Church & Culture Podcast

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the revival that started at Asbury University in Kentucky back on February 8. For those who don't know what that is, what started as a small Wednesday night chapel service turned into a more than two-week long prayer and worship experience with thousands of people pouring into Wilmore, Kentucky to be a part of the experience. Important to this conversation is having a good understanding of what revival is, and why and how God can use revivals to advance the mission of the Church. Episode Links The topic of revival was brought up during our Church & Culture LIVE Podcast, which then prompted today's conversation. If you missed that, we'd love for you to go back and watch or listen to that HERE. There are two blogs written by Dr. White that we'd encourage you to check out on the topic of revival. The first is called “The Importance of Remembering Camp Meetings,” which discusses the power they held to help bring about social change and spiritual revival. At the end of the conversation, Dr. White talked about how every day the church has a responsibility to turn outward and to be ready for the work of the Holy Spirit. He wrote the blog called “Don't Wait for Revival” urging the church to be on mission. It was also interesting to see how the outside, watching world viewed the revivals. Thomas Lyons wrote an article in The Atlantic titled “When a Christian Revival Goes Viral.” 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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the recent release of the latest book written by Dr. White called Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age (Zondervan). Three years of research and writing were poured into this book, charting the sweeping, historic change that has taken place in our culture and in the life of the church. As Dr. White said, never has he prayed more for the ministry of a book he has written than for this one. Episode Links Dr. White has been the author of more than 20 books to date, and he has proven to be on the cutting edge of some critical cultural changes that would impact the church in pivotal ways. If you've not read them, be sure to check out The Rise of the Nones: Understanding and Reaching the Religiously Unaffiliated and Meet Generation Z: Understanding and Reaching the New Post-Christian World. For a preview of some of the book's content, you can check out this series of four blogsthat gives you a quick insight into the content of the book: The Need for a Hybrid Model Church 3.0 Opening the Digital Front Door The Importance of Affirming Online Engagement 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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a modern heretical movement that many people are susceptible to without even knowing it. They had an earlier discussion on this topic - CCP33: On the Rise of Heresy - that you definitely need to go back and listen to if you missed it. But today's discussion takes a deep dive into the “prosperity gospel movement,” also known as the “health-and-wealth gospel.” This is the idea that if you come to faith in Jesus, along with the eternal reward of heaven comes other benefits as well - specifically in the areas of health and finance. This is prosperity preaching, and it has no place in the life of the church. Episode Links A lot of prosperity preachers pull Scripture out of context to make sweeping generalizations about what followers of Christ should expect God to give them. Learning how to properly read and interpret Scripture is so vitally important for those who call themselves Christ followers, which is why Dr. White led a series at Mecklenburg Community Church called “How to Bible”. One of the installments is on how to read and interpret Scripture. He also wrote a blog on this topic titled “Two Main Principles for Getting the Bible Right” that you can read HERE. A large part of today's conversation centered around the idea of receiving blessings from God, something that is absolutely a biblical truth. But God is not a genie in a bottle, and any type of preaching that says, “If you have enough faith God will give you everything you ask for” is heresy. For a better understanding of blessings that come from God, check out a series by Dr. White called “God's Blessing, Your Life.” Finally, in case you missed the Church & Culture LIVE Podcast, you can go back and listen to that 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.

Thanks to those of you who joined us for the first-ever Church & Culture LIVE Podcast with Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye. There were some great questions submitted through the chat on everything from whether it's okay for Christians to use CBD to the changing dynamics of online vs. in-person services. It was a fantastic conversation. Check out the Episode Links below for the podcasts, blogs, series and books that were mentioned as a part of the live podcast episode. Episode Links Church & Culture Podcast Episodes: CCP44: On Artificial Intelligence CCP7: On Women in Ministry CCP30: On Quiet Quitting and the Church Church & Culture Blogs: "The People Meck Needs" "Beth Moore in the Pulpit" "The Importance of Affirming Online Attendance" Church & Culture Series: "The Under-Protective Parent" "Is it okay for a Christian to..." "Primordial" Recommended Resources: James Emery White, Hybrid Church. James Emery White, Meet Generation Z. James Emery White, A Mind for God. John Stott, Guard the Truth. 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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a topic that was sparked by Dr. White's latest series at Mecklenburg Community Church called “Primordial: Genesis and the World's Primeval History.” The culture of our day seems to want to place science and faith at odds with each other when in reality everything in science compliments God's existence - in fact, it demands it. What's ironic is that the study of science itself was deeply rooted in a Christian worldview. Episode Links In addition to the aforementioned series at Meck, there are two other series that Dr. White led on this topic that would be very helpful to check out. The first is called “The Science of God” with installments that explore the science of God's existence, of God's creation and of faith. The second is “Astrophysics… for people who are open to God.” As a culture, we seem to be almost obsessed with cosmic headlines from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe. This series explores whether when you delve into such things, they point away from God or to Him? Dr. White has also written blogs tied to today's conversation that we would encourage you to read. “A Post-Empirical God” discusses the concept of reductive naturalism and how scientists have become increasingly hostile towards religion. “From How to Who” is a blog that discusses the Scopes Trial you heard mentioned in today's episode. It points to the fact that the real issue of our day is not between creation and evolution, but rather between theism and naturalism. Finally, he wrote a blog titled “UFOs… Confirmed?” taking a look at the significance of life on other planets and how future discoveries in science may impact our faith. Dr. White's book Christianity for People Who Aren't Christians: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions is a great resource for you or others you may know who are open to exploring the Christian faith. He takes on the topic of faith vs. science in this book as well. You can find it HERE on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. Once again, we hope that you'll be able to join us for the upcoming Church & Culture LIVE Podcast on Thursday, February 23 from 12 - 1 p.m. You'll be able to access the podcast live through Meck's Online Campus platform. And if you can't make it that day, not to worry - you'll still be able to listen in on the conversation through all the usual channels the next day. 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.

Discussion on the expanding MAID law in Canada and the ethical implications of medically assisted suicide. The shift towards individual freedom over sanctity of life and concerns about quality of life versus sacredness of life. Disturbing trends in allowing youth with gender dysphoria to undergo procedures without parental consent. Exploring societal views on elder care and the devaluation of life among the aged population.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a recent article from the UK Times announcing the first-ever gender-neutral production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” from the Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group. While the rock opera has always been controversial for stripping Jesus of His divinity and ignoring the resurrection, this takes it a step further having the lead role of Jesus played by a non-binary actor. In the words of the creative producer: “Jesus is remembered as being a man, but who are we to decide?” Episode Links The release of this article prompted Dr. White to write a blog titled “The Non-Binary Jesus” that you can read HERE. As he notes in the blog and reiterates in today's discussion, deciding that Jesus is non-binary is a direct result of people's desire to be their own god and remake anything they choose to in their own image. What's missing for so many is a true understanding of the theology of God and of Jesus. While Dr. White is able to briefly touch on this topic, we'd encouraging you to look into his “Theology on Tap” course. It's a 15-video course breaking down his graduate-level class in systematic theology in way that anyone can understand. Scripture clearly says that we are made in God's image - male and female. This leaves little room for the idea of being non-binary. As gender is so central to today's conversation, we encourage you to go back and listen to CCP21: On Gender or to check out the “Gender” series delivered by Dr. White at Meck. There can be no doubt that many in the LGBTQ community have experienced judgement at the hand of the Church. In fact, Dr. White delivered a series at Mecklenburg Community Church called “UnChristian” with one of the installments focusing on those who feel the church is homophobic. You can check out that series HERE. That being said, there is a huge difference between acceptance and affirmation. When Jesus came to planet earth, He came bearing both grace and truth. It was always a both-and, not an either-or. Finally, make sure you've got your questions ready for the upcoming Church & Culture LIVE Podcast on Thursday, February 23 from 12 - 1 p.m. You'll be able to access the podcast live through Meck's Online Campus platform. And if you can't make it that day, not to worry - you'll still be able to listen in on the conversation through all the usual channels the next day. 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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the rising clash in culture when it comes to what qualifies as religious exemptions, religious discrimination, and where the line of freedom ought to be drawn when it comes to religious conviction. The clash has become so intense, that many cases are making their way all the way to the Supreme Court. Episode Links A couple of recent court cases were brought up during today's discussion if it's of interest to you to dig into them a bit more. The Supreme Court will be deciding how much employers need to accommodate the religious beliefs of their employees in a case involving a postman who said delivering mail on Sundays would be a violation of his faith. You can read more about that case HERE. And then a federal case in Oregon dismissed a lawsuit by LGBTQ students who wanted to end religious exemptions at various Christian colleges. You can read more about that case HERE. Hamline University also found themselves in the news recently after they tried to fire an art history professor for showing art depicting the prophet Muhammad. School officials claimed that this was “Islamophobic,” although the university has since backed off that claim after receiving pushback that the school was simply catering to the religious beliefs of a student. You can read more about this story HERE. Finally, we hope that you are as excited as we are about the upcoming Church & Culture LIVE Podcast on Thursday, February 23 from 12 - 1 p.m. Stay tuned for more details coming your way! 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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss how best to discern between superstition and God's will. Dr. White recently wrote a blog titled “About Those Angel Numbers” that sparked a lot of interesting feedback from our readers. What caught people off guard was the idea that something they deemed as loving guidance from up above - a sign from an angel or a deceased loved one - might really be opening up a door for the presence of evil in your life. And this can go far beyond mere angel numbers. So how do you know when you're really receiving a clear prompting from God, or just being superstitious? Episode Links Early in the conversation, Dr. White outlined how numbers found in Scripture can hold significance, particularly the number 40. If this piques your interest, you should check out the series that Dr. White gave at Mecklenburg Community Church called “40: God's Number for Life Change.” You can also get this series in an eBook format HERE. But while certain numbers are biblically relevant, in the case of things like angel numbers you're getting into numerology, which is where you may be crossing over into the world of the occult. There is so much to unpack when it comes to all that the spiritual realm holds. While Dr. White was able to touch on some of this in today's conversation, you can take a deeper dive into this topic through another Meck series called “Paranormal.” The individual installments of this series take a look at the map of the spiritual world, the three marks of the occult, and putting on the armor of God. Finally, the conversation turned to discerning God's will for your life, and how to pray to Him when you are trying to ask for clear signs and directions from Him. Another series that you'll find helpful was called “Ultimate Life Coaching: A Thirty-Day Experience.” While the whole series is a really good one to check out, there's a specific installment on finding and following God's will. 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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss how Christians and non-Christians alike don't know what to make of the growing presence in our lives of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in all of its manifestations - from our digital assistants like Siri and Alexa to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) which is AI reaching levels of human intelligence and beyond. This is an interesting discussion about how we can think Christianly about our ever-changing technological landscape. Episode Links Today's conversation started off with Dr. White mentioning a book written by Max Tegmark called Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. It's a fascinating (and at times frightening) read about AI, its origins and where it's headed. You can find that resource HERE on Amazon. In 2018, Dr. White wrote a blog about this topic as it relates to potential impacts for Christians and the Church titled, “Start Thinking about AI.” And for more on that, you'll also find AI discussed in his forthcoming book Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, which is available for pre-order HERE on Amazon or through your favorite bookseller. Finally, Dr. White mentioned two additional resources during the conversation. The first was a Christianity Today piece written by Christopher Reese titled, “Rise of the Machines: New Book Applies Christian Ethics to the Future of AI.” This article highlights the future of AI as it will need to begin making ethical or moral decisions for us. The second is a book written by Oxford professor John Lennox called 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity that you can find HERE on Amazon. 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.