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 are so many questions that people have about the Christian faith - both from people who would consider themselves Christ followers as well as those outside of the Christian faith. One of those has to do with whether there really is an "unforgivable sin" - something God has deemed so terrible that He cannot find the ability to forgive someone. We hope today's episode will shed some light on that question.

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:

"Two Questions"

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

For more message series given by Dr. White about exploring the Christian faith, check out the “Exploring Christianity” resources.

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. "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 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.