Church & Culture Podcast

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a tool for understanding who God created you to be that is deeply rooted in ancient Christian thinking. It's called the Enneagram. The concept of the Enneagram dates back to the earliest centuries of the ancient Eastern monastic movement, to the times of the Desert Fathers. It's most notably attributed...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the life of C.S. Lewis - one of the most influential Christian thinkers in modern history. From his talks to his writings, “Jack” (as his friends called him) was also undoubtedly one of the greatest Christian apologists of the 20th century. He had an incredible gift for taking complicated to...

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 be on and engaging with social media. Studies have shown that more than half of the world (yes, the world) uses social media. It has worked its way into our culture and into our lives, and there are ways that the power of social media can be harnessed for good or fo...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the shift in the cultural landscape when it comes to how people who are unchurched explore the church. The reality is that if someone makes the decision to check out a church, they are going to Google you. And what they find when they visit your church's website is vitally important to your mission as a...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss how the disappearance of bookstores makes it increasingly difficult to know about the foundational and formative books for developing a Christian worldview. Bookstores used to serve as influencers, but today people only find or buy what they know to look for. This was the heart behind the creation of Th...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the practice of yoga - a discipline that for many has become an essential part of their mental and physical well being. The history of yoga, however, is critical to dig into, particularly for Christians who may not be aware of the spiritual implications of this practice. Episode Links The idea for today...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss how conversations regarding the LGBTQ+ community have evolved over the decades from a narrow focus on sexual orientation to a broader focus on gender and what it even means to be male or female. It's important to have a solid theological foundation to be able to think critically about gender's manifesta...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a recent congressional hearing on the subject of UAPs - Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon - more commonly known as UFOs. There has been a surge in recent sightings of UFOs, causing the government to take the issue more seriously. So is there really a place in a Christian worldview for belief in life on oth...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss how recent studies have revealed the steady rise within culture of everything from depression to drug use, mental health issues to suicide and more. To help people cope, there's been an increased emphasis on the need for “self care,” with apps and services designed to help you eat better, sl...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they explore two American-born religions, both started in the 1800s. Using similar language as Christians but under different names, they have left a lot of Christians wondering what, exactly, they are. In this episode, you'll learn a bit about their history and some compelling evidence to help you determine whether...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the vast educational landscape (particularly in the U.S.) and whether all school options can be considered equally valid in terms of their value or mission. Parents can find themselves overwhelmed when deciding between public school, private school (both Christian and non-Christian), charter schools, un...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they take a deeper dive into the 2022 Summer Reading List - an annual Church & Culture blog tradition. Every summer, Dr. White shares the top 10 books that he either has read over the past year or that are at the top of his list to read over the summer. This summer's list was a curveball from the norm, based on...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the seemingly constant outpouring of scandals, coverups, sexual abuse and institutional corruption in the news tied to the Church, the latest of which involved the huge scandal tied to the Southern Baptist Convention. It leaves many people wondering just how important Christian denominations are when it...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the distressing rise of gun violence in the United States. This is an issue, like so many others, that is increasingly polarizing in our culture. Regardless of where you stand on gun control, there is no doubt that gun violence is having devastating impacts on everyone. And there seems to be a radicaliz...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the nature of today's cancel culture. What started in the '80s in the dating realm has taken on a life of its own in the last few years, largely through the platform of social media. On one side, you have those who say that it keeps people accountable and on the other side you have those who say that it...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss whether those of us who consider ourselves Christ followers should try to legislate moral issues. Secular culture implies that morals can change, and often, legislative decisions are made on the basis of majority rule. What is certain is that of utmost importance is having a Christian worldview. Episode...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the increasingly popular practice of Wicca, which involves both witchcraft and nature worship. In 2019, there were so many books being written on the topic that Publisher's Weekly declared it “ The Season of the Witch. ” Wicca has become the new religion of secularity, but its origins date b...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the significance of the leaked draft of the Supreme Court opinion on Roe v. Wade and how, as Christians, we can engage this conversation. The Politico story has unleashed very emotional responses on both sides of this issue, and not even those within the Church see eye to eye on this topic. For Christia...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the exodus of Christians from the Church who are trying to recreate “church-like” experiences elsewhere - whether that's an exercise class, a group Bible study, a parachurch ministry, etc. Their conversation takes a look at what cannot be surrendered to have a biblically functioning Church,...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss purity culture and the Church. In the 90s we saw the outbreak of sexual permissiveness and sexual saturation within culture – and it hit women particularly hard, as they became the ones to blame. From this, purity culture was born - a movement characterized by modest dress, purity rings, the &ldqu...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the very hot topic of women in ministry within the Church. Throughout Christian history, with the increased institutionalization of the Church came very set patterns of misogyny. And certain passages of Scripture have been used to fuel both sides of this debate as to what role women can and should take...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss anger and the seemingly endless flow of new stories where people are losing control. For those who are Christ followers, anger is one of the seven deadly sins, yet often times we are among the worst offenders. This conversation dives into everything from orthopathy to righteous anger to how this is impa...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the “Parental Rights in Education” bill that is more commonly referred to as the “Don't Say Gay” bill. There seems to be a lot of confusion as to what this bill is really about at its core. Find out how Christians can engage this cultural debate, the role of parents tied to this...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the seeming litany of Christian leaders who have succumbed to moral failures and what this is doing to the Christian faith and our culture. Episode Links To go a little deeper on this topic, Dr. White wrote several blogs related to this conversation that will be really helpful to dig into. On the discus...

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss how a new generation of hypnosis programs and apps are making the practice available digitally, hoping to popularize hypnosis in the same way as meditation. What's so concerning about that? More than you realize. You could be dabbling in the world of the occult. Episode Links To go a little deeper on th...