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Every week on Undeceptions we’ll explore some aspect of life, faith, history, culture, or ethics that is either much misunderstood or mostly forgotten. With the help of people who know what they’re talking about, we’ll be trying to ‘undeceive ourselves’ and let the truth ‘out’.
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The clarity the desert brings. Hurricanes and hard relationships. Finding reason in the middle of a ruin. Small Wonders are quiet but profound observations about life from Dr. Laurel Moffatt. In each fifteen-minute episode, Laurel uncovers lessons learned from broken and beautiful things that are polished to perfection and set in rich audio landscapes for your consideration.
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Less aggro, more conversation. Is it even possible to have a deep discussion without it descending into chaos? Michael Jensen and Megan Powell du Toit think yes, and want to show the rest of us how to do it. There’s plenty of things they disagree on: free will, feminism, where you should send your kids to school and what type of church you should go to. But there are also plenty of other things that they have in common. They want to talk about all these things with conviction. But they also ...
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Where are we going as a society? And will you be happy when we get there? Steve McAlpine is here to help you answer those questions. If a Delorean time machine pulled up in front of your house - Back To The Future style - and someone offered to show you what the future would be like, would you be content with what you found? And if not, what could you do to change it? Thinking this through is what Steve McAlpine calls Delorean Philosophy. Steve McAlpine is a well-known social commentator, re ...
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From the mid-1990s to the 2010s, 'New Atheism' dominated the intellectual space. A virulent, attacking form of godless evangelism, it saw people like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens top best-seller lists, and draw huge crowds to their lectures. Justin Brierley was in the middle of it all as New Atheism rose - and then collapsed. In its wak…
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Theology: It's a dry term that conjures images of old academics writing dusty books that will never be read. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. The study of theology is the study of who we are as humans, and how we can make sense of both God and the complexities of the world. So, who are the theologians we should all know about?…
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Science is a relatively new term. Chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy - all have only existed as defined, singular fields for the last century and a half. Before that was the mysterious world of natural philosophy - an ancient tradition that saw the natural world as one, combined entity. Our guest, Professor Alister McGrath, argues that this old…
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The Apostle Paul writes that Christians must battle against "powers and principalities". But what are they? What does the Bible say about political power? Special thanks to our season sponsor Zondervan Academic. Get discounts on MasterLectures video courses and exclusive samples of their books at zondervanacademic.com/undeceptions Check out more of…
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There are sophisticated, academic arguments for the resurrection of Jesus. It’s not just a matter of accepting on the basis of faith. The modern industry of Christian apologetics doesn't get us much closer to the historical reality of Jesus' resurrection - but there are solid, investigative ways of examining this seemingly miraculous event.…
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Welcome to the final episode of Season 8 of With All Due Respect! This week, Minister Jeri Jones Sparks and former Sydney Archbishop (and Michael's Dad!) Peter Jensen joins the show for a panel discussion on different church generations. The team look at the highs and lows of recent Australian church history, as well as what different generations o…
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This week, Michael and Megan are joined by Stephen Judd, the former CEO of HammondCare, to discuss how - if at all - an organisation can be "Christian". Our hosts then discuss whether the broader church is an organisation, and if ministers can gain anything from the world of corporate wisdom. Finally, they turn their attention to the hit drama Prop…
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This week, Megan and Michael hash out one of the most controversial issues currently ruling the discourse; the conflict in the Israel and Gaza region. Our hosts think through how the Bible can guide Christians’ response to the conflict. A Palestinian Christian and peacemaker joins the show to discuss the challenges facing faith groups in the confli…
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Mark Twain once famously said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics". Our hosts this week are chatting about this third lie - statistics. With the age of social media now dictating how people access statistical data, are we literate enough to understand what we are reading when it comes to statistics? How does this affect…
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In 1964, Sam Cooke famously sang this about the direction of the world; It's been a long A long time coming, but I know A change gonna come Oh yes, it will Well, that change is heard. The way we now communicate has changed forever with the advent of social media. With this change has come new challenges; we are more polarised than ever before, and …
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Michael and Megan are kicking off 2024 by checking in on the state of Evangelicalism. Karen Swallow Prior returns to the show to discuss her new book The Evangelical Imagination, which provocatively claims to take stock of a "culture in crisis". Our hosts then hash out the question: does Evangelicalism need another Reformation? Finally, the pair di…
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The story of Christianity is full of wonderful highs and terrible lows. It's truly an epic - and it takes an epic round-the-world adventure to tell its story properly. Thankfully, we have a man who's done just that. This is the story of Christianity, from the crucifixion to the modern day, told through 12 key objects.…
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What if the purpose of marriage is to make us better? What if personal relational choice is a bit of a lie? For many, a committed marriage may seem “old school”. What many people expect from relationships is satisfaction and freedom. So it’s paradoxical then, that once again young people seem to be partnering younger and getting married younger. Co…
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Welcome to the final episode of season 3 of Small Wonders! A new year approaches - and for many, a new set of resolutions. Reading, going to the gym, travelling, lifestyle changes: all of us have a “possible self” that we strive towards. It turns out we’ve been making New Year resolutions for a very long time - at least 4,000 years in fact, accordi…
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In a special Christmas episode, Steve takes some time to reflect on how Christmas - an ancient celebration - is changing as fast as the culture itself. The commercialism and pageantry of Christmas has sucked meaning from this important celebration. The earliest Christmas memories of ordinary people can be lost in this meaningless procession. But ar…
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It's the 2023 Christmas episode of With All Due Respect, and we're talking all things Mary this year! New Testament scholar The Rev. Dr Sarah Harris joins the show to discuss the mother of Jesus, and makes some big calls about her place in theological history. Michael and Megan then discuss the place of Mary in Protestant tradition. Should the evan…
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The Summerbell Window - a beautiful stained glass window - sits in the Holy Trinity Church in Millers Point, Sydney. It's not like the other windows: it shows a stormy sea, with Jesus calming the tempest. It commemorates the loss of the Yarra Yarra - a steamer captained by William Geoge Summerbell, the namesake of the window - which disappeared on …
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In the run up to Christmas, Steve McAlpine looks dubiously at the West's repeated calls for 'peace on earth'. Could peace - at least as far as the West is concerned - remain beyond reach because of the direction our culture wars have taken? If calls for tolerance are now viewed suspiciously as a fig leaves for oppressive powers, so much so that we …
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We will always work for food. The question is - which food are we working for? "Daily bread" has become a well-worn idiom; we all need it to get by, and without it, life wouldn't be possible. However, such a simple phrase fails to capture the complexity of actually finding daily bread. From the wheat harvesters to produce the bread, to the toil of …
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Angels are everywhere in history. From winged guardians in Sumerian mythology to the messengers of the Gods in Ancient Greece, to new-age guardian angels, humanity has always been fascinated by these celestial beings. But what does the Bible say about them? Our guest on this episode is Graham A. Cole. He was dean emeritus and professor of biblical …
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What word do you associate with "masculinity"? Guesses are, 'toxic' is high on the list. With so many "damaged men" portrayed in our literature - especially in schools - what hope can young boys in the global west have of finding a good role model? Perhaps it's time we broadened what the typical "man" looked like. Only when we do that will sayings …
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It's the 100th episode of With All Due Respect! To mark their century our guests chat with Mike Bird, Academic Dean of Melbourne's Ridley College, discussing the question "Is the Bible clear in what it tells us?" They also discuss the differences in church tradition when it comes to interpreting scripture. Later, our hosts discuss Sarah Polley's co…
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Transfer of Learning: To take something from one context and apply it in another. For many teachers, this is the goal of their job; to impart specific knowledge to students that they can use in the wider world. However, the transfer of learning isn't about just getting things right - it's about being able to get things wrong too. Researchers have f…
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J.R.R. Tolkien needs no introduction. The Oxford Philology Professor who would go on to create the world of Middle Earth is rightly hailed as one of the greatest writers of all time. In this episode, we unpack the inspiration behind his work, meet the people who helped him along the way, and examine the faith that drove him to create the world of T…
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However bad you think it is, it seems the younger generation thinks it's even worse. How about these figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, as reported in The Australian newspaper: "Just under 40 per cent of 16-24 year-old Australians, 1.1 million people, reported having a mental disorder in 2020-21, That’s far higher than the overall pr…
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Do you believe in ghosts? You should. The chances are, you are one. According to a Yougov poll conducted in 2021, roughly 40% of people polled believe in the traditional sort of ghost - a spirit that shows up and haunts a person or place. And almost 20% of those polled believe that they’ve had an encounter with such a ghost. But Laurell Moffatt has…
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The Middle Ages saw an explosion of literature, art, and thought around the personhood of Jesus. What can we learn from these centuries-old understandings of the central figure of the Bible? This season of Undeceptions is sponsored by Zondervan Academic. Get discounts on MasterLectures video courses and exclusive samples of their books at zondervan…
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Never mind gender identity. The new trend is 'reversion' - a 'return' to the Islamic faith. A growing movement of young women are espousing the Quran, wearing the hijab, and calling on other young women across the West to do the same. Is it a social media storm in a teacup? Statistics suggest it's definitely something to consider. The simple hashta…
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Home - it’s an evocative word and one that has instant access to our emotions, whether that’s when Dorothy knocks together her shiny red heels and says there’s no place like home or when angelic children’s choirs sing I still call Australia home on a Qantas ad. The Bible culminates with an image of God at home with humanity. Home speaks to us of fa…
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A small video caught the eye of Instagramers recently - one involving a whale and a kyak. A drone, hovering over the water at Bondi Beach, captured a person on a kyak paddling away, oblivious to the presence of a whale coasting along directly behind them. Laurel Moffatt reflects on the unique place the humpback whale occupies in Australian waters, …
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The Puritans: Everything wrong with a Christian society, or much misunderstood forefathers of innovation and social justice? This season of Undeceptions is sponsored by Zondervan Academic. Get discounts on MasterLectures video courses and exclusive samples of their books at zondervanacademic.com/undeceptions Visit undeceptions.com for more content,…
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Is choosing to be alone the "safe" option? The show "Apartment Therapy" explores. But there's a strange quirk - almost all people live alone: and they see this as the "self-crafted" pinnacle of their lives. More people are alone now than ever before. One-seventh of all Americans live by themselves. The UK has similar numbers. This is a global Weste…
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Take an ordinary piece of paper. Fold it. Fold it again. Then one more time. Then sit back and observe the beautiful creation you have made. Laurell Moffatt reflects on a life-long love of the Japanese paper art of origami. In it she finds connections to her childhood fascinations and the blueprints for fascinating machines, from the microscopic to…
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The Beatles have delivered a new single some 62 years after their first one - and some 22 and 43 years respectively since the deaths of two of their members, George Harrison and John Lennon. The song, Now and Then, was written by John Lennon and was on tape with him singing over piano. But as a pre-release mini-documentary explained, until recently…
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This week, Megan and Michael discuss the place of "civic religion" in Australian society. Defined as the implicit "religious" values of a nation - expressed through public ceremony, symbols, and rituals - our hosts ask if Australia even has a civic religion in the first place. They then turn their eyes to the place of the Welcome to / Acknowledgeme…
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Many people learn to play an instrument when they're young. Sadly, most will give it up over time - and many will come to regret it. To become proficient at an instrument means to practise: to keep playing the same rudiments or scales over and over again. Practice is sometimes boring. It's often just an unexciting part of the day. But practice isn'…
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There's been a lot of death in the news recently - but one made the front pages around the world, and generated hundreds of column inches in newspapers around the world. It was the death of a friend - Matthew Perry The Star of the smash-hit sitcom Friends passed away at just 54 years old, found drowned in his hot tub following a suspected heart att…
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Many of us see the ocean as an immense blue desert; something to be crossed to see loved ones. It covers nearly 140 million square miles of our planet and can seem to many like an unfathomable, stormy tempest. A single drop seems completely insignificant. Perhaps it's for that reason - it's vastness - that we also cast our rubbish into the ocean. B…
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"I love Jesus but I hate the God of the Old Testament. He's just so violent." You might have heard this line before or thought it yourself. In this episode, we're tackling this issue head-on. We're taking a deep dive into the violence of the Bible - especially the Old Testament - and asking how is it that this God of judgement and war can be one an…
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In the wake of the horrors of the recent Israel-Hamas conflict, Steve ponders the deep divisions such wars reveal in our own society. The West, he observes, has a fascination with conflict. After all, it took the recent conflict in the Middle East to wipe battlefield reports of Eastern Europe off the front pages of newspapers around the world. The …
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Leisa Aitken joins Megan and Michael to discuss her dissertation on the psychology of Hope, and why the clinical definition of the word is missing the mark. On 'For Arguments Sake', our hosts discuss whether there may be a lack of hope within the church. Have Christians in the global west lost their eschatological hope? Finally, our hosts cast thei…
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Laurel Moffatt returns with Season 3 of Small Wonders. You're invited to join her on an exploration of the unnoticed and the seemingly unimportant in search of life’s lessons, at the hands of the creator. In this episode, Laurel ponders the wonders of spiders are just that - spiders, through and through. They are what they're made to be, down to th…
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