Church & Culture Podcast

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a topic that is near and dear to Dr. White's heart - the relational dynamic between parents and grandparents. As a father of four children and a grandfather to 16 grandchildren, this is a topic where he is very well versed. Marriage and family are foundational institutions in God's created order of our world. And when those families break down, particularly when there are divides and discord between parents and grandparents, the younger generations are impacted in countless ways. Episode Links As Alexis mentioned at the top of the episode, many of the topics covered on the Church & Culture Podcast are inspired by blogs that Dr. White has written. For those new to the podcast, the Church & Culture Blog is where Dr. White releases two reflections each week about a wide assortment of topics related to the church's engagement with the modern world. If you aren't currently a subscriber, you can click HERE to subscribe now. For this week's podcast, there are three recent blogs that Dr. White has written that we'd suggest you to go back and read. They are: “A Vision for Grandparenting,” “Grandparent-to-Parent Mistakes” and “Parent-to-Grandparent Mistakes.” And again, this topic is so important because it's absolutely a part of the vision for family that is outlined in the Bible. Dr. White mentioned a book written by Paul and Diana Miller called A Guide to Great Grandparenting, which talked about this idea of a “family trinity.” When these relationships are healthy, you find that you have healthy and functional young people being raised. He also talked about a large national study on how parents can best pass on their faith to the next generation. You can read more about this in Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass their Religion on to the Next Generation written by Christian Smith and Amy Adamczyk. There are two articles that were applicable to today's conversation that we want to share with you: Rheana Murray, “‘Grandparenting on Eggshells,'” The Atlantic, November 26, 2025. Dr. Perri Klass, “5 Common Mistakes Grandparents Make, According to a Pediatrician,” The Washington Post, November 17, 2025. Finally, as mentioned this is a topic on which Dr. White has a lot of experience to draw from. And over the years at Mecklenburg Community Church, he's given many series that fall under the category of “Marriage & Family.” You can find those series gathered at Church & Culture HERE. In addition to the blog, we'd encourage you to 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 how for many people, Advent is simply a countdown to Christmas. Few seem to truly know the rich Christian tradition of Advent as it falls on the liturgical calendar. The word “advent” means “coming,” and the season of Advent within the Church is to be a time when we are preparing spiritually for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. In fact, so many of the traditions connected with Christmastime also have a rich Christian history and can all serve to help keep Christ in Christmas when you know their deeper meaning. Episode Links This conversation was sparked by an article in The Atlantic titled, “Advent Calendars Are Totally Out of Control.” It seems as though culture has commandeered this tradition of counting down to Christmas and cultivated a “little treat culture,” all about businesses making money and people treating themselves. You can read that article in full HERE. Dr. White mentioned another article that he read in a similar vein titled, “Shoppers still can't get enough of Advent calendars, and brands are racing to keep up with demand.” You can find that article HERE. Dr. White mentioned that a great way to combat the drift in culture regarding Advent is to take part in what's known as “The Advent Conspiracy.” This idea was brought forth in a book written by Rick McKinley, Chris Seay and Greg Holder called Advent Conspiracy: Making Christmas Meaningful Again (Zondervan). At Mecklenburg Community Church, where Dr. White serves as the senior pastor, this is fleshed out in a few ways. First and foremost, we make sure that the focus of the season of Advent is on Jesus' birthday, and that a great way to honor Him is by giving to the least and the lost in our world. We call it “Giving to Christ at Christmas,” and you can read more about it HERE. Another way that we've done this is through strategic message series that Dr. White has given over the years during the season of Advent. These include “The Advent Conspiracy,” “Keeping Christ in Christmas” and “I Need You Christmas.” 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.

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.