In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the rapidly changing landscape of Christian wellness. The wellness industry is now a multi-trillion dollar global market, one that some within the Christian faith are aiming to capitalize on. They are taking culture's focus on prevention and lifestyle choices and washing all of it in faith - putting a Christian label or a Christian personality behind it to move a product. And “Christian” social media influencers are having a lot of success in gaining the trust of other Christians.

Alexis mentioned the article that prompted today's discussion written by Kelsey Kramer McGinnis in Christianity Today titled “‘No Guardrails' for Some Christian Wellness Influencers.” In it she notes how influencers are using Christian language and isolated Bible verses to sell everything from energy drinks to supplements, skin care to gym clothes. And the lack of guardrails is a huge concern, particularly when it's spreading distrust of the medical world.

In response, Dr. White outlined what a social media influencer is. We had an earlier podcast episode on this topic that you can go back and listen to for a deeper discussion about influencers: CCP128: On Social Media Influencers. He also spent some time outlining the disproportionate influence that YouTube has had on our culture. Here's another past podcast episode that you can check out for more on this topic: CCP149: On YouTube.

Finally, there are four additional articles that we'd encourage you to check out that were helpful sources for today's conversation. You can get to them by clicking the titles below:

Coralie Kraft, “Why Some Teenage Girls Are Trading Medicine for MAHA,” The New York Times.

Alexa Lee, “9 influencers shaping health information online, for better or worse,” STAT News.

Ilana Amselem, “I Developed A Dark Obsession With 'Wellness.' Within Months, It Threatened To Consume My Life.” HuffPost.

Ian Bogost, “People Are Thinking About Looksmaxxing All Wrong,” 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 how much things have changed culturally when it comes to reasons for belief (or unbelief) in God. The conversation was sparked by an article in The Atlantic written by Elizabeth Bruenig titled “The Evidence That God Exists.” The article has a very interesting subtitle - “Searching for scientific proof for faith misunderstands faith” - which explains some of the challenges facing apologetics in our world today.

Dr. White mentioned how a functional atheism has invaded our culture and has played a significant role in the rise of the “nones” - those claiming no religious affiliation. Dr. White even wrote a book called The Rise of the Nones, which you can find on Amazon HERE. He and Alexis discussed how, when presented with evidence for belief in the Christian faith, many people in today's culture will respond by asking, “So what?” Dr. White tried to address a number of these questions through another book he wrote titled Christianity for People Who Aren't Christians: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions, which you can find on Amazon HERE.

Dr. White talked about the importance of addressing these questions for people who are open to exploring the Christian faith. There are a number of series that Dr. White has given over the years at Mecklenburg Community Church that would fall into this category. You can find those messages in both .mp3 and .pdf formats under the banners “Evangelism & Apologetics” and “Exploring Christianity” on the Church & Culture website.

There does seem to be renewed interest in science proving the existence of God. Alexis mentioned a book that was included in The Atlantic article above. That book is God, the Science, the Evidence written by Michel-Yves Bollore and Olivier Bonnassies, and you can find that resource on Amazon HERE.

And finally, the story that Dr. White shared toward the end of the episode about C.S. Lewis is one that you can find (among many others) in his book titled A Traveler's Guide to the Kingdom, which you can find as an eBook 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 some recent major court decisions that put parental authority and responsibility in the spotlight. The first was a Supreme Court ruling that California schools must notify the parents if a student expresses their desire to change their gender. The second was a case in Georgia, where a father was found guilty of murder and manslaughter for the crime committed by his son; guilty because he failed to heed clear warning signs in his son's behavior.

Dr. White wrote a recent blog on this topic titled, “Parental Rights and Responsibilities,” which you can read HERE. He also referenced another blog that he wrote called “The New Attack on Parenting,” which you can read HERE. And then here are two recent headlines that you can read for more information about both court cases referenced above:

James Romoser, “Supreme Court Says California Schools Should Notify Parents About Student Gender Changes,” The Wall Street Journal.

Rick Rojas and Johnny Kauffman, “Father's Murder Conviction in School Attack Puts New Onus on Parents,” The New York Times.

Another recent case from the Supreme Court awarded parents $1.5M over LGBTQ books saying that parents should have “the final say” on their children's education. You can read the article titled “Religious parents awarded $1.5M after Supreme Court win in LGBTQ+ books case“ HERE.

Dr. White spoke of the importance of the role of parents in the lives of their children; specifically, that they need to be involved, informed and in charge. He has incredibly helpful messages that he's given at Mecklenburg Community Church under the banner of “Marriage and Family,” which you can find HERE. It would also be helpful to listen to the installments of a series simply titled, “Gender.”

Finally, if you've missed past podcast episodes related to parents and children, we'd encourage you to go back and listen to these episodes: CCP176: On Parents and Grandparents, CCP170: On Teens and Their Online World, CCP161: On “Adolescence”, CCP98: On Generation Alpha and CCP60: On Gentle Parenting.

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 war with Iran, which the U.S. entered into on February 28. The attacks resulted in the assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and several other officials. And in response, Iran has launched missiles at various targets in Israel and US military bases. Today's conversation hopefully sheds some light on the history of the tension in the Middle East, as well as whether war can ever be just.

At the top of the podcast, Dr. White suggested a helpful resource for understanding more of the world's political order. Written by Richard Haass, you can find The World: A Brief Introduction at The Grounds Bookstore HERE. He also mentioned a past podcast episode that we highly suggest you go back and listen to for more of an understanding of Israel and their engagement with both Palestine and Iran: CCP80: On the War in Israel. This episode will help you understand why Jerusalem is such a flashpoint. There is another past episode that we'd recommend for understanding the differences between Christianity and Islam: CCP86: On Islam.

Alexis mentioned the article written by Russell Moore in Christianity Today titled “What the Iran War Could Do to Your Soul,” which you can find HERE. It really challenges people to think about the why behind their support or opposition to the war. And when it comes to whether the church should engage this current conflict, it would be helpful to go back to our recent episode: CCP185: On Bad Bunny, Monks and Immigration.

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 topic that is drifting away from its biblical moorings and increasingly misunderstood in culture: exorcism. Even individuals who would not consider themselves Christians are familiar with the Lord's Prayer, which includes the line, “deliver us from evil.” But what does that mean, and why the sudden cultural interest in exorcism?

Dr. White mentioned a book that he wrote called The Prayer God Longs For. It walks through the Lord's Prayer, including a chapter that focuses on the deliverance from evil or the "evil one" (Satan). You can find it as an ebook on Church & Culture HERE. He also mentioned the work of C.S. Lewis called The Screwtape Letters - a fascinating book about the nature of temptation and demonic work in our lives. You can find that book at The Grounds Bookstore and Café HERE. Another resource that Dr. White mentioned, which you can also find in The Grounds, is Lee Strobel's Seeing the Supernatural. You can find that book HERE.

The discussion continued with a look at who Satan is, and an overview of the world of the occult. There are so many ways that the occult invades culture today, and most people are not even aware of it. There was a series that Dr. White delivered at Mecklenburg Community Church a number of years ago on the subject called “Paranormal.” The installments of this series include the map of the spiritual world, the marks of the occult, and the armor of God. There are also some past podcast episodes that you may want to go back and listen to related to today's conversation including: CCP151: On Spirits and Ghosts, CCP77: On Angels, CCP66: On Satanism, and CCP58: On Your Horoscope and Starbucks.

Finally, there are two articles that were mentioned in today's episode that you may be interested in reading. The first is written by Kaya Burgess in The Telegraph titled “Demand for exorcisms rises as faithful want ‘deliverance from evil.'” The second article was just released this week in the London Times, written by Tom Kington, and titled “Devil worshippers are using AI, exorcists are warned” discussing fears that pedophiles are using AI to create images of children participating in satanic rites.

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 topic that was prompted by a recent blog from Dr. White titled, “From Bad Bunny to Buddhist Monks: Navigating the News Cycle.” Church leaders are often expected to speak to what's happening with the current news cycle. While many attenders realize it's unrealistic for their church to speak to every issue, everyone at some point is drawn to a particular news story they feel demands a response, statement or a stand from their church. So how do pastors and church leaders contend with all of this?

At the top of the episode, Alexis mentioned how the Church & Culture Podcast topics are inspired by everything from what's trending in culture, to the latest news stories, to other “hot” podcasts, as well as listener-submitted questions. (By the way, if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the C&C Podcast you can submit your questions HERE.)

Dr. White mentioned some earlier episodes on the podcast that were drawn from cultural trends including: CCP163: On "KPop Demon Hunters, CCP44: On Artificial Intelligence, and CCP182: On Telepathy. These topics were chosen because many Christians wrestle with how to think Christianly about them and discern whether the Bible has anything to say about them. Then there are episodes about topics over which Christians are divided. These would include past episodes such as: CCP21: On Gender, CCP151: On Spirits and Ghosts, and CCP132: On Near-Death Experiences.

Alexis also posed the question about determining which news-cycle issues to address as a pastor to the church. Dr. White referenced two series in particular that he delivered at Mecklenburg Community Church. The first was “Is it okay for a Christian to…” and covered the following topics: watching Game of Thrones, smoking marijuana and drinking wine, gambling, doing yoga, voting for ________, getting a tattoo, having cosmetic surgery or being cremated, participating in a gay wedding, and not going to church. The second was titled, “What the Bible Really Says About…” and covered these popular issues: A.I., politics, immigration, IVF and abortion, and angels.

Dr. White also addressed the need to speak to major events when they happen, particularly when there is a need to restore dignity and remind people that we are called to love one another. He noted two events in particular - the murder of George Floyd and the murder of Charlie Kirk. At the time of Floyd's death, Dr. White had a panel discussion at the church, which became our weekend service. You can find “Going Forward: Next Steps” HERE. And then the Sunday after Charlie Kirk was killed, he took time before the series message to offer condolences and a prayer. The transcript from that message was turned into a blog, 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. Thanks for listening!

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a difficult subject that has so many nuances - suicide. And they prayed that they'd handle today's conversation delicately. The previous podcast episode - CCP183: On Counseling and Therapy - provided a segue to this subject since, along with the rise in those seeking counseling, there has also been a nationwide rise in the number of deaths caused by suicide. And the big question most often asked by those within the Christian faith is: Is suicide an unforgivable sin?

Dr. White shared some data from the CDC which found that from 2002 to 2022, the rates of suicide increased by 30%, and that in the year 2023, suicide became the 11th leading cause of death. As Dr. White noted, suicide is considered a form of murder - it is the killing of yourself - and violates one of the Ten Commandments. Dr. White gave a series at Mecklenburg Community Church called “Ten,” which looks at what the Bible says specifically about each of these commands from God. You can find that series on Church & Culture HERE.

The conversation also explained the idea of apostasy - the act of abandoning one's faith. If you missed it, we'd encourage you to go back and listen to CCP131: On Losing Your Salvation. Another past podcast episode that is relevant for today's conversation is CCP48: On Medically Assisted Suicide.

Finally, Alexis mentioned a book written by David Biebel and Suzanne Foster called Finding Your Way after the Suicide of Someone You Love: Help and Hope for an Unexpected Journey that many of our listeners may find helpful if they've lost someone to suicide.

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 recent findings from the CDC National Health Interview Survey which showed that approximately 14% (or 1 in 7) of adults in the U.S. received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional as of 2024. This is a significant increase from 2019 data, and behind the rise are mainly young adults, those between 18 and 34 years old. So what's behind this growing rise in counseling, and are all types of counseling created equal?

A general knowledge of the world of mental health has increased in recent years, and the stigma behind seeking treatment for mental health issues has decreased. Anxiety has been one of the greatest mental health issues of our day. Dr. White recently gave a message at Mecklenburg Community Church called “The Anxious Generation” that you can find HERE.

They also discussed how Christian beliefs may play a role in discouraging therapy. For example, some Christians might question whether therapy replaces God or minimizes the healing that God is able to provide. The truth is that even some of the leaders within the Christian faith have struggled with depression and other mental health issues. Dr. White wrote a blog to help dispel this stigma called “Suicide and the Church” that we'd suggest you to take a moment to read. There is also a past podcast episode we'd encourage you to go back and listen to called CCP36: On Mental Health that addresses this subject as well.

Finally, Dr. White mentioned the writings of Dr. Larry Crabb, author of Inside Out and Connecting, who wrote how treating mental health issues only as psychological disorders may cheapen the mysterious battle raging deep within the soul. In other words, therapy is not the answer for everything. Faith and prayer do still come into play. This is why it's so important to seek out Christian counselors who've been specifically trained to provide both clinical counseling and spiritual guidance.

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 topic that's gained traction in today's culture thanks, in large part, to the series Stranger Things. Telepathy is the alleged direct communication of thoughts, feelings and ideas between minds without using speech, without using writing, and without using any other normal physical signals. It's often considered a form of ESP or extrasensory perception. But is it real? Can people really communicate mind to mind?

The idea of telepathy falls into the category of the supernatural - the disclosure of information that was unknown or unavailable to humans through normal means. And it's an area where Christians need to tread lightly. This has been the topic of past podcast episodes we'd suggest you revisit, including CCP3: On Hypnosis and Meditation and CCP58: On Your Horoscope and Starbucks.

Dr. White also explained that telepathy is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, however Scripture does note how Jesus was able to know the thoughts of the Scribes in Matthew 9. Meaning that God - and God alone - is capable of doing something like this. For more on telepathy and the Bible, we'd suggest you check out an article titled “What does the Bible say about telepathy or psycho-kinesis?,” which you can find HERE.

The “Telepathy Tapes” podcast series attempted to make a case for evidence of telepathic abilities among non-speaking individuals with autism. The podcast received strong criticism from many in the scientific community citing cases where they misrepresented data and information. Dr. White encouraged Christians to steer clear of the content in the podcasts.

Finally, the conversation then turned from telepathy to telekinesis or psychokinesis - the ability to manipulate objects with your mind without physical contact. It was noted how the church of Scientology believes and affirms this ability. Scientology was the topic of a past Church & Culture Podcast. We'd encourage you to go back and listen to CCP35: On Scientology.

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 viral parody from comedian Druski taking a jab at prosperity gospel preachers and megachurch culture. While some took offense to the skit, others viewed it as a good wake-up call for pastors like the people parodied in the video. It begs the question, are all megachurches mishandling money?

There was a good article on this topic from Religion News Service titled “Druski's viral parody of flashy preachers renews debate over wealth in the pulpit.” We'd encourage you to take a few minutes to read that article HERE. Druski is not the first to notice preachers who like to draw attention to their ostentatious wealth. As Dr. White mentioned, the Instagram account @preachersnsneakers (which has more than 325K followers) is devoted to pointing out ways that some pastors choose to flaunt their wealth from the pulpit.

This is not the first time that megachurches have been a topic on the Church & Culture Podcast. We'd encourage you to go back and listen to CCP31: On Celebrity Pastors, CCP40: On Criticism of Megachurches, and CCP51: On Prosperity Preaching.

Dr. White had commentary to offer on those who would condemn the megachurch model, as though all churches were meant to be small. He wrote about this in a blog titled “Should Churches Meet in Houses?” which you can find HERE. He also spoke of the importance of clear teaching about giving, and how the Church is called to use those gifts. If you would like to see some of his past teachings at Mecklenburg Community Church on this topic, you can find those gathered 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.