Undeceptions with John Dickson

This is the first of a two part episode on The Crusades. Over nine hundred years after the launch of the first Crusade, world leaders are still invoking their memory to explain ongoing conflict. But how plausible is that?Chances are, whether you're a Christian or a skeptic, what you think you know about the Crusades is wrong. Or so says our guest for this episode.What were the Crusades? How did they start? What did they achieve? Why did they stop? And does their shadow really fall over modern tensions between the West and Muslim lands?LINKSGet John Dickson's new book Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History, published by our sponsor Zondervan. It's got a heap more on the Crusades than we could fit into this episode.Meet our distinguished guest, Professor Christopher Tyerman. Check out Tyerman's magnum opus, God's War: A New History of the Crusades. He has a written a bunch more, too. Watch the full news segment from France 24 about the Charlie Hebdo caricatures that enraged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Listen to this fascinating episode of The New York Times podcast The Daily, all about the killing of French teacher Samuel Paty and the raging debate in France over the relationship between government and religion - primarily the idea of Laïcité - the constitutional principle of secularism in France. Listen to the Undeceptions Single all about 'The Troubles' of Northern Ireland. Here are the Old Testament references where God commands violence:In 1 Samuel, when God commands Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites. Read this article from The Gospel Coalition writer and blogger Steve McAlpine, Indefensible? Saul and the Amalekite GenocideIn the book of Joshua, God ordains a holy war against the Canaanites.And then check out this article 'But, what about Canaan?' quoting John Dickson giving an explanation about what in the world is God doing in the Book of Joshua with the Canaanites.You might also like to check out this explanation, Why did God demand the invasion of Canaan in the Book of Joshua? by The Bible Project.Check out Saint Augustine's City of God for more on his broad principles of just war. Read Pope Urban II's full speech at the Council of Clermont in 1095, where he officially called for the First Crusade.Here's more on Ridley Scott's 2005 film, Kingdom of Heaven. 

LINKSGet to know our guest Professor Robert WilkenThis episode is sponsored by Zondervan's new book, The Problem of Jesus by Mark ClarkRead Robert Wilken's latest book Liberty in the Things of God: The Christian Origins of Religious FreedomMore on the Edict of Milan, in which Constantine declared: “Freedom and full liberty has been granted in accordance with the peace of our times to exercise free choice in worshipping as each one has seen fit. This has been done by us so that nothing may seem to be taken away from anyone’s honour or from any religion whatsoever.”More on Roger WilliamsFind out more about Thomas Jefferson and religious freedom.Our 'Phone a Friend' guest this episode was Tim Wilson, an Australian Liberal MP and former Human Rights Commissioner. Watch a talk Tim gave on religious freedom to the Centre For Independent Studies here.

Guilt is a big topic - there is so much to say. Like the feeling of guilt itself, it is layered. We deal with guilt on an individual level and on a societal one. “Guilt is a religious problem which interests theologians, a social problem which interests sociologists and a psychological problem which interests psychologists,” wrote psychotherapist and theologian, Paul Tournier, in his book Guilt and Grace. People sometimes speak of  ‘religious guilt’ or ‘Catholic guilt’ and it’s almost always used negatively. The assumption is that if you are religious, you are dealing with much more guilt than the regular person, and certainly more than is healthy!But maybe guilt is actually good? And maybe religion - Christianity in particular - is the maestro of listening to, directing, and silencing the guilt we experience in our lives. LINKSAbout that record... the first was already dead: angler -- read more about Clive White's trout confession.This episode is brought to you by Zondervan's new book Bullies and Saints: An honest look at the good and evil of Christian history by John Dickson. Meet our guest, Dr Rob Waller. Meet our guest, Professor Wilfred McClayHere's Rob's book, The Guilt Book Here's Bill's essay from The Hedgehog Review, The Strange Persistence of Guilt (behind a paywall, sorry!)The scene from Daredevil on Netflix was from Season 2, Episode 4. Though, we're not really saying you should watch it. This one's specifically for John, actually: More on 30 Rock, the American satirical comedy created by Tina Fey. (PS. It won 16 Emmy awards and is regarded as one of the best sitcoms of all time).Here's the atheist bus campaign that Bill talks about.You can learn more about Neitzsche's theory on the genealogy of guilt here.Here's Sigmund Freud's Civilisation and its Discontents, where he declared guilt to be “the most important problem in the development of civilization.” He said “the price we pay for our advance in civilization is a loss of happiness through the heightening of the sense of guilt.”Here we are again, with a link for the Netflix series The Good Place. (So great that we keep quoting it. Dear John, you should definitely keep watching. Love Kaley and Mark) There's a lot of views about whether or not to destroy Confederate statues. Here's a few interesting reads from different perspectives:A Solution to the Confederate-Monument Problem: Destroying the statues won’t erase the past. Why not let them deteriorate in a public space instead? from The AtlanticWe need to move, not destroy, Confederate monuments from The New York TimesNearly 100 Confederate monuments removed in 2020, says report. Over 700 remain. from NPR (America's National Public Radio) The battle over Confederate statues, explained: Confederate statues have always been about white supremacy. That’s why they’re coming down, by VoxAnd, here's Undeceptions own Laurel Moffatt giving her thoughts during an Undeceptions single last year. Read the research by sociologists Bradley and Manning on victimhood: The Rise of Victimhood Culture, in which they write:"A culture of victimhood is one characterized by concern with status and sensitivity to slight combined with a heavy reliance on third parties. People are intolerant of insults, even if unintentional, and react by bringing them to the attention of authorities or to the public at large. People increasingly demand help from others, and advertise their oppression as evidence that they deserve respect and assistance. This only increases the incentive to publicize grievances, and it means aggrieved parties are especially likely to highlight their identity as victims, emphasizing their own suffering and innocence."It's Jiminy Cricket!  Read more on Professor Tyler Vander Weele's research on whether forgiveness is a public health issue. 

Perhaps you’ve heard it before - religion is bad for your mental health. It triggers feelings of guilt, self-loathing and bigotry. But, actually, there are many ways in which the opposite is true. Karen Pang's story is testament to that, which you'll hear in this episode.There’s also a growing body of research - authoritative, real-life, peer-reviewed research - that reports a significant benefit to wellbeing if you are religious. That’s right. You are more healthy if you are religious.Do you need help? If you're in Australia, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. In the UK? Call The Samaritans on 116 123.If you're in the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255LINKSThis episode is brought to you by Zondervan Academic's book, Three Views on Chrisitanity and Science with contributions from Alister McGrath, Bruce L Gordon and Michael Ruse. Meet our guest, Karen Pang Meet our guest, Professor Tyler VanderWeeleMeet out guest, Lyn WorsleyListen to the full interview with Buff and John Dickson on ABC's The Spirit of Things Watch the full Playschool series on feelings, How do you feel today?Read the full data on the risk of suicide for people with bipolar, from SANE AustraliaRead the biblical accounts of the deaths of Saul and Judas.Read St Augustine's City of GodCheck out Tyler VanderWeele's research on deaths of despair and religious service attendance. Full paper here.Tyler's research on mental and physical health and the effects of religious service attendance (also check out his full list of research papers in his profile above!) Watch Tyler VanderWeele consider whether the results of his research that concluded religious service attendance had a significant positive impact on mental health might be reverse causation.Get the Oxford Handbook of Religion and Health See for yourself the strong evidence of an association between attending religious services and happiness and life satisfaction.Need help to pray? Try the Book of Common Prayer, which Buff Dickson talks about praying through when she just couldn't find the words on her own. Here's an example, the prayer for Sunday 2 May 2021:Almighty God,who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christhave overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:grant that, as by your grace going before usyou put into our minds good desires,so by your continual helpwe may bring them to good effect;through Jesus Christ our risen Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.Amen.

It is the day after ANZAC Day, that occasion when Australians and New Zealanders commemorate those who died in the defence of our country. At a time like this, it is worth considering the inscription bourne by many military tombstones across the world - 'Unknown Soldier - Known Unto God'.This is not just a way of saying, "We don't know who he is; I guess God does." It has a profound meaning about the peculiar way in which God knows His creatures.

Critics of Christianity have often pointed to The Troubles in Northern Ireland as proof that, "Religion ruins everything."But how accurate is the statement? How accurate is it to even label The Troubles a religious conflict?John Dickson shares a chapter of his upcoming book, Bullies And Saints, on how the Troubles got started and how Christianity helped to bring them to an end.Click here to order a copy of John Dickson's Bullies and Saints.

Gordon Menzies advised the federal government on the deregulation of the Australian dollar, underlining his credentials when it came to liberalism.However, his new book titled 'Western Fundamentalism' suggests a more conservative way of seeing the world.He tells John Dickson, though, that a Christian is capable of rejecting definitions of both left and right to forge a distinctly different path.

Dr. Laurel Moffatt rejoins the Undeceptions team to consider the state of the American soul.Researchers have revealed that this nation of the bold and the free is now united more by the things that its citizens hate than those they love.Is there any way out of this emotional and moral quagmire? Dr. Moffatt thinks so.

How do you face the rapidly approaching end of a battle with cancer?In Series 2, Episode 13 of Undeceptions, John Dickson met up with his friend Ben Shaw to discuss his recent diagnosis of that dreaded disease.The It's Cancer episode raised serious questions about what place pain has in a world created by a good God.Now, in the run-up to Easter, John returns to ask Ben if the call to face cancer has brought on new spiritual insights.

Some would argue that Christianity itself is racist. Given the sweep of history, this is a charge that has to be confronted. So we’re going to speak to a couple of people who, despite all the things the church has done wrong -- and continues to do wrong -- and despite all the things the church should be doing but just isn’t - still see Christ as Lord. They are still part of the church. They still think Christianity is beautiful, even if parts of the church are not. You as listeners - whether you believe or not - are going to have to be the judges here. This is not an episode in which I feel competent to lecture anyone. I don’t know what it’s like to be a minority. That’s why we’re speaking to people today who do know. LINKSMeet our guest, Jemar Tisby ​​​​​​​Read his latest book, How to fight racismRead Jemar’s other book The Colour of Compromise: the truth about the American Church’s complicity in racism Check out The Witness Get to know Brooke Prentis Find out more about Common GraceWatch Brenda Salter McNeil’s full talk on her ‘response to racism’ This episode is supported by Zondervan Academic’s book Evangelical Theology by Michael Bird Full CNN report on the global protests sparked by the death of George FloydRead more about the Black Lives Matter movement in this series from The New YorkerDivided by Faith: Evangelical religion and the problem of race in America, Michael Emerson and Christian SmithListen to Tim Keller’s full speech on Racism and Corporate Evil Also read Tim Keller’s series on justice and race in the Gospel In Life MagazineThe Bible and Race The Sin of Racism A Biblical Critique of Secular Justice and Critical Theory Justice in the BibleRead more about the Southern Baptists and Critical Race Theory​​​​​​​And a little more about Critical Race Theory more generally: Are all white people racist? Why Critical Race Theory has us rattled, Sydney Morning HeraldMore on Australia’s Aboriginal historyMapping the massacres of Australia’s colonial frontier, The University of Newcastle More on the Aboriginal reserves and stations Close the Gap 2020: The annual report of Parliament on progress in Closing the Gap and achieving equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in health and life expectancy Bringing Them Home Report 1997 - A Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children From Their Families.Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says “Sorry” on behalf of the Australian Government in 2008 Watch Australia’s National Aboriginal Bishop in the Anglican Church, Chris McLeod’s full interview on Black Lives Matter and the Church Brooke Prentis gave us three pieces of content she believes all Australians should consume to learn more about the true history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia:Dark Emu, by Bruce Pascoe​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Talking to My Country, by Stan GrantFirst Australians documentary, SBSHere's the alternate view on racism in AmericaCandace Owens is a conservative US commentator who has a very different take on the Black Lives Matter movement and how she thinks her country should be dealing with racism. On what she believes is the real goal of the Black Lives Matter movementOn White GuiltBen Shapiro is one of the most popular conservative commentators in the US. He disagrees with the idea of systemic racism. More here.Undeceptions T-Shirts are here! Click here to get yours now.