Church & Culture Podcast

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the highly controversial idea of Christian Nationalism. Now that Election Day 2022 has come and gone, it was a day that proved exciting for some and disheartening for others. For many Christians, they look at all of the negative political ads, hear the rhetoric being spoken by the candidates on both sides of the political fence and wonder, “What happened to a Christian America?” But is that truly what we are meant to be? Episode Links There are some recent blogs written by Dr. White related to this topic that you will find very helpful to read. The most recent blog is titled “On Being a Political Christian” discussing how our Christian identify is far more important than whether we consider ourselves to be Republicans or Democrats. You can also read what he had to say in a blog titled “Is Christian Nationalism True?” Talking about anything related to politics is often a difficult area for pastors to tread, especially as our country seems to become increasingly divided. A very helpful series that can serve pastors and church members alike is titled “Where Angels Fear to Tread: Meck Talks Politics.” You'll find the mp3 and pdf versions of that series on the churchandculture.org website. Finally, if a topic like this is of interest to you, you will also enjoy going back to listen to CCP12: On Legislated Morality where Alexis and Dr. White discuss they discuss whether those of us who consider ourselves Christ followers should try to legislate moral issues. 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 importance of examining mental health as it relates to the church, as the pandemic has undoubtedly caused severe increases in depression, suicide and more. This is a topic where the church has typically been silent, leading to a great deal of private suffering. Now, more than ever, this needs to end. Episode Links There are some blogs written by Dr. White on the topic of mental health that you will find very helpful to read. The most recent blog is titled “Suicide and the Church,” addressing the fact that suicide has become the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. The digital revolution has added fuel to this fire, as we've become increasingly isolated online. You can read about this in a blog titled, “What the Online World Is Doing to Us.” As Dr. White said in this episode, the church cannot remain silent and depression is a topic that needs to be brought to light. You may find it helpful to check out a series delivered at Mecklenburg Community Church called “Fix Me.” The installments covered are: “A Prozac Nation,” “The 8th Deadly Sin” and “Extreme Makeover: Inside Edition.” You can also find an installment on mental health in the series “How to Be a New You in the New Year.” Finally, Alexis and Jim talked about the term “self care” that is continually thrown around, and what the Bible really has to say about this topic. You can listen to “CCP19: On Self Care” on the Church & Culture website HERE or watch it on YouTube 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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the very confusing world of Scientology. Branded as a church, Scientology is shrouded in mystery with a complex set of beliefs and ideology. But when you really dig down deep into its origins and practices, you find that it truly is a cult at its core. So what do Christians need to be aware of when it comes to the Church of Scientology? Episode Links Years ago Dr. White delivered a series at Meck that would be particularly helpful related to today's conversation. Titled “Celebrity Religion,” the series installments looked at three prominent celebrities and the “religions” that they espouse: Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey and Bono. Scientology's popularity increased because of its embrace by celebrities, most notably Tom Cruise, who were actively recruited in order to provide legitimacy to their organization. Dr. White and Alexis recently had a discussion about how being in the spotlight is something even pastors are susceptible to in CCP31: On Celebrity Pastors. Finally, this is not the first cult that has been discussed on the podcast. In case you missed it, check out CCP18: On Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. 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 very hot topic of banned books, especially given that “Banned Books Week 2022” took place just a couple weeks ago. For those who haven't heard of this week, the "mission" that prompted it is to celebrate freedom when it comes to reading and to ensure that people have unhindered access to information - no matter what that information is. While many would disagree with banning books in general, there are parents who want to protect their kids from certain books they are being given access to at inappropriate ages. So is it always a bad thing, or can it be an important cultural stand? Episode Links There are two podcasts related to this topic that would be worth going back to listen to. CCP17: On School Choice and CCP5: On the “Don't Say Gay” Bill both dive into parental rights in education and the need for parents to take an active role in this realm. Neil Postman wrote a book titled The Disappearance of Childhood that stresses the importance of sheltering our children from adult secrets, particularly sexual ones. Many of the books that parents are wishing to be banned from the schools fall into this category. You can find his book on Amazon HERE. One of the best ways to protect yourself from being susceptible to heretical beliefs is to have a solid, firm foundation in Christian Theology. We encourage you to check out the “Theology on Tap” course that just became available at churchandculture.org. This 15-video course covers everything from the doctrine of humanity to revelation to the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. And while some feel the need to engage with certain books for the purpose of being a student of culture, there are ways that you can work around this for content that is truly not worth filling your mind with. For more on this topic, you may be interested in checking out a series given by James Emery White at Mecklenburg Community Church called “Fifty Shades”. 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.

Dr. James Emery White discusses the rise of heretical views in today's culture, highlighting the alarming survey results on evangelical beliefs. He explores the resurgence of Arianism and the need for a strong foundation in Christian theology. The lack of theological understanding among average Christians is a key factor in the spread of heresy, emphasizing the importance of delving deeper into the Christian faith.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the recent findings of the Pew Research Center on the future of Christianity in America. The article titled “Modeling the Future of Religion in America” projected that if recent trends continue, the percentage of Christians in the U.S. will fall below 50% by the year 2070. Is there anything that the Church can do to prevent this projection from becoming our reality? Episode Links While it's hard to find a starting point for the state of this decline, what is for sure is that it's been happening quickly. Dr. White wrote his book The Rise of the Nones in 2014, calling on the Church to examine its methods of evangelism to strategically reach the unchurched. Dr. White wrote a recent blog following the release of the Pew article that you can read HERE as well as an earlier blog titled “Nones Just Keep Rising” in response to this continued trend. During the conversation, they also talked about how other countries are ahead of the U.S. when it comes to the rise of the nones, but how Christianity is on the rise in the global South. You can read about this in Dr. White's blog “Global Snapshot.” 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 celebrity pastors and the harm that they bring to the witness of the Church. Ultimately, the goal for anyone answering the call to be a pastor or ministry leader should be to lead a lost world to Christ, not to set themselves up as an idol. But we live in an age where being committed to the doctrine of the Church and showing humility are values pushed far below charisma and popularity. Episode Links There are three books that Dr. White mentioned in relation to today's conversation that are definitely worth the time to read. Celebrities for Jesus by Katelyn Beaty takes a look at how fame, when it's cultivated for the sake of fame, is precisely the opposite of the heart of the gospel message. When Narcissism Comes to the Church by Chuck DeGroat explores the dangers of narcissism within the life of the church - both in its leaders and members. And finally, Good to Great by Jim Collins discusses the combination that makes someone a great leader - having both strength and humility. You'll also want to check out “CCP4: On Pastors and Moral Failings” discussing the litany of pastors in the news who've succumbed to moral failures, and the pain it brings to those within the church. 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 trend known as “quiet quitting,” and specifically how it relates to the Church. It's clear that a side effect of the pandemic was that it changed how we view our work-life balance. Proponents of quiet quitting see it as a positive way to keep priorities in order, while opponents put it in the category of laziness. Episode Links This idea for this conversation sparked from a recent blog post from Dr. White called “The ‘Quiet Quitting' Church,” which generated a lot of response. The big headline? The Church cannot have a lack of intensity when it comes to reaching people who don't have a relationship with Jesus. A lack of intensity can affect members of the church, allowing a spiritual narcissism to creep in. While written in the heart of the pandemic, the message of the blog “Our Spiritual Pandemic of Narcissism” is a sobering read. In this conversation, they also discussed how the pandemic affected pastors and church leaders. Dr. White wrote a blog titled “Add Pastors to the Great Resignation” taking a look at the high rate of pastor burnout caused by the past two years. There are two recent podcast episodes that were also mentioned as a part of today's conversation. First is “CCP28: On Deconstructing,” as it's often claimed that the "deconstructing" of many Christ followers has been the cause for a lot of the quiet quitting happening in churches right now. And also mentioned was “CCP19: On Self Care” and the idea of putting care of self above all else, even the needs of those around us. 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 explore the key differences between Catholicism and Protestantism, beginning with a look back at the history of the early Church. One of those divides has to do with salvation: whether it comes down to “Jesus plus nothing” or “Jesus plus something.” But what may surprise you when listening to their conversation is how much we really do have in common. Episode Links Mecklenburg Community Church, where Dr. White is the founding and senior pastor, is an interdenominational church with a lot of people attending who grew up in the Catholic Church. He has had a lot of first-hand experience with people who find themselves deconstructing from their Catholic upbringing. If the idea of deconstructing is new to you, we would suggest you go back and listen to last week's podcast, “CCP28: On Deconstructing.” And for a deeper dive into all things deconstruction, check out a recent series given by Dr. White called “The Deconstruction Zone.” If this podcast sparks an interest in knowing more about how the Christian faith compares to other religions of the world, you'll want to check out a series Dr. White delivered at Meck called “So What's the Difference?” This six-part series tackled Christianity compared to: Eastern Religions (including Hinduism and Buddhism), Judaism, Islam, Catholicism, Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses. Sometimes the Catholic Church finds itself coming under criticism for its large cathedrals, particularly the great cathedrals of Europe. Ultimately they were created to inspire worship, and Dr. White wrote a blog about one of his favorites, Chartres, that you can read about 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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a rising buzzword over the last few years: deconstructing. “Deconstructing” or “deconstruction” is the process of rethinking foundational stances related to lifestyle, associations and beliefs, and usually in relation to a previously held spiritual faith. What may surprise you, though, is that the process of deconstruction is natural and normal, and when God is invited into the process it can be a healthy thing. Episode Links For a deeper dive into all things deconstruction, check out a recent series given by Dr. White called “The Deconstruction Zone.” The three installments explore the process of deconstruction in relation to three key areas: behaviors, belongings and beliefs.Often times, deconstruction when it comes to the Christian faith can happen because of the moral failings of a respected pastor or church leader. This was the heart of a Church & Culture podcast that we'd recommend you listen to called “CCP4: On Pastors and Moral Failings.” Finally, there is a five-part blog series from James Emery White that was mentioned as a part of the conversation, taking a look at why people today often feel called to separate themselves from the label of “evangelical Christian” due to some of the recent negative associations. It is titled “Understanding ‘Evangelical'” and you'll be able to connect to each subsequent installment from that first blog. 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.