Give and Take

Conversations at the Heart of the Matter

About the show

Someone once observed that if Howard Stern and Krista Tippett had a love child, it would be Scott Jones. Scott liked that.

At "Give and Take,” Scott Jones talks with artists, authors, theologians, and political pundits about the lens through which they experience life. With empathy, humor, and a deep knowledge of religion, current events, and pop culture, Scott engages his guests in a free-flowing conversation that's entertaining, unexpected, occasionally bizarre, and oftentimes enlightening. He likes people, and it shows.

Past interviewees include Mark Oppenheimer, Melissa Febos, David French, Miroslav Volf, Dan Savage, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Rob Bell, and (yes) Krista Tippett.

Scott is the former host and producer of the popular Mockingcast podcast (https://themockingcast.fireside.fm) and an in-demand consultant on all things “pod.” He’s also the co-host, with Bill Borror, of New Persuasive Words (https://npw.fireside.fm). Scott is also a prolific writer, a frequent conference speaker, a PhD candidate in Theology, and an ordained minister.

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Episodes

  • Episode 79: Catholic Modern: The Challenge of Totalitarianism and the Remaking of the Catholic Church, with James Chappel

    February 8th, 2018  |  1 hr 1 min

    My guest is James Chappel. He's a professor of History at Duke University and his first book, "Catholic Modern", examines the Catholic Church's changing relationship with modernity in the 20th century.

  • Episode 78: Love And Trouble, with Claire Dederer

    January 24th, 2018  |  1 hr 8 mins

    My guest is Claire Dederer. Claire is the author of two critically acclaimed memoirs: "Love and Trouble: A Midlife Reckoning" and "Poser: My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses", which was a New York Times bestseller. Poser has been translated into 11 languages, optioned for television by Warner Bros., and adapted for the stage.

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    Episode 77: Closing A Start Up Church, with Ryan Egli

    January 19th, 2018  |  43 mins 56 secs

    My guest is Ryan Egli. Ryan Egli is the Director of Enrollment Management and Marketing at Biblical Theological Seminary. He planted a church two years ago that had to close its doors. On this episode he shares that story.

  • Episode 76: Why the Last Jedi is more "Spiritual" than "Religious", with Chaim Saiman

    January 16th, 2018  |  1 hr 14 mins

    My guest is Chaim Saiman. He's a Professor of Law at Villanova University Law School, and is an expert in Law and Religion and Jewish Legal theory. He also wrote a fascinating piece in the Atlantic about the most recent Star Wars film. It's called "Why The Last Jedi Is More 'Spiritual' Than 'Religious'."

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    Episode 75: The Dream and The Preacher King, with Kenyatta Gilbert

    January 15th, 2018  |  41 mins 59 secs

    My guest is the Reverend Dr. Kenyatta R. Gilbert. Kenyatta is Associate Professor of Homiletics at the Howard University School of Divinity. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from Baylor University and both his M.Div. and Ph.D. in Practical Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. We talked about the legacy of Martin Luther King and what it means today.

  • Episode 74: UnTrumped, with Doug Pagitt

    January 10th, 2018  |  57 mins 52 secs

    Doug Pagitt is an Author, Speaker, Podcaster, Organizer, Pastor, Ultra-Marathoner, Goodness Conspirator & Possibility Evangelist. He recently did a limited run podcast with another Pastor who voted for Donald Trump and still remains a Trump supporter. The dialogue is honest, passionate and generally fascinating.

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    Episode 73: The Ukrainian Night: An Intimate History of Revolution, with Marci Shore

    January 6th, 2018  |  1 hr 12 mins

    My guest is Marci Shore. Marci teaches European cultural and intellectual history at Yale University. He most recent book, "The Ukrainian Night: An Intimate History of Revolution." In this lyrical and intimate book, she evokes the human face of the Ukrainian Revolution.

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    Episode 72: Meet The Nativity, with Glen Scrivener

    December 21st, 2017  |  49 mins 47 secs

    My guest is Glen Scrivener. Glen is an Anglican minister and director of the charity Speak Life. He’s the author of several books including “321 - The Story of God, the World, and You” and “Love Story: The Myth That Really Happened.” He wrote and produced the Christmas short films Meet the Nativity (MeetTheNativity.com).

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    Episode 71: Areas of Fog, with Will Dowd

    December 9th, 2017  |  51 mins 18 secs

    My guest is Will Dowd. As unpredictable as its subject, "Areas of Fog" combines wit and poetry with humor and erudition. Will is a writer and artist based outside Boston.

  • Episode 70: Only a Joke Can Save Us: A Theory of Comedy, with Todd McGowan

    December 5th, 2017  |  1 hr 20 mins

    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."

  • Episode 69: Obroni And The Chocolate Factory, with Steven Wallace

    December 4th, 2017  |  53 mins 8 secs

    What country makes the best chocolate? Most people would answer "Switzerland," or, if they're discerning, "Belgium" or "France." Captivated by theories of international trade but with precious little knowledge of cocoa or chocolate, Steven Wallace set out to build the Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company in Ghana―a country renowned for its cocoa and where Wallace spent part of his youth―in a quest to produce the world's first export-ready, single-origin chocolate bar.

  • Episode 68: Sexual Harassment & Sexual Desire, with Jocelyn Olcott

    December 3rd, 2017  |  1 hr 5 mins

    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.

  • Episode 67: Net Neutrality, with Jennifer Briney

    December 2nd, 2017  |  1 hr 23 mins

    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.

  • Episode 66: Roy Moore and The Rise of Creepy Christianity, with David French

    November 15th, 2017  |  1 hr 7 mins

    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 Roy Moore senate controversy.

  • Episode 65: Is That Rhetorical?..., with Johanna Hartelius

    November 13th, 2017  |  33 mins 17 secs

    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.

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    Episode 64: Gangsters to Governors: The New Bosses of Gambling in America, with David Clary

    November 10th, 2017  |  46 mins 1 sec

    My guest is David Clary. David 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.