Culture Matters

• Advent: Hope

  We're releasing a series of episodes centered around the Season of Advent. In this episode, Chelsea sits down with Lindsey Jackson by reflecting on Hope — not as wishful thinking, but as a firm trust in God's promises amid suffering. Lindsey shares the story of losing her infant daughter Hadley in 2017 to sudden unexplained infant death (SUID) and how her grief became a place where God reoriented her faith, built deeper endurance, and reshaped her understanding of biblical hope. Together, they discuss how lament differs from grief, why holidays can be hard, and how the church can show up for those in pain.In This Episode01:00 – Introducing the Advent series: Hope, Joy, Love, Peace03:00 – Lindsey’s story: marriage, motherhood, and baby Hadley05:00 – Hadley’s death and the immediate aftermath07:00 – “So much of me died when she died” — grief and resurrection10:00 – What helped: letters, meals, naps, presence12:00 – On studying grief and counseling at DTS14:00 – Hope and the discipline of remembering17:00 – Hebrews: endurance, lament, and anchoring in Christ20:00 – Longing in Advent: slow down, find wonder again24:00 – Misplaced hope vs. rooted hope27:00 – Lament is not passive grief — it holds expectation30:00 – Heaven: the promise of restoration33:00 – “Pre-Hadley” Lindsay vs. post-suffering hope36:00 – Endurance is a group projectKey TakeawaysHope is not optimism or emotional positivity — it's a discipline to root your mind in God's promises.Grief is the response to loss; lament is grief directed toward God, filled with trust and expectancy.Holidays can amplify sorrow — presence, not perfection, is what grieving people need most.Studying grief deepened Lindsey’s calling: to walk with others through loss as a biblical counselor.The resurrection reframes our pain — we grieve, but not without hope.Advent means coming — Christ came once, and He is coming again. This fuels our hope.

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• How Church Could (Literally) Save Your Life

  In this episode, Adam and Ty sit down with Rebecca McLaughlin to discuss her new book How Church Could (Literally) Save Your Life, which explores how regular involvement in a local church is linked with mental, physical, moral, and spiritual flourishing. Drawing on rigorous academic research (especially from Harvard School of Public Health), Rebecca outlines compelling findings: weekly attendance correlates with lower rates of depression, extended life expectancy, reduced deaths of despair, and more. She also addresses objections (such as church‑hurt, abuse, selection bias) and pivots to a theological framing: the church is more than an event — it is family.In This Episode01:00 – “church is our family”06:00 – Why this topic? The research behind the book08:00 – Stats: church attendance & health outcomes11:00 – Not prosperity gospel: deeper than health hacks12:00 – What about unhealthy churches?14:00 – Data controls: not just correlation16:00 – Theology: why worship matters18:00 – Church vs. self-optimization culture23:00 – Virtual vs. in-person: why weekly presence matters26:00 – Making church a real family29:00 – Marriage, singleness & spiritual kinship32:00 – Closing reflections & next stepsKey TakeawaysRegular attendance at church (once a week or more) is strongly correlated with improved mental health, longer life expectancy, and reduced risk of “deaths of despair.”The positive effect is not explained solely by social support.The church is not just “another activity” but a family.Making church family real may require simple but counter‑cultural practices.The research is not a guarantee of trouble‑free life or a health‑miracle; the gospel remains central — the church is for life in Christ, not just health benefits.For those who’ve been hurt in church: the invitation is not necessarily to abandon church, but to work toward healthy, safe, loving communities.Guest ResourcesHow Church Could Literally Save Your Life by Rebecca McLaughlinRebecca’s Website Confronting Christianity Podcast Follow Rebecca Follow Us!InstagramYoutube-- Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email [email protected]

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• AI & Embodiment

  In this episode, we welcome back Whitney Pipkin, who explores how artificial intelligence (AI) intersects with Christianity, the body, embodiment, and culture. Whitney draws on her background in environmental journalism and Christian thought to highlight the impacts of AI: its resource footprint, its effect on how we think, its influence on discipleship, and what it means for embodied Christian living in a disembodied age. The conversation covers both practical and theological questions—How does AI shape our habits, relationships, thinking? Are we just consumers of information, or are we being formed as creatures who live in bodies and communities? In This EpisodesAI’s Real-World Environmental CostsPower, Water, and the AI BoomTheological Accuracy in AI ModelsAI’s Influence on How We ThinkShould Christians Use AI Tools?Algorithms, Formation & DiscipleshipDisembodied Faith vs Embodied LifeDiscipleship Requires CommunityWhat AI Is Discipling Us IntoEmbodied Practices in a Digital AgeForecasting the Future of Tech & FaithDigital Monks or Missionaries?Limits, Attention & AccountabilityThe Body as a Theological WitnessKey TakeawaysAI isn’t neutral — it has real environmental, ethical, and spiritual consequences.Embodiment matters — we’re made to live, think, and relate in physical bodies, not just as online users.Formation over efficiency — spiritual growth comes through limits, relationships, and real-life discipleship.Question the tradeoffs — just because AI makes something easier doesn’t mean it’s good for us.Be distinct — Christians should live and think differently in a tech-driven, disembodied world.Follow WhitneyWebsite InstagramSubstackFollow Us!InstagramYoutube-- Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email [email protected]

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• The Myth of Fact

  In this rich conversation, Tymarcus and Dr. Claudia MacMillian explore how our contemporary educational and cultural frameworks—especially the “myth of fact”—shape our abilities to imagine, love, think, and live well. Dr. MacMillian traces the idea back to the work of Donald Cowan and Louise Cowan, showing how modernity’s emphasis on extracting isolated “facts” from context has left many of us brittle, shallow in our sensibilities, and under‑equipped to embrace mystery, beauty, narrative, poetry, and the fullness of human experience. Ultimately, the episode argues for a return to formation over mere performance—cultivating souls able to engage with the world deeply, compassionately, and imaginatively.Key TakeawaysFact isn’t truth — Modern culture wrongly treats isolated facts as ultimate truth.Context matters — Truth must be understood in its full, lived context.Imagination is essential — The poetic imagination shapes how we see, love, and live.Formation over performance — Education should form souls, not just train skills.Read whole works — Novels, poetry, and scripture cultivate depth and empathy.Mystery is good — We must embrace mystery, not reduce everything to certainty.People are complex — Literature reminds us no one is all good or all bad.Scripture is story & song — Most of the Bible is narrative and poetry, not bullet points.Technology isn’t the problem — How we form humans in the face of AI is the real issue.Live with depth — True discipleship means growing in imagination, humility, and love.Mentioned Resourceshttps://www.macmillaninstitute.org/ Donald and Luise Cowan CenterFollow Us!InstagramYoutube-- Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email [email protected]

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• Sports! Sports! Sports!

  In this episode, Chelsea sits down with friends Ashley Hardcastle and Kaylee to explore the world of youth and amateur athletics, reflecting on their personal stories, the pressures and joys of competition, and how faith intersects with identity in the arena of sports and performance. They discuss what they loved, what they struggled with, and how they now seek to guide the next generation (whether as parents or mentors) toward a healthier, Christ‑centered perspective on activity, achievement, and belonging.In This Episode02:07 – Ashley’s story06:47 – Kaylee’s story14:59 – Reflecting on what was good22:28 – Discussion of parental/coach roles29:26 – Parenting advice38:32 – Coach/organization considerations49:56 – “What do we say to kids before and after games/performances?”54:26 – Final take‑awaysKey TakeawaysActivity is Not IdentityJoy & Pressure Often CoexistParents & Coaches Shape More Than SkillsFamily Health > Activity StackingWhat You Celebrate Shapes What They RememberMentioned ResourcesTake Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids' Sports--and Why It Matters Follow Us!InstagramYoutube-- Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email [email protected]

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