Undeceptions with John Dickson

In ancient Carthage, those who faced the Cyprian Plague discovered that there were two sets of symptoms to contend with: those that afflicted the outer body, and those that afflicted the inner person.

COVID-19 is having a similar effect. It is turning out to be not just a physical trial but a moral test. 

The pandemic is revealing the best and the worst of our characters. The former we can celebrate together. Our faults, though, are also worth our contemplation.

If you’re preparing yourself for an assault on conservative Christian doctrine regarding women in church leadership, or different approaches to women teaching … you’re going to be disappointed.

This is an episode about a more fundamental ‘deception’ the western world seems to hold: that Christianity places no value on the contribution of women, or offers them any pride of place.

However, Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing is the Joint Director of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and the counter to that claim. 

She is an academic, world-traveller, social media queen, and born persuader who is gaining significant influence in Britain and Europe as she advocates for the Gospel. 

LINKS

• Special thanks to Zondervan Academic, our show sponsor
• Find out more about Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
• The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics
• A special just for Undeceptions listeners! Get free access to Zondervan Academic's Master Lectures for 14 days, and then save 25% for the next 6 months. Just type in the code UNDECEPTIONS at the check-out.
• Ridley College, where John lectures in Public Christianity
• The Salt podcast by Jenny Salt
• Want to send John Dickson a question? He loves them. Just click here to provide a query for our next Q and A show!
• Undeceptions is part of the Eternity Podcast Network, an audio collection showcasing the seriously good news of faith today.

Church leaders and impassioned Christians want to suggest that the Bible promises a special deliverance from COVID-19 for those who put their faith in the Son of God. However John Dickson resurrects the wisdom of an ancient bishop who also faced a massive plague to give us a different perspective.

Last season we brought you John Lennox, talking about the compatibility of faith and a scientific mind, and Ard Louis discussing the evidence for a rational universe … but we sidestepped one obvious debate.

Creation versus evolution - 6 days versus 13.8 billion years - young earthers vs. ancient universe-ers. 

It’s a pretty hot argument in the minds of some believers and non-believers alike. Sometimes both sides think there’s only one way to take Genesis, and that’s at face value.

This episode, though, we talk to Professor C. John Collins, Professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary, who suggests there's another way that honours both the message and the intellect.

LINKS

• Find out more about C. John 'Jack' Collins at Covenant Theological Seminary.
• Reading Genesis Well: Navigating History, Poetry, Science, and Truth in Genesis 1-11, by C. John Collins
• How To Follow Jesus, by Craig Springer
• Zondervan Academic
• A special just for Undeceptions listeners! Get free access to Zondervan Academic's Master Lectures for 14 days, and then save 25% for the next 6 months. Just type in the code UNDECEPTIONS at the check-out.
• Ridley College, where John lectures in Public Christianity
• Want to send John Dickson a question? He loves them. Just click here to provide a query for our next Q and A show!
• Undeceptions is part of the Eternity Podcast Network, an audio collection showcasing the seriously good news of faith today.

Simply taking care of yourself and those closest to you might seem enough - even the most important thing - at this time of international concern. But John Dickson picks out the story of a wealthy, ancient woman to suggest another way. Rome's Fabiola powerfully demonstrated the level of sympathy that hearts changed by Christ can hope to rise to.

In this episode we’re delving into that frightening world. 

According to the World Health Organization, cancer is the second leading cause of death internationally, accounting for an estimated 9.6 million fatalities in 2018 - that’s 1 in 6 deaths. Cancer is an undiscriminating disease. It can appear in almost any part of the body, and any age group. Each year, 300,000 cases of cancer are diagnosed in children alone. And the costs for those who can pay for treatments and preventative measures are staggering - cancer costs the world economy 1.16 trillion US dollars a year. 

But cancer isn’t just a medical battleground, it’s a spiritual one as well. Through the ages, myriad human voices have cried out, “My God, why!?" How do people who reckon there is some kind of good God in the world - which surveys say is most human beings - cope with cancer in the world? Meet Ben Shaw and his wife Karen who heard those two words in the title, and the epic faith journey they travelled together.

LINKS

• Find out more about Ben Shaw through his page at The Boathouse Church, Putney
• This episode is brought to you by Zondervan Academic and its new book The New Testament in Its World by N. T. Wright and Michael Bird
• A special just for Undeceptions listeners! Get free access to Zondervan Academic's Master Lectures for 14 days, and then save 25% for the next 6 months. Just type in the code UNDECEPTIONS at the check-out.
• Ridley College, where John lectures in Public Christianity
• The podcast Salt (conversations with Jenny Salt) is available on The Eternity Podcast Network

The return of Undeceptions for 2020, kicking off with God and cancer, a better way of reading Genesis, woman leading the charge in explaining Christianity, Easter myths exploded and proof the faith you grow up with isn't the final word on what you believe. Plus much, much more! Let the Undeceptions begin... Monday, March 16.

This Christmas, as you rightly enjoy the good things God's given you and share them with your nearest and dearest, spare a moment to consider how your generosity might spread further afield. 

Links that might prove helpful:

• World Vision
• International Justice Mission
• Anglican Aid
• Open Doors Australia
• Tear Australia
• Save The Children