This summer, we're taking a short break from our regular podcast format, and instead have selected various installments from past message series given by James Emery White at Mecklenburg Community Church where he serves as the Senior Pastor. "The Tower of Babel" was the sixth installment of a series titled, "Primordial: Genesis and the World's Primeval History." Primordial is defined as that which has existed since the beginning of time. The first book of the Bible - Genesis - begins with the words “In the beginning..." So what do we really know about the beginning of time and those earliest chapters of human history? How do we grapple with all that it holds in light of fact vs. fiction, or science vs. religion? Today's episode will walk through what really happened when the tower of Babel was constructed, and the cultural implications for our day.

Below you'll find the link to the full series if that's something you are interested in checking out, along with the sources that were used in the development of the message itself:

"Primordial: Genesis and the World's Primeval History"

John Walton, “Beware Our Tower of Babel,” Christianity Today, read online.

John Walton, The Expositors Bible Commentary (Zondervan).

Wayne Jackson, “Where Did the Different “Races” Come From?” Christian Courier, read online.

Genesis Apologetics, “A Biblical View on Race,” YouTube, watch online.

To find more messages on marriage given by Dr. White at Meck, you can click 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.

This summer, we're taking a short break from our regular podcast format, and instead have selected various installments from past message series given by James Emery White at Mecklenburg Community Church where he serves as the Senior Pastor. While topics related to marriage have been the focus of previous Church & Culture podcast episodes, we've never engaged this particular aspect of marriage before in our discussions. This installment titled "Marrying Outside of Your Faith" was a part of a series called "Don't Do Stupid: Marriage Edition." Because the Bible is incredibly clear about what happens when a couple is unequally yoked.

Below you'll find the link to the full series if that's something you are interested in checking out, along with the sources that were used in the development of the message itself:

"Don't Do Stupid: Marriage Edition"

James Emery White, Christianity for People Who Aren't Christians: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions, order on Amazon.

To find more messages on marriage given by Dr. White at Meck, you can click 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.

This summer, we're taking a short break from our regular podcast format, and instead have selected various installments from past message series given by James Emery White at Mecklenburg Community Church where he serves as the Senior Pastor. All things gender continues to be a hot-button issue in today's culture, making headlines around the globe for various reasons. We thought that sharing this installment of the Meck series called "Gender" would set a firm foundation for everyone and answer questions that you may have when it comes to the theology of sexual identity.

Below you'll find the link to the full series if that's something you are interested in checking out, along with the sources that were used in the development of the message itself:

“Gender”

Preston Sprinkle, Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church and What the Bible Has to Say (David C. Cook, 2021).

“A Mister No More: Mr. Potato Head Goes Gender Neutral,” AP/USA Today, February 26, 2021.

Colin M. Wright and Emma N. Hilton, “The Dangerous Denial of Sex,” The Wall Street Journal, February 13, 2020.

Steven Rhoads, Taking Sex Differences Seriously.

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.

This summer, we're taking a short break from our regular podcast format, and instead have selected various installments from past message series given by James Emery White at Mecklenburg Community Church where he serves as the Senior Pastor. Today's episode comes from a series we called "The Science of God" with this installment focusing on "The Science of Faith." You see, there are many deal-breakers for those who are unchurched when it comes to the Christian faith. The biggest deal-breaker, though, seems to be what lies in the realm of public truth, meaning science. The existence of God, creation, evolution, the latest discoveries in astrophysics... that's where people long for answers. But how do you find answers when it comes to something like faith?

Below you'll find the link to the full series if that's something you are interested in checking out, along with the sources that were used in the development of the message itself:

"The Science of God"

Ed Stetzer, “When Will Churches Be Back? Vital Information for Churches and Christian Leaders,” Christianity Today, January 13, 2021.

Ian Barbour, When Science Meets Religion: Enemies, Strangers, or Partners? (London: SPCK, 2000).

For an informed critique of many of the more popular aspects of applied naturalism, see Phillip E. Johnson, Reason in the Balance: The Case Against Naturalism in Science, Law and Education (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1995).

Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (New York: Random House, 1995).

How I Changed My Mind About Evolution: Evangelicals Reflect on Faith and Science, ed. by Kathryn Applegate and J.B. Stump (IVP).

Nietzsche's famed “God is dead” passage can be found in section 125 of The Gay Science, available in The Portable Nietzsche, ed. Walter Kaufmann (New York: Penguin, 1982).

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.

Today's episode of the Church & Culture Podcast is quite different from the norm. This summer, we're taking a short break from our regular podcast format, and instead have selected various installments from past message series given by James Emery White at Mecklenburg Community Church where he serves as the Senior Pastor. There is no doubt that today's culture has become incredibly polarized - particularly when it comes to politics. That's why many churches avoid the topic altogether. It's also why we named this series at Meck "Where Angels Fear to Tread: Meck Talks Politics." Because church members often have questions like: Does God take political sides and, if so, which ones? Is America a Christian nation and is that even the goal? Are there values meant to guide us when it comes to politics? Do all Christians, if they are truly Christian, have to vote the same way? Does embracing the Christian faith automatically lead you to one particular political party? What if, as a Christian, you feel politically homeless - too conservative for the progressives, and too progressive for the conservatives? In this installment Dr. White explores the mark of a Christian and how we are called to engage the political realm.

Below you'll find the link to the full series if that's something you are interested in checking out, along with the sources that were used in the development of the message itself:

"Where Angels Fear to Tread: Meck Talks Politics"

The Apology of Tertullian, AD 197.

Francis Schaeffer, The Mark of the Christian.

Robert Corin Morris, “The Christians are Fighting – Again,” Weavings, Volume XXII, Number 2, March/April 2007, pp. 24-32.

Joy Davidman, Smoke on the Mountain (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1953/1954), pp. 77-78.

Jennifer Senior, “The Ginsburg-Scalia Act Was Not a Farce,” The New York Times, September 22, 2020.

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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the rising popularity of “pickleball.” Invented in 1965, this sport combines tennis, table tennis and badminton and is attracting people of all ages and backgrounds. Capitalizing on its popularity are plenty of businesses, athletic associations and even churches. This discussion delves into the uniqueness of pickleball but then goes further to discuss the broader relationship between churches and sports. Dr. White riffs on sports ministries and how churches can and must navigate the increasingly demanding world of youth sports. He also dives into the individual Christian's relationship to sports and the priority we give them in our lives.

Today's conversation was sparked by an article by Religion News titled, “Churches hope to tap the power of pickleball”, but as mentioned in the podcast, the church's relationship with sports dates back much further. You can read more about the history of sports ministry, provided by GameDay Sports Ministries HERE, or by The Christian Athlete HERE.

Alexis mentioned a handful of past podcast discussions she and Dr. White had on a few aspects of modern culture that provide some helpful cultural context, such as the current pandemic of loneliness (CCP76: On the Never Marrieds), the desire for religious experiences (CCP145: On Whether Churches Should be Churchy), and why men are looking for “manly” churches (CCP135: On Women Leaving the Church).

Pertinent to today's conversation is an exploration of the role of athletics in the lives of families. For more on that topic, here are some links you might be interested in checking out:

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, “Youth Sports, Healthy Families, and the Future of the Church,” The Gospel Coalition.

Melissa Steffan, “The Main Reason for Declining Church Attendance: Children's Sports?,” Christianity Today.

More broadly, Dr. White discussed the way in which sports have become somewhat of a modern religion, with many attributing religious-like experiences to sports highlights or god-like statuses to athletes. To read more about that, here are some suggested resources:

Kurt Streeter, “In Troubled Times, the Sports World Offers a Necessary Salve,” The New York Times.

David Briggs, “The Final Four, travel teams and empty pews: Research on sports and religion,” The Association of Religion Data Archives.

Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly, All Things Shining.

David Brooks, “The Arena Culture,” The New York Times.

While sports may seem to provide echoes of something truly transcendent, the real source can be found in the God of the Christian faith. Dr. White shares about C.S. Lewis' journey to God as captured in his autobiography, Surprised by Joy.

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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the rise of the “romantasy” genre of literature, as well as the definition and implications of pornography. Is porn only that which you watch visually? What's the difference between reading a sex scene and seeing one? The discussion also explores the increasing consumption of pornography among women, the intersection of literature and pornography, and the reasons behind the popularity of romance novels. Finally, it offers a Christian perspective on navigating romance literature and its potential impact on personal relationships.

Today's conversation was sparked by a recent podcast conversation on Christianity Today titled “The Rise of Women's Porn with Phylicia Masonheimer.” The truth is, porn is a topic that the Church must be more open about discussing as it's so harmful to those who consume it - maybe without them even realizing it. While romantasy books are growing in popularity, this is not the first time that books have been written that could be labeled as “mommy porn.” There is a series that Dr. White delivered at Mecklenburg Community Church that we'd encourage you to check out. Titled “Fifty Shades,” it takes a very candid look at the book Fifty Shades of Grey and the implications for those who read it.

For the statistics on porn addiction, we'd suggest you visit the addictionhelp.com page specifically devoted to porn stats HERE. And then regarding some of the other articles and data mentioned in today's episode, here are some links that you may be interested in checking out:

Keiran Southern, “Watching Pornography Destroyed My Brain, Says Pop Star Billie Eilish,” The Times UK.

Nicola Woolcock, “Young Girls Are ‘Bombarded' With Sexual Images Online,” The Times UK.

India Knight, “Porn Survey 2019: How Internet Pornography Is Changing the Way We Have Sex,” The Times UK.

Josh Pieters, “I Slept With 100 Men in One Day | Documentary,” YouTube.

Charles Trepany, “An OnlyFans Model's Viral Documentary and Why It Sparked a Major Conversation About Sex,” USA Today.

Helen Lewis, “The Outrage Over 100 Men Only Goes So Far,” The Atlantic.

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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a new Pew Research study that was conducted with participants from three dozen countries, reflecting a wide range of religious traditions. The findings showed that not only is belief in life after death widespread, but so is a belief in spirits. The majority of adults in most countries believe that animals and parts of nature can have spirits or spiritual energies - think mountains or rivers or trees. This begs the question: what is a spirit, at least as defined by those who believe in them? Is this the same thing as a soul? And what about ghosts?

The podcast recently looked at a topic related to life after death, specifically the occurrence of near-death experiences. You can find that episode HERE. And as Alexis mentioned, this is not the first time that the podcast has delved into the spiritual realm. We'd encourage you to go back and listen to these past episodes if you missed them: CCP11: On Wicca, CCP58: On Your Horoscope and Starbucks, and CCP77: On Angels.

Dr. White discussed the importance of having a sound understanding of Christian theology when it comes to things related to the spirit and the soul, particularly the knowledge of what it means to be made in the image of God. There is a fantastic course offered through Church & Culture called “Theology on Tap,” exploring answers Christians give to questions people have about God and all things related to God. You can find out more about that course HERE.

Finally, there are two series we suggest you check out that were delivered by James Emery White at Mecklenburg Community Church. The first is called “Paranormal” looking at the world of the occult and the map of our spiritual world. The second is called “So What's the Difference?,” which took a look at the key differences between Christianity and the religions of the world. As Dr. White said, in today's culture the younger generations seem to think that they are following the beliefs of the Christian faith while in reality, they are simply picking and choosing the parts of all the world's religions they like the best.

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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they take time to discuss all things related to the pope in light of the recent death of Pope Francis at the age of 88. He served as the head of the Catholic Church for 12 years, and his death certainly sparked a media storm. So this episode takes time to explore the history of the office of the pope, how future popes are elected through the process of the conclave, and more.

Dr. White mentioned the attention that the 2024 movie Conclave, has been getting, particularly since Pope Francis passed away. Holly Meyer wrote an article recently for Associated Press News titled, “So you saw ‘Conclave' the movie. Here's what it got right – and wrong – about real-life conclaves.” You can read that article HERE.

And then, if this episode sparked an interest in learning more about the papacy, here are a number of articles we'd suggest you check out:

“What are the Catholic Church's rites after the death of a pope and the election of a new one?” Los Angeles Times.

Russell Moore, “A US Evangelical Considers Pope Francis,” Christianity Today.

Olivia B. Waxman, “Pope Francis, the ‘World's Parish Priest' Who Led in an Era of Crisis, Dies at 88,” Time.

Joel Hodge and Antonia Pizzey, “Pope Francis has died, aged 88. These were his greatest reforms – and controversies,” The Conversation.

Thomas Reese, “Why the synod on synodality is confusing to American Catholics,” National Catholic Reporter.

“Sede vacante: What happens now, and who is in charge?” The Pillar.

Greta Cross, “Conclave smoke: What black and white smoke signal during election of a new pope,” USA Today.

Colleen Barry, “Tens of thousands file into St. Peter's Basilica to pay final respects to Pope Francis,” AP News.

Ross Douthat, “Can the Catholic Church Quit the Culture Wars?” The New York Times.

Marc Ramirez, “Pope Francis was the first Jesuit pope of the Catholic Church. What is a Jesuit?” USA Today.

Matthew Walther, “The Real Legacy of Pope Francis,” The Atlantic.

Brian McGill & Marcus Walker, “Picking a Pope: Inside the World's Most Secretive Election,” The Wall Street Journal.

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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss how just a few weeks ago YouTube celebrated its 20th anniversary. Few could have imagined that a 19-second video of a man looking at elephants at the San Diego Zoo could have led to the creation of a global media powerhouse. With 20 billion videos having been uploaded to date, we thought it was fitting to discuss the countless ways that YouTube has revolutionized media and our culture.

In today's episode, Dr. White shared a ton of facts and figures on YouTube related to its history, its growth and where it's headed in the future. Here are a collection of articles and blogs that we'd encourage you to take a look at if you're interested in learning more or finding any stats that were shared today:

Wendy Lee, “YouTube turns 20 years old. How it changed TV as we know it,” Los Angeles Times.

Todd Spangler, “YouTube Says It Now Hosts More Than 20 Billion Videos, Unveils New Features and Easter Eggs in 20th Birthday Celebration,” Variety.

Dade Hayes, “YouTube's Revenue Will Top Disney's This Year As It Becomes “The Home For All Things Video”, Analyst Says,” Deadline.

James Hardy, “Who Invented YouTube: The Visionaries Behind the Digital Revolution,” History Cooperative.

Viraj Mahesh, “20 ways we're celebrating two decades of YouTube,” YouTube Official Blog.

“YouTube” 1440.

If you're interested in checking out YouTube's first video ever posted, you can click HERE to watch “Me at the Zoo.” And you can click HERE to check out the most-viewed videos of all time on YouTube. And then Dr. White mentioned a recent news article discussing just how much people increasingly trust their peers and the type of content that they release on social media today. You can read “Gen Z increasingly listens to peers over doctors for health advice” found in Axios HERE.

Finally, Dr. White turned the conversation to the takeaways for the church, and how we need to meet people where they are at in order to share the message of Jesus with them. He wrote about this in depth in his book, Hybrid Church, which you can order from Amazon HERE. The primary way to meet people where they are in today's culture is through YouTube. If you are interested, here are some of the channels tied to Mecklenburg Community Church that he mentioned in the conversation today, including the link to the Church & Culture Podcast on YouTube if you're interested in checking us out there:

Mecklenburg Community Church | @MeckChurch

MecKidz Children's Ministry | @MecKidzChurch

REALIFE High School Ministry | @REALIFEHSM

MAXlife Middle School Ministry | @maxlifemsm7079

Meck Creative | @MeckCreative

Church & Culture | @churchandculture

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.