61. Emperor Constantine
This episode was sponsored by Zondervan's new book Rembrandt is in the Wind by Russ Ramsey. For the full show notes for this episode head to Undeceptions.com.
Mar 20, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 6Ep. 1
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’.
Last refreshed: ⓘ
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
Episodes
No Coward single
Greg Sheridan is one of Australia's most influential foreign affairs analysts, as well as an acclaimed author. In short, he's not afraid of sharing an opinion. He and John Dickson take a stroll through his latest book, Christians: The urgent case for Jesus in our world , and take a close look at the key elements of the faith. Greg bravely shares how he thinks the Christian faith makes perfect sense to the rational mind....
Mar 13, 2022•26 min
Transforming Tales single
Undeceptions is proud to announce that the popular podcast, With All Due Respect, is joining the network as of today. To mark the occasion hosts Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen have crafted a single about the power of storytelling to transform lives. You can find out more about their awesome show over at The WADR Project website .
Feb 27, 2022•16 min
Life's Variations single
It's our first season in the run down to Season 6 of Undeceptions, and John Dickson asks friend of the show Laurel Moffatt to share some uncommon wisdom earned from teaching her daughter music during the COVID lockdown. Laurell tells us how listening to Bach's Goldberg Variations - the way they chop and change but still stay the same - has given her a new way of viewing life during a pandemic.
Feb 13, 2022•12 min
The Log In Our Eye
John Dickson's Bullies and Saints is a super-podcast providing excerpts of the book by the same name - a no-holds-barred look at the best and worst of church history. In this final episode of the Bullies And Saints super-series, John Dickson reflects on Jesus' instruction to His disciples to look at the log in their own eyes before reflecting on others' shortcomings and asks whether this might equally apply to those outside the church Click here to buy a copy of Bullies and Saints , or here to o...
Feb 06, 2022•14 min
The Not-So-Dark Ages
John Dickson's Bullies and Saints is a super-podcast providing excerpts of the book by the same name - a no-holds-barred look at the best and worst of church history. In this episode, John up-ends a four-hundred-year-old fallacy that has been promoted since the Enlightenment: the Christian faith is a brake on scientific and literary progress. The Dark Ages - were they really that dark? Click here to buy a copy of Bullies and Saints , or here to own the entire audiobook . And for even more on the...
Jan 30, 2022•12 min
Knights of Christ
John Dickson's Bullies and Saints is a super-podcast providing excerpts of the book by the same name - a no-holds-barred look at the best and worst of church history. In this edition, John Dickson introduces us to two characters that display all that’s been good and bad about the followers of Jesus - Ebolus the crossbowman and Bernard of Clairvaux. Click here to buy a copy of Bullies and Saints , or here to own the entire audiobook . And for even more on the history of Christianity, and how well...
Jan 23, 2022•12 min
Christian Jihad
John Dickson's Bullies and Saints is a super-podcast providing excerpts of the book by the same name - a no-holds-barred look at the best and worst of church history. In this edition, John investigates the accusation that Christianity is a faith that was propagated by the sword rather than peace. Are Christians guilty of their own jihad? Click here to buy a copy of Bullies and Saints , or here to own the entire audiobook . And for even more on the history of Christianity, and how well the church...
Jan 16, 2022•15 min
The Birth of Charity
John Dickson's Bullies and Saints is a super-podcast providing excerpts of the book by the same name - a no-holds-barred look at the best and worst of church history. In this episode, John Dickson gives us an insight into the invention of charity, and just how revolutionary the Christian call to love one another proved for the ancient world. Click here to buy a copy of Bullies and Saints , or here to own the entire audiobook . And for even more on the history of Christianity, and how well the ch...
Jan 09, 2022•14 min
Good Losers
John Dickson's Bullies and Saints is a super-podcast providing excerpts of the book by the same name - a no-holds-barred look at the best and worst of church history. In this edition, John uncovers the character of the earliest Christians, how it contrasted with the world around them, and how ‘in tune’ it was with the beautiful melody that Jesus set them to sing. Click here to buy a copy of Bullies and Saints , or here to own the entire audiobook . And for even more on the history of Christianit...
Jan 02, 2022•13 min
Peter The Hermit
John Dickson's Bullies and Saints is a super-podcast providing excerpts of the book by the same name - a no-holds-barred look at the best and worst of church history. In this episode, John Dickson takes us to the Crusades and introduces one of the most infamous crusaders of all: Peter the Hermit, a fire and brimstone Christian if ever there was one. Click here to buy a copy of Bullies and Saints , or here to own the entire audiobook . And for even more on the history of Christianity, and how wel...
Dec 26, 2021•14 min
60. Resting Well
This episode was sponsored by Zondervan’s new book Ethics Beyond Rules, by Keith D Stanglin. Visit the undeceptions.com for more content, including the full show notes for this episode. Follow the show on Twitter and Instagram Email the show with your comments / feedback: admin@undeceptions.com Undeceptions is the flagship podcast of Undeceptions.com: Letting the truth out. Theme music: JS Bach's Cello Suites, Prelude, performed by the Undeceptions Band. Hosted by John Dickson Produced by Kaley ...
Dec 19, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 5Ep. 11
59. The Refugee
This episode was sponsored by Zondervan’s new book ‘Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth’ by Thaddeus J Williams. Visit undeceptions.com for more content, including the full show notes for this episode. Follow the show on Twitter and Instagram Email the show with your comments / feedback: admin@undeceptions.com Undeceptions is the flagship podcast of Undeceptions.com: Letting the truth out. Theme music: JS Bach's Cello Suites, Prelude, performed by the Undeceptions Band. Hosted by Jo...
Dec 12, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Christmas Star single
Dr. Chris Forbes brings his expertise in the Greco-Roman world to bear on why historians believe the story of the three magi and the star over a stable might actually be based in fact. Join John Dickson as these two historical boffins discuss astrological formations, ancient king-makers and a reasonable explanation for an interstellar night light in Bethlehem.
Dec 08, 2021•22 min
58. Question Answer V
This episode was sponsored by Zondervan's new book Urban Apologetics by Eric Mason. Visit the undeceptions.com for more content, including the full show notes for this episode. Follow the show on Twitter and Instagram Email the show with your comments / feedback: admin@undeceptions.com Undeceptions is the flagship podcast of Undeceptions.com: Letting the truth out. Theme music: JS Bach's Cello Suites, Prelude, performed by the Undeceptions Band. Hosted by John Dickson Produced by Kaley Payne Dir...
Dec 05, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 5Ep. 9
57. Jesus Philosopher
The cliche is: ‘faith’ is the antithesis of knowledge … of wisdom. And therefore “Christian philosophy” is an oxymoron, right? Our guests today, though are professional philosophers and they reckon that, while Christians could do with a healthy dose of philosophy, so could sceptics. We all need to think deeply about what we believe, and why we believe it. And if you think – as atheists like Sam Harris and many others do – that scepticism or atheism doesn’t involve any mere ‘beliefs’, well, you p...
Nov 28, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 8
56. Paulos Apostolos
This episode was sponsored by Zondervan's new book Believing Philosophy by Dolores G. Morris. OUR GUESTS Douglas J. Moo is a New Testament scholar who, after teaching for more than twenty years at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois, has served as Blanchard Professor of New Testament at the Wheaton College Graduate School since 2000. His latest book is A Theology of Paul and His Letters. Lynn H. Cohick is an American New Testament scholar and author. Since January 2021 she has been P...
Nov 21, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 5Ep. 7
55. Just War
This episode is sponsored by Zondervan's new book Person of Interest: Why Jesus still matters in a world that rejects the Bible by J. Warner Wallace. Meet Our Guests Nigel Biggar : Regius Professor of Moral & Pastoral Theology, and Director of the McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics, & Public Life, University of Oxford. Andrew Hastie : Australian Federal Member for Canning and Assistant Minister for Defence. Former Officer, Australian Defence Force. Mike Bird was one of our 'phone a fri...
Nov 14, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 6
54. Between Testaments
This episode is sponsored by Zondervan's new book Why is there suffering? by Bethany Sollereder. Download the transcript for this episode here. Meet our Guest The Rev Dr George Athas George is Director of Research and Lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew at Moore Theological College in Sydney. Featured Music Michael Levy is a composer for the lyre. His music is a blend of some original ancient melodies and some of his own creations. His arrangements for solo lyre are based on reconstructions of ...
Nov 07, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Season 5Ep. 5
53. Outer Space
Some would say that an ancient faith like Christianity won’t survive outer space -- especially as we explore further than we ever have before. This episode is sponsored by Zondervan's new book 'The Theology of Paul and His Letters' by Douglas J Moo. For the full show notes, with links to everything we mention in this episode, go to undeceptions.com....
Oct 31, 2021•52 min•Season 5Ep. 4
52. On Friendship
Download the transcript for this episode here. COMPETITION! We’re celebrating our 500,000th download this month - half a million! And so, with the help of our major sponsor, Zondervan, we are giving away a book pack of five of Zondervan’s newest titles. We’ll throw in a copy of my new book Bullies and Saints AND an Undeceptions T-Shirt. To WIN, all you have to do is leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (what used to be called iTunes), take a pic of the review and send it to us . Producer Kaley wi...
Oct 24, 2021•57 min•Season 5Ep. 3
51. Chinese Jesus
Download the transcript for this episode here. COMPETITION! We’re celebrating our 500,000th download this month - half a million! And so, with the help of our major sponsor, Zondervan, we are giving away a book pack of five of Zondervan’s newest titles. We’ll throw in a copy of my new book Bullies and Saints AND an Undeceptions T-Shirt. To WIN, all you have to do is leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (what used to be called iTunes), take a pic of the review and send it to us . Producer Kaley wi...
Oct 17, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 2
50. Good Life
COMPETITION! We’re celebrating our 500,000th download this month - half a million! And so, with the help of our major sponsor, Zondervan, we are giving away a book pack of five of Zondervan’s newest titles. We’ll throw in a copy of my new book Bullies and Saints AND an Undeceptions T-Shirt. To WIN, all you have to do is leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (what used to be called iTunes), take a pic of the review and send it to Producer Kaley at kaley@undeceptions.com. We'll pick the best-written...
Oct 10, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Outback Christ
This Henry Lawson poem, though written in the Australian outback in the 19th Century, still captures what a lot of people see as wrong with Christianity and what they wish it was like.
Oct 03, 2021•6 min
Afghan Refugee
Shabnam Safa was just 15 years old when she arrived in Australia as a refugee. As a young child, her family had fled war-torn Afghanistan to a refugee camp on the border of Pakistan where she grew up listening to stories of the terror of life under the Taliban. She spoke to John Dickson about her distress about the Taliban retaking control of Afghanistan and her fears for her home country. As so many of us watch from our lounge rooms, is there anything we can actually do to help those fleeing da...
Sep 26, 2021•21 min
Intersectional Jesus
Author and highly sought-after speaker Sam Allberry talks us through 'intersectionality' and ponders the wisdom and boundaries of this way of bestowing moral authority. "Just as those who stand at an intersection can see in more directions than those who don't, so too - according to this thinking - those at the intersection of multiple minority and victim groups have more insight to bring to society."
Sep 19, 2021•10 min
Nine Eleven Single
Today is the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a series of coordinated terrorist strikes in the US that killed almost 3000 people and changed the world forever. Our guest for this single, Hans Kunnen, was one of several Australians in New York that day and has told his story many times over the last 20 years. But what struck us about his story was not how close he was to the action, or how he described the flames, the smoke, the hurtling bodies. It is how he talks about the kindness of a str...
Sep 10, 2021•25 min
The Terror Single
On the anniversary of the France's Reign of Terror, John asks where we got the idea that three centuries of the Spanish Inquisition represented the height of human cruelty. In any objective history of human violence it would hardly rate a mention, especially when it stands alongside the terrors of the French Revolution.
Sep 06, 2021•8 min
49. Pro Life
** We’re talking about abortion in this episode, and occasionally we mention sexual abuse and violence. Nothing graphic, we promise. But some listeners may find what follows distressing. Be safe. ** We're weighing up the arguments of the Pro Choice and Pro Life movements. Perhaps we can convince you that the case against abortion - the pro-life case - isn’t as dumb and mean as it's often portrayed to be, and nor does it depend on religious dogma. This episode is sponsored by Zondervan's new book...
Aug 15, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 4Ep. 12
48. Ask Anything IV
It's this season's Q&A episode, where listeners get a chance to ask John Dickson their burning questions. This episode is sponsored by S even Things I Wish Christians Knew About the Bible by Michael F Bird , a new book published by Zondervan. QUESTIONS Is all “music” at its best good or beautiful and at worst simply neutral; or can some “music” be “bad”, “evil” or “ungodly”? (Check out our two episodes on music from Season 3: Creation's Music and Discordant Religion ). Are there dangers in p...
Aug 08, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 11
Hosted on Transistor
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android