Give and Take

My guest is Todd McGowan. He teaches courses in film theory, history, and genre at the University of Vermont. His areas of interest include Hegel, psychoanalysis, and existentialism, and the intersection of these lines of thought with the cinema. He's the author of numerous books, including most recently Only a Joke Can Save Us: A Theory of Comedy . Special Guest: Todd McGowan.

What country makes the best chocolate? Most people would answer "Switzerland," or, if they're discerning, "Belgium" or "France." But, how many cocoa trees grow in Zurich? Lyon? Antwerp? Shouldn't the country known for growing the best cocoa beans be the one that makes the best chocolate? So, captivated by theories of international trade but with precious little knowledge of cocoa or chocolate, Ste...

In the wake of so many sexual harassment and sexual misconduct allegations, we here concerns of "sex panic" and McCarthyism from some cultural critics. Many of them are actual on the cultural left. Jocelyn Olcott and I talk about this and a host of related issues in this episode of Give and Take. Jocelyn Olcott is Associate Professor of History and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies at Duke U...

My guest is Jennifer Briney. She's the creator and host of the wildly popular "Congressional Dish" podcast. It's like C-Span meets Comedy Central, resisting the corporate takeover of the world. We discuss the upcoming FCC decision concerning Net Neutrality and the impact it could have on consumers. Jennifer's podcast is The Congressional Dish . It's fantastic. To find out more about this week's sp...

My guest is David French. David is a senior writer for National Review, a senior fellow at the National Review Institute, an attorney (concentrating his practice in constitutional law and the law of armed conflict), and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. We discuss a recent piece he wrote entitled "The Enduring Appeal Of Creepy Christianity." It deals with the recent Roy Moore senate controvers...

My guest is Johanna Hartelius. She is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses on rhetorical theory and criticism with an emphasis on expertise, public memory, and digital rhetoric. She studies the cultural and political implications of experts’ and laypersons’ rhetorical constructions of knowledge and experience, particularly as these constitute points of entry into publi...

David Clary is a news editor at The San Diego Union-Tribune and the author of “Gangsters to Governors: The New Bosses of Gambling in America,” published by Rutgers University Press on Oct. 30, 2017. The book explores how and why states have encouraged and promoted the expansion of legalized gambling in America. It is his first book. Before joining the Union-Tribune in 2002, he worked in a variety...

Babette’s Feast tells the story of how a refugee transforms a closed religious community by sacrificing all she has to throw a lavish dinner party. Through her radical hospitality, this mysterious woman converts her guests’ deeply held notions of scarcity and judgment and opens them up to give and receive abundant grace. My guests, Julia Beardsley O'Brien and Abigail Kileen, have adapted the story...

My guest is Nathaniel Popkin. Why is Philadelphia the “Hidden City?” What makes it distinctive in the landscape of American cities? And why does it matter? These are the questions Hidden City Daily co-founders Peter Woodall and Nathaniel Popkin and Hidden City Festival photographer Joseph E.B. Elliott seek to answer in the new book, Philadelphia: Finding the Hidden City , just recently published b...

Tullian Tchividjian is the grandson of Billy Graham. He's written several award winning books. He's been a celebrated preacher and pastor. Then his life fell apart. He lost his marriage and his church and he wanted to end it all. Then he found hope. If hope is what you need, this is the conversation for you. You can connect with Tullian at https://www.tullian.net . Special Guest: Tullian Tchividji...

My guest is Danielle Strickland. Her newest book, The Zombie Gospel , explores the spiritual and existential themes in the wildly popular television series The Walking Dead . Danielle J. Strickland serves the Salvation Army in Los Angeles as the western territorial social justice secretary. Her books include Just Imagine: the Social Justice Agenda, The Liberating Truth: How Jesus Empowers Women, B...

David Litt entered the White House in 2011 and left in 2016 as a special assistant to the president and senior presidential speechwriter. Described as the “comic muse for the president,” David was the lead writer on four White House Correspondents’ Dinner presentations and has contributed jokes to President Obama’s speeches since 2009. He is currently the head writer/producer for Funny or Die’s of...

My guest is Darren Moorman. He's produced numerous feature films. His most recent film, Same Kind Of Difference As Me , premiers on October 20th. It stars Renee Zellweger, Greg Kinnear, Djimon Hounsou and John Voight. It's based on The New York Times Bestseller that tells the story of a dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery, an upscale art dealer accustomed to t...

My guest today is Robert P. Jones. He's the CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, and the author of several books, including "The End of White Christian America." The American religious landscape is undergoing a dramatic transformation. White Christians, once the dominant religious group in the U.S., now account for fewer than half of all adults living in the country. Today, fewer than ha...

My guests are Deborah and Mark Parker. Deborah Parker is Professor of Italian at the University of Virginia. Mark Parker is Professor of English at James Madison University. They are coauthors of Inferno Revealed: From Dante to Dan Brown , and most recently, Sucking Up: A Brief Consideration of Sycophancy . Special Guest: Deborah & Mark Parker.

My guest is Alan Jacobs. His most recent book is "How To Think: A Survival Guide For A World At Odds." As a celebrated cultural critic and a writer for national publications like The Atlantic and Harper’s, Alan Jacobs has spent his adult life belonging to communities that often clash in America’s culture wars. And in his years of confronting the big issues that divide us—political, social, religio...

Karen Wright Marsh is executive director and cofounder of Theological Horizons, a university ministry that has advanced theological scholarship at the intersection of faith, thought, and life since 1991. Her new book is "Vintage Saints And Sinners: 25 Christians Who Transformed My Faith." Karen directs daily programs, writes resources and curriculum, teaches weekly classes, mentors students, leads...

My guest is Herman Portocarero. He is a Belgian-born writer and diplomat of Spanish and Portuguese descent. He has published more than twenty works of fiction and nonfiction, including the Hercule Poirot Prize-winning crime novel New Yorkse Nachten (New York Nights). He is just finished his term as the European Union ambassador to Cuba. His newest book is "Havana Without Makeup: Inside The Soul Of...

My guest is Kieran Setiya. He teaches philosophy at MIT, working mainly in ethics, epistemology, and the philosophy of mind. He's the author of "Reasons without Rationalism" and "Knowing Right From Wrong." His most recent book is "Midlife: A Philosophical Guide." It comes out on October 3, 2017. You can buy the book here: bit.ly/midlifeguide. Special Guest: Kieran Setiya.

My guest is Melissa Febos. She's the author of two critically acclaimed memoirs, "Whip Smart" and "Abandon Me". Her work has been widely anthologized and appears in publications including Tin House, Granta, The Kenyon Review, Prairie Schooner, Glamour, Guernica, Post Road, Salon, The New York Times, Elle UK, The Guardian, Vogue.com, Hunger Mountain, Portland Review, Dissent, The Chronicle of Highe...

John Goldingay is the David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary. He has been at Fuller since 1997. He was previously principal and a professor of Old Testament at St John’s Theological College in Nottingham, England. He is also priest-in-charge of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Pasadena. Goldingay says that “For me, being a professor is a subset of being a pas...

My guest is Mike Cosper. He's the author of "Rhythms of Grace" and "The Stories We Tell" (both published by Crossway Books), the co-author of "Faithmapping. His newest book is "Recapturing the Wonder: Transcendent Faith in a Disenchanted World." He's the host of Cultivated: A Podcast about Faith and Work, and is developing The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, a podcast about faith and culture. Prior t...

My guest is Gregory Coles. He was born in upstate New York, wasraised on the Indonesian island of Java, and is now a PhD candidate studying English in central Pennsylvania. He's the author of "Single, Gay, Christian: A Personal Journey Of Faith And Sexual Identity." Special Guest: Gregory Coles.

The Rev. Kenneth Tanner is pastor of Church of the Holy Redeemer in Rochester Hills, Mich. He writes for numerous websites and magazines, including The Huffington Post and Sojourners . Special Guest: Kenneth Tanner.

My guest is MacKenzie Kuhns. She is the founder and owner of Stillz Design, a strategic design studio. She has always loved creating, curating and the value of aesthetic and design, which is why she is passionate about helping small business owners communicate their passions and crafts through strategic design. To see her work or inquire about working with her visit her website: www.stilltzdesign....