Church & Culture Podcast

James Emery White, founding pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church and insightful cultural commentator, dives into the fascinating intersection of AI and the Church. He candidly shares his refusal to use AI for sermon writing due to concerns about plagiarism and the importance of spiritual gifting. The discussion highlights AI's potential benefits in administrative tasks while warning against replacing genuine human relationships. White also explores innovative AI applications like the 'AI Jesus' confessional, emphasizing the need for pastoral discernment and guiding parents on AI risks.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the results of a multi-year study of about 24,000 church attenders that was conducted by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. The goal was to examine their church engagement. A particular finding stood out, which was that 46% of those 24,000 churchgoers reported active engagement with more than one church. For purposes of the study, they defined “active engagement” as attending in person, watching online or on TV, or taking part in both physical and virtual offerings. So this begs the question: What drives people to want to participate in a variety of church services? Episode Links During today's discussion, Dr. White outlined three categories of churchgoers: the church hopper, the church shopper and the church dropper. He also wrote a blog about this topic titled “Church Hopping, Shopping and Dropping,” which you can read HERE. It's also important to have a clear understanding of what Church is meant to be, and how we are called to engage with the community of the local church. Dr. White delivered a two-week series at Mecklenburg Community Church called “This Is Us,” which outlined the values and the mission of Meck. And then another incredibly helpful series was simply titled “Being Church” and explored what true biblical community looks like. You can find that series HERE. For those of you who are new to Church & Culture, we'd love to invite you to subscribe (for free of course) to the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog and check out the Daily Headline News - a collection of headlines from around the globe each weekday. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

The hosts dive into a thought-provoking discussion on whether our beloved pets will join us in Heaven. They clarify that animals lack the human soul necessary for salvation, yet consider their potential presence in a joyful afterlife. Three arguments for and against this idea are outlined, alongside guidance on how churches can offer support to grieving pet owners. Insights on the stewardship of animals and creation care also emerge, making for a rich exploration of spirituality and pet love.

This week (And a day early, too!), we thought that we'd re-release last year's episode "On Halloween" for those who are new to the podcast and may have missed the discussion. In this conversation, Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye discuss how misunderstood the cultural history tied to Halloween really is. For many people, Halloween offers an excuse to dress up in a costume, for kids to rack up an insane amount of candy, or a reason to dust off an old horror film for a night's worth of adrenaline. But there are a lot of Christians who grapple with whether they should stay clear of any and everything tied to Halloween. To really understand it, you need to be familiar with its history and its background. Because its Christian roots run deeper than you may realize. Episode Links Dr. White began this discussion with a very helpful overview on the history and traditions that have led to our modern day celebration of Halloween. There is an article that you might find interesting written by Sophie Dickinson for The Telegraph titled “The origins of Halloween, from trick-or-treat to pumpkin carving.” And while a New York Times article from 1986 predicted that Halloween was on its way out as a cultural celebration, a recent article written by Aimee Ortiz highlights how it has quickly become a “retail monstrosity.” You can read that article HERE. Dr. White has blogged in the past about how while many children embrace the fun and childlike innocence that Halloween can hold, it's often parents who are making it dark through their hyper-sexualized costumes. You can read that past blog HERE, as well as the article that Dr. White referenced titled “Good Girls Go Bad, for a Day.” And if you're interested in knowing what the most popular costumes will be this year, you can find the list from Frightgeist HERE. Finally, at the top the episode, Alexis mentioned how last year, another holiday coincided with Halloween - the celebration of Diwali. Dr. White wrote a recent blog titled “Should I Attend a Diwali Celebration?”, which you can read HERE. This was also the topic of a past podcast episode that we'd encourage you to go back and listen to: CCP38: On Attending Diwali Celebrations and Gay Weddings. For those of you who are new to Church & Culture, we'd love to invite you to subscribe (for free of course) to the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog and check out the Daily Headline News - a collection of headlines from around the globe each weekday. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the results of a recent study from Pew Research, summarized in an article titled, “10 facts about teens and social media.” Pew conducted a survey of teens between the ages of 13 and 17, as well as their parents. The goal was to discover teens' perspective on their experience with social media and its overall effect on their lives. And it revealed a great deal about their online world - the good, the bad and the ugly. Episode Links In addition to the Pew article, there were several other stories mentioned throughout the discussion that were related to the topic of teens and their online world. And as you heard Dr. White say, many of these are stories that were shared in the Daily Headline News - a collection of headlines from around the globe each weekday -posted to Church & Culture. If you're interested in reading more, check out the following articles: William Wan, “‘It broke me': Inside the FBI hunt for the online predators who persuaded a 13-year-old to die,” The Washington Post, October 16, 2025. David Ingram, “Instagram says it's overhauling how teens experience the app, making it more ‘PG-13',” NBC News, October 14, 2025. Rebecca Bellan, “California becomes first state to regulate AI companion chatbots,” TechCrunch, October 13, 2025. Rhitu Chatterjee, “Kids who use social media score lower on reading and memory tests, a study shows,” NPR, October 13, 2025. Colleen McClain et al., “How Parents Manage Screen Time for Kids,” Pew Research Center, October 8, 2025. “Social Media and News Fact Sheet,” Pew Research Center, September 25, 2025. Lee V. Gaines, “1 in 5 high schoolers has had a romantic AI relationship, or knows someone who has,” NPR, October 8, 2025. Jessie Balmert, “Pornhub says it won't shut down in Ohio over new age-verification law,” USA Today, October 10, 2025. Caitlin Gibson, “What makes a man? The internet is defining it for teen boys.,” The Washington Post, October 8, 2025. Geoff Brumfiel, “Kiss reality goodbye: AI-generated social media has arrived,” NPR, October 3, 2025. Dr. White mentioned an installment of a series that he recently delivered at Mecklenburg Community Church (Meck) called “Streaming Now.” This series took a look at four of the most popular streaming series at the time, including “Adolescence,” which he discussed during today's episode. You can find that series HERE. Finally, there are several series on parenting that Dr. White has given over the years at Meck that have been incredibly impactful for parents and families. As he said in today's episode, it's crucial for the Church to partner with families and to help guide them. You can find those series, as well as other series related to “Marriage and Family” HERE. For those of you who are new to Church & Culture, we'd love to invite you to subscribe (for free of course) to the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

The conversation dives into the 50-year legacy of Willow Creek Community Church, founded by Bill Hybels with a dynamic vision for outreach. It examines the church's explosive growth and influence on modern worship, including contemporary music and innovative service formats. The discussion also reveals the impact of past scandals on its reputation and leadership dynamics. Analyzing the common pitfalls of moral failure, the hosts emphasize the importance of character over capability while affirming the positive aspects of Willow's transformative approach to ministry.

Dr. James Emery White and Alexis Drye dive into a significant IRS ruling that now allows churches to endorse political candidates. They explore the history behind the Johnson Amendment that previously restricted such endorsements. While White supports the change, he prefers to keep pulpit endorsements at bay, emphasizing the importance of outreach and unity over political affiliations. The duo also discusses the desire for pastors to guide congregants in applying a biblical worldview to politics and the dangers of ideologically driven churches.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss another significant anniversary happening this year. We recently aired CCP165: On the Nicene Creed as 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the creed. This year also marks the 100th anniversary of what's known as the Scopes Trial (or the “Monkey Trial”) - a sensational trial in American history where the debate over creation vs. evolution entered the courtroom. Set in the small town of Dayton, Tennessee back in 1925, the trial set defenders of evolutionary theory against those who wanted public schools to teach what was considered to be a biblical view of the origin of the world's inhabitants. Episode Links As Dr. White mentioned, the church plays a huge role when it comes to apologetics - helping people to know why they believe what they believe and to be able to give an account of their faith to others. This has always been a priority at Mecklenburg Community Church. In fact, you may be interested in checking out the following series that were given by Dr. White, all related to apologetics and/or faith vs. science: “Doubt” “Don't Check Your Brains at the Door” “The Science of God” “Astrophysics… for People Who Are Open to God” “Why Believe?” There are two resources we'd suggest you check out related to the conversation today. For a better understanding of the Hebrew mindset, we'd suggest Our Father Abraham written by Marvin R. Wilson. And then for more on the interplay between faith and science, we suggest you read How I Changed My Mind About Evolution, edited by Kathryn Applegate and J.B. Stump. Finally, today's discussion was sparked by an article on NPR by Scott Neuman and Nell Greenfieldboyce titled “100 years after evolution went on trial, the Scopes case still reverberates” outlining the cultural ramifications of this trial even 100 years later. You can read or listen to that article HERE. For those of you who are new to Church & Culture, we'd love to invite you to subscribe (for free of course) to the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog and check out the Daily Headline News - a collection of headlines from around the globe each weekday. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a recent article in the New York Times written by Claire Kane Miller titled, “What Happens When Most of the Adults in Boys' Lives Are Women.” Studies show that children struggle acutely from the lack of a father figure in their lives and, according to the US Census Bureau, nearly one in four children lives without a father in the home. Today's conversation explores the impact and significance of not only fathers, but also positive male role models in the lives of young boys in particular, and how the church can play a role as well. Episode Links There are two books that Dr. White mentioned in today's episode that would be helpful for fathers and men to read to understand the impact they can have on the lives of their boys, as well as other young men. John Trent and Gary Smalley wrote a book titled, The Blessing: Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance. And John Eldredge wrote a book titled, Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul. He also discussed two articles that highlight both the impact and role of men in the lives of boys, and also the challenge today in knowing what it even means to be a man: Demaryius Thomas, “For Mamma,” The Player's Tribune. Glenn Stanton, “Manhood Is Not Natural,” Public Discourse. Finally, Dr. White noted how the church needs to step in and cast the vision for manhood, fatherhood, and the way that men can step up and be father figures in the lives of young boys within the church. There are several series that Dr. White has given at Mecklenburg Community Church that you may be interested in checking out: “Father Figure,” “Man Up,” and “The Sins of the Fathers.” For those of you who are new to Church & Culture, we'd love to invite you to subscribe (for free of course) to the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog and check out the Daily Headline News - a collection of headlines from around the globe each weekday. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

Dr. James Emery White, founding pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church and a prominent theologian, engages in an enlightening discussion with co-host Alexis Drye about the Nicene Creed's significance on its 1700th anniversary. They explore how this ancient document helped unify the early church during rapid growth and the challenge posed by heretical views. Dr. White emphasizes the creed's ongoing relevance for modern congregations, highlighting its role in defining Christian identity and combating misunderstandings in today's cultural landscape.