In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a topic that is near and dear to Dr. White's heart - the relational dynamic between parents and grandparents. As a father of four children and a grandfather to 16 grandchildren, this is a topic where he is very well versed. Marriage and family are foundational institutions in God's created order of our world. And when those families break down, particularly when there are divides and discord between parents and grandparents, the younger generations are impacted in countless ways.

As Alexis mentioned at the top of the episode, many of the topics covered on the Church & Culture Podcast are inspired by blogs that Dr. White has written. For those new to the podcast, the Church & Culture Blog is where Dr. White releases two reflections each week about a wide assortment of topics related to the church's engagement with the modern world. If you aren't currently a subscriber, you can click HERE to subscribe now.

For this week's podcast, there are three recent blogs that Dr. White has written that we'd suggest you to go back and read. They are: “A Vision for Grandparenting,” “Grandparent-to-Parent Mistakes” and “Parent-to-Grandparent Mistakes.” And again, this topic is so important because it's absolutely a part of the vision for family that is outlined in the Bible.

Dr. White mentioned a book written by Paul and Diana Miller called A Guide to Great Grandparenting, which talked about this idea of a “family trinity.” When these relationships are healthy, you find that you have healthy and functional young people being raised. He also talked about a large national study on how parents can best pass on their faith to the next generation. You can read more about this in Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass their Religion on to the Next Generation written by Christian Smith and Amy Adamczyk.

There are two articles that were applicable to today's conversation that we want to share with you:

Rheana Murray, “‘Grandparenting on Eggshells,'” The Atlantic, November 26, 2025.

Dr. Perri Klass, “5 Common Mistakes Grandparents Make, According to a Pediatrician,” The Washington Post, November 17, 2025.

Finally, as mentioned this is a topic on which Dr. White has a lot of experience to draw from. And over the years at Mecklenburg Community Church, he's given many series that fall under the category of “Marriage & Family.” You can find those series gathered at Church & Culture HERE.

In addition to the blog, we'd encourage you to 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 for many people, Advent is simply a countdown to Christmas. Few seem to truly know the rich Christian tradition of Advent as it falls on the liturgical calendar. The word “advent” means “coming,” and the season of Advent within the Church is to be a time when we are preparing spiritually for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. In fact, so many of the traditions connected with Christmastime also have a rich Christian history and can all serve to help keep Christ in Christmas when you know their deeper meaning.

This conversation was sparked by an article in The Atlantic titled, “Advent Calendars Are Totally Out of Control.” It seems as though culture has commandeered this tradition of counting down to Christmas and cultivated a “little treat culture,” all about businesses making money and people treating themselves. You can read that article in full HERE. Dr. White mentioned another article that he read in a similar vein titled, “Shoppers still can't get enough of Advent calendars, and brands are racing to keep up with demand.” You can find that article HERE.

Dr. White mentioned that a great way to combat the drift in culture regarding Advent is to take part in what's known as “The Advent Conspiracy.” This idea was brought forth in a book written by Rick McKinley, Chris Seay and Greg Holder called Advent Conspiracy: Making Christmas Meaningful Again (Zondervan). At Mecklenburg Community Church, where Dr. White serves as the senior pastor, this is fleshed out in a few ways. First and foremost, we make sure that the focus of the season of Advent is on Jesus' birthday, and that a great way to honor Him is by giving to the least and the lost in our world. We call it “Giving to Christ at Christmas,” and you can read more about it HERE.

Another way that we've done this is through strategic message series that Dr. White has given over the years during the season of Advent. These include “The Advent Conspiracy,” “Keeping Christ in Christmas” and “I Need You Christmas.”

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.