Undeceptions with John Dickson

Thanks for being great supporters of the first season of Undeceptions! We hope you enjoy this little gift from us, and have a happy Christmas with your loved ones and the God who made this all possible.

Yours in all truth,

John, Kaley, Bella and Mark

Jesus was born in a manger, right? But what does that mean exactly? And how about that inn? Or the star hovering over the stable? How does history address our most cherished images of the birth of the King of Kings? And what did The Life Of Brian get right? Join John as he undeceives us about everything that can and can't be said about the birth of Jesus.

Thanks to our season sponsor – Selah – for all your travel needs, whether you’re a doubter or a believer. Find out more at myselah.com.au.

Links related to this episode:

• Read John's Nativity Naivete for an account of how the 'Quirinius problem' is resolved by historians, as well as many other common misconceptions about supposed historical problems in the Christmas story.
• For a more general summary of the historical truths of the Christmas story, there's Truth In The Story Of Christmas
• For those wanting to dig deeper into the historical evidence for Jesus' existence, John also wrote this reply to an assertion that the baby in a manger wasn't a real person for ABC Religion & Ethics.
• And since it's that time of year, you might also want to have a look at John's article, Halloween Vs. Christmas, discussing the historical basis for both.

Send us a question

Oh boy, does John love questions. So don’t be afraid to send them in. In season one, we’ll be dedicating an episode or two for John to answer all your burning questions about Christianity. Want to know something more about a previous episode? Or perhaps you’ve got a question about faith that you’ve been struggling to find an answer for? Let us know here, or leave your question as a voicemail at 02 9870 5678.

Each week of our first season of Undeceptions, we've asked you to tell us some of the things you'd like to be 'undeceived' about. This episode John Dickson tackles the top questions sent in, covering everything from questions raised by our various guests to crackers you've come up with on your own.

Press play to hear more about whether Islam actually invented science, why historians still reject the idea of a resurrection, and what the difference is between New Testament and Old Testament Miracles. Plus West Wing references and Jesus own 'top questions' to ask!

Thanks to our season sponsor - Selah - for all your travel needs, whether you're a doubter or a believer. Find out more at myselah.com.au.

Links related to this episode:
Curiosity aroused by others' questions? Easy links to...

• • Episode 1 - Old Papers, with Brendan Haug
  • Episode 2 - Football Free, with the Greenbay Packers
  • Episode 6 - Rational Universe, with Ard Louis
  • Episode 7 - Gospel Truth, with Peter Williams
• John refer's to the 'post hoc ergo proctor hoc' fallacy. Did he leave you in the dust? Here's a video that explains the idea
• But if you'd prefer Jed Bartlett to explain it to you, you can find it here

And check out the beautiful new Undeceptions web site!

Want to send John a question for our next Q and A? Here's the place to do it! 

Send us a question

Oh boy, does John love questions. So don’t be afraid to send them in. In season one, we’ll be dedicating an episode or two for John to answer all your burning questions about Christianity. Want to know something more about a previous episode? Or perhaps you’ve got a question about faith that you’ve been struggling to find an answer for? Let us know here, or leave your question as a voicemail at 02 9870 5678.

This episode, we've put John Dickson in the hot seat to talk about his new book: Is Jesus History. Anita Savage is our guest host, and she grills John on one of the greatest questions out there: did Jesus really exist?

Thanks to our season sponsor - Selah - for all your travel needs, whether you're a doubter or a believer. Find out more at myselah.com.au.

Links related to this episode:

• Get John Dickson's latest book Is Jesus History? 
• Read more about the supposed 'lost tomb of Jesus' in this CNN report. And watch James Cameron's documentary here.
• Read more about the 'lost gospel of Judas' from the National Geographic Society.
• Jeffrey Archer's fiction book, The Gospel According to Judas
• After The Da Vinci Code, John Dickson wrote several articles responding to some of the conspiracies theories that surrounded the book and the life of Jesus. Here's one of them on The Secret Gospels.
• Read the article from Time Magazine listing Jesus as the most influential person of all time.
• In Episode 7 of Undeceptions, John interviewed Peter Williams, author of Can We Trust the Gospels. You should definitely go back and listen to that episode if you enjoyed this one!

Get to know our guest host

Anita Savage is a TV and radio journalist who has worked for 2UE, Sky News, Channel 9, Bloomberg Television and ABC TV and radio. In 2019, Anita joined the Hope Media team to lead the new Hope Media News Service. She joins us for this episode of Undeceptions as guest host, interviewing John Dickson.

Send us a question

Oh boy, does John love questions. So don’t be afraid to send them in. In season one, we’ll be dedicating an episode or two for John to answer all your burning questions about Christianity. Want to know something more about a previous episode? Or perhaps you’ve got a question about faith that you’ve been struggling to find an answer for? Let us know here, or leave your question as a voicemail at 02 9870 5678.

When Sarah first arrived at Cambridge on a scholarship, and then later took a job at Oxford, she thought Christians were anti-intellectual.

And perhaps that’s what we’ve come to expect. Smart people have no time - no headspace - for God. They know too much. They think too deeply for the ‘shallows’ of theology.

This episode, we’re talking with people who’ve witnessed the opposite. Universities like Oxford and Cambridge are melting pots, where people can find their beliefs - or unbelief - turned upside down, just like Sarah.

Thanks to our season sponsor - Selah - for all your travel needs, whether you're a doubter or a believer. Find out more at myselah.com.au.

Links related to this episode:

• Read more of Sarah's conversion to Christianity during her studies here.
• Check out Vaughan Robert's ministry at St Ebbe's in Oxford.
• Read Peter Harrison's The Fall of Man and the Foundations of Science
• Find out more about philosopher Peter Singer
• John Dickson's 5 minute Jesus in this episode is all about Christianity and the Apostles' Creed. Learn more about the creed here.
• Read more about CS Lewis' conversion to Christianity while at Oxford
• Get GK Chesterton's book The Everlasting Man
• More on Oxford banning the Christian Union at Fresher's Week in 2017

Get to know our guests

Dr Sarah Irving-Stonebraker is senior lecturer in Modern European History at Western Sydney University. She was awarded a PhD in History from Cambridge University in 2007.

Vaughan Roberts is Rector of St Ebbe's Church in Oxford. He studied law at Cambridge University and theology at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford before entering ministry. Roberts is also Director of the Proclamation Trust, an organisation that encourages and equips Bible teachers. He is a popular conference speaker and author of several books.

Send us a question

Oh boy, does John love questions. So don’t be afraid to send them in. In season one, we’ll be dedicating an episode or two for John to answer all your burning questions about Christianity. Want to know something more about a previous episode? Or perhaps you’ve got a question about faith that you’ve been struggling to find an answer for? Let us know here, or leave your question as a voicemail at 02 9870 5678.

Head to undeceptions.com to listen to Episode 3, 'God Science' with John Lennox. 

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains content that may be distressing for some listeners. The episode deals with the online sexual exploitation of children and is confronting and often disturbing. If you need to talk to someone, support is available:

1800RESPECT: In Australia, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800 737 732.

Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 anytime for confidential telephone crisis support.

This episode of Undeceptions was a difficult one for us to make. But we believe it's an important one. It's a myth that there's no such thing as slavery in modern times. And just as Christians were at the forefront of anti-slavery work way back in the 5th century, and again in the 19th century, we’ll be speaking to today’s heroes, continuing that tradition, fighting for the absolute end of slavery in their lifetime.

We've worked with International Justice Mission - the largest anti-slavery organisation in the world - to bring you the story of Cassie in the Philippines. Cassie was rescued from a neighbour who had lured her into a world of online sexual exploitation. We speak with some of those who worked to see her released from slavery, and who continue to work to rescue countless other victims both in the Philippines and other parts of south east Asia, the epicentre of this heinous crime.

Thanks to our season sponsor - Selah - for all your travel needs, whether you're a doubter or a believer. Find out more at myselah.com.au.

Links related to this episode:

• International Justice Mission works with law enforcement, including the Australian Federal Police, to tackle the online sexual exploitation of children. Read more about the AFP's involvement in the Philippines here and the first Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre - a collective law enforcement effort to combat child exploitation.
• And read this article from Reuters on the new taskforce and its impact so far.
• Read more about Shechem House, the first IJM assessment centre for children rescued from abuse.
• Watch this 20-minute documentary from IJM: How one survivor of sex trafficking is sparking a global movement to end slavery in our lifetime.
• Read this fact sheet from IJM on child sexual exploitation in the Philippines.

Get to know our guests

Caroly Houmes is Chief Executive of International Justice Mission (IJM) in Australia, and was previously executive director of IJM in the Netherlands. An experienced legal professional, Caroly as a Masters in International and European Human Rights Law.

Jacob Sarkodee leads IJM's operations team and has over 10 years experience in the international aid and development sector in Australia.

Glenn De Guzman is a pastor currently serving in the Philippines as IJM's Church Partnerships Manager and spends most of his time inviting church leaders and faith-based organisations to participate in the fight against online sexual exploitation of children. Glenn actively seeks ways for the Church to move the Philippine government to a more effective criminal justice system by creating public demand for accountability, mobilising prayer groups and raising volunteer support.

Rev Stephen Gualberto (also known as Pastor Bong) is the senior pastor of GMA Church of the Nazarene in the Philippines. Pastor Bong led the Church of the Nazarene as they established the first IJM assessment centre for children rescued from online sexual exploitation. Shechem Children's Home opened its doors on September 8, 2018.

Send us a question

Oh boy, does John love questions. So don’t be afraid to send them in. In season one, we’ll be dedicating an episode or two for John to answer all your burning questions about Christianity. Want to know something more about a previous episode? Or perhaps you’ve got a question about faith that you’ve been struggling to find an answer for? Let us know here, or leave your question as a voicemail at 02 9870 5678.

In episode 7 we ask: can we really trust the Gospels in the Bible? And how do the gospels - considered our best evidence for the existence of Jesus - stack up against the evidence for other historical figures of the day?

John Dickson chats with Dr Peter Williams, the author of Can We Trust the Gospels? about how solid our sources for Jesus really are. Many would say they're not as solid as, say, sources for the Emperor Tiberius, the second Roman emperor who reigned from 14 AD to 37 AD during the time it is said that Jesus lived. But Dr Williams may just change your mind... 

The necklace that John wears around his neck: a coin from the reign of Emperor Tiberius. 

Thanks to our season sponsor - Selah - for all your travel needs, whether you're a doubter or a believer. Find out more at myselah.com.au.

Links related to this episode:

• Get Dr Peter Williams' book Can We Trust the Gospels? here.
• Check out the full Twitter thread of Peter's satirical attempt to discredit Emperor Tiberius.
• Watch more of the interview John conducted with Professor Richard Bauckham for The Christ Files documentary in 2008.
• Dig into Tacitus' Annals here. Tacitus was a Roman aristocrat and government official writing about 80 years after Tiberius. His Annals of imperial Rome are universally regarded as the best historical source for the period.
• Find out more about the works of Suetonius, a Roman biographer writing shortly after Tacitus.
• Learn more about Cassius Dio. And the "Tiberius fan boy" Velleius Paterculus
• Want more on Pliny the Elder? Here's some background. 
• Watch a 2013 lecture Dr Peter Williams gave at The Veritas Forum at the University of North Carolina - Bible: Fact or Fiction?
• For more on undesigned coincidences, Lydia McGrew has written Hidden in plain view - Undesigned coincidences in the Gospels and Acts 
• Catch up on our very first episode, Old Papers which helps answer the question of how we can be confident that what we read in the Bible today is what was originally written. 
• Learn more about Erasmus, who worked on a really important copy of the Green New Testament in 1516. This article is all about 500 Years of Erasmus' New Testament, from our friends at the University of Michigan.  

Get to know our guests

Dr Peter Williams

Dr Peter Williams is principal of Tyndale House, a Cambridge-based research institute housing one of the worlds' most advanced libraries for biblical scholarship. He is also the chair of the International Greek New Testament Project which is currently producing the world’s most comprehensive information on the manuscripts of John’s Gospel. He is also a lecturer of Hebrew at the University of Cambridge.

He has spoken in churches, universities, seminaries, high schools and at conferences and seminars/workshops across the US and the world on Biblical subjects including Bible translation, apologetics, and how to understand the Scriptures.

Dr Williams is the author of several books, including his most recent published at the end of 2018: Can we trust the gospels?

Send us a question

Oh boy, does John love questions. So don’t be afraid to send them in. In season one, we’ll be dedicating an episode or two for John to answer all your burning questions about Christianity. Want to know something more about a previous episode? Or perhaps you’ve got a question about faith that you’ve been struggling to find an answer for? Let us know here, or leave your question as a voicemail at 02 9870 5678.

Professor Ard Louis is one of the world's leading theoretical physicists. He sat down with John Dickson to talk about why he fervently believes that we don't need to prove God exists.

Ard is serious in his quest to have a coherent system that makes some sense of the world. It’s what he gets out of bed to discover every day. And he's not afraid that the more he discovers, the less he'll need God. Quite the opposite:

"Science is one of the parts of the world that actually increases the likelihood of God being there," he says.

Thanks to our season sponsor - Selah - for all your travel needs, whether you're a doubter or a believer. Find out more at myselah.com.au.

Links related to this episode:

• Watch the Why Are We Here documentary that Ard Louis helped create.
• Check out Morgan Freeman's documentary series The Story of God. He interviews Ard Louis in the episode called 'Proof of God'.
• Read Simon Conway Morris' book Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe 
• Watch the full interview from Centre For Public Christianity with Simon Conway Morris on evolution, convergence and a purposeful universe.
• Read more about Sir Fred Hoyle, the man who made famous the 'tornado in the junkyard' analogy.
• Check out this article by science historian Peter Harrison on The Reformation and the Rise of Science
• Watch Ard Louis talk more about evolution and intelligent design.

Get to know our guests

Ard Louis is Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford where he leads an interdisciplinary research group studying problems on the border between chemistry, physics and biology. From 2002 to 2010 he was a Royal Society University Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. He is also an associate of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion.

He also has a keen interest in molecular gastronomy, applying science to the art of cooking.

On a lighter note, Ard says in his bio, his Erdos-Bacon number is 6. "I have an Erdos number of 4 through Jonathan Doye and I have a Bacon number of 2 through Morgan Freeman."

Send us a question

Oh boy, does John love questions. So don’t be afraid to send them in. In season one, we’ll be dedicating an episode or two for John to answer all your burning questions about Christianity. Want to know something more about a previous episode? Or perhaps you’ve got a question about faith that you’ve been struggling to find an answer for? Let us know here, or leave your question as a voicemail at 02 9870 5678.