Church & Culture Podcast

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a recent article in The Atlantic titled “ The ‘Secret” Gospel and a Scandalous New Episode in the Life of Jesus. ” The article talked about a 1958 historian who claimed he had found a lost gospel of Jesus' life that was later deemed a forgery. This was not the first nor the last...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss how traditional roles in parenthood are being rethought and are shifting. This has left many men with confusion about what a modern father should look like. In a day when dads are often portrayed negatively in the media, presented as clueless, incompetent slobs, an animated series called “ Bluey &...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss how in the U.S., people are still somewhat “turned on” to God (and specifically to Jesus) but very turned off to religion, pastors and even just your average self-identified Christian. They're saying, “Maybe” to Christ, but, “Absolutely not” to Christianity and Christ...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a recent Gallup poll that found Americans believe the most important problem facing the country right now is immigration (you can read the article HERE ). To be sure, there has been an influx of more than 300,000 people crossing the border in the month of December alone. This has made it an incredibly h...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the newest generational cohort that sociologists and marketers are playing close attention to - Generation Alpha. Ranging in age from those born in 2010 through 2025, Gen Alpha will be the first generation raised fully in a world of technological integration. So what does the church, as well as the wide...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the recent ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court stating that frozen embryos used in IVF treatments are now considered children under state law. This has, as you can imagine, garnered a lot of attention, and particularly from Christians - many of whom have differing views on IVF and when life begins. Ep...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a Super Bowl commercial that's been getting a lot of attention - and no, it's not the DunKings. It was a commercial from “He Gets Us,” depicting a montage of somewhat unusual pairings of people washing feet. It concluded with “Jesus didn't teach hate. He washed feet. He gets us. All of...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss whether it is okay for a Christian to take part in gambling. Reports said that more than 68 million people bet on this year's Super Bowl accounting for well north of $23 billion. And with online gambling making it even easier to take part, it's left many Christians wondering whether this is something th...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the findings of a Gallup poll which revealed that Americans' confidence in clergy today has declined to an all-time low of 32%. Translation? Less than a third of all Americans consider clergy to be trustworthy. Ouch. The big question that follows is, “So how can we earn it back?” Episode Lin...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a recent New York Magazine article titled “ A Practical Guide to Modern Polyamory .” This article was what prompted Dr. White to write a blog on this topic titled “ The Swinging Twenties ,” as well as today's podcast conversation. Polyamory is defined as having multiple, intimate...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss how culture seems to be so eager to dismiss the Bible and to reject the idea that it should have any authority over their lives. Many of the challenges that culture has to believing the Bible are really due more to a lack of knowledge and understanding about it. Episode Links In this episode, Alexis ask...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss one of the concerning trends for 2024 mentioned by Dr. White in a recent episode , something that was echoed by a listener-submitted question. Both had to do with the continued fracturing of the Church and Christians within it. Christians seem to have an underdeveloped skill of disagreeing agreeably. We...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they serve up a helpful outline of six transcendent values that have allowed Mecklenburg Community Church to beat the odds when it comes to the decline facing churches across the U.S. and around the globe. With the seismic cultural changes and challenges facing churches, it can be easy to get discouraged. Hopefully,...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, Dr. White gives an overview of what will likely dominate life and culture in 2024. The headline? Christians are needed more than ever to be salt and light to cut through the turmoil and chaos. Episode Links First up in the conversation were politics and the political turmoil that seems to be dominating the headlines...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a question submitted by a podcast listener: If you choose to participate in the tradition of Santa Claus with your young children, do you run the risk of losing their trust when they find out the truth, possibly causing them to have a crisis of faith later in life? How can the magic of Christmas be brou...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the cultural tidal wave that is Taylor Swift. The impact that she's had on the music industry is unlike any other artist, and her Eras tour has brought in an estimated $5 billion into the U.S. economy. Swift's authenticity seems to be the key to what's made her such an enormous success. And it's led som...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss Islam - a worldview that is increasingly popular around the globe and one that can oftentimes be misunderstood or stereotyped. While there are some places where the beliefs and practices of the Christian faith and Islam intersect, in truth they are wildly different religions. And understanding those dif...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the theology of race - human creation - and the evil that is racism. A few years ago, Dr. White delivered a series at Mecklenburg Community Church titled “Woke” with three installments on race, racism and civility. You can find that series in both .mp3 and .pdf formats HERE . Episode Links W...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss Eastern religions - specifically Hinduism and Buddhism. Few people seem to realize how much these religions permeate our culture and cultural influencers. Episode Links One of the primary ways that Hinduism has crept into our culture is through the practice of yoga. It is worth your time to go back and...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they continue last week's discussion on Christians and politics to explore how Christians should interact with the government - especially when they feel their government isn't upholding Christian values. In case you missed it, we encourage you to go back and listen to CCP82: On Christians and Politics . Episode Lin...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the world of Christians and politics. What should Christians consider before entering into political conversations? Is it possible to come out of these conversations as brothers and sisters in Christ? Should politics even matter to a Christian? With the primaries nearly upon us, this is a very important...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a topic that's been circulating lately, especially related to the current conflict in Israel (check out CCP80: On the War in Israel ): are we in the end times? A recent Lifeway Research article titled “ Fear Prevalent in Pews, According to Protestant Pastors ” found that people have a growin...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the crisis that began overseas on Saturday, October 7 when the terrorist organization known as Hamas began to attack Israel. The brutality of these attacks has been difficult to watch. In response, Israel has declared war and is preparing for a ground invasion of the Gaza strip to target Hamas. How are...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss whether it is okay for those who consider themselves Christ followers to be cremated, rather than pursuing a traditional burial. This has become the preferred form of disposition, and is two times more common than it was even a couple of decades ago. Episode Links This discussion was prompted by a recen...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the rising trend of women identifying as “trad wives.” The typical “trad wives” are Christian, conservative, homemakers handling all of the cooking and cleaning, and many who even adopt the dress and style of the women of the 1950s. And they're increasingly gaining attention and...