Give And Take

The election of Donald Trump in 2016, like most of his campaign, came as a shock to many Americans. In Troll Nation (https://www.amazon.com/Troll-Nation-American-Devolved-Clubhouse/dp/1510737456)Amanda Marcotte argues that Trump's election was the inevitable result of American conservatism’s degradation into an ideology of blind resentment. For years now, she contends, the purpose of right wing media, particularly Fox News, has not been to argue for traditional conservative ideals, such as small government or even family values, so much as to stoke bitterness and paranoia in its audience. Traditionalist white people have lost control over the culture, and they know it, and the only option they feel they have left is to rage at a broad swath of supposed enemies ― journalists, activists, feminists, city dwellers, college professors ― that they blame for stealing “their” country from them. Special Guest: Amanda Marcotte .

My guest is Suzanne Stabile. Her newest book is The Path Between Us: An Enneagram Journey To Healthy Relationships (https://www.amazon.com/Path-Between-Us-Enneagram-Relationships/dp/0830846425). This book on the nine Enneagram types and how they behave and experience relationships will guide readers into deeper insights about themselves, their types, and others' personalities so that they can have healthier, more life-giving relationships. Most of us have no idea how others see or process their experiences. And that can make relationships hard, whether with intimate partners, with friends, or in our professional lives. Understanding the motivations and dynamics of these different personality types can be the key that unlocks sometimes mystifying behavior in others—and in ourselves. Suzanne's generous, sometimes humorous, and always insightful approach reveals why all the types behave as they do. This book offers help in fostering more loving, mature, and compassionate relationships with everyone in our lives.

My guest is Michèle Gerber Klein. Michèle is a philanthropist, collector and author whose topics are fame, fashion and art. Her first book is Charles James: Portrait of An Unreasonable Man (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0847861457/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0847861457&linkCode=as2&tag=kittymunson&linkId=3a86c426ea928a2bda206a9f10e60527), a biography of the iconic and controversial designer Charles James, published by Rizzoli ex Libris (http://www.rizzoliusa.com/about-us/). Special Guest: Michèle Gerber Klein.

My guest is Jeff Mallinson. Jeff is Associate Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Concordia University, Irvine, a 1517 Thinking Fellow, and Co-Host of the Virtue in the Wasteland podcast. His newest book is Sexy: The Quest for Erotic Virtue in Perplexing Times. (https://www.amazon.com/Sexy-Quest-Erotic-Virtue-Perplexing/dp/1945500794) In it he asks what would happen if we reframed contemporary conversations about sexuality altogether? Instead of focusing on taboos, boundaries, and rules of sexual engagement, what if we let holy desire seduce people back to erotic virtue? Special Guest: Jeff Mallinson.

Mark C. Mattes (PhD, University of Chicago) is professor of philosophy and religion at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. His newest book is Martin Luther's Theology of Beauty: A Reappraisal (https://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?&field-keywords=9780801098376&linkCode=ur2&tag=bakerbookhouse). Many contemporary theologians seek to retrieve the concept of beauty as a way for people to encounter God. In this volume, one of today's leading Lutheran theologians argues that while Martin Luther's view of beauty has often been ignored or underappreciated, it has much to contribute to that quest. This groundbreaking book is the first extensive study on Luther's theological aesthetics. Contrary to the common misconception that Luther rejected beauty as a theological essential, Mark Mattes shows that the concept of beauty is actually a crucial theme for Luther's paradoxical understanding of justification by grace alone through faith alone. Christ "without form or comeliness" is God's gift of mercy to troubled sinner

My guest is Jamie Wright. After finding her faith at a suburban megachurch, Jamie trades in the easy life on the cul-de-sac for the green fields of Costa Rica. There, along with her family, she earnestly hopes to serve God and change lives. But faced with a yawning culture gap and persistent shortcomings in herself and her fellow workers, she soon loses confidence in the missionary enterprise and falls into a funk of cynicism and despair. Nearly paralyzed by depression, yet still wanting to make a difference, she decides to tell the whole, disenchanted truth: Missionaries suck and our work makes no sense at all! From her sofa in Central America, she launches a renegade blog, Jamie the Very Worst Missionary, and against all odds wins a large and passionate following. Which leads her to see that maybe a "bad" missionary--awkward, doubtful, and vocal—is exactly what the world and the throngs of American do-gooders need. The Very Worst Missionary (https://www.amazon.com/Very-Worst-Missionary-Memoir-Whatever/dp/0

My guest is Yang Huang. Her debut novel Living Treasures (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0989596052/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0989596052&linkCode=as2&tag=yanghuang-20&linkId=6GI272MM2NPTA2H6) won the Nautilus Book Award silver medal in fiction. Her newest book is My Old Faithful. (https://www.amazon.com/My-Old-Faithful-Stories-Juniper/dp/1625343361/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8) Evoking both the drama of familial intimacy and the ups and downs of the everyday, My Old Faithful (https://www.amazon.com/My-Old-Faithful-Stories-Juniper/dp/1625343361/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8) introduces readers to a close-knit Chinese family. These ten interconnected short stories, which take place in China and the United States over a thirty-year period, merge to paint a nuanced portrait of family life, full of pain, surprises, and subtle acts of courage. Richly textured narratives from the mother, the father, the son, and the daughters play out against the backdrop of China's social and economic change. With

My guest is Adam Hamilton. Adam is the senior pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, one of the fastest growing, most highly visible churches in the country. His newest book is Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times (https://www.amazon.com/Unafraid-Living-Courage-Troubled-Times/dp/0525532315). It's a book for persons and communities desiring find hope and serenity in an anxious age. To find out more about Adam and what his ongoing and exciting work head on over to his website: http://www.adamhamilton.org. Special Guest: Adam Hamilton.

My guest is Roland Merullo. He is the acclaimed author of twenty previous books, including the international favorite "Breaking with the Buddha", now in its twentieth printing. Against a landscape of good humor, intrigue, and spiritual fulfillment, The Delight of Being Ordinary (https://www.amazon.com/Delight-Being-Ordinary-Road-Dalai-ebook/dp/B018CHA2BE)showcases the uniquely charming sensibilities of author Roland Merullo. Part whimsical expedition, part love story, part spiritual search, this uplifting novel brings warmth and laughter to the universal concerns of family life, religious inspiration, and personal identity—all of which combine to transcend cultural and political barriers in the name of a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Roland Merullo’s playful, eloquent, and life-affirming novel finds the world’s two holiest men teaming up for an unsanctioned road trip through the Italian countryside--where they rediscover the everyday joys and challenges of ordinary life. During the Dalai Lama’s highly public

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 wrote a fascinating piece for First Things a few years ago called The Halakhah of Jesus' Trial. (https://www.firstthings.com/article/2013/08/the-halakhah-of-jesus-trial) In it he reflects on the only piece of Talmud that talks about the trial and death of Jesus. Special Guest: Chaim Saiman .

My guest is Gail Straub. Gail is the Executive Director of the Empowerment Institute, which she co-founded in 1981. Her most recent book is The Ashokan Way: Landscape's Path into Consciousness. (https://www.amazon.com/Ashokan-Way-Landscapes-Path-Consciousness/dp/1947003690) The natural world has the power to awaken, restore, and transform us, and nowhere are these capacities more evident than in the thirty-six luminous essays that make up The Ashokan Way. Written in the form of journal entries that take place over the course of a year, the essays explore both the outer landscapes of the awe-inspiring Ashokan Reservoir, a vast open space surrounded by the ancient bluestone peaks of the Catskill Mountain Watershed, and the equally awe-inspiring inner landscapes of our own most personal terrains. Special Guest: Gail Straub.

My guest is Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. He is a celebrated spiritual writer and sought-after speaker. A native of North Carolina, he is a graduate of Eastern University and Duke Divinity School. His newest book is Reconstructing The Gospel: Finding Freedom From Slaveholder Religion (https://www.amazon.com/Reconstructing-Gospel-Finding-Slaveholder-Religion/dp/0830845348). In it he argues that just as Reconstruction after the Civil War worked to repair a desperately broken society, our compromised Christianity requires a spiritual reconstruction that undoes the injustices of the past. Wilson-Hartgrove traces his journey from the religion of the slaveholder to the Christianity of Christ. Reconstructing the gospel requires facing the pain of the past and present, from racial blindness to systemic abuses of power. Grappling seriously with troubling history and theology, Wilson-Hartgrove recovers the subversiveness of the gospel that sustained the church through centuries of slavery and oppression, from the civil ri

My guest is Daniel Bessner. Daniel is the Anne H.H. and Kenneth B. Pyle Assistant Professor in American Foreign Policy in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. His new book is Democracy In Exile: Hans Speier and the Rise of the Defense Intellectual. (https://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Exile-Speier-Defense-Intellectual/dp/0801453038/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509725358&sr=8-1&keywords=democracy+in+exile) Daniel works on intellectual and cultural history, U.S. foreign relations, the history of democratic thought, and the history of the social sciences. Daniel’s next book is provisionally entitled The RAND Corporation: A History, and is under advance contract with Princeton University Press. Finally, he is co-editing a book with Nicolas Guilhot tentatively entitled The Decisionist Imagination: Sovereignty, Social Science, and Democracy in the Twentieth Century, which is under advance contract with Berghahn Books. Daniel has published scholarly articles in several journ

My guest is Kathryn Moeller. She is Assistant Professor of Educational Policy Studies and an affiliate of the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her newest book is The Gender Effect: Capitalism, Feminism and the Corporate Politics of Development. (https://www.amazon.com/Gender-Effect-Capitalism-Corporate-Development/dp/0520286391) In it she examines how and why U.S. transnational corporations are investing in the lives, educations, and futures of poor, racialized girls and women in the Global South. Is it a solution to ending poverty? Or is it a pursuit of economic growth and corporate profit? Drawing on more than a decade of research in the United States and Brazil, this book focuses on how the philanthropic, social responsibility, and business practices of various corporations use a logic of development that positions girls and women as instruments of poverty alleviation and new frontiers for capitalist accumulation. Using the Girl Effect, the philanthropic bran

My guest is Stanley Hauerwas. He is Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Divinity and Law at Duke University. Professor Hauerwas has sought to recover the significance of the virtues for understanding the nature of the Christian life. This search has led him to emphasize the importance of the church, as well as narrative for understanding Christian existence. His work cuts across disciplinary lines as he is in conversation with systematic theology, philosophical theology and ethics, political theory, as well as the philosophy of social science and medical ethics. He was named "America’s Best Theologian" by Time magazine in 2001. Dr. Hauerwas, who holds a joint appointment in Duke Law School, delivered the prestigious Gifford Lectureship at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland in 2001. His most recent book is The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson. (https://www.amazon.com/Character-Virtue-Letters-Godson/dp/0802875793) Special Guest: Stanley Hauerwas.

My guest is Douglas Campbell. He's a professor of New Testament at Duke Divinity School. His most recent book, Paul: An Apostle's Journey (https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Apostles-Journey-Douglas-Campbell/dp/0802873472), invites the reader to relive the story of Paul's action-packed ministry, and follow the the development of Paul's thought throughout both his physical and spiritual travels. Special Guest: Douglas A. Campbell .

Dr. Chris Kutarna is the co-author of Age of Discovery: Navigating the Storms of Our Second Renaissance (https://www.amazon.com/dp/147294352X), a best-selling, internationally acclaimed book published by Bloomsbury and St Martin’s Press. Among other predictions, Chris publicly foresaw the outcome of the United Kingdom’s 2016 referendum on EU membership (Brexit) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qHDtMJTL5k&t=64s) and the 2016 election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEZJUKA36hA&t=9s) His forthcoming books, How to Beat Trump (Fall/Winter 2018) and Blue: China’s Other Color (Summer 2019), continue to draw the maps we need to navigate the new world we’re already in._ The New World _(Fall/Winter 2019) will be an atlas to the future. Special Guest: Chris Kutarna.

Tullian Tchividjian is the grandson of Billy Graham. He's written several award winning books. He's been a celebrated preacher and pastor. In recent years he's not just preached the message of grace, he's also confessed his deep need for it amidst his own struggles. In this episode he reflects on the memory of his recently deceased grandfather, Billy Graham. You can connect with Tullian at https://www.tullian.net (https://www.tullian.net). Special Guest: Tullian Tchividjian.

My guest is Catherine Price. She's an award winning writer and science journalist. Her most recent is entitled How To Break Up With Your Phone (https://www.amazon.com/How-Break-Up-Your-Phone/dp/039958112X). It's all about changing your relationship to your phone so that you can be more present to yourself and the world around you. Special Guest: Catherine Price.

My guest is Larry Ruhl. His first book, Breaking The Ruhls (https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Ruhls-Memoir-Larry-Ruhl/dp/1942094582),is a profoundly personal account of the impact of complex trauma on a man’s life. Larry Ruhl’s father sought comfort from his only son, smothering him not only with his affection, but his sexuality―blurring critical boundaries that would prove deeply debilitating. Larry’s mother, with her spiraling, ever-changing mental illness kept the family in a constant state of anxiety. By the time Larry graduated from high school, overwhelming sadness and suicidal thoughts took root, plaguing him for decades. Breaking the Ruhls will resonate deeply with many who have experienced similar trauma, boundary violations, and abuse within the family. Ruhl mines his own experiences with sexual confusion, addiction and recovery, relationships, career struggles, and therapeutic breakthroughs, while demonstrating it is possible to heal and thrive. Special Guest: Larry Ruhl.