CCP40: On Criticism of Mega Churches

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the newest generational cohort that sociologists and marketers are playing close attention to - Generation Alpha. Ranging in age from those born in 2010 through 2025, Gen Alpha will be the first generation raised fully in a world of technological integration. So what does the church, as well as the wider world, need to understand about this generation? What makes them unique?

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Dr. White has authored two books centered around the profiles of particular chunks of our society: The Rise of the Nones - those who refuse to identify themselves with any particular religion, and Meet Generation Z - an inside look at the inner world of Gen Zers, their cultural context, and their relationship with faith and God.

We're just seeing the beginnings of books and articles focusing on Gen Alpha and trying to learn more about them. Here are some that we'd suggest for you:

Harriet Walker, “We're Generation Alpha (14 and under with millions of followers),” The Times UK.

April Rubin, “‘A landmark generation': Introducing Gen Alpha,” Axios.

Mark McCrindle, Ashley Fell and Sam Buckerfield, Generation Alpha: Understanding Our Children and Helping Them Thrive (Hatchette: Australia, 2021).

Marcia Lawrence, “Welcome ‘Generation Alpha'— the Youngest Pre-Consumers,” The Emporia Gazette.

Adrianne Pasquarelli and E.J. Schultz, “Move Over Gen Z, Generation Alpha Is the One to Watch,” Advertising Age.

“Generation Alpha,” Hotwire.

Finally, never will parental involvement be more important than for Gen Alpha, who have so much access to information but so little access to wisdom. Dr. White has delivered a number of series at Mecklenburg Community Church on topics related to the family and parenting. You can find those messages HERE. And parents need to have the courage to have honest conversations with their children about faith. We'd suggest you read an article by Kara Powell and Steven Argue from Christianity Today titled “The Biggest Hindrance to Your Kids' Faith Isn't Doubt. It's Silence.”

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 recent ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court stating that frozen embryos used in IVF treatments are now considered children under state law. This has, as you can imagine, garnered a lot of attention, and particularly from Christians - many of whom have differing views on IVF and when life begins.

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Kate Shellnutt wrote an article in Christianity Today that explores the complications that this ruling will bring for the future of IVF treatments and the families who have been served by them. You can read her article titled “Alabama Rules that Frozen Embryos Are Children” HERE. And, as mentioned, the waters are already muddied among Christian denominations as to where they stand on IVF. We suggest you check out a New York Times article written by Elizabeth Dias titled, “What Christian Traditions Say About I.V.F. Treatments.”

The opinion on the ruling written by Chief Justice Tom Parker led to concerns over the separation of church and state and the blurred lines in this case. For point of reference you can read an article from Peter Smith and Tiffany Stanley for AP News HERE.

In addition to concerns about the separation of church and state, there are some who see the court's ruling as a clear sign of Christian nationalism. It's important, though, to have an accurate understanding of what Christian Nationalism really is. David French wrote an article in The New York Times titled, “What Is Christian Nationalism, Exactly?” This was also discussed on the podcast in two recent episodes that we'd encourage you to go back and listen to: CCP83: On Christians and Government and CCP82: On Christians and Politics. Both would serve your exploration into this topic and the impacts of the court's ruling.

Finally, for those wanting to know more about how the church should engage with the cultural and religious discussions on when life begins, we'd suggest that you take a moment to listen to two past podcast episodes: CCP61: On IVG and Bioethics and CCP10: On Roe v. Wade.

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 Super Bowl commercial that's been getting a lot of attention - and no, it's not the DunKings. It was a commercial from “He Gets Us,” depicting a montage of somewhat unusual pairings of people washing feet. It concluded with “Jesus didn't teach hate. He washed feet. He gets us. All of us.” This ad has sparked a lot of controversy among Christians in particular. But should it?

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With each commercial that has aired since 2022, the goal has been to drive people to the “He Gets Us” website, which you can find HERE. In fact, following the ad during the Super Bowl, more than 700,000 people visited the site in the first 18 hours. Those visitors spent twice as long as normal on the site, with thousands subscribing to Bible reading plans and joining small groups. But many Christians have had a lot to say about it. Here are some articles that were mentioned in today's episode that you may want to check out:

Maria Baer, “$100M Ad Campaign Aims to Make Jesus the ‘Biggest Brand in Your City,'” Christianity Today.

Bob Smietana, “‘He Gets Us' Super Bowl Ads Part of Billion-Dollar Campaign,” Christianity Today.

Jessica Lea, “‘Heretical,' ‘Beautiful,' ‘Conversation Starters'—Christians React to He Gets Us Super Bowl Ads,” Church Leaders.

Kristine Parks, “'He Gets Us' Jesus Super Bowl Ad campaign welcomes criticism over polarizing ads: 'Very reassuring,'“ Fox News.

Another article featured the creator of the series The Chosen coming out to voice his support of the ads. You can read that article HERE. If for some reason you are unfamiliar with The Chosen, we'd encourage you to check out our podcast episode CCP54: On “The Chosen".

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 whether it is okay for a Christian to take part in gambling. Reports said that more than 68 million people bet on this year's Super Bowl accounting for well north of $23 billion. And with online gambling making it even easier to take part, it's left many Christians wondering whether this is something that is “allowed” within the Christian faith.

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If you've tracked with the podcast for a while now, you know this is not the first time we've tackled a “Is it okay for a Christian to…” type of question. To be able to study further the matrix that Dr. White discusses you can find it outlined in his book After “I Believe” which you can find on Amazon HERE or from your favorite bookseller. You can also check out the series that Dr. White gave at Mecklenburg Community Church HERE.

You also heard Alexis mention that we've had other podcasts along these lines, exploring what is or is not okay for a Christian to take part in. Here those are for you if you'd like to go back and listen:

CCP74: On Smoking Marijuana and Drinking Wine

CCP55: On Tattoos and Cosmetic Surgery

CCP38: On Attending Diwali Celebrations and Gay Weddings

CCP22: On Yoga

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 findings of a Gallup poll which revealed that Americans' confidence in clergy today has declined to an all-time low of 32%. Translation? Less than a third of all Americans consider clergy to be trustworthy. Ouch. The big question that follows is, “So how can we earn it back?”

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In case you missed it, Dr. White recently blogged about this topic in an entry titled “It's a Matter of Trust.” Several other blogs related to this conversation will also be really helpful for you to to dig into. On the discussion of the shadow lives, read “Evaluating the Fruit Test.” The phrase “there but by the grace of God go I” is so common but so inadequate. Find out why in a blog titled “Why Leaders are Falling.” And finally, consider a blog that explores whether it's possible for someone to be restored to ministry after a moral failing titled “When a Pastor Falls, What Then?”

Today, the moral failings of pastors and church leaders seem to populate news feeds and socials. And it's doing so much harm to the witness of the Church. There are two podcasts we'd suggest you go back and listen to related to today's conversation: CCP4: On Pastors and Moral Failings and CCP31: On Celebrity Pastors. To help with understanding how to gain back lost trust, Dr. White recommended a book written by Henry Cloud titled, Trust: Knowing When to Give It, When to Withhold It, How to Earn It, and How to Fix It When It Gets Broken.

Finally, we also want to share some articles with you that dive into the lack of trust the American public has toward organized religion and its leaders:

Lydia Saad, “Historically Low Faith in U.S. Institutions Continues,” Gallup, July 6, 2023.

Megan Brenan and Jeffrey M. Jones, “Ethics Ratings of Nearly All Professions Down in U.S.,” Gallup, January 22, 2024.

Kate Shellnutt, “Above Reproach? Fewer Americans See Pastors as Ethical,” Christianity Today, January 25, 2024.

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 New York Magazine article titled “A Practical Guide to Modern Polyamory.” This article was what prompted Dr. White to write a blog on this topic titled “The Swinging Twenties,” as well as today's podcast conversation. Polyamory is defined as having multiple, intimate relationships with consent from all parties involved. To use the question posed by the NYMag, “What can go wrong?” A lot, actually.

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For starters, a fascinating article in The Wall Street Journal titled “How the Sexual Revolution Has Hurt Women” researched how “the free-marketization of sex” has truly gone mainstream and is only serving to harm women - and even children as well. It's worth the time to read the full article.

Much of this cultural change has to do with how Generation Z views sex and sexuality. In his book Meet Generation Z: Understanding and Reaching the New Post-Christian World (which you can find on Amazon HERE), Dr. White wrote about how one of the defining marks of Gen Z is that they consider themselves sexually fluid. This is why 30% of them identify as LGBTQ+. They also view marriage as outdated and too expensive (see an article in The Messenger), and certainly not what the Bible defines as holy matrimony.

It's the denigrating view of the sanctity of marriage that is causing a host of issues, and something that the church needs to address. Dr. White has delivered a number of series on marriage at Mecklenburg Community Church. We'd specifically recommend a series titled “Holy Matrimony” as it relates to this conversation, but you can also find his other series on marriage and family HERE.

Finally, Dr. White mentioned a book written by Philip Yancey titled Fearfully and Wonderfully Made where the author looks at the intricacies of the human body, including the wonder and beauty of God's creation when it comes to sex.

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 culture seems to be so eager to dismiss the Bible and to reject the idea that it should have any authority over their lives. Many of the challenges that culture has to believing the Bible are really due more to a lack of knowledge and understanding about it.

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In this episode, Alexis asks Dr. White to weigh in on the most common questions and misconceptions that people have when it comes to the Bible including: What is it and why is it so special? Why and how were the 66 books within the Bible chosen? Why are there so many translations of the Bible out there? How do the claims of the Bible align with history? And what about all of the contradictions found in its pages?

One resource that would be really helpful for you - whether you're exploring the Christian faith or know someone who is - is Dr. White's book Christianity for People Who Aren't Christians: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions. You can find that resource on Amazon HERE.

If you'd like to go deeper on some of the questions raised in this discussion, there are several series that Dr. White has given at Mecklenburg Community Church that you'll find helpful. You can click the titles to find each of them: “How to Bible” will give you a practical overview of how to read and interpret the Bible, as well as how to believe what it says; “Don't Check Your Brains at the Door” explores how to engage the Christian faith intellectually - including the Bible; and “Science of God” takes a deep dive into the science of God's existence, of Creation and of faith itself.

Finally, at the end of the conversation they mentioned a couple of past episodes that would be worth checking out in regard to the Bible and science. These are: CCP49: On Faith vs. Science and CCP39: On Global Warming and Creation Care.

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 one of the concerning trends for 2024 mentioned by Dr. White in a recent episode, something that was echoed by a listener-submitted question. Both had to do with the continued fracturing of the Church and Christians within it. Christians seem to have an underdeveloped skill of disagreeing agreeably. We've also lost sight of what's worth disagreeing over.

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The biggest test when it comes to when it's appropriate to disagree is to ask: is it a matter or orthodoxy (right thinking) or orthopraxy (right living)? Second, is it a primary or tertiary issue related to the Christian faith?

The problem is that many Christians have taken political and ideological divides and elevated them to the level of primary, theological issues - and that's heresy. There are certain values that are being embraced that are distorting the Christian faith. Dr. White has touched on this in past episodes of the podcast. We'd encourage you to go back and listen to the following for more perspective:

CCP63: On Why Christians Are So Mean

CCP46: On the Clash Over Religious Freedom

CCP37: On Christian Nationalism

Dr. White referred to an article by David Aikman titled “Attack Dogs of Christendom” where the author wrote how Christians seem to love to go after people who disagree with them, particularly other Christians. All this does is to hurt the witness of the church.

He also mentioned how Francis Schaeffer was taken with the community of the church and his concerns with Christians who seem to love finding mistakes in other believers. He wrote about this in a book titled The Mark of the Christian. Another great book on the divides in Christendom that have erupted over recent years is The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism written by Tim Alberta. Because sadly, a lot of Christians believe they are engaging in a battle by promoting a political platform, and treating it as though the Kingdom of God is at stake.

One easy place to identify when it comes to where to disagree is again on the foundational beliefs of the Christian faith, such as the belief that there is only one way to God. Understanding the differences between Christianity and other belief systems is important. We suggest that you go back and listen to the following episodes if you've missed them:

CCP86: On Islam

CCP84: On Hinduism and Buddhism

CCP35: On Scientology

CCP18: On Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses

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 serve up a helpful outline of six transcendent values that have allowed Mecklenburg Community Church to beat the odds when it comes to the decline facing churches across the U.S. and around the globe. With the seismic cultural changes and challenges facing churches, it can be easy to get discouraged. Hopefully, this conversation will help to serve your church.

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If you missed last week's podcast, we hope that you'll go back and listen to that episode. In it, Dr. White gives an overview of what will likely dominate life and culture in 2024, and how the church must respond. You can find that episode titled CCP89: On Concerning Predictions for 2024 HERE.

There are a number of blogs that Dr. White has written related to the six values outlined in today's conversation. Rather than list them all, we'd encourage you to check out the Church & Culture blog archive where you can find all of his past writings.

Finally, there are three books that we'd like to recommend related to church growth and life:

Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age

What They Didn't Teach You in Seminary

Rethinking the 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.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, Dr. White gives an overview of what will likely dominate life and culture in 2024. The headline? Christians are needed more than ever to be salt and light to cut through the turmoil and chaos.

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First up in the conversation were politics and the political turmoil that seems to be dominating the headlines as we have entered into an election year. It's important to know how, as Christians, we are called to engage the world of government and politics. Want to know how best to do that? Check out these two C&C Podcast episodes in case you missed them or want to go back and listen to them again: CCP82: On Christians and Politics and CCP83: On Christians and Government.

They also discussed a recent article by David Brooks in The Atlantic titled “How America Got Mean.” The division in our country, much of which is sparked by fear, is leading to a mean-spirited culture. We've touched on this topic a couple of times on the podcast, so if you missed those episodes be sure to check out CCP63: On Why Christians Are So Mean and CCP6: On Anger.

There has been a shift in our culture that will intensify in the coming year - a rejection of morality and transcendent truth. We allow ourselves to serve as our own moral compass, telling us what is right and wrong. This plays out in both the impact of social media and what it's doing to our mental health (see CCP70: On Social Media and Mental Health) as well as the way we've allowed psychology to drive how we're parenting the next generation (see CCP60: On Gentle Parenting).

The conversation turned toward the state of the Church for 2024. A recent article from Christianity Today titled “United Methodists Down 7,659 Churches As Exit Window Ends” focused on the largest denominational schism in the U.S. since the civil war. Dr. White and Alexis discussed this problem plaguing several U.S. denominations in CCP15: On Denominational Decline. When you couple denominational decline with the continued rise of the “nones” (see The Rise of the Nones written by Dr. White), you find the church in a state of crisis and needing to make a significant change. Dr. White would argue that the solution is to go “hybrid.” You can read more about this topic in his book Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, which you can find on Amazon HERE.

Finally, the conversation turned to the future of A.I. and all of the implications this will have on our society. Be sure to check out a past podcast on this topic: CCP44: On Artificial Intelligence. The prevalence of A.I. is fueling the crisis of truth that we face in our culture. Check out a recent article in the New York Times titled “The Problem of Misinformation in an Era Without Trust.”

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.