Undeceptions with John Dickson

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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’.

2025-12-14

SINGLE: Christmas Peace

We attempt to make sense of the silly season, to explain why there really is “more to life”, and why the traditional Christmas story still holds the answers. (00:00) - - Unwanted Christmas cards (04:41) - - Diagnosing our festive illness (08:49) - - Happiness or peace? (10:35) - - Jesus the umpire (13:10) - - The Prince of Peace (18:55) - - Christmas and the Gulag Archipelago (22:56) - - Christmas is good enough without Jesus, right? (30:39) - - Jesus turns his face towards us CREDITSUndeceptions is hosted by John Dickson, produced by Kaley Payne and directed by Mark Hadley. Alasdair Belling is a writer and researcher. Sophie Hawkshaw is on socials and membership. Siobhan McGuiness is our online librarian. Lyndie Leviston remains John's wonderful assistant. Santino Dimarco is Chief Finance and Operations Consultant. Editing by Richard Hamwi. Our voice actors today were the Undeceptions Team - wishing you a happy Christmas! Special thanks to our series sponsor Zondervan for making this Undeception possible. Undeceptions is the flagship podcast of Undeceptions.com - letting the truth out.

36 min
2025-11-23

167. Nicene Creed

It’s probably the most significant of all church history’s debates: Was Jesus fully human, fully divine, or a hybrid of some sort? 1700 years ago, bishops from across the Christian world gathered in the city of Nicaea to settle this once and for all. The outcome was three paragraphs which went on to represent the core of Christianity, and spell out who Jesus is - and who he isn’t. (00:00) - - Jesus: Man or something else? (08:44) - - Why did the Creed happen? (12:19) - - Constantine's influence (17:18) - - The key players at the council (29:45) - - The Arian controversy (42:02) - - The Trinity (56:49) - - Five Minute Jesus (01:01:23) - - Faith and the Creed (01:04:19) - - Why does the Creed matter? CREDITSUndeceptions is hosted by John Dickson, produced by Kaley Payne and directed by Mark Hadley. Alasdair Belling is a writer and researcher. Siobhan McGuiness is our online librarian. Lyndie Leviston remains John's wonderful assistant. Santino Dimarco is Chief Finance and Operations Consultant. Editing by Richard Hamwi. Our voice actors today were Yannick Lawry and Dakotah Love. Special thanks to our series sponsor Zondervan for making this Undeception possible. Undeceptions is the flagship podcast of Undeceptions.com - letting the truth out.

1 tim 10 min
2025-11-16

166. Jesus Proof?

The first-century historian Flavius Josephus is the oldest source we have for the historical Jesus outside of the Bible. His 90-word paragraph about Jesus - where he calls Jesus “the Christ”, and says Jesus “appeared to them [the disciples] alive again on the third day", spending a third day restored to life - has sparked centuries of debate. Most experts think this paragraph has an authentic core, but has been embellished by a later Christian scribe. But new scholarly evidence has emerged that might turn our understanding of Josephus - and what he wrote about Jesus - on its head. (00:00) - - 90 Words (10:39) - - Flavius Josephus (14:20) - - Traitor or pragmatist? (22:09) - - Josephus and James (26:22) - - Testamonium Flavianum (41:43) - - "Would Josephus really write that?" (55:43) - - Josephus' networks (01:08:41) - - What did Josephus really say about Jesus? (01:13:42) - - What did Josephus really think about Jesus? (01:15:49) - - Rethinking history CREDITSUndeceptions is hosted by John Dickson, produced by Kaley Payne and directed by Mark Hadley. Alasdair Belling is a writer-researcher. Siobhan McGuiness is online librarian. Lyndie Leviston remains John's wonderful assistant. Santino Dimarco is Chief Finance and Operations Consultant. Editing by Richard Hamwi. Our voice actor today was Yannick Lawry. Special thanks to our series sponsor Zondervan for making this Undeception possible. Undeceptions is the flagship podcast of Undeceptions.com - letting the truth out.

1 tim 24 min
2025-11-09

165. Question Answer XV

Why don’t Christians still follow the Laws of the Old Testament? Why did God create humans if so many are apparently destined for Hell? Is the ‘Golden Rule’ actually a Christian idea? John answers all these - and more - for our Season XV Q&A! (00:00) - - Intro (05:12) - - Why don't Christians still follow the Old Testament Law? (14:49) - - Deep reading for non-readers (19:41) - - Are Christians allowed to practise Old Testament laments post-Jesus? (23:31) - - Why would God create a species destined for Hell? (32:42) - - Why does the modern church look so different compared to the first-century church? (38:47) - - Why did Joseph and Mary have to go to Bethlehem? (49:55) - - The Golden Rule CREDITSUndeceptions is hosted by John Dickson, produced by Kaley Payne, and directed by Mark Hadley. Alasdair Belling is a writer-researcher. Siobhan McGuiness is the online librarian. Lyndie Leviston remains John's wonderful assistant. Santino Dimarco is Chief Finance and Operations Consultant. Editing by Richard Hamwi. Special thanks to our series sponsor Zondervan for making this Undeception possible. Undeceptions is the flagship podcast of Undeceptions.com - letting the truth out.

58 min
2025-11-02

164. After Christendom

Christianity no longer has the cultural sway it once held. But there’s always been a long tradition of Christians being flexible in engaging their culture—whether in ancient Rome, Viking Scandinavia, or modern America. So what does a ‘relevant’ Christianity look like in the 21st century? CREDITS Undeceptions is hosted by John Dickson, produced by Kaley Payne and directed by Mark Hadley. Alasdair Belling is a writer and researcher. Siobhan McGuiness is our online librarian. Lyndie Leviston remains John's wonderful assistant. Santino Dimarco is Chief Finance and Operations Consultant. Editing by Richard Hamwi. Our voice actors for this episode were Yannick Lawry and Dakotah Love. Special thanks to our series sponsor Zondervan for making this Undeception possible. Undeceptions is the flagship podcast of Undeceptions.com - letting the truth out.

1 tim 23 min
2025-10-26

REWIND: Post Christian

Back in 2020, John caught up with author and journalist Greg Sheridan to talk about Christianity’s struggles in both Australia, and the global West more broadly. However, Greg wasn’t so glum on the future of the faith in a post-Christian world. Ahead of an upcoming episode on how the gospel applies to a post-Christian world, we thought now was the time to look back at what Greg had to say.

18 min
2025-10-19

163. Divine Comedy

In his Divine Comedy, Dante isn’t claiming to offer us a vision of what hell and heaven are actually like. It might be set in the afterlife, but it’s really about how we live life here and now. Even if you’ve never read one line of the epic poem, you’ve been influenced by The Divine Comedy. It’s time we learned more about one of Western literature’s greatest works … and how it might just change our lives. CREDITS Undeceptions is hosted by John Dickson, produced by Kaley Payne and directed by Mark Hadley. Alasdair Belling is a writer and researcher. Siobhan McGuiness is our online librarian. Lyndie Leviston remains John's wonderful assistant. Santino Dimarco is Chief Finance and Operations Consultant. Editing by Richard Hamwi. Our voice actor today was Yannick Lawry. Special thanks to our series sponsor Zondervan for making this Undeception's episode possible. Undeceptions is the flagship podcast of Undeceptions.com - letting the truth out.

1 tim 29 min
2025-10-12

162. Persecution Complex

Some claim Christian persecution is on the rise, while others find the idea of a modern persecution implausible. So, what’s the truth? It’s complex … (00:00) - - John Dickson's persecution complex (08:56) - - The myth of persecution (13:24) - - The first Christian persecutions (21:29) - - The third-century persecutions (32:25) - - The Emperor Diocletian comes to power (38:32) - - The Great Persecution (48:04) - - The persecutions end (53:10) - - Haroon's story (01:02:53) - - Smash and squeeze persecution (01:15:33) - - Five Minute Jesus CREDITSUndeceptions is hosted by John Dickson, produced by Kaley Payne and directed by Mark Hadley. Alasdair Belling is a writer and researcher. Siobhan McGuiness is our online librarian. Lyndie Leviston remains John's wonderful assistant. Santino Dimarco is Chief Finance and Operations Consultant. Editing by Richard Hamwi. Our voice actor today was Yannick Lawry. Special thanks to our series sponsor Zondervan for making this Undeception possible. Undeceptions is the flagship podcast of Undeceptions.com - letting the truth out.

1 tim 25 min

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John Dickson

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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’.