In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the incredibly important role that money can play in a marriage. While many couples focus on the wedding and the checklist of what needs to get done before the wedding day, few realize the importance of discussing personal finances and how they view and value money.

At the top of the episode, Alexis mentioned an article written by Jake Hays for the Pew Research Center titled “8 facts about divorce in the United States.” The purpose of the study was to look at causes for the very high divorce rate in the U.S. and, in particular, why so many divorces happen so quickly - often within the first five years of marriage. Money was the reason behind many of those failed marriages.

Dr. White referenced a recent string of articles from The Wall Street Journal that are related to today's topic of marriage and money. They discuss things like financial infidelity, why men and women choose to often have separate finances, and how what we value when it comes to money can be a factor. You can find those articles below. You can also find the National Endowment for Financial Education study that Dr. White mentioned HERE.

Julia Carpenter, “What We Fight About When We Fight About Money.”

Gunjan Banerji, “Inside the ‘Financial Infidelities' That Tear Marriages Apart.”

Allie Jones, “She Almost Lost Everything in Her Divorce. Now Women Are Learning From Her Mistakes.”

Finally, for those interested in some pastoral wisdom when it comes to both marriage and money, we'd encourage you to check out the many marriage and finance series that Dr. White has delivered at Mecklenburg Community Church. You can find the various series on marriage and family HERE, and the series on finances 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 a topic that you might be wildly unfamiliar with - death doulas. Today's discussion was prompted by an article in The New York Times titled “How Death Doulas Support the Living.” It's about how actress Nicole Kidman is charting a new career path as a death doula after feeling a void in support when her mother passed away. A death doula is a trained, non-medical professional who provides holistic emotional, spiritual and practical support to people who are dying and their loved ones.

Dr. White explained how death is not a topic that people (obviously) like to talk about. But it is important to understand the stages of death. He mentioned a resource that was written decades ago, but that still proves to be incredibly helpful for processing death and dying. The book is titled On Death and Dying, written by Elisabeth Kubler Ross and published in 1969. You can find it on Amazon HERE.

Increasingly in our culture, the need for someone like a death doula to come alongside you has to do with loneliness. There was a recent article in The Washington Post on this titled “An age-old fear grows more common: ‘I'm going to die alone.'” The subheading summarizes the problem well: “As families fracture, people are living longer and are more likely to find themselves without close relatives or friends at the end of their lives.” These broken families, broken relationships, are really the heart of the problem. Dr. White recently did a series at Mecklenburg Community Church on the importance of “Relational Repair.” It struck a chord with so many people. If you wish to check it out, you can find it on Church & Culture HERE.

Dr. White pointed out something very vital to our lives - community that is found through the Church. If you don't already have a church home, I would encourage you to check out Mecklenburg Community Church. On our website - mecklenburg.org - you can find out more about who we are and what we believe. And you can even experience a service through our Online Campus if you can't join us in person. But we hope that you will find community through a local church.

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.

You probably noticed something quite different for today's conversation. Alexis Drye is joined by Pastor Jonathan Emery White, who serves children and families at Mecklenburg Community Church. Along with his pastoral role at Meck, he also teaches classes through the Meck Institute, instructing parents about the realities of the new digital world when it comes to their children. It's this background that he brings to today's episode about some recent interesting studies and trends related to teenage sexuality.

There's an on-demand class at Mecklenburg Community Church that was taught by Jonathan called “FaceTime: What Parents Need to Know About Technology, Social Media, Video Games and More.” You can find that on the Meck website HERE. Dr. White also did a series at Meck called “Streaming Now,” which featured background on four of the most popular streaming series at the time and the lessons that can be applied to the Christian life through them. One of the installments was on the show Adolescence - you can find that series HERE.

Jonathan mentioned the software that he recommends to protect parents and their children from the dangers of pornography and the online world. It's called Covenant Eyes, and you can find that HERE. There are also a number of articles relevant to our conversation today if you'd like to take a deeper dive on this topic. We'd encourage you to check out:

Selena Simmons-Duffin, “Teen birth rates hit another historical low in 2025, CDC says,” NPR.

Lyman Stone, “Sexless America: Young Adults Are Having Less Sex,” Institute for Family Studies.

“The Impact of Pornography on Children,” American College of Pediatricians.

Mar Alvarez-Segur et al., “Impact of pornography consumption on children and adolescents: a trauma-informed approach,” National Library of Medicine.

Carmen M. Leon et al., “From Pornography Consumption to Sexually Violent Practices: Uncovering the Hidden Influence of Sexual Norms,” National Library of Medicine.

Taylor Lorenz, “The Hottest Chat App for Teens Is … Google Docs,” The Atlantic.

“Injections, Bone Hammering and the Pursuit of Peak Male Beauty: Inside the image-obsessed subculture that is ‘looksmaxxing,'” The New York Times.

John Koetsier, “80% Of Gen Zers Would Marry An AI: Study,” Forbes.

Finally, there are two past podcast episodes that we'd encourage you to go back and listen to when you have the time. They are: CCP152: On Women's Porn, CCP72: On Toxic Masculinity and CCP146: On Hooters and OnlyFans.

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 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.