Church & Culture Podcast

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the reality and realm of angels. A fascinating poll from the Associated Press revealed that the vast majority of Americans believe in angels - more than God, the devil, astrology or reincarnation. This begs some questions: What's so unique about angels? Why do so many people believe in them? Are they re...

Welcome back to the start of a new season for the Church & Culture Podcast. In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the stunning findings of a recent Pew Research Center survey titled “ A record-high share of 40-year-olds in the U.S. have never been married. ” The survey, conducted in 2021, found that 25% of 40-year-olds in th...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss how those outside the Christian faith often perceive the God of the Bible - particularly the Old Testament - as a moral monster. Largely this is due to the (sometimes) bloody violence found in its pages including holy wars, ethnic cleansing and even child sacrifice. Frankly, even those who consider them...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, the idea for the topic came from a series Dr. White delivered at Mecklenburg Community Church called, “ Is it okay for a Christian to… ” This series explored questions that both Christians and non-Christians have about what is or is not okay to do once you cross the line of faith. So, is it okay f...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they take a break from discussing what's happening in culture to talk about how to become a student of culture. While Dr. White touched on this briefly in the podcast's inaugural episode CCP1: Welcome to the C&C Podcast , this episode really dives down into his practices for staying on top of what's happening in...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the spirit of toxic masculinity that has invaded the church - something at the forefront of sexual abuse scandals and stories of domineering male leadership. As Dr. White said, he's truly sickened by this. Episode Links An earlier podcast episode - CCP8: On Purity Culture - explored how the church somet...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a recent article written by Kelsey Kramer McGinnis for Christianity Today titled, “ Worship Music Is Emotionally Manipulative. Do You Trust the Leader Plucking the Strings? ” To be sure, there is much here to consider, particularly whether the music is serving to connect you with God or simp...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the recent decision made by the U.S. Surgeon General to release an official statement on the harm that is being done to teens through the use of social media. It is causing an alarming rise in mental health issues, with studies finding that excessive use of social media has been linked to cyberbullying,...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a survey from Lifeway that was the subject of an article titled “ Most Churchgoers Say They Want to Serve, Fewer Actually Do ” - and that's fewer to the tune of a mere 30%. This leaves many pastors and ministry leaders struggling with how to cultivate the drive for people to act on their des...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a recent article in the Washington Post titled “ The Revolt of the Christian Home-Schoolers .” The article revealed that there can be a toxic side to some pockets of homeschooling, one that creates a breeding ground for ideas tied to Christian nationalism and pitting faith against science. E...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss two recent docuseries that have drawn a lot of attention: FX's “ The Secrets of Hillsong ” exploring the distressing global patterns of misconduct at Hillsong Church, as well as Prime Video's “ Shiny Happy People ” exposing the nightmarish home life of the Duggar Family and the I...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the alarming rise in popularity of Satanism, and those who consider themselves to be part of the Satanic Temple. While the vast majority of members are essentially atheistic “believers” (meaning they do not actually worship Satan), Satan is still being upheld as a symbol of free expression a...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discussed capital punishment - something that both Christians and non-Christians wrestle with. Old Testament Scriptures reveal that capital punishment was used for a number of offenses; however, Jesus brought many Old Testament laws to completion during His time on Earth. The Bible has shaped American thinking...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, the discussion was prompted by a disturbing article in the New York Times that was shared on Church & Culture's Daily Headline News . The title of the article, written by Andrew Higgins, was, “ He Told Followers to Starve to Meet Jesus. Why Did So Many Do It? ” Why indeed. What leads people to join a...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discussed a recent article by Michael Hidalgo in RELEVANT titled “ When Did Christians Get So Mean? ” Since the pandemic, we've watched as the world seems to increasingly thrive on spewing vitriol from behind their keyboards. But more and more this behavior is coming from those who claim to be Chris...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a very difficult topic: when, how, and who decides whether to close a church? It doesn't matter if it's a church that's been around for decades, or a church plant only a couple years into their journey, it's never an easy decision to grapple with. But between the great resignation of pastors, the widesp...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, their discussion was prompted by an article that Dr. White shared on the Daily Headline News on Church & Culture. The title of the article (which has since been updated) was “Babies without sex? Researchers are working on it. Ethicists are troubled” and you can read the full article HERE . This has t...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss how in today's world, it truly takes courage for parents to raise their kids in a way that honors the Christian faith. And an area of parenting where people tend to struggle the most is when it comes to whether it's okay to discipline our children. Culture has shifted toward the trend of “gentle p...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a topic that has been on the rise as of late - Calvinism. There are really two dynamics behind the ministry of Church & Culture: to look at the interplay between the Church and the culture of our day, but also to examine the culture within the Church itself. And it's with the latter that today's dis...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the recent release of Starbucks' “ Star Signs ” in partnership with the astrology app called Sanctuary. Designed to help you figure out the perfect beverage for your astrological sign, it will also tell you your power words, give you a spring flower and color, and tell you your horoscope. Wh...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a shocking statistic - that more than 200 million Americans are a part of the world of gaming. That's more than 60% of the U.S. population. Furthermore, the average “binge time” spent gaming has increased to five hours. This is having a profound effect, not only in the lives of children but...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the results of a recent poll from the Wall Street Journal and the NORC at the University of Chicago. The title of the WSJ article reviewing the poll's findings read, “ America Pulls Back From Values That Once Defined It .” The poll revealed a radical change in American values since it was la...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss whether it's okay for a Christian to get a tattoo or cosmetic surgery. Culture clings tightly to the belief that we, as individuals, have the right to determine what we do with our bodies and how we use them. But what does the Bible have to say about this topic? How much are we allowed to manipulate our...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss The Chosen - a multi-season series on the life of Jesus written and directed by Dallas Jenkins. The following for this series has been unprecedented, with more than 100 million people who've seen at least part of the show. So is the series biblically accurate? Does it matter whether it follows the Bible...

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...