Undeceptions with John Dickson

Latest Episodes:

156. Question Answer XIV Jun 09, 2025

Show notes

Why does the church meet on a Sunday? How far is too far when it comes to self-defence, biblically speaking? Is it possible that Hell is temporary?

John tackles these questions and more in this, our season XIV Q&A!

155. Good Pope Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

The world’s attention has recently been on the Vatican, and the election of the new Pope Leo XIV.

But what’s the history behind the office of the Bishop of Rome? What makes a good pope?

By looking at the extraordinary career of John Dickson’s favourite pontiff, we attempt to answer those questions.

CREDITS

Undeceptions is hosted by John Dickson, produced by Kaley Payne and directed by Mark Hadley.

Alasdair Belling is a writer-researcher.

Siobhan McGuiness is our online librarian.

Lyndie Leviston remains John Dickson'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.

(00:00) - Chapter 1
(01:08) - - Intro
(07:19) - - Where did the papacy come from?
(11:18) - - The Roman Empire is falling
(16:20) - - Gregory's early life
(23:55) - - Constantinople: The heart of the ancient world
(27:52) - - Gregory becomes pope
(31:33) - - A reluctant pontiff
(40:33) - - A job description of an ancient pope
(46:02) - - Was Gregory drunk on power?
(47:23) - - The Pastoral Rule
(55:15) - - Five Minute Jesus
(01:01:12) - - Humility and leadership
(01:04:15) - - John Dickson's favourite pope

REWIND: Emotional Intelligence May 19, 2025

Show notes

Some think we might not be too far away from Artificial Intelligence actually having feelings. If it does happen, what will it mean? Might it mean we humans are, in the end, just machines? We look back at that question - and more - in this Undeceptions Rewind!

If you like what you hear, listen to the episode in full: Episode 71 'Emotional Intelligence'.

154. Boy Jesus May 12, 2025

Show notes

The Gospels tell us about Jesus’ adult life, with scant references to his childhood.

We can catch glimpses of the younger Jesus' life, but there’s so much we don’t know.

But if we move beyond the Bible, we can learn about the world the younger Jesus lived in.

Growing up a refugee, in a land under foreign occupation, and a region full of militia groups, it’s worth asking: How did the turbulent background of the boy Jesus affect His message … and the whole of Christianity?

CREDITS

Undeceptions is hosted by John Dickson, produced by Kaley Payne and directed by Mark Hadley.

Alasdair Belling is a writer-researcher.

Siobhan McGuiness is our online librarian.

Lyndie Leviston remains John's wonderful assistant.

Santino Dimarco is the 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.

153. The Chemists May 05, 2025

Show notes

According to the data, chemistry is the scientific discipline with the highest number of ”theists”.

Perhaps it’s not that surprising: Chemistry grew out of alchemy, a mysterious science that attempted to uncover the secrets of nature, with goals some would consider supernatural.

Modern chemists are also working to uncover the secrets of nature.

For some, seeing just how ordered the world is has led them to wonder whether there might be more going on behind the scenes than mere chemistry.

CREDITS

Undeceptions is hosted by John Dickson, produced by Kaley Payne and directed by Mark Hadley.

Alasdair Belling is a writer-researcher.

Siobhan McGuiness is our online librarian.

Lyndie Leviston remains John's wonderful assistant.

Santino Dimarco is the 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.

152. God Laments Apr 28, 2025

Show notes

Like it or not, life will let us down. We all face disappointment.

Despite this, people spend their entire lives trying to avoid and outrun disappointment.

But the Bible offers a different solution.

It gives us the tools to feel and express disappointment. Tools to grieve well. Tools to lament.

But it doesn’t stop there.

In the Bible, we also find a God who sits with us in our grief and shares our disappointment.

We find a God who laments.

CREDITS

Undeceptions is hosted by John Dickson, produced by Kaley Payne and directed by Mark Hadley.

Alasdair Belling is a writer-researcher.

Siobhan McGuiness is our online librarian.

Lyndie Leviston remains John's wonderful assistant.

Santino Dimarco is the 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.

151. Mary Magdalene Apr 21, 2025

Show notes

Mary Magdalene has played many roles throughout history.

She’s been a prostitute, a temptation, Jesus’ wife, Jesus’ lover, a cave-dwelling mystic, a devoted follower, a revolutionary, and a penitent.

The supposed sinner-turned-saint comes to us in a multiplicity of earthly, perhaps even scandalous, portraits that surprise and inspire.

So what can we know about this woman for sure?

CREDITS

Undeceptions is hosted by John Dickson, produced by Kaley Payne and directed by Mark Hadley.

Alasdair Belling is a writer-researcher.

Siobhan McGuiness is our online librarian.

Lyndie Leviston remains John's wonderful assistant.

Santino Dimarco is the 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.

150. Jesus' Trials Apr 14, 2025

Show notes

This week, leading up to Easter, we’re looking at the most famous trial of all time: the trial of Jesus. It’s a courtroom drama like no other, and its outcome changed everything.

But what do we actually know about the trial and conviction of Jesus? Was it fair? Was it real?

149. Our Hymn Apr 07, 2025

Show notes

When John Dickson convinced top Christian songwriters Ben Fielding and Chris Tomlin to have a go at transforming an 1800-year-old hymn into a tune for our times, they felt the weight of responsibility.

This is part two of our mini-series on how the song 'The First Hymn' came to life, with a full documentary soon to follow, which will track the hymn's journey from the deserts of Egypt to the middle of a sold-out stadium arena in the heart of America in the 21st century.

This episode takes you behind the scenes: how Ben Fielding and Chris Tomlin resurrected The First Hymn and made it ours.

(00:00) - - Intro
(05:21) - - Ben Fielding joins The First Hymn Project
(08:21) - - Creating something modern from something ancient
(13:21) - - The songwriting process
(16:15) - - Chris Tomlin joins The First Hymn Project
(21:02) - - Collaboration
(24:30) - - Tomlin and Fielding exchange musical ideas
(29:54) - - John hears 'The First Hymn' for the first time
(36:20) - - St Ephrem - one of the first hymn writers
(40:46) - - The history of worship music
(43:40) - Five-Minute Jesus
(48:55) - - Who was the original composer of The First Hymn?
(52:01) - - 'The First Hymn' for a secular world
(55:38) - - Bringing the hymn to life in an arena

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.

Edited by Richard Hamwi.

Our voice actors today were Yannick Lawry and Dakotah Love.

A big thank you to Michael Wilder at Wheaton College, and Tony Payne for his arrangement of the original First Hymn, and the 50-person choir led by John Trotter that brought this work to life.

Special thanks to our series sponsor, Zondervan, for making this Undeception possible.

Undeceptions is the flagship podcast of Undeceptions.com - letting the truth out.

148. The Anthropologists Mar 31, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to season XIV of Undeceptions!

Anthropology has a reputation for being the most “godless” of all the sciences.

The so-called Father of Anthropology, Sir Edward Burnett Tylor, abandoned his faith as an anthropologist, declaring religion was “animalistic”.

But religion hasn’t gone away - and many anthropologists are now realising there might be something to belief after all …

(00:00) - - Coffee and anthropology
(09:08) - - What is anthropology?
(14:25) - - Edward Tylor, the 'Father of Anthropology'
(19:28) - - Why is anthropology so godless?
(21:25) - - James Frazer
(33:12) - - E.E. Evans Pritchard
(40:29) - - Mary Douglas
(46:24) - - How Christine became a Christian anthropologist
(50:00) - - What is the "good life"?
(51:52) - - Victor and Edith Turner
(56:20) - - Cultural relativism
(01:00:02) - - Five-Minute Jesus
(01:06:55) - - Good God, good anthropology

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