. We can persuade…
Undeceptions with John DicksonSINGLE: Jazz Church
Jazz is a genre of music steeped in tradition, culture, and most importantly, improvisation. According to some, the church can learn a few lessons from this…
Undeceptions with John Dickson129. American Evangelical
Evangelicalism has always been a politically loaded word - but especially since the turn of the century. This is especially true of American evangelicalism…
Undeceptions with John Dickson128. Question Answer XI
John faces down some of our most diverse - and controversial - questions yet. What's the deal with circumcision? Why does John hate the term apologetics so…
Undeceptions with John Dickson127. Gospel Contradictions
If Christianity is one big conspiracy, we wouldn't find so many mistakes and inconsistencies in the Gospels! Surely if the faith was one big lie, the Gospels…
Undeceptions with John Dickson126. Jesus' Biography
You can make a pretty good case that the Gospels are the four most influential - and controversial - books of all time. But who were the authors? How do we…
Undeceptions with John DicksonSINGLE: Bondi Junction
In this special Undeceptions Single, Stan Grant shares his reflections on God and suffering in the wake of the Bondi Junction attacks that occurred on April 13…
Undeceptions with John Dickson125. Christianity's Comeback
From the mid-1990s to the 2010s, 'New Atheism' dominated the intellectual space. A virulent, attacking form of godless evangelism, it saw people like Richard…
Undeceptions with John Dickson124. The Theologians
Theology: It's a dry term that conjures images of old academics writing dusty books that will never be read. However, this couldn't be further from the truth…
Undeceptions with John Dickson123. True Science
Science is a relatively new term. Chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy - all have only existed as defined, singular fields for the last century and a half…
Undeceptions with John Dickson122. Political Jesus
The Apostle Paul writes that Christians must battle against "powers and principalities". But what are they? What does the Bible say about political…
Undeceptions with John Dickson121. The Resurrection
There are sophisticated, academic arguments for the resurrection of Jesus. It’s not just a matter of accepting on the basis of faith. The modern industry of…
Undeceptions with John DicksonSINGLE: Holy Virginity
The pursuit of celibacy is seen as strange, taboo, and repressive in modern society. But that's what David Bennett, a gay man, decided, after becoming a…
Undeceptions with John DicksonSINGLE: Cancel Culture
At the heart of cancel culture is a desire to combat injustice, and expose flaws within society. This is a good thing ... but as recent history has shown…
Undeceptions with John Dickson120. French Atheism
For the final episode of season X, we're taking a deep dive into the global centre of Atheism - France. How did this once-Christian nation become such a…
Undeceptions with John Dickson119. Question Answer X
Aliens, more Old Testament violence, and ... The Devil. Our tenth question-and-answer episode was one of the toughest yet for John. Make sure you head to our…
Undeceptions with John Dickson118. 12 Objects
The story of Christianity is full of wonderful highs and terrible lows. It's truly an epic - and it takes an epic round-the-world adventure to tell its story…
Undeceptions with John Dickson117. Jewish Jesus
Christianity wasn't always its own religion - the first Christians were, in fact, Jewish ... because Jesus was Jewish! How do we then understand the Jewishness…
Undeceptions with John Dickson116. Holy Angels
Angels are everywhere in history. From winged guardians in Sumerian mythology to the messengers of the Gods in Ancient Greece, to new-age guardian angels…
Undeceptions with John Dickson115. On Tolkien
J.R.R. Tolkien needs no introduction. The Oxford Philology Professor who would go on to create the world of Middle Earth is rightly hailed as one of the…
Undeceptions with John Dickson114. Medieval Jesus
The Middle Ages saw an explosion of literature, art, and thought around the personhood of Jesus. What can we learn from these centuries-old understandings of…
Undeceptions with John Dickson113. The Puritans
The Puritans: Everything wrong with a Christian society, or much misunderstood forefathers of innovation and social justice?This season of Undeceptions is…
Undeceptions with John Dickson112. Cultural Christianity
This episode, we're visiting some of the ancient Christians to see that they were actually real human beings, with flaws and hang ups … and virtues … that we…
Undeceptions with John Dickson111. Growing Older
Our world spends billions of dollars a year on anti-ageing, but nothing will change the simple fact that we are all growing older. Is it time we re-thought our…
Undeceptions with John Dickson110. Violent Faith
"I love Jesus but I hate the God of the Old Testament. He's just so violent."You might have heard this line before or thought it yourself.In this episode…
Undeceptions with John Dickson109. Many Gods - Live from Melbourne
In this live episode, recorded at the Melbourne leg of the Undeceptions Conference, we ask: What did the first Christians mean when they proclaimed Jesus as…
Undeceptions with John Dickson108. The Multiverse
The multiverse has become a popular cinema trope, but more and more astrophysicists are taking it seriously. Could there really be parallel universes? If so…
Undeceptions with John Dickson107. She Believes
Is the Bible bad news for women? Is Jesus misogynistic?Or - as some claim - were the teachings of Jesus in fact the basis of a revolutionary change in the way…
Undeceptions with John Dickson106. Deconstructing Faith
To kick off season 10 of Undeceptions, we're exploring the new "threat" to the Christian faith - deconstruction.Deconstruction has become something of a…
Undeceptions with John DicksonSingle: If Jesus really did rise from the dead, then it would confirm everything
If Jesus was just a teacher who lived and died in first-century Palestine, Christianity would be a waste of time.But what if the miraculous were somehow true?…
Undeceptions with John DicksonSingle: A compelling answer to the question "What's wrong with the world?"
Most of us can agree that the world is a pretty messed up place.But what’s the problem with humanity? What’s wrong with the world? What’s causing all this…
Undeceptions with John DicksonSingle: Christianity is about life to the full
Many believe Christianity is all about following rules and not having any fun.However, this is a huge misunderstanding; Christianity is actually about living…
Undeceptions with John DicksonSingle: It's worth thinking through what life's all about
Lots of people assume that Christianity is a nice story for kids or a niche hobby for weirdos.John Dickson brings you the words of his dear friend Ben Shaw…
Undeceptions with John Dickson105. Decoding Dreams
Throughout history, humans have looked for hidden meanings behind dreams. But in this modern, scientific age, surely we don't believe dreams could hold…
- Undeceptions with John Dickson
104. Question Answer IX
Is there a place for pessimism in the Christian life? Is Halloween evil? Does God have 'mothering' characteristics, too? Why won't there be marriage in heaven?…
Undeceptions with John Dickson103. Blind Faith
If we can make sense of our faith, is it really faith at all, or just a projection of what we want? Soren Kierkegaard, one of the most celebrated philosophers…
Undeceptions with John Dickson102. Ancient Letters
The Bible uses a very "human" way to communicate God's word: letter writing. But how do we know these letters - mostly written by the Apostle Paul - really are…
Undeceptions with John Dickson101. Keller's Legacy
In memory of Timothy James Keller (1950-2023).This season of Undeceptions is sponsored by Zondervan Academic. Get discounts on MasterLectures video courses and…
Undeceptions with John Dickson100. Saving Nature
Is nature inherently valuable if there is no God? According to one scientist, without faith, that's an almost impossible question to answer. But if there is a…
- Undeceptions with John Dickson
99. Overcoming Apathy
Apathy has seeped into every part of society. We've become a "Seinfeldian culture"; alive to the trivial, and numb to the meaningful. How can we find ways to…
Undeceptions with John Dickson98. Dorothy L. Sayers
Dorothy L. Sayers was much more than a celebrated detective novelist - she was a Christian playwright and author who brought the message of the Gospels to…
Undeceptions with John Dickson97. The Apocalypse
There aren’t many parts of the Bible that excite the imagination more than its thrilling climax in the book of Revelation. Amidst the imagery, fantasy and…
Undeceptions with John Dickson96. Medical Miracles
Is there room for the supernatural and the advancing world of medicine? According to some scientists - absolutely!This season of Undeceptions is sponsored by…
Undeceptions with John Dickson95. With Beth
An hour with acclaimed speaker and church leader Beth Moore.This season of Undeceptions is sponsored by Zondervan Academic. Get discounts on MasterLectures…
Undeceptions with John Dickson94. Venerable Bede
Introducing The Venerable Bede: Father of English history and the most brilliant polymath you've never heard of.This season of Undeceptions is sponsored by…
Undeceptions with John Dickson93. The Crucifixion
Why did Jesus have to die? Why did it have to be such a violent death? And what on earth does the death of Jesus on a cross such a long time ago have to do…
Undeceptions with John Dickson92. The Reformation II
Is there still something to celebrate about the Reformation, or is it, as many claim, the root of Christian division and conflict? This season of Undeceptions…