In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss masculinism - a topic prompted by a recent article written by Helen Lewis for The Atlantic titled “The Men Who Want Women to Be Quiet.” The article explored the movement underway by Douglas Wilson, the co-founder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, who has been working for half a century to cast his theocratic vision for our country. Core among his beliefs is his position that women have overstepped their boundaries. He wants them out of political office, out of the military and out of the polling booths. Why is this idea of masculinism taking hold in some spheres?

There are two articles that Dr. White noted at the top of the episode that point to recent events related to the invasion of masculinism in everything from the SBC to Judaism:

Daniel Estrin, “Israel allows women to take rabbinic test for 1st time, but not become Orthodox rabbis,” NPR.

Scott Barkley, “Mohler to call for ‘Truth & Unity' amendment to SBC Constitution at annual meeting,” Baptist Press.

Bob Smietana, “Southern Baptists Move Closer to Constitutional Ban on Women Pastors,” Christianity Today.

Dr. White also noted how some of this movement has stemmed from the idea of men being lost in our world today. There was a past podcast episode that he mentioned that we'd suggest you go back and listen to -CCP111: On Gen Z Men Failing to Launch - as well as a blog simply titled “Lost Men.” There's also a very helpful article written by Christine Emba in The Washington Post titled “Men are lost. Here's a map out of the wilderness.” And then there are two additional past podcast episodes related to men that we'd suggest you check out: CCP72: On Toxic Masculinity and CCP101: On "Bluey" and Modern Fatherhood.

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 lawsuit against the fast-food chain Chick-fil-A. Lauren Weber wrote an article in The Wall Street Journal that prompted today's conversation titled, “Sundays Are Sacred at Chick-fil-A. The U.S. Says a Worker's Saturday Sabbath Is, Too.” The restaurant is known for giving employees Sundays off to observe the Christian Sabbath, but found themselves being sued for denying an employee's request to have Saturdays off. Her denomination, the United Church of God, observes the Sabbath on Saturdays. So which day should the church observe? And what, really, defines a Sabbath?

The practice of observing a Sabbath day is something that has been declining among people who would consider themselves Christ followers. However, God felt that this was such an important part of our lives that the call to observe the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments. Dr. White delivered a series at Mecklenburg Community Church simply titled, “Ten,” which explored the biblical and cultural significance of each of the Ten Commandments. You can find that series at Church & Culture HERE.

As Dr. White explained, as a society we've so overly cluttered our lives that it's hard for so may of us to even wrap our heads around taking a day to rest and renew. He referenced an old article from Newsweek featuring Neil Rudenstine, the (then) president of Harvard University, who once faced extreme exhaustion. It was titled “Breaking Point,” and you can read that article HERE.

He also discussed a 2025 Forbes article about how an increasing number of employees are taking sabbaticals, something that's really helping with career longevity. You can read the article titled “Why More Professionals Are Taking Sabbaticals—And How It's Transforming Work And Well-Being” HERE.

Dr. White referenced a recent announcement from the American Academy of Pediatrics updating their policy statement on the need for children to return to more play. He used this as inspiration for a recent Church & Culture blog titled “We All Need Recess,” which you can read HERE.

Finally, Dr. White discussed the importance of the church needing to teach on topics related to rest and the Sabbath. In addition to the series “Ten,” we'd encourage you to check out another recent series that he gave called “Quieting Your Life.” This series explored the call to quiet ourselves, how we need to be quiet and seek quiet, and the significance of a daily quiet time. You can find that series 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 the newest parent in town - the “beta mom.” From tiger moms to helicopter moms to dolphin moms, as a culture we love to find labels for the myriad of ways to parent. As the title of the article in the Wall Street Journal (which prompted today's conversation) put it, “The Era of the Tiger Mom Is Over. Enter the Beta Mom.”

This is not the first time that parenting and the cultural challenges that both young people and their parents are facing has been a topic of the podcast. Here are a collection of past episodes that we think you might like to go back and listen to if you missed them:

CCP188: On Cultural Attacks on Parental Authority

CCP176: On Parents and Grandparents

CCP124: On Parenting Being Hazardous to Your Health

CCP98: On Generation Alpha

CCP70: On Social Media and Mental Health

CCP60: On Gentle Parenting

Parenting has also been the focus of a number of message series that Dr. White has given at Mecklenburg Community Church over the years. You can find those gathered under the “Marriage and Family” category 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.