Undeceptions with John Dickson

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 according to Gina Zurlo, a leading authority on Christian demographics, and our guest on episode 75, ‘Global Christianity’. According to Gina, while the Western world is grappling with secularism, a new spiritual awakening of sorts is taking hold in the world’s two most populous nations, China and India. 

This is our next Undeceptions Rewind, where we resurface some of the best bits of our older episodes that might have been mostly forgotten (but hopefully not misunderstood!) In this episode, we feature snippets of both Episode 17 'Hindu Priest', and Episode 75 'Global Christianity'. 

We interviewed Tom Holland, historian and co-host of the extraordinarily popular podcast The Rest is History, back in 2021 for episode 45, Christian Revolution.

At the time Tom wouldn’t have called himself a Christian (and we won't speak for him now), but he was adamant that not only is Christianity good, but our very sense of what good is comes from Christianity.

Check out our first Undeceptions Rewind, where we resurface some of the best bits of our older episodes that might have been mostly forgotten (but hopefully not misunderstood!)

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 history's greatest artists about loss, hope, the ugly, and the sublime.

What lessons can we take from these broken artists? What might their observations about the world tell us about God?

• (04:39) - - Creations and experiences

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 to understand, right?

Well, some experts think there is a right way to read scripture. What we need is a key to unlock The Bible for us.

• (00:48) - - The Rossetta Stone

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 questions in one of our best Q&A episodes yet!

Famed Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson once (well, several times actually) claimed Christianity was irreconcilable with the science of the Universe. 

But there's plenty of scholars who beg to differ.

Recorded live in Brisbane at the State Library of Queensland.

• (01:08) - Show begins

Is history under threat? 

Increasingly, the modern, individualistic global West is coming to see history as a discipline that's irrelevant, harmful, and divisive. 

Some are worried that we're becoming increasingly disconnected from a broader story. 

Can the past help us navigate our modern world? Or is it better if we let it fade into a "dark age"?

• (00:11) - What do you call a collective of historians?

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 so much of our lives depend on it, what could happen if trust starts to break?

In this episode, we spend some time talking about institutional church abuse. Check the time codes below if it would be helpful to skip past this section.

39:15 - Section begins
42:23 - Regular interview resumes

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 importantly, true. 

As one cold-case detective believes, we can't get enough true crime because of what it teaches us about our human nature. 

But that same detective found that these lessons on humanity could also be found in - what was for him -  the unlikeliest place: The Bible.

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 was taught to you. It's truly a universal language. So - what's its history? If this is the language that has done the most to spread Christianity (as some claim), how have its quirks influenced our understanding of the Bible?