In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a difficult subject that has so many nuances - suicide. And they prayed that they'd handle today's conversation delicately. The previous podcast episode - CCP183: On Counseling and Therapy - provided a segue to this subject since, along with the rise in those seeking counseling, there has also been a nationwide rise in the number of deaths caused by suicide. And the big question most often asked by those within the Christian faith is: Is suicide an unforgivable sin?

Dr. White shared some data from the CDC which found that from 2002 to 2022, the rates of suicide increased by 30%, and that in the year 2023, suicide became the 11th leading cause of death. As Dr. White noted, suicide is considered a form of murder - it is the killing of yourself - and violates one of the Ten Commandments. Dr. White gave a series at Mecklenburg Community Church called “Ten,” which looks at what the Bible says specifically about each of these commands from God. You can find that series on Church & Culture HERE.

The conversation also explained the idea of apostasy - the act of abandoning one's faith. If you missed it, we'd encourage you to go back and listen to CCP131: On Losing Your Salvation. Another past podcast episode that is relevant for today's conversation is CCP48: On Medically Assisted Suicide.

Finally, Alexis mentioned a book written by David Biebel and Suzanne Foster called Finding Your Way after the Suicide of Someone You Love: Help and Hope for an Unexpected Journey that many of our listeners may find helpful if they've lost someone to suicide.

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 recent findings from the CDC National Health Interview Survey which showed that approximately 14% (or 1 in 7) of adults in the U.S. received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional as of 2024. This is a significant increase from 2019 data, and behind the rise are mainly young adults, those between 18 and 34 years old. So what's behind this growing rise in counseling, and are all types of counseling created equal?

A general knowledge of the world of mental health has increased in recent years, and the stigma behind seeking treatment for mental health issues has decreased. Anxiety has been one of the greatest mental health issues of our day. Dr. White recently gave a message at Mecklenburg Community Church called “The Anxious Generation” that you can find HERE.

They also discussed how Christian beliefs may play a role in discouraging therapy. For example, some Christians might question whether therapy replaces God or minimizes the healing that God is able to provide. The truth is that even some of the leaders within the Christian faith have struggled with depression and other mental health issues. Dr. White wrote a blog to help dispel this stigma called “Suicide and the Church” that we'd suggest you to take a moment to read. There is also a past podcast episode we'd encourage you to go back and listen to called CCP36: On Mental Health that addresses this subject as well.

Finally, Dr. White mentioned the writings of Dr. Larry Crabb, author of Inside Out and Connecting, who wrote how treating mental health issues only as psychological disorders may cheapen the mysterious battle raging deep within the soul. In other words, therapy is not the answer for everything. Faith and prayer do still come into play. This is why it's so important to seek out Christian counselors who've been specifically trained to provide both clinical counseling and spiritual guidance.

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's gained traction in today's culture thanks, in large part, to the series Stranger Things. Telepathy is the alleged direct communication of thoughts, feelings and ideas between minds without using speech, without using writing, and without using any other normal physical signals. It's often considered a form of ESP or extrasensory perception. But is it real? Can people really communicate mind to mind?

The idea of telepathy falls into the category of the supernatural - the disclosure of information that was unknown or unavailable to humans through normal means. And it's an area where Christians need to tread lightly. This has been the topic of past podcast episodes we'd suggest you revisit, including CCP3: On Hypnosis and Meditation and CCP58: On Your Horoscope and Starbucks.

Dr. White also explained that telepathy is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, however Scripture does note how Jesus was able to know the thoughts of the Scribes in Matthew 9. Meaning that God - and God alone - is capable of doing something like this. For more on telepathy and the Bible, we'd suggest you check out an article titled “What does the Bible say about telepathy or psycho-kinesis?,” which you can find HERE.

The “Telepathy Tapes” podcast series attempted to make a case for evidence of telepathic abilities among non-speaking individuals with autism. The podcast received strong criticism from many in the scientific community citing cases where they misrepresented data and information. Dr. White encouraged Christians to steer clear of the content in the podcasts.

Finally, the conversation then turned from telepathy to telekinesis or psychokinesis - the ability to manipulate objects with your mind without physical contact. It was noted how the church of Scientology believes and affirms this ability. Scientology was the topic of a past Church & Culture Podcast. We'd encourage you to go back and listen to CCP35: On Scientology.

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.