John Dickson didn't set food in a church before the age of 15 but says, looking back, he would probably have described himself as a 'thoughtful child'. After his father died in a plane crash he began thinking more about faith and was encouraged to explore Christianity by a secondary school teacher who was very open about her own faith.

Dickson went on to become a singer songwriter in 1990s for the rock band In the Silence before pivoting to academia. His wider work aimes to bridge the worlds of music, popular culture and church history which he's also very passionate about.

His latest documentary film has him artistically exploring the very first hymn. The film charts the discovery of the 1800-year-old papyrus fragment in Egypt and follows Dickson as he works with worship leaders Chris Tomlin and Ben Fielding to transform the ancient tune into a modern song. You can hear a part of that collaboration in this conversation.

On this edition of The Profile he talks to Premier Christianity Editor Sam Hailes about a wide range of subjects including his own upbringing and how he once promised to eat a page of the bible if someone could find a professor of theology who argued that Jesus never existed.

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Released on 6 Nov 2025