John began his writing career in 1993. Since then he has produced numerous bestselling titles. His books aim to highlight the modern relevance of the ancient faith. He has written books for both the general and Christian markets, for academia and youth.
How historians know what they know about Jesus
“This is a work soundly based on historical and New Testament scholarship, but presented in a readable way for the enquirer who wants answers to questions about the hot issue of the historical basis of the Christian faith.
Dr Dickson takes us through what we can realistically know about the life of Jesus of Nazareth from (largely hostile) ancient pagan and Jewish writings as well as New Testament and near contemporary Christian sources from the time of Jesus or soon after. The reader will find it hard to escape Dickson’s conclusion that the Gospels deserve to be read seriously.”
Alanna Nobbs, Professor of Ancient History, Macquarie University, Australia.
The Foreword of ‘The Christ Files‘ by Alanna Nobbs, Professor of Ancient History, Macquarie University. (pdf)
The Contents of ‘The Christ Files‘. (pdf)
The Introduction to ‘The Christ Files‘ (pdf)
Sample Chapter 5 of ‘The Christ Files‘. (pdf)
The publisher: Blue Bottle Books
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An introduction to the man from Nazareth.
What does the historical Jesus have to do with the Jesus of contemporary imagination?
What does Dan Brown’s Jesus from the ‘Da Vinci Code’ have to do with Mel Gibson’s Jesus from ‘The Passion’?
A spectator’s guide to Jesus: an introduction to the man from Nazareth is true to its title. It is neither a sceptical tirade nor an evangelistic tract. It is rather a popular-level historical introduction to the life and teaching of Jesus written for the average ‘spectator’ rather than the academic or religious believer.
Award winning author Dr. John Dickson, takes readers through the historical data to reveal a figure who will surprise both the religious and the not-so-religious. The Jesus who emerges from the ancient sources challenges the norms of society and religion, associates with ‘sinners’, demands compassion toward the needy and subverts imperialism.
Dr. Dickson’s Jesus is neither ‘left-wing’ nor ‘right-wing’; in fact, it is clear that the Jesus of history transcended these simplistic modern categories. If you have ever wondered how a crucified Palestinian peasant could end up winning the allegiance of 2 billion confessed Christians today, this book will provide some of the answers.
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The Contents (pdf)
The Foreward by Peter Garrett (pdf)
Sample Chapter 3 (pdf)
A commendation of ‘A Spectator’s Guide to Jesus‘ by Dr. Peter Adam (pdf)
A Review by Dr. Greg Clarke (pdf)
Click here to go to the publisher: Blue Bottle Books
An introduction to the ‘big five’
This book was the Australian Christian Book of the Year 2005.
Wherever you look, people are worshipping, praying, believing, following and even dying for their faith. But are all religions the same? Do they all call on the one God using different names? Are their beliefs and practices simply cultural expressions of the same spiritual longing? In this insightful book, John Dickson presents each of the world’s religions in its best light.
He carefully outlines the history, belief systems and spiritual practices of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam so that the interested ‘spectator’ can explore their similarities and, especially, their differences. A Spectator’s Guide to World Religions gently encourages us to abandon our prejudices and criticisms and evaluate each major religion on its own terms. In so doing, we gain a greater awareness, tolerance and appreciation of the religions that continue to shape our society today. For believers, sceptics and students of religion alike, this book is a must read.
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The Contents (pdf)
Sample Chapters 1-3 (pdf)
Publisher: Blue Bottle Books
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Searching for clarity in a world full of claims
The second in the best-selling series of books by John Dickson considers the vast array of spiritual claims made by different religions and individuals and asks whether any clarity can be found. Written from a Christian perspective, this book struggles honestly with a dilemma facing ‘believers’ and ‘unbelievers’ alike: With so many religions on offer, can one of them be considered true? Or are they different paths up the same spiritual mountain? And how can any one person sort their way through the maze of claims?
An excerpt (pdf)
The publisher: Matthias Media
Purchase here
A child catches a rare brain virus and is affected for life. A father dies in a plane crash. A dictator murders millions. Why doesn’t God do something about things like this? Why does he allow them to happen? In fact, can we still believe in God in the face of all the suffering and pain in the world? In the first of a new series of short books, John Dickson looks honestly at these questions, and provides some compelling answers. He looks briefly at the alternative explanations for suffering provided by Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Atheism, before turning to what the Bible itself says about God, justice and suffering.
An excerpt (pdf)
The publisher: Matthias Media
Purchase here
A twelve page account of the Christian faith for the sceptical and curious.
The ‘Jesus a primer for the curious’ booklet (pdf)
Publisher: Blue Bottle Books
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This book was the Australian Christian Book of the Year in 2000.
Just imagine we were able to get beyond all the rituals, myths and dogma; to put to one side the hair-splitting and disagreements; to get beyond all the trappings of ‘religion’—what would we find? If we were to go back to Jesus himself, to the biographies about him contained in the New Testament, what would we discover Christianity to be about? That is the project of this book. It aims to present simply Christianity, by reading and reflecting upon the ancient biography of Jesus written by Luke. Great for anyone interested in a plain-talking explanation of the historic Christian faith.
The Contents of ‘Simply Christianity’. (pdf)
Sample Chapter 10 – Flattering misconceptions of ‘Simply Christianity’. (pdf)
The publisher: Matthias Media
The truth about the future
The Second Coming, Hell, the Beast, Life after death: these are all themes that fascinate, and sometimes divide us.
Beyond Hollywood productions, apocalyptic websites and a plethora of prophetic literature, what does the Bible really say about the end times?
In their new book, 666 and All That, John Dickson and Greg Clarke provide a reality check on this hot and controversial topic.
The Contents (pdf)
The Introduction (pdf)
Sample Chapter One (pdf)
Sample Chapter Ten (pdf)
Publisher: Aquila Press
Purchase here
The wisdom of James for a life of faith
The first in a series of practical Christian living books based on a particular part of the Bible. Neither a commentary nor a set of sermons Vital Signs takes readers through the New Testament letter of James highlighting the powerful modern implications of this ancient text. Wealth and poverty, faith and deeds, taming the tongue, status and favouritism, forgiveness and healing are all topics addressed here in simple prose.
Questions for reflection (for individuals and groups) conclude each of the twenty-eight short chapters.
The Contents of Vital Signs (pdf)
Chapter One of ‘Vital Signs (pdf)
Chapter Sixteen of ‘Vital Signs (pdf)
Publisher: Aquila Press
The wisdom of James for a life of faith
A talking book version of Vital signs in 28 talks
The Contents of Vital Signs CD (pdf)
James, more than most books in the Bible, shoots straight from the hip. He has little time for sophisticated rhetoric and fine argumentation;
he wants simply and urgently to call on believers to look like real believers. His message is fast and (at times) furious but it is always sprinkled with grace.
Allowing ourselves to be ‘found out’, as it were, and then submitting ourselves to the gracious hand of God are the keys to reading (and commenting upon) this important portion of God’s word.
The Contents (pdf)
The Foreward (pdf)
Sample Chapter Six (pdf)
Publisher: Aquila Press
The Whole of Life for the Cause of Christ
When talk in church turns to evangelism, reactions in the congregation typically range from adrenalin charged excitement to sheer terror. In between these two extremes can lay myriad emotions including guilt, confusion, hope, scepticism and weariness. While many Christians share a desire for others to know Christ, some are unclear about the role they can play in spreading the good news of the Gospel.
From best selling author and speaker, John Dickson, comes a practical guide to the biblical art of sharing your faith. In Promoting the Gospel, John offers offers a refreshing insight into the ways that all Christians can be involved in the promoting their faith – without necessarily becoming ‘evangelists’.
“This is as lively and sensible a book on evangelism as I’ve seen, especially valuable for bringing out the wide range of activities that all need to be carried on in effective Christian witness in contemporary society. It encourages congregations to recognise the varied gifts of their members and to enable each one to be involved in evangelism even though not all of them may be called to be evangelists in the narrower sense of the term.“
I. Howard Marshall, Emeritus Professor of New Testament, University of Aberdeen.
“I read this book with admiration and excitement. Rarely have I seen such a wonderful combination of enthusiasm and expertise, passion and reflection. John Dickson writes winsomely and elegantly, drawing his readers into his vision for the future of evangelism. It is one of the best books I have read on evangelism. A new star has clearly risen in Australia.”
Alister McGrath, Professor of Historical Theology, Oxford University
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The Contents of ‘Promoting the Gospel’ (pdf)
The Foreward of ‘Promoting the Gospel’ by Alister McGrath, Professor of Historical Theology, Oxford University. (pdf)
The Introduction of ‘Promoting the Gospel’ (pdf)
The Chapter One of ‘Promoting the Gospel’ (pdf)
The Discussion Guide of ‘Promoting the Gospel’ (pdf)
Publisher: Aquila Press
Behind the success of programs like The Alpha Course and Christianity Explained is the realisation that large rallies and church meetings aren’t the only way to spread the news of Christ. It can also be done very effectively one-to-one or in small groups. Simply Christianity is designed for just this situation. It is a five-part course based on the Gospel of Luke. The goal is to surprise and challenge ordinary people (whether ‘churched’ or ‘unchurched’) with the unique story of Jesus Christ, as told by Luke. Over the five sessions, guests read right through Luke, tracing its main themes.
An excerpt (pdf)
The publisher: Matthias Media
Mission-Commitment in Ancient Judaism and in the Pauline Communities: The shape, extent and background of early Christian mission.
The extent to which Jewish and Christian communities of the first century evidenced ‘proselytising’ tendencies has been hotly contested in recent research, with scholars tending either to deny outright or affirm emphatically the presence of ‘mission’ in the synagogue or the church.
In a wide-ranging historical and philological examination of Second Temple Jewish literature and the epistles of Paul, Dr. Dickson offers a carefully nuanced picture of the shape and extent of mission-commitment in Judaism and early Christianity.
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Table of Contents (pdf)
Introduction (pdf)
Chapter 1 Winning the Gentiles (pdf)
Chapter 3 Heralds and partners (pdf)
Review 1 (pdf) in the Journal for the Study of the New Testament.
Review 2 (pdf) in the Toronto Journal of Theology.
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from Manger to Megastar
John Dickson’s next book for young people (18-30 years) is already establishing itself as another classic. The usual Dickson trademarks are all there – clarity, simplicity, an engaging style, and a very firm grasp of the issues. A Hell of a Life focuses on Jesus: his life, his death and resurrection, his supreme and abiding relevance for everyone.
An excerpt (pdf)
The publisher: Matthias Media
John Dickson’s book, A Sneaking Suspicion, is about things that matter – things like life, death, relationships, sex, suffering, meaning and God – things that are important but which we don’t often talk about. The book also contains a study guide to help readers to think more about and discuss the issues raised in the book. Useful for the curious and sceptical alike, this book clearly presents the Christian faith and offers down-to-earth practical advice on the important issues of life.
An excerpt (pdf)
The publisher: Matthias Media
In Hanging in There, John has written a book that will help young Christians better understand their faith, and just as importantly help them to live it out in their daily lives.
An excerpt (pdf)
The publisher: Matthias Media