In this week's summertime rerun, Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye discuss the fact that as culture becomes less and less rooted in Christianity, and people (sadly) have more and more encounters with Christians who are not very Christlike, misconceptions and caricatures of the Christian faith seem to be growing. Today's discussion, which was a listener-submitted topic, will walk through four of the most common caricatures in today's culture.

Here are some series given by Dr. White at Mecklenburg Community Church related to the caricatures covered in today's discussion that you may be interested in taking a look at:

“The Science of God”

“Astrophysics… for People Who Are Open to God”

“Don't Check Your Brains at the Door”

“When God Makes Us Laugh”

“Why?”

And then here are a few past podcast episodes that you can go back and listen to in case you missed them that may add to today's discussion:

CCP103: On the Sudden Rise of LGBTQ

CCP92: On Challenges to Believing the Bible

CCP63: On Why Christians Are So Mean

CCP49: On Faith vs. Science

Finally, Dr. White mentioned a book that he wrote in the conversation today that you may want to check out: A Mind for God. It should also be noted here that he discussed a book by author Philip Yancey. Following the news that broke about Yancey's shadow life, we released another podcast episode you may want to go back and listen to: CCP179: On When a Beloved Leader Falls.

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 summertime rerun, Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye discuss a congressional hearing on the subject of UAPs - Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon - more commonly known as UFOs. There has been a surge in 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 other planets? We thought it worthwhile to revisit this early podcast episode.

Dr. White wrote a blog on this subject called “UFOs… Confirmed?” that explores the significance of what it would mean for life on other planets to be confirmed. During the podcast, they also mentioned a book series called The Space Trilogy written by C.S. Lewis that you can find HERE on Amazon. Finally, it may also be helpful to listen to a series Dr. White delivered at Mecklenburg Community Church called “Astrophysics… for People Who Are Open to God.” It explores our fascination with cosmic things, and whether they point away from God or toward Him.

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 summertime rerun, Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye discuss a topic that we frequently get asked about at Church & Culture - 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 discussion lands. We thought it worth sharing this episode from our first season with you again.

There are three helpful resources that Dr. White mentioned during the podcast, particularly when it comes to the debate over passages found in Scripture referencing election and predestination, as well as an understanding of Arminianism. They are:

William Klein, The New Chosen People: A Corporate View of Election.

“N. T. Wright on Predestination and Election,” watch on YouTube HERE.

Roger Olson, Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities.

Another topic that came up frequently in the conversation was grace. Dr. White recently delivered a series at Mecklenburg Community Church called “Christianity's Most Scandalous Idea” that focused specifically on grace as it relates to the Christian faith. You can find that series HERE.

Finally, the idea of women in ministry and leadership within the church is a tension point for those who hold to Calvin's beliefs. You can listen to our recent podcast on that topic 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 submit your questions through the form on the podcast website HERE.

In this week's summertime rerun, Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye discuss a topic that was sparked by a series given by Dr. White at Mecklenburg Community Church called “Primordial: Genesis and the World's Primeval History.” The culture of our day seems to want to place science and faith at odds with each other when in reality everything in science compliments God's existence - in fact, it demands it. What's ironic is that the study of science itself was deeply rooted in a Christian worldview.

In addition to the aforementioned series at Meck, there are two other series that Dr. White led on this topic that would be very helpful to check out. The first is called “The Science of God” with installments that explore the science of God's existence, of God's creation and of faith. The second is “Astrophysics… for people who are open to God.” As a culture, we seem to be almost obsessed with cosmic headlines from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe. This series explores whether when you delve into such things, they point away from God or to Him?

Dr. White has also written blogs tied to today's conversation that we would encourage you to read. “A Post-Empirical God” discusses the concept of reductive naturalism and how scientists have become increasingly hostile towards religion. “From How to Who” is a blog that discusses the Scopes Trial you heard mentioned in today's episode. It points to the fact that the real issue of our day is not between creation and evolution, but rather between theism and naturalism. Finally, he wrote a blog titled “UFOs… Confirmed?” taking a look at the significance of life on other planets and how future discoveries in science may impact our faith.

Dr. White's book Christianity for People Who Aren't Christians: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions is a great resource for you or others you may know who are open to exploring the Christian faith. He takes on the topic of faith vs. science in this book as well. You can find it HERE on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller.

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 submit your questions through the form on the podcast website HERE.

In this week's summertime rerun, Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye discuss the (still) 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 within the Church.

Dr. White has written several blogs that may serve as helpful additions to today's conversation, such as a blog titled “Beth Moore in the Pulpit,” in which he explores the complementarian vs. egalitarian views held by many within the Church. And one of the most foundational things Dr. White laid out was to follow “The Biblical Model of Leadership.” The conversation also touched on Jesus and how He viewed women. Check out this blog simply titled “Sexism” to explore more about this.

Also mentioned was the letter of I Timothy in the New Testament and how that has impacted many churches' views on women in ministry. Dr. White mentioned that a good book on this is The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus by John R.W. Stott.

And at the beginning of the discussion you heard Alexis mention a conversation that took place in a Christianity Today podcast titled “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill.” While the entire podcast had a lot to contribute to the topic of women in the Church, Episode 13 in particular includes an insightful interview with the CEO of CT, Tim Dalrymple.

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 submit your questions through the form on the podcast website HERE.

In this week's summertime rerun, Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye discuss the importance of examining mental health as it relates to the church, as our nation continues to experience severe increases in depression, suicide and more. This is a topic where the church has typically been silent, leading to a great deal of private suffering. Now, more than ever, this needs to end.

There are some blogs written by Dr. White on the topic of mental health that you will find very helpful to read. The blog titled “Suicide and the Church” addresses the fact that suicide has become the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. The digital revolution has added fuel to this fire, as we've become increasingly isolated online. You can read about this in a blog titled, “What the Online World Is Doing to Us.”

As Dr. White said in this episode, the church cannot remain silent and depression is a topic that needs to be brought to light. You may find it helpful to check out a series delivered at Mecklenburg Community Church called “Fix Me.” The installments covered are: “A Prozac Nation,” “The 8th Deadly Sin” and “Extreme Makeover: Inside Edition.” You can also find an installment on mental health in the series “How to Be a New You in the New Year.”

Finally, Alexis and Jim talked about the term “self care” that is continually thrown around, and what the Bible really has to say about this topic. You can listen to “CCP19: On Self Care” on the Church & Culture website HERE or watch it on YouTube 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 on the podcast page.

In this week's summertime rerun, Dr. White and co-host Alexis Drye discuss the highly controversial idea of Christian Nationalism. With tomorrow marking the 250th birthday of the United States, we thought it fitting to share this episode with our listeners again. The original episode took place right after Election Day 2022. It was a day that proved exciting for some and disheartening for others. For many Christians, they look at negative political ads, hear rhetoric being spoken by the candidates on both sides of the political fence and wonder, “What happened to a Christian America?” But is that truly what we are meant to be?

There are some blogs written by Dr. White related to this topic that you will find very helpful to read. “On Being a Political Christian” discusses how our Christian identify is far more important than whether we consider ourselves to be Republicans or Democrats. You can also read what Dr. White had to say in a blog titled “Is Christian Nationalism True?”

Talking about anything related to politics is often a difficult area for pastors to tread, especially as our country seems to become increasingly divided. A very helpful series that can serve pastors and church members alike is titled “Where Angels Fear to Tread: Meck Talks Politics.” You'll find the mp3 and pdf versions of that series on the Church & Culture website.

Finally, if a topic like this is of interest to you, you will also enjoy going back to listen to CCP12: On Legislated Morality where Alexis and Dr. White discuss whether those of us who consider ourselves Christ followers should try to legislate moral issues.

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 masculinism - a topic prompted by a recent article written by Helen Lewis for The Atlantic titled “The Men Who Want Women to Be Quiet.” The article explored the movement underway by Douglas Wilson, the co-founder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, who has been working for half a century to cast his theocratic vision for our country. Core among his beliefs is his position that women have overstepped their boundaries. He wants them out of political office, out of the military and out of the polling booths. Why is this idea of masculinism taking hold in some spheres?

There are two articles that Dr. White noted at the top of the episode that point to recent events related to the invasion of masculinism in everything from the SBC to Judaism:

Daniel Estrin, “Israel allows women to take rabbinic test for 1st time, but not become Orthodox rabbis,” NPR.

Scott Barkley, “Mohler to call for ‘Truth & Unity' amendment to SBC Constitution at annual meeting,” Baptist Press.

Bob Smietana, “Southern Baptists Move Closer to Constitutional Ban on Women Pastors,” Christianity Today.

Dr. White also noted how some of this movement has stemmed from the idea of men being lost in our world today. There was a past podcast episode that he mentioned that we'd suggest you go back and listen to -CCP111: On Gen Z Men Failing to Launch - as well as a blog simply titled “Lost Men.” There's also a very helpful article written by Christine Emba in The Washington Post titled “Men are lost. Here's a map out of the wilderness.” And then there are two additional past podcast episodes related to men that we'd suggest you check out: CCP72: On Toxic Masculinity and CCP101: On "Bluey" and Modern Fatherhood.

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 recent lawsuit against the fast-food chain Chick-fil-A. Lauren Weber wrote an article in The Wall Street Journal that prompted today's conversation titled, “Sundays Are Sacred at Chick-fil-A. The U.S. Says a Worker's Saturday Sabbath Is, Too.” The restaurant is known for giving employees Sundays off to observe the Christian Sabbath, but found themselves being sued for denying an employee's request to have Saturdays off. Her denomination, the United Church of God, observes the Sabbath on Saturdays. So which day should the church observe? And what, really, defines a Sabbath?

The practice of observing a Sabbath day is something that has been declining among people who would consider themselves Christ followers. However, God felt that this was such an important part of our lives that the call to observe the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments. Dr. White delivered a series at Mecklenburg Community Church simply titled, “Ten,” which explored the biblical and cultural significance of each of the Ten Commandments. You can find that series at Church & Culture HERE.

As Dr. White explained, as a society we've so overly cluttered our lives that it's hard for so may of us to even wrap our heads around taking a day to rest and renew. He referenced an old article from Newsweek featuring Neil Rudenstine, the (then) president of Harvard University, who once faced extreme exhaustion. It was titled “Breaking Point,” and you can read that article HERE.

He also discussed a 2025 Forbes article about how an increasing number of employees are taking sabbaticals, something that's really helping with career longevity. You can read the article titled “Why More Professionals Are Taking Sabbaticals—And How It's Transforming Work And Well-Being” HERE.

Dr. White referenced a recent announcement from the American Academy of Pediatrics updating their policy statement on the need for children to return to more play. He used this as inspiration for a recent Church & Culture blog titled “We All Need Recess,” which you can read HERE.

Finally, Dr. White discussed the importance of the church needing to teach on topics related to rest and the Sabbath. In addition to the series “Ten,” we'd encourage you to check out another recent series that he gave called “Quieting Your Life.” This series explored the call to quiet ourselves, how we need to be quiet and seek quiet, and the significance of a daily quiet time. 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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the newest parent in town - the “beta mom.” From tiger moms to helicopter moms to dolphin moms, as a culture we love to find labels for the myriad of ways to parent. As the title of the article in the Wall Street Journal (which prompted today's conversation) put it, “The Era of the Tiger Mom Is Over. Enter the Beta Mom.”

This is not the first time that parenting and the cultural challenges that both young people and their parents are facing has been a topic of the podcast. Here are a collection of past episodes that we think you might like to go back and listen to if you missed them:

CCP188: On Cultural Attacks on Parental Authority

CCP176: On Parents and Grandparents

CCP124: On Parenting Being Hazardous to Your Health

CCP98: On Generation Alpha

CCP70: On Social Media and Mental Health

CCP60: On Gentle Parenting

Parenting has also been the focus of a number of message series that Dr. White has given at Mecklenburg Community Church over the years. You can find those gathered under the “Marriage and Family” category 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.