Church & Culture Podcast

Dr. James Emery White
  • 4.7 (55)
  • CHRISTIANITY
Church & Culture Podcast Podcast

The Church & Culture podcast is a weekly discussion with Dr. James Emery White on the latest trends happening in culture, and where and how the church should respond. While this podcast reflects on the church's part in what may be going on in the world, it is very much a show that anyone, no matter what walk of life you may have come from or are currently in, can glean useful information. Some episodes may be an extended conversation based off one of Dr. White's bi-weekly blog posts, as he does not shy away from the controversial hot topics. So to be ready for full context, be sure to subscribe to the Church & Culture Blog at ChurchandCulture.org.

  1. CCP122: On Why People Divorce

    6 DAYS AGO

    CCP122: On Why People Divorce

    In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a recent USA Today article exploring the current divorce rates in the United States. The stats seem to vary based on state, religious affiliation, race, sexual orientation, occupation… even the number of times that someone has been married. They also noted that divorce rates tend to peak around the 5th year of marriage, and then again around the 15th to 20th year of marriage. Dr. White weighs in on why people get divorced. Episode Links Dr. White noted that a big shift happens in people's mindset when the romance fades and reality sets in. This was actually an installment of a series that he gave at Mecklenburg Community Church called “Marriage Mentoring.” You can find that entire series HERE. Another factor that can play a big role surrounds marking the dawn of the 30s. Another series that you may be interested in looking at is called “Seasons of Life,” and in particular the installment called “30s - The Age of Second Thoughts.” A final series that Dr. White delivered at Meck and which he mentioned in today's episode is called “The Lies We Believe About Marriage.” You can find that series HERE. Finally, Dr. White wrote a blog about how couples cohabiting before marriage can actually increase the rate of divorce, and why this is something that the church needs to teach on more often. Be sure to read “The Importance of Knowing Why and Casting Vision.” 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. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

    34 min
  2. CCP121: On "It Ends With Us"

    SEP 6

    CCP121: On "It Ends With Us"

    In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the controversy surrounding the release of the movie adaptation of the book by Colleen Hoover It Ends With Us. While the book attempts to shine a light on the issue of domestic violence and the many faces that it can take, the movie - largely due to comments in the press from lead actress Blake Lively - has been criticized for romanticizing domestic abuse. Episode Links For those who've neither seen the movie nor read the book, we suggest you read the article highlighting the controversy and which gives an overview of the story. You can find the NPR article HERE. For more on the harrowing statistics that Dr. White mentioned on domestic violence, we suggest you visit the website for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence HERE. And if you're interested in listening to the Liberty University Convocation address that he mentioned from Ray Rice, you can find that HERE. Dr. White raised the need for the church to speak out on issues like domestic violence, because having open conversations makes it so much easier for women to come forward. And then the church must answer in response. Dr. White has delivered several series at Mecklenburg Community Church over the years that have touched on this subject. The series “#MeToo” has an installment called “#HomeToo” which specifically focuses on abuse within the home. It was touched on in the series “Holy Matrimony” looking at the Bible's view of marriage. It was also raised through the series “Man Up” exploring the biblical call to manhood. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please call the Domestic Violence Hotline at 737-225-3150. You can also find out how to create a safety plan on their safe-exit website 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. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

    38 min
  3. CCP120: On Christians Using Profanity

    AUG 30

    CCP120: On Christians Using Profanity

    In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a topic that was frequently suggested through our online form - whether it's okay for a Christian to use profanity. And the questions went beyond the individual level to the church at large. Because there has been a recent trend where churches seem to have become much more lenient when it comes to cursing and name-calling. Episode Links The fact that churches and church leaders have seemingly loosened up when it comes to profanity is actually part of a larger trend of a general loosening within evangelicalism itself. This was the topic of a recent podcast episode that we'd recommend you go back and listen to if you missed it: CCP117: On the Loosening of Evangelicalism. The trend we're seeing within the church is absolutely reflective of a trend in today's culture where a coarsening has taken place - there is very little shock value today even when hearing someone use the “F-word.” Dr. White mentioned an article in Psychology Today written by Dr. Valerie Fridland that discussed this topic at length. You can find that article 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. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

    29 min
  4. CCP119: On Miracles

    AUG 16

    CCP119: On Miracles

    In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a topic that's surprisingly not been tackled yet on the podcast: miracles. Today's conversation dives into the definition of miracles, their prevalence and purpose in Scripture, the Catholic Church's stance on miracles, and whether they still happen today. Episode Links The Catholic Church is trying to get a firm hold on supernatural phenomena and claims of the miraculous around the globe. There was a recent article by Claire Giangravé in Religion News Service titled “Vatican issues new norms to rein in supernatural phenomena” explaining how the Catholic Church must now approve all supposed miracles and are urging people not to post about them until they have been confirmed. This is especially important when it comes to determining whether someone will be classified as a “saint” by the Vatican. You may find it helpful to read a BBC News article on that subject HERE. When discussing whether miracles can still happen today, Dr. White brought up a series that he developed at Mecklenburg Community Church titled “Same God.” The idea behind the series is the importance of reminding ourselves that the God we have today is the exact same God we read about in the Bible. When we hear of His goodness and mercy and miracles and love, it is to the very same God we are in a relationship with now. You can find that series on Church & Culture 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. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

    34 min
  5. CCP118: On Prebunking

    AUG 9

    CCP118: On Prebunking

    In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss prebunking, the concept of trying to expose falsehoods before they even come about. The concept of prebunking is modeled after the way vaccines work, but targeted at false information. It involves creating an immune response in the brain to counter the disease of false information, hoaxes and conspiracy theories. In a world where misinformation and disinformation abound and are fueled by the prevalence of A.I., it's more critical than ever to be able to distinguish truth from deception. Episode Links An article in The Washington Post titled “Debunking misinformation failed. Welcome to ‘pre-bunking,'” sparked today's episode. It discussed how the idea of prebunking was drawn from the “inoculation theory” of the 1960s. The hope is that prebunking efforts will stem the spread of misinformation ahead of the 2024 election. As mentioned, A.I. is exacerbating the problem, making it increasingly difficult to root out fake stories and headlines. We tackled the topic of A.I. on the C&C Podcast - if you missed that episode you can find it HERE. Another recent podcast episode can shed some light on why prebunking is needed: CCP113: On Metamodernism. It looked at how we now have a culture that empowers the individual to first determine right ethics for themselves and then to find a corresponding religion or group that fits. This is simply fueling the struggle to recognize truth in our day. 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. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

    26 min
  6. CCP117: On the Loosening of Evangelicalism

    AUG 2

    CCP117: On the Loosening of Evangelicalism

    In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a recent article in Christianity Today titled “The Loosening of Evangelicalism” written by Brad East. As the title implies, he gives his observations on the loosening of social norms within the church that has taken place for the last 25 years or so, particularly when it comes to changes in attitudes regarding alcohol, tattoos, dancing, gambling and mothers working outside of the home. So what, if any, are the implications of this shift when it comes to the church and how we are engaging with today's culture? Episode Links Interestingly, Dr. White gave a series at Mecklenburg Community Church several years ago that addressed many of the topics East mentioned in his article. The series was called “Is it okay for a Christian to…” and filled in the blanks with everything from gambling to watching R-rated movies to getting tattoos to smoking marijuana. You can find that series on Church & Culture HERE. And for an outline of the four-stage matrix Dr. White mentioned to determine whether something is prohibited or acceptable, we'd encourage you to read the Church & Culture blog entry HERE. The Church & Culture Podcast has tackled some of the topics raised by East's article in the past. One area where culture has made a huge shift is in its embrace of marijuana. This was the topic of podcast discussion CCP74: On Smoking Marijuana and Drinking Wine that you can go back and listen to if you missed it. You can also check out CCP95: On Gambling, CCP79: On Cremation, CCP55: On Tattoos and Cosmetic Surgery and CCP22: On Yoga. Finally, Dr. White discussed the importance of the church not capitulating to culture. Specifically, he mentioned recent decisions made by the United Methodist Church that have most definitely not led to growth of those churches. He mentioned a book written by sociologist Dean Kelley called Why Conservative Churches Are Growing, which you can find 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. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

    34 min
  7. CCP116: On Jobs and Work (Part 2)

    JUL 26

    CCP116: On Jobs and Work (Part 2)

    In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they continue the discussion from last week's episode about jobs and our work. While part one of this conversation focused on our vocation and calling, part two examined how we, as Christ followers, are called to engage with our coworkers. Because as it stands right now, we appear to be struggling in this area. Episode Links An article in The Wall Street Journal titled, “The Loneliness of the American Worker,” shed light on an epidemic of isolation that seems to be present whether working in the office or remotely. There is certainly a need for people to find community through their workplace. However, it seems that some people may have over-and-above expectations for their employers to fill too many roles. A CNBC survey found that 56% of American workers are unwilling to work in an environment where their employers do not share their values. You can read that article HERE. The truth is, so many people are lacking the true community that can be found in the life of the church and a relationship with God. Dr. White recently wrote a blog about the book Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere written by Savannah Guthrie. She wrote a winsome, compelling, authentic, vulnerable apologetic for God's character and how we are called to be the aroma of Christ to the world 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. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

    32 min
  8. CCP115: On Jobs and Work (Part 1)

    JUL 19

    CCP115: On Jobs and Work (Part 1)

    In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they began a discussion about jobs and work but on a deeper level, delving into the ideas of calling and vocation. The effects of the pandemic can be seen in so many spheres of life, particularly through the lens of the American workforce. What seems to be missing is an understanding of the biblical view of work - something seldom taught in churches today. Episode Links Simone Stolzoff recently wrote an article in The Atlantic titled, “The Moral Case for Working Less.” The subheading to her article says: “We shouldn't work less simply because it allows us to be better workers. We should work less because it allows us to be better humans.” The younger generations seem to really resonate with these sentiments as they strive to have more of a work-life balance. The truth is, many people are already working less than they did prior to the pandemic. You can read more about this in an article by S.J. Steinhardt titled, “Report: Many Factors Contribute to Americans Working Fewer Hours Than They Did Pre-Pandemic.” Finally, as you heard mentioned in today's discussion, the ideas of vocation and calling are not often talked about in the life of the church, yet they are so important. There are two series that Dr. White gave at Mecklenburg Community Church that you may be interested in checking out: “Living On Purpose” and “Becoming a Difference Maker.” 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. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

    33 min
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4.7
out of 5
55 Ratings

About

The Church & Culture podcast is a weekly discussion with Dr. James Emery White on the latest trends happening in culture, and where and how the church should respond. While this podcast reflects on the church's part in what may be going on in the world, it is very much a show that anyone, no matter what walk of life you may have come from or are currently in, can glean useful information. Some episodes may be an extended conversation based off one of Dr. White's bi-weekly blog posts, as he does not shy away from the controversial hot topics. So to be ready for full context, be sure to subscribe to the Church & Culture Blog at ChurchandCulture.org.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. James Emery White
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2024
  • Episodes
    122
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 by Dr. James Emery White
  • Show Website
    Church & Culture Podcast

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