Undeceptions with John Dickson

Undeceptions Ltd

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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’.

-13 H

REWIND: The Reformation

The Reformation remains a pivotal moment not just for the church, but for global history. It permanently split the church, triggered wars, created new city-states, and even led, in the opinion of many experts, to the Enlightenment, Science, and the secularisation of the West. When it came to covering the topic on Undeceptions, there was so much to talk about that we needed two episodes just to scratch the surface. In this Rewind, we’re revisiting some highlights of those episodes.

23 min
8 FÉVR.

SINGLE: Concert Hymn

On November 2, 2024, Chris Tomlin performed the world premiere of The First Hymn at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Ben Fielding joined him onstage that night to help gift this 1800-year-old song back to the world. In this special, shorter episode, you get a front row seat to a fireside chat with Chris as he introduces the new First Hymn to the world, for the first time.

19 min
14/12/2025

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
23/11/2025

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 h 10 min
16/11/2025

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 h 24 min
09/11/2025

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
02/11/2025

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 h 23 min
26/10/2025

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

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John Dickson

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321 notes

Intellectual + Spiritual

26 janv.

Zr2000

I love how JD and the crew can make any topic interesting! I never would’ve thought I’d enjoy an episode titled “History of Chemistry” or “Jane Austen”. American politics make it seem like reason and faith can’t be reconciled, and these guys regularly show how false of a dichotomy that is. If we really believe that God created “all that is seen and unseen”, then studying his beautiful world isn’t simply a nice add-on, but a mandate and an act of worship. This podcast shows us how to be a 21st century Christian: winsomely engaging complicated issues with grace, curiosity, and most importantly, love.
Right up my spiritual and intellectual alley!

13/12/2025

J.M. Arizona Artist

I’ve been diving into John Dickson‘s podcasts and videos and I am finding them to be “right up my intellectual an spiritual alley.” Too many Christian writers start from an assumed foundation of faith…not John, he builds faith from the ground up… which is just what people like me need when we have been trying hard almost all our lives to build a home base of faith, not founded on a faith rooted in one’s earlier years (which I didn’t have). Keep on pursuing absolute truth as the foundation of what you do.
Terrific

03/11/2024

C. R. Imes

Great podcast! I’ve learned so much listening to this!
Content v. Technical

01/12/2024

Content v. Technical

Bah. Great content but hard to listen / Too much pasty mouth noises. Cringy

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’.