John Dickson
@johnpauldickson
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Professor at Wheaton College (IL). PhD in Ancient History. Writer of books. Host of https://t.co/iIoadyK3XU. Embraces the Nicene Creed. Far from home 🇦🇺
Wheaton, Illinois.
Joined July 2009
I teach a class here at @WheatonCollege on the history of Christianity, focused on the first thousand years. One thought haunts me. We are right to look with shock and disappointment at the way medieval Christians accepted violence as a norm. 1/.
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Thesis: the average 18 year old student in, say, York in AD 800 (the middle of the so-called "Dark Ages") had read more, knew more languages, was better trained in logic, could read more music, knew more mathematics and astronomy than the average student from a university today.
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So, here's what haunts me. Without denying we are right to condemn medieval Christians for their violence, I wonder if they would have every right to rise up and condemn modern (Western) Christians for the way we accept the pursuit of wealth, pleasure, and comfort as norms. 4/.
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I have come to feel that the danger of set prayers becoming rote and ritualistic is no greater than the danger of extempore prayers becoming banal and unbiblical.
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Postscript: I am not claiming to be a modern-day prophet, only confessing that I am an anxious historian.
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. when I teach the history of Christianity, and find myself (and my students) condemning medieval Christians for violence, I have this nagging anxiety about my wealth, pleasure, and comfort. 6/6.
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If you think Christian history is a story of charity and wisdom, this book might annoy you. If you think it is a long nightmare of ignorance and hypocrisy, the evidence amassed here might surprise you. This is my century-by-century account of the Church's "bullies and saints".
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To join the Christian movement and get baptised in AD 300 in Jerusalem, you had to do 3 hours of lectures a day, 6 days a week, for the 7 weeks leading up to Easter. That's 126 hours of biblical, philosophical, and apologetic content. They don't grew converts like that any more!.
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The least judgemental people in society are those who can profoundly disagree with the morals/actions of others, and yet love and respect them all the same. The most judgemental people in society are those who view such moral disagreement itself as a form of hate and disrespect.
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The evidence is strong that Christianity was the antidote to the magic and superstition of the Graeco-Roman world, clearing the way for the science of the early modern world. Without Christianity—the true ally of science—superstition will reign.
Young adults, being less religious, are more inclined to believe in ghosts, astrology, clairvoyance and spiritual energy.
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They might say that in seeking to convert modern materialistic societies, we ourselves have been converted to a materialistic ideology. They might even wonder if we are real Christians, after all! I hope not. I like to think not. But . 5/.
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Au contraire! It was Christianity's confidence in a 'kingdom come' that inspired such heroic expressions of that kingdom's values here-and-now: charity, hospitals, schools, etc. Only by ignoring the historical record could you say belief in 'heaven' hinders good work on earth.
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I think there might be a renaissance of Christianity in the next 10 years. This is partly because I see strong signs of disillusionment in secular culture and partly because I think many will see that Christianity offers the most coherent account of science, ethics, and meaning.
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For decades, Buff and I have been praying for the future spouses of our three wonderful children (should they be blessed to marry). Now we know the name of one of the answers to prayer. Yanik Weerasekera will marry Sophie Dickson. Woo-hoo!
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It seems clear that in seeking to convert European warrior societies, Christians themselves were ‘converted’ to a martial ideology, in contradiction to the teaching of Jesus. We see this with clarity today. We even question whether they could have been real Christians! 2/.
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For this, my 10,000th tweet, I affirm: an Eternal Mind is the only rational explanation of this deeply rational universe; the Gospels’ account of Jesus is historically robust; and I witness daily the Holy Spirit helping ordinary people become less-of-a-jerk than before.
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I am equally struck by how medieval Christians wholeheartedly obeyed Jesus’ call to shun wealth & pursue charity. They said the one who does not show material mercy has not known divine mercy toward their sins. For me, this is the most striking part of medieval Church history. 3/.
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A new survey has found that most Australians doubt "Jesus was a real person who actually lived." This is terrible news for Christianity, especially at Christmas. But it is also bad news for historical literacy in this country! The ABC let me explain why:
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I just visited the earliest copy of Paul's letters, Papyrus 46, Folio 16 (dated AD 200). And I got to play with one of my favourite passages of Scripture (Romans 12:14-15).
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@timkellernyc Be present, merciful God, and protect us (the Kellers, especially) through the hours of this night; that we, who are wearied by the changes and chances of this fleeting world, may rest on Your eternal changelessness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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On this day (14 Sept AD 258) a leading light of ancient Christianity, Cyprian of Carthage, surrendered himself to Roman authorities, refused their demands to deny Christ, knelt down before the crowd, praised God, and was beheaded. Astonishingly, we have the Roman transcript.
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For anyone whose Twitter algorithms trend slightly "Christian," the last two days on this platform have been strangely warm, unifying, and uplifting. And it's all because of @timkellernyc . .
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No, @JaneCaro, those who support the school chaplaincy program aren’t “offended” by your “God has no place in public schools” thing. They just notice that your argument amounts to little more than your personal distaste of religion. Let me explain: 1/8.
I wrote this. It may offend some people, but not nearly as much as the Chaplaincy program in public schools offends me.
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Even before theological reflection, it is certain, historically speaking, not only that Jesus was crucified by order of the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate, but also that his death was interpreted from the beginning as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. #GoodFriday #TrueStory
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Around AD 200, if you wanted to become a Christian, you had to do 3 years of schooling (once a week) outside the church service with an authorised 'teacher'. Somehow this was a period of significant growth for the Church. (Source: Hippolytus, Apostolic Traditions, 16-17).
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Anyone who speaks of justice by day and visits Pornhub by night is a hypocrite. One day, we will view the mainstream porn industry the way we now look back on the slave trade. This @nytimes article explains why. Read at own discretion. Lord, have mercy!
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“All lives matter” is a true statement. It is also insulting & misleading in our context. It functions as a retort to the grievances of black people. It conveys: the hardships you have experienced do not deserve focus. “All lives matter” ends up promoting a demeaning falsehood.
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Rejecting Christianity because of the bad behaviour of Christians is like dismissing a beautiful composition on the basis of a poor performance #fortheloveofgod #cellosuites
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Here's the original #ChristianNationalism (from the 100s AD):. "Christians are not distinguished from the rest of humanity by country, language, or custom. For nowhere do they live in cities of their own, nor do they speak some unusual dialect, nor do they practice an eccentric.
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20 years from now, some people will be saying it is “absurd” to make euthanising your newborn “a crime”. That’s exactly what ancient Greeks and Romans thought, until Christians—after three centuries of collecting and caring for discarded infants—got the law changed in AD 374.
Dear NSW, Queensland has just decriminalised abortion. Can we get with the program? It is absurd to make abortion a crime.
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There was no "Dark Ages". Repeat: there was no "Dark Ages".
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The most extraordinary four words ever penned. Happy Christmas!
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In case you're interested, it is striking how many of the Jewish burial inscriptions from 1st c Jerusalem are written in Greek. The old idea that Greek (such as we find in the Gospels) is foreign to the founding context of Jesus and his movement just isn't historical. Just FYI.
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I just finished writing a big book covering every Christian century. I'm overwhelmed by 3 thoughts. How easy it is to go astray, under local conditions. How that could well be true of my own tribe. How the antidote in every century is filling the heart with the four Gospels.
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The @ABCReligion has kindly published my open letter responding to @JaneCaro’s unfortunate “God has no place in public schools” piece.
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Why the expression 'social distancing', when what we mean is 'physical distancing' (and what we need is 'social nearing')?.
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Albert Einstein: “I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.” .Journalist: “You accept the historical existence of Jesus?”.Einstein: “Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word.".
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Happy Toleration Day! On this day (30 April) in AD 311, after almost a decade of razing churches, burning Scriptures, and torturing and killing Christians, the Roman Empire finally admitted that it probably couldn’t destroy those people who believe in death-and-resurrection. 1/3.
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It can’t be ‘superstition’ to hold that the rational order of the universe and corresponding rationality of our minds are grounded in a Timeless Mind. The true superstition is the doctrine that this rational order and intelligibility arose from precisely nothing, just like magic.
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@MikeCarlton01 Sadly, a tweet like this—an attitude like this—is one of the reasons the Voice is likely to go down. 😞.
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Fun fact: 90 percent of the works of classical Rome we possess today were studied, preserved, and copied in their earliest form by Christians around AD 800. Their meticulous work forms the basis of nearly all modern editions. It's amazing they could do that in the "Dark Ages"!.
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Weirdly, regular church attendance has a significant protective impact for depression & deaths of despair. Yes, church sucks at many levels! But it’s good for you. One of the best things you can do for your mental health is turn up to your local church and get involved.
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There's a reason the Church through the centuries called the first 4 books of the New Testament 'Gospels' & their authors 'Evangelists' - because, until 5 mins ago, the Church believed that what Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John wrote down was the gospel to be preached to the world.
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@Runner110988 @WheatonCollege That doesn’t seem to follow from my remarks. We have much to learn from our historical Christian forebears, both positive and negative. They help us see things in Scripture we, in our cultural setting, often overlook. And they help us see ourselves more clearly.
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I’d hate to believe the secularist myth that I’m basically good and only getting better. How would I cope with the counter-evidence that emerges by breakfast. More realistic and freeing is Christ’s insight that I’m wonderfully intended, deeply fallen, and loved.
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Two historical fun facts from Delphi, and a third that is both fun and substantial - a short inscription that allows us firmly to date much of what happened in the New Testament. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!! 😆
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Ignatius of Antioch (AD 110) wrote to the church fearful of "heresy". But note the heresy: "Look out for those who hold heretical opinions about the grace of Jesus. They have no concern for love, none for the widow, none for the orphan, none for the oppressed." (To Smyrna, 6.2).
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Confident Christians know the election of the US President—though important—is not the most important thing going on in the world, nor even the most important thing in the US. Persuading people about Christ is infinitely more important, and it is not dependent on the election.
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On this day 106 years ago (23 October 1915), Albert Einstein published an astonishing 3-page critique of the growing "Christian nationalism" in the country of his birth. He argued that the problem with hateful Christians is their departure from Christianity .
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Enrolments in openly Christian schools in Australia grew by 18% between 2013-2018, while government schools grew by 8%, and the broader independent schools network grew by just 2%. I don't know what this means, but it sure doesn't fit the narrative of a rising Aussie secularism.
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I’m wearing my Good Friday t-shirt today, which contains an exact stencil of the earliest depiction of Jesus on a cross. It’s the Greek word ‘cross’ (stauron; accusative) as written by the scribe of our earliest copy of Luke’s Gospel, Papyrus 75, circa AD 200. The scribe cleverly
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Maundy Thursday (today) commemorates the night Jesus washed his disciples' feet and said, "I give you a new commandment: love one another, as I have loved you." The words "new commandment", mandatum novum, give us "Maundy." Tonight, then, is for recalling the "mandate" of love.
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Before 26 Dec was Boxing Day, it was St Stephen’s Day, in memory of the first Christian martyr. The wise ones who developed the Church calendar wanted us to follow our celebration of Christ’s birth with a reminder that we are called to suffer and "love and bless our persecutors."
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The question isn’t, Have Christians participated in the evils common to humanity? The answer to that, sadly, is: yes. The more revealing question is, What uncommon things has Christianity contributed to humanity? The answer to that is: most of the things secular humanists love.
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I mean no offence, and I fully acknowledge my bias, but I think there might be something immoral in the modern tendency to neglect reading history. It’s a bit like an ungrateful teenager who has little time for mum and dad, let alone for grandma and grandpa.
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"You cannot trust the gospels about anything factual", says the @RichardDawkins Foundation. I reply that no Professor of Classics or Ancient History in any university in the world would regard this as a fair/accurate statement. If you can find one, I'll eat a page of a Gospel!.
@beginwithwords @CTmagazine @DrPJWilliams You cannot trust the gospels about anything factual. Just like how we don’t use Harry Potter books to teach physics we don’t need the Bible for morality (or anything else). It’s a quaint, ancient book displaying the (understandable) ignorance of our ancestors.
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Today, as my Aussie mates sleep, I start a new job in America, here at Wheaton College, Illinois, as the Jean Kvamme Distinguished Professor and Distinguished Scholar in Public Christianity (I will say that out loud just once!). 1/2
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Fantastic stuff. Keep Christianity weird!.
*Keep Christianity Weird* says @holland_tom. Don’t accommodate to the ideological mainstream, instead major on the supernatural…. What do you think?. Listen to Ep 30 of The Surprising Rebirth Of Belief In God in full >>
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No one who genuinely studies history - as opposed to "uses" history - can feel judgmental about our forebears and righteous about ourselves.
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Some fun news for the Dicksons & @undeceptions. I have accepted an appointment as the inaugural Jean Kvamme Distinguished Chair in Biblical Evangelism and Distinguished Scholar in Public Christianity at the remarkable @WheatonCollege (outside Chicago) 1/3
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Just a reminder that people who claim Christianity's great Easter festival derives historically from a European pagan Spring goddess called Eostre or Ostara are either completely innocent of the history, or being very naughty, indeed!
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When you stop to consider what is actually being referred to under the jargon of “reproductive rights”, it is quite Orwellian. I am all for the right to reproduce. It’s the killing of the thing reproduced that troubles me.
Dear @GladysB Don’t go wobbly on us re reproductive rights. This needs to pass for the health and safety of the women and girls of NSW.
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If anyone out there knows the Christian woman in this (widely published) media photo, please let me know how I can personally send her a copy of John Stott’s classic, The Cross of Christ. Thank you.
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Go easy on Christian schools, will you . The Church has been doing public schooling for around 1200 years, about a millennium before governments got into it. It might take Christian schools a while to get their heads around being told what they can teach by the newcomers! 😊.
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The demonstrably oldest understanding of this day remains the best: Christ died for our wrongdoing so we could be forgiven. No other interpretation has the same historical pedigree or equal ongoing importance. Good Friday, to you all.
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Dear thoughtful sceptics, please repeat after me: “Christians try to do good NOT out of fear of punishment or hope of reward but because they hold that (God’s) love is what’s most basic to reality, and an authentic life—a rational life—is one lived in the light of what’s real.”.
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I never miss an episode of @InsidersABC, but it was pretty disappointing today. Speers kept interrupting the two health experts we all wanted to hear. Van Onselen seemed wounded and unprofessional. And Middleton’s swipe at Hillsong was petty and misleading.
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The Bible's theme of judgment is rarely a theological scare-tactic to convince us to be 'good'. It is far more often a pledge to wounded humanity that God sees everything, hears the cry for justice, and will one day bring his comfort in the form of justice against every evil act.
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I agree with this take on the #LastSupperScandal. Remember, Peter was outraged when Jesus said He’d die; he shouted “never” when Jesus washed his feet. Outrage is understandable. Yet, Christ upended honour-shame. Critics cannot shame the Crucified One more than He shamed himself.
The deepest sense in which "God cannot be mocked" is the literal one. You simply cannot plumb a deeper depth than God crucified. Everything since has been laughably tame and woefully out of date.
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This is quite something! @abcnews reports that @Visa & @Mastercard are banning the use of their cards on the world's largest porn site. God bless activists like @CollectiveShout @ExodusCry for exposing the darkness and calling forth the dawn!.
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Thoughts: 1. I am only comparing students at the end of the Carolingian trivium + quadrivium with students at uni today, NOT how widespread education was/is. 2. I concede their 'mathematics' was limited (arithmetic + geometry; probably projecting my own limited maths onto others.
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@RickyCA_ Light, yes, but there is excellent evidence that they accepted female students - both from Alcuin's letters and from rulings of Hincmar, the archbishop of Rheims.
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This is my favourite ever introduction as a guest speaker. Watch the full 90secs. This is some solid Aussie-style humour from my American friends at Ada Bible Church! @adabible
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Oh, I have a brand new book out today! It is partly a defence of the discipline of History itself, and partly a demonstration of how that discipline 'works' in connection with the man from Nazareth.
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28 years of love and tea—God has been so good to this couple of chipped cups.
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So this just arrived. I hope you get yours soon, too! It's a book about History: how it works, and why it works for Jesus just as well as it does for Tiberius, Pilate, & Caiaphas - all of whose careers overlapped briefly in the 20s-30s of the 1st century.
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This is a good way to deal with questionable figures of the past. Don’t remove their works, or works that mark their genius, and so hide the darkness. Rather, explain the darkness, and let us all awkwardly contemplate how many of our greatest achievers were evil, a bit like us.
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Tom Wright tells @undeceptions listeners why a true understanding of Jesus' teaching about the "kingdom of God" should protect against both contemporary Christian political passivity and Christian nationalism. I can't wait for you to hear this stuff!
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@JaneCaro I agree with this. But I wonder if you do! You wrote: “In fact, if u ever have sex without being fully prepared to raise any child who may result u are a fraud.” Does that apply to women, too?.
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@TaylorAlanEaton If you can’t read the book of Revelation as literally happening—Jesus riding a white horse and all that—then everything before that in the Bible falls apart! Oh … wait !!!.
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@ostrachan This verse is no more promoting bodily strength and fitness than the previous two verses are promoting boxing and running races. They are metaphors for Paul’s rigorous obedience to his gospel calling—his willingness to sacrifice his rights for the good of others.
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It's an important question for conservative Christians (among whom I firmly place myself): Do we want to reach the dominant secular left with news about Jesus, or would we rather just fight them? How we answer this will lead to very different discourses (and Super Bowl ads)!.
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If you're in Atlanta, I'm talking about the "bullies and saints" of church history with @AndyStanley at @NorthPoint Community Church this Sunday morning (9am and 11am).
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Dear sceptical Aussies, donations to churches are NOT tax deductible. Repeat: not tax deductible. Please find a true thing to complain about. Thank you.
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'Secular', in its healthy version, means that religion is neither imposed nor excluded from the public square. Anything else is doctrinaire.
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This is how they promoted Christianity in the pre-Christian world. And it worked!
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A profound loss for world Christianity.
With great sadness we mourn the loss of TGC co-founder Timothy Keller, 72, who died today, more than three years after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
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Governors were required to write to emperors about significant events in their province. Yet, we have no letters from Pilate to Tiberius mentioning a 'son of God' or troublemaker named Jesus #ThingsAtheistsSay Then again, we have no letters from Pilate to anyone about anything!.
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Well, this random idea from Jan 4, 2014, certainly took off! And now @hillsong has kindly (ridiculously) included me in their celebration of Gold Record status for the song "This I Believe (the Creed)". Fun.
Dear @hillsong, could your brilliant songwriters please put the Apostles' Creed to inspiring music. Do world-Christianity a massive favour.
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That’s not the afternoon light. That’s my new superpower! Double-vaxed. Indebted to science. Grateful to God.
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