Culture Matters

Culture Matters
  • 4.5 (484)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Matters of culture should matter to us—because they matter to God. Hosted by Adam Hawkins, Tymarcus Ragland and Chelsea Conway—the Culture Matters podcast explores the intersection of faith and culture. Looking at everything from politics, art and entertainment to issues such as racial reconciliation and the sanctity of human life, we discuss what it looks like to live faithfully on mission—in the world but not of the world.

  1. 12/23/2025

    Advent: Peace

    In the last of our Advent conversations, Adam Hawkins welcomes back Elizabeth Woodson and Tymarcus to unpack the biblical concept of peace (shalom)—especially what it means in a season that’s often chaotic, overwhelming, and culturally mischaracterized. Merry Christmas. We will see you in the new year. In This Episode01:00 — Life Lately with Elizabeth 02:00 — Starting the Discussion: What Is Peace? 03:55 — Peace in a Broken World 04:42 — Ty’s Reflection on Isaiah & Peace 07:00 — Relational Tension & True Peace 09:00 — Peace Now vs. Peace Then 12:00 — Peace Beyond “Be Nice” 14:00 — The Reality of Brokenness 18:00 — How to Cultivate Peace Today 22:00 — Final Reflections 28:00 — Close & Christmas Blessing Key TakeawaysTrue peace (shalom) is not just absence of conflict—but wholeness and restoration found only through life with God.We can experience real peace now through obedience, worship, and trust—even as we wait for its full realization in Christ.Peace confronts brokenness at the root—requiring more than proximity or niceness, but the transformative work of Jesus.Guest ResourcesLiz's new Podcast: Shalomies Follow Us!Instagram Youtube --  Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co

    28 min

  2. 12/16/2025

    Advent: Love

    We continue our conversation with Caroline Smiley for a moving meditation on Love through the lens of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Tymarcus and Caroline reflect on Mary’s embodiment of sacrificial love at the manger and at the cross. This episode explores how Mary models a risky, selfless, participatory love—one that mirrors God's invitation for us to love as sons and daughters, not merely as servants. The conversation weaves from Hebrews to the manger, from John's Gospel to the Prodigal Son, connecting the bloodied straw of the birth with the suffering of the cross. Through Mary’s obedience and Christ’s incarnation, listeners are invited into the family of God—called to love deeply, suffer faithfully, and hope fiercely. In This Episode00:00 – Introduction: Mary, Love, and Advent 03:00 – The Love of a Mother and the Love of God 10:00 – Mary’s Participation in Redemption 17:00 – Grieving the Cross: Mary and the Suffering of Love 23:00 – From Servanthood to Sonship 30:00 – Prodigal Sons and the Invitation to Come Home 34:00 – Closing Reflections: Love that Bleeds, Love that Welcomes Key TakeawaysLove Begins with Incarnation, Not Just the CrossMary Models Risky, Participatory LoveWe’re Invited into God’s Family, Not Just His ServiceSuffering and Love Are IntertwinedFollow Us!Instagram Youtube --  Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co

    34 min

  3. 12/09/2025

    Advent: Joy

    In this second Advent episode, Tymarcus and guest Caroline Smiley explore what it means to experience true joy during Advent — not the manufactured “cheer” of the holiday‑season spectacle, but a deep, scripturally rooted joy anchored in the arrival of Jesus Christ. They walk through how Mary’s song (the Magnificat) in the Gospel of Gospel of Luke isn’t just a moment of personal celebration, but a fulfillment of centuries of longing, pain, exile, and promise from the Old Testament. Through that lens, Advent becomes a sacred space for honest reflection, recognition of brokenness, and hope for what God has done — and is doing — in and through us. In This Episode02:00 – Holidays & Hardship: Joy in the Midst of Pain 05:00 – The Power of Mary’s Story in Advent 10:50 – Where Mary’s Song Sits in Luke’s Narrative 11:10 – Daughter Zion: The Honest Backdrop to Mary’s Joy 17:00 – Past Tense Praise: Why Mary Says “He Has Done” 21:00 – The Magnificat: Mary’s Song Read Aloud 23:00 – Defining “Good Things” Through God’s Eyes 30:00 – Incarnation and Human Longing 34:00 – Final Reflections & A Blessing for the Listener Key TakeawaysAdvent isn’t about manufactured cheer. It’s about honest reflection — acknowledging our brokenness, recognizing the world’s pain, and yet hoping because God is entering that story.Mary connects us to the deep longing of God’s people. By framing Mary as “Daughter Zion,” we see that her joy isn’t merely personal or sentimental — it’s cosmic, spanning generations of suffering, exile, and promise.Joy precedes fulfillment. Mary sings in past tense because true joy is rooted not in what we see, but what God has already done and promised to do — God dwelling with us.Good things are deeper than comfort. For Christians, the “good” God promises isn’t just material blessing or comfort — it is Himself, righteousness, mercy, presence, and ultimate restoration.Incarnation anchors hope. The fact that Jesus became human assures us: God knows suffering, grief, exile, waiting — and in Him, even the most painful reality can be redeemed.Follow Us!Instagram Youtube --  Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co

    34 min

  4. 12/02/2025

    Advent: Hope

    We're releasing a series of episodes centered around the Season of Advent. In this episode, Chelsea sits down with Lindsey Jackson by reflecting on Hope — not as wishful thinking, but as a firm trust in God's promises amid suffering. Lindsey shares the story of losing her infant daughter Hadley in 2017 to sudden unexplained infant death (SUID) and how her grief became a place where God reoriented her faith, built deeper endurance, and reshaped her understanding of biblical hope. Together, they discuss how lament differs from grief, why holidays can be hard, and how the church can show up for those in pain. In This Episode01:00 – Introducing the Advent series: Hope, Joy, Love, Peace 03:00 – Lindsey’s story: marriage, motherhood, and baby Hadley 05:00 – Hadley’s death and the immediate aftermath 07:00 – “So much of me died when she died” — grief and resurrection 10:00 – What helped: letters, meals, naps, presence 12:00 – On studying grief and counseling at DTS 14:00 – Hope and the discipline of remembering 17:00 – Hebrews: endurance, lament, and anchoring in Christ 20:00 – Longing in Advent: slow down, find wonder again 24:00 – Misplaced hope vs. rooted hope 27:00 – Lament is not passive grief — it holds expectation 30:00 – Heaven: the promise of restoration 33:00 – “Pre-Hadley” Lindsay vs. post-suffering hope 36:00 – Endurance is a group project Key TakeawaysHope is not optimism or emotional positivity — it's a discipline to root your mind in God's promises.Grief is the response to loss; lament is grief directed toward God, filled with trust and expectancy.Holidays can amplify sorrow — presence, not perfection, is what grieving people need most.Studying grief deepened Lindsey’s calling: to walk with others through loss as a biblical counselor.The resurrection reframes our pain — we grieve, but not without hope.Advent means coming — Christ came once, and He is coming again. This fuels our hope.Follow Us!Instagram Youtube --  Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co

    44 min

  5. 11/18/2025

    How Church Could (Literally) Save Your Life

    In this episode, Adam and Ty sit down with Rebecca McLaughlin to discuss her new book How Church Could (Literally) Save Your Life, which explores how regular involvement in a local church is linked with mental, physical, moral, and spiritual flourishing. Drawing on rigorous academic research (especially from Harvard School of Public Health), Rebecca outlines compelling findings: weekly attendance correlates with lower rates of depression, extended life expectancy, reduced deaths of despair, and more. She also addresses objections (such as church‑hurt, abuse, selection bias) and pivots to a theological framing: the church is more than an event — it is family. In This Episode 01:00 – “church is our family” 06:00 – Why this topic? The research behind the book 08:00 – Stats: church attendance & health outcomes 11:00 – Not prosperity gospel: deeper than health hacks 12:00 – What about unhealthy churches? 14:00 – Data controls: not just correlation 16:00 – Theology: why worship matters 18:00 – Church vs. self-optimization culture 23:00 – Virtual vs. in-person: why weekly presence matters 26:00 – Making church a real family 29:00 – Marriage, singleness & spiritual kinship 32:00 – Closing reflections & next steps Key Takeaways Regular attendance at church (once a week or more) is strongly correlated with improved mental health, longer life expectancy, and reduced risk of “deaths of despair.”The positive effect is not explained solely by social support.The church is not just “another activity” but a family.Making church family real may require simple but counter‑cultural practices.The research is not a guarantee of trouble‑free life or a health‑miracle; the gospel remains central — the church is for life in Christ, not just health benefits.For those who’ve been hurt in church: the invitation is not necessarily to abandon church, but to work toward healthy, safe, loving communities. Guest Resources How Church Could Literally Save Your Life by Rebecca McLaughlinRebecca’s Website Confronting Christianity Podcast Follow Rebecca Follow Us!Instagram Youtube --  Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co

    37 min

  6. 11/11/2025

    AI & Embodiment

    In this episode, we welcome back Whitney Pipkin, who explores how artificial intelligence (AI) intersects with Christianity, the body, embodiment, and culture. Whitney draws on her background in environmental journalism and Christian thought to highlight the impacts of AI: its resource footprint, its effect on how we think, its influence on discipleship, and what it means for embodied Christian living in a disembodied age. The conversation covers both practical and theological questions—How does AI shape our habits, relationships, thinking? Are we just consumers of information, or are we being formed as creatures who live in bodies and communities? In This EpisodesAI’s Real-World Environmental CostsPower, Water, and the AI BoomTheological Accuracy in AI ModelsAI’s Influence on How We ThinkShould Christians Use AI Tools?Algorithms, Formation & DiscipleshipDisembodied Faith vs Embodied LifeDiscipleship Requires CommunityWhat AI Is Discipling Us IntoEmbodied Practices in a Digital AgeForecasting the Future of Tech & FaithDigital Monks or Missionaries?Limits, Attention & AccountabilityThe Body as a Theological WitnessKey TakeawaysAI isn’t neutral — it has real environmental, ethical, and spiritual consequences.Embodiment matters — we’re made to live, think, and relate in physical bodies, not just as online users.Formation over efficiency — spiritual growth comes through limits, relationships, and real-life discipleship.Question the tradeoffs — just because AI makes something easier doesn’t mean it’s good for us.Be distinct — Christians should live and think differently in a tech-driven, disembodied world.Follow WhitneyWebsite InstagramSubstackFollow Us!Instagram Youtube --  Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co

    46 min

  7. 11/04/2025

    The Myth of Fact

    In this rich conversation, Tymarcus and Dr. Claudia MacMillian explore how our contemporary educational and cultural frameworks—especially the “myth of fact”—shape our abilities to imagine, love, think, and live well. Dr. MacMillian traces the idea back to the work of Donald Cowan and Louise Cowan, showing how modernity’s emphasis on extracting isolated “facts” from context has left many of us brittle, shallow in our sensibilities, and under‑equipped to embrace mystery, beauty, narrative, poetry, and the fullness of human experience. Ultimately, the episode argues for a return to formation over mere performance—cultivating souls able to engage with the world deeply, compassionately, and imaginatively. Key TakeawaysFact isn’t truth — Modern culture wrongly treats isolated facts as ultimate truth.Context matters — Truth must be understood in its full, lived context.Imagination is essential — The poetic imagination shapes how we see, love, and live.Formation over performance — Education should form souls, not just train skills.Read whole works — Novels, poetry, and scripture cultivate depth and empathy.Mystery is good — We must embrace mystery, not reduce everything to certainty.People are complex — Literature reminds us no one is all good or all bad.Scripture is story & song — Most of the Bible is narrative and poetry, not bullet points.Technology isn’t the problem — How we form humans in the face of AI is the real issue.Live with depth — True discipleship means growing in imagination, humility, and love.Mentioned Resourceshttps://www.macmillaninstitute.org/ Donald and Luise Cowan Center Follow Us!Instagram Youtube --  Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co

    54 min

  8. 10/28/2025

    Sports! Sports! Sports!

    In this episode, Chelsea sits down with friends Ashley Hardcastle and Kaylee to explore the world of youth and amateur athletics, reflecting on their personal stories, the pressures and joys of competition, and how faith intersects with identity in the arena of sports and performance. They discuss what they loved, what they struggled with, and how they now seek to guide the next generation (whether as parents or mentors) toward a healthier, Christ‑centered perspective on activity, achievement, and belonging. In This Episode02:07 – Ashley’s story 06:47 – Kaylee’s story 14:59 – Reflecting on what was good 22:28 – Discussion of parental/coach roles 29:26 – Parenting advice 38:32 – Coach/organization considerations 49:56 – “What do we say to kids before and after games/performances?” 54:26 – Final take‑aways Key TakeawaysActivity is Not IdentityJoy & Pressure Often CoexistParents & Coaches Shape More Than SkillsFamily Health > Activity StackingWhat You Celebrate Shapes What They RememberMentioned ResourcesTake Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids' Sports--and Why It Matters Follow Us!Instagram Youtube --  Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co

    1h 1m
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4.5
out of 5
484 Ratings

About

Matters of culture should matter to us—because they matter to God. Hosted by Adam Hawkins, Tymarcus Ragland and Chelsea Conway—the Culture Matters podcast explores the intersection of faith and culture. Looking at everything from politics, art and entertainment to issues such as racial reconciliation and the sanctity of human life, we discuss what it looks like to live faithfully on mission—in the world but not of the world.

Information

  • Creator
    Culture Matters
  • Years Active
    2014 - 2025
  • Episodes
    311
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Culture Matters

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