Undeceptions with John Dickson

Wes Huff, a Canadian scholar of ancient scribal habits and early Christian manuscripts, explains how early texts were copied, preserved and used. He discusses P52 and other early fragments, codicology that reconstructs lost books, how persecution affected survival, non-Christian references to Jesus, and why Christianity is drawing renewed cultural attention.

Short Q&A covering whether Christians can enjoy secular music and how to discern beauty from content. A philosophical dive into divine hiddenness and classic responses. Handy book recommendations across genres. Discussion on Neanderthals, the meaning of the image of God, and how death fits with creation. A critique of prosperity teaching and an explanation of why Jesus submitted to baptism.

Jessica Hooten Wilson, scholar of religion and literature who traces the Bible’s mark on Western letters. Bill Creasy, retired English professor who taught the Bible as literature at UCLA. They explore reading the Bible as a unified literary work. Short takes on Genesis, the Gospels, Romans and Revelation. Discussion of the Bible’s influence on Western narrative, poetry and the King James prose legacy.

Carmen Joy Imes, Associate Professor of Old Testament who writes on the image of God and creation, joins to unpack ancient and biblical views of human worth. She contrasts pagan creation myths with Genesis and explains imago Dei as royal rulership and kinship with God. They explore how this idea challenged infanticide, combats discrimination and shapes debates on disability, pornography and abortion.

They unpack how modern ideas get projected onto Jesus and why that clouds history. They explore Jesus’ donkey entry as prophetic theatre and the political shockwaves it caused. They revisit the temple cleansing, the fig tree incident, and the symbolism of the cross as compassion and solidarity. They trace theological roots for sacrifice and the Last Supper’s new covenant framing.

Nadia Williams, historian and classicist with a PhD from Princeton and author of Christians Reading Classics. She explains what counts as the Classics and why they still matter. They discuss Homeric longing for fame, Greek drama’s civic role, Pindaric athletic glory, differences between Herodotus and Thucydides, Roman virtue in Livy and Tacitus, rhetoric’s power, and how early Christians engaged pagan texts.

A film release announcement for US and UK theatrical screenings. Details on two-night US showings and a UK run with ticketing info. A recount of Australia’s strong launch that expanded its run. Highlights the discovery of an 1800-year-old Christian hymn with words and music.

Chris Palmer, philosopher and author and dean at Barnett College, explores a parable of a town living after the cultural death of God. He describes Novemberton’s search for meaning, contrasts passive and active nihilism, and examines infobesity, Dostoevsky’s and Camus’s responses to suffering. He ends with the church’s quiet presence, a personal chapel moment, and a humbled form of hope.

Cy Gart, biochemist and author exploring design in life. Ard Louis, Oxford theoretical physicist working on patterns, DNA self-assembly and algorithmic constraints. They discuss whether mutations are truly random. They explore convergent evolution, structural and algorithmic biases, targeted mutation examples, and how stochastic processes produce repeatable forms.

Dr. Kirsten McHarris, Oxford-trained scholar of Lactantius and early Christian moral theology, and Elizabeth de Giza, UC Santa Barbara professor of Roman history and author on Lactantius and Constantine. They trace how Lactantius shaped Constantine’s approach to religious tolerance. They discuss persuasion over force, Neoplatonic opposition, justice and charity, and the roots of freedom of conscience.