Give and Take

Episode 287: Why Nazis spent World War II in a luxury West Virginia resort, with Benyamin Cohen

April 18th, 2025  |  45 mins 25 secs

In this episode of Give and Take, I talk with journalist and author Benyamin Cohen about one of the most bizarre and largely forgotten chapters of World War II history—when dozens of high-ranking Nazis spent the war years not in prison camps, but in luxury at a West Virginia resort. We’re talking about the Greenbrier Hotel, a grand, opulent resort nestled in the Allegheny Mountains, where captured German diplomats and their families were detained—if you can even call it that. They enjoyed gourmet meals, spa treatments, tennis matches, and more, all under the watchful but discreet eye of the U.S. government.

Episode 286: Shelter and Storm, with Tamara Dean

April 17th, 2025  |  50 mins 4 secs

My guest is Tamara Dean. In the midst of the environmental crises of the early twenty-first century, Tamara Dean sought a way to live lightly on the planet. Her quest drew her to a landscape unlike any other: the Driftless area of Wisconsin, a region untouched by glaciers, marked by steep hills and deeply carved valleys, capped with forests and laced with cold, spring-fed streams. There, she confronted, in ways large and small, the challenges of meeting basic needs while facing the ravages of climate change—an experience at once soul-stirring and practical that she recounts in Shelter and Storm.

Episode 285: The Big Relief, with David Zahl

April 16th, 2025  |  1 hr 27 mins

In this episode of the podcast I talk with David Zahl about his new book, The Big Relief: The Urgency of Grace in a Worn-Out World. In a time when burnout, anxiety, and relentless pressure are everyday companions, Zahl offers a powerful case for why grace—real, honest, unconditional grace—is more urgent than ever. Drawing on personal stories, cultural analysis, and theological insight, "The Big Relief" explores how grace can meet us in our exhaustion and offer rest to our restless souls. David and I dive into the heart of the book, unpacking what it means to experience grace in a culture that often demands perfection and performance.

Episode 284: Smokebirds, with Daniel Breyer

April 7th, 2025  |  51 mins 52 secs

My guest is Daniel Breyer. His debut novel is Smokebirds. In the near future, when every autumn is fire season in California, wealthy San Franciscans flee their city for smoke-free pastures. Among them are the Petersons, a family enriched by the lumber industry, who traditionally spend every August in Hawaii. This annual retreat, once a period of leisure and luxury with golf, hikes, and high-society mingling, takes a turn when 22-year-old Cole Peterson aligns himself with Aid For Earth, a climate justice organization. Cole and Aid For Earth proceed to mire the Peterson family in scandal, alleging that Peterson Lumber started a forest fire, covered up their culpability, and then profited off a government contract to extract the burnt lumber.

Smokebirds is not just a narrative about the complexity of familial bonds and the facade of integrity; it is a commentary on the enduring power of privilege against the backdrop of climate justice. It captures the tension between societal expectations of accountability and the reality of an elite untouched by the demands for change, reflecting on who truly bears the cost of our environmental crises.

Episode 283: Talking with Eminent Americans, with Daniel Oppenheimer

April 4th, 2025  |  1 hr 23 mins

My guest is Daniel Oppenheimer. Daniel is the host of Eminent Americans, a podcast about the writers and public intellectuals who either are key players in the American intellectual scene or who typify an important aspect of it.

Episode 282: Indivisible: How to Forge Our Differences into a Stronger Future, with Denise Hamilton

March 27th, 2025  |  1 hr 27 mins

On this episode of Give and Take, host Scott Jones sits down with Denise Hamilton to discuss her debut book, Indivisible. A visionary leader and advocate for inclusion, Hamilton explores what it truly means to bridge divides in an increasingly polarized world. Together, they delve into the urgent need for unity, the challenges of fostering meaningful conversations across differences, and how individuals can take action to create a more connected and equitable society. Tune in for an insightful and inspiring discussion on building a future where everyone belongs.

Episode 281: Elon Musk, Christian Nationalism, and the Battle for Truth, with Amanda Marcotte

March 18th, 2025  |  49 mins 33 secs

In this episode of Give and Take, host Scott Jones sits down with Amanda Marcotte, author of Troll Nation and Senior Writer at Salon Magazine, for a sharp and incisive discussion on the forces reshaping American politics and culture. As Elon Musk’s influence extends beyond Silicon Valley into the political arena, and Christian Nationalism gains traction in the nation’s discourse, they examine the implications for democracy,, and the very nature of truth. At a time when disinformation thrives and political identities harden, what does it mean to seek and defend reality? It's a compelling and timely conversation that confronts some urgent questions of our political moment.

Episode 280: How To End Christian Nationalism, with Amanda Tyler

March 10th, 2025  |  57 mins 26 secs

My guest is Amanda Tyler, the Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and a leading voice in the fight to uphold the separation of church and state. In her new book, How to End Christian Nationalism, Amanda lays out a compelling case against this
growing movement, exposing its impact on democracy, religious freedom, and social justice. In this conversation, we explore what Christian nationalism is, why she se es it as a threat, and how she thinks you can push back against it. Whether you have a deep knowledge of Christian Nationalism or just starting to learn about it, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Episode 279: Considering the State of the Union, with Jennifer Briney

March 5th, 2025  |  1 hr 14 mins

My guest is Jennifer Briney. She''s the host of the widely acclaimed podcast Congressional Dish, joins us for a critical discussion on the state of American governance. Congressional Dish is dedicated to illuminating the workings of Congress, where the American people hold their greatest political power. With an unflinching, nonpartisan approach, Briney examines the actions of elected officials after the campaign season ends, revealing how their decisions shape the daily lives of citizens. In this conversation, Briney offers her insights on President Trump’s State of the Union address, the broader trajectory of the country, and whether Congress is fulfilling its role as a check on executive power.

Episode 278: What Every American Should Know About Ukraine, with Marci Shore

March 3rd, 2025  |  1 hr 2 mins

My guest is Marci Shore. Marci Shore is associate professor of history at Yale University, specializing in European intellectual history, with a focus on twentieth- and twenty-first-century Central and Eastern Europe. She earned her M.A. from the University of Toronto in 1996 and her Ph.D. from Stanford University in 2001. Shore is the translator of The Black Seasons by Michał Głowiński and the author of several books, including Caviar and Ashes: A Warsaw Generation’s Life and Death in Marxism, 1918-1968, The Taste of Ashes: The Afterlife of Totalitarianism in Eastern Europe, and The Ukrainian Night: An Intimate History of Revolution.

In the wake of a tense and unusually combative exchange between former President Donald J. Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in the Oval Office last week, we turn to Professor Shore for insight. At a moment of geopolitical uncertainty and shifting alliances, what should Americans understand about Ukraine—its history, its struggle for sovereignty, and its place in an increasingly fractured world?

Episode 277: Pure Excess: Capitalism and the Commodity, with Todd McGowan

February 15th, 2025  |  1 hr 14 mins

My guest is Todd McGowan. HIs newest book is Pure Excess: Capitalism and the Commodity. In it he forges a new theory of capitalism as a system based on the production of more than what we need: pure excess. He argues that the promise of more―more wealth, more enjoyment, more opportunity, without requiring any sacrifice―is the essence of capitalism. Previous socioeconomic systems set up some form of the social good as their focus. Capitalism, however, represents a revolutionary turn away from the good and the useful toward excessive growth, which now threatens the habitability of the planet.

Episode 276: Christian Witness in a Post-Democratic Age, with Lisa Sharon Harper

February 11th, 2025  |  1 hr 11 mins

My guest is Lisa Sharon Harper. She's an author, podcaster, activist, and sought after speaker. She joins me to talk about what it looks like to bear witness to the Christian faith it what feels like an increasingly post-democratic cultural moment in America.

Episode 275: Are Evangelicals Going To Take Over America?...with Mark Oppenheimer

February 5th, 2025  |  33 mins 37 secs

My guest is Mark Oppenheimer. He returns to the show to talk about the current American religious landscape. We discuss a recent piece in The Atlantic that he calls "evangelical fear-mongering." We also talk about his recent review of Jonathan Rauch's new book "Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy." We also talk about Mark's newfound love for the Philadelphia Eagles. Go Birds!

Episode 274: The Future of King's Dream, with Harold Dean Trulear

January 20th, 2025  |  1 hr 13 mins

My guest is Harold Dean Trulear. Dean has served as Associate Professor of Applied Theology at Howard University School of Divinity since 2003. He joins me to talk about the future of Martin Luther King's dream in Donald Trump's America.

Episode 273: Black Girl In The Middle, with Shenequa Golding

December 26th, 2024  |  1 hr 11 mins

My guest is Shenequa Golding. She doesn’t aim to speak for all Black women. They're too vast, too vibrant, and too complicated. As an adult, Golding begins to own her boldness, but growing up, she found herself “kind of in the middle,” fluctuating between not being the fly kid or the overachiever. Her debut collection of essays, A Black Girl in the Middle, taps into life’s wins and losses, representing the middle ground for Black girls and women.

Episode 272: Is David Brooks a Christian or a Jew? With Mark Oppenheimer

December 23rd, 2024  |  50 mins 4 secs

My guest is Mark Oppenheimer. In a recent NY Times piece David Brooks describes his own complex journey of faith. Mark Oppenheimer has written a piece questioning why David Brooks consistently continues to refer to himself as a Jew, despite affirming the central tenets of the Christian faith. Mark returns to the show to discuss his piece and what it tells us about the relationship between Judaism and Christianity.