Give And Take

My guest is Richard Beck. His new book is Trains, Jesus, and Murder: The Gospel according to Johnny Cash (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1506433766/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0). "Saints and sinners, all jumbled up together." That's the genius of Johnny Cash, and that's what the gospel is ultimately all about.Johnny Cash sang about and for people on the margins. He famously played concerts in prisons, where he sang both murder ballads and gospel tunes in the same set. It's this juxtaposition between light and dark, writes Richard Beck, that makes Cash one of the most authentic theologians in memory. In Trains, Jesus, and Murder (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1506433766/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0), Beck explores the theology of Johnny Cash by investigating a dozen of Cash's songs. In reflecting on Cash's lyrics, and the passion with which he sang them, we gain a deeper understanding of the enduring faith of the Man in Black. Special Guest: Richard Beck.

My guest is Bob Holman. On December 3, 2019, Bowery Books simultaneously released two new books of poetry by Bob Holman—written 50 years apart. LIFE POEM (https://www.amazon.com/Life-Poem-Bob-Holman/dp/1936411547)and THE UNSPOKEN (https://www.amazon.com/UnSpoken-Bob-Holman-Word-Movement/dp/1936411571/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Bob+Holman+the+unspoken&qid=1575579603&s=books&sr=1-1) serve not only as bookends to a lifetime immersed in words, performance, and the avant garde, but they also show the evolution of an artist, an art form, and a downtown art scene that’s gone from Allen Ginsberg to Lou Reed to Eileen Myles to Mahogany L. Browne. LIFE POEM is a recently rediscovered book-length poem Holman wrote at age 21, new to poetry and first in its thrall. Filled with “jounce and pounce,” as Gwendolyn Brooks says, it’s a hippy diary full of communes, Vietnam, romance, and a driving love for language that ended up lasting a lifetime. THE UNSPOKEN is a collection of recent works, written by Holman, A WIDOWER in his 70s,

My guest is Lauren Duca. Her new book is How to Start a Revolution: Young People and the Future of American Politic (https://www.amazon.com/How-Start-Revolution-American-Politics/dp/1501181637)s. In it this Teen Vogue award-winning columnist shares a smart and funny guide for challenging the status quo in a much-needed reminder that young people are the ones who will change the world. Duca investigates and explains the issues at the root of our ailing political system and reimagines what an equitable democracy would look like. It begins with young people getting involved. People like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever to be elected to Congress; David and Lauren Hogg, two survivors of the Parkland, Florida shooting who went on to become advocates for gun control; Amanda Litman, who founded the nonprofit organization Run For Something, to assist progressive young people in down ballot elections; and many more. Called “the millennial feminist warrior queen of social media” by Ariel Levy and “a nat

My guest is Craig M. Gay. His newest book is Modern Technology and the Human Future: A Christian Appraisal. (https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Technology-Human-Future-Christian/dp/0830852204) Technology is not neutral. From the plow to the printing press, technology has always shaped human life and informed our understanding of what it means to be human. And advances in modern technology, from computers to smartphones, have yielded tremendous benefits. But do these developments actually encourage human flourishing? Craig Gay raises concerns about the theological implications of modern technologies and of philosophical movements such as transhumanism. In response, he turns to a classical affirmation of the Christian faith: Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God, took on human flesh. By exploring the doctrine of the incarnation and what it means for our embodiment, Gay offers a course correction to the path of modern technology without asking us to unplug completely. Gay demonstrates that the doctrine of the incarna

My guest is Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. His newest book is Revolution of Values: Reclaiming Public Faith for the Common Good (https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Values-Reclaiming-Public-Common/dp/0830845933/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1573571953&sr=1-1). In it he argues that the religious Right taught America to misread the Bible. Christians have misused Scripture to consolidate power, stoke fears, and defend against enemies. But people who have been hurt by the attacks of Christian nationalism can help us rediscover God's vision for faith in public life. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove explores how religious culture wars have misrepresented Christianity at the expense of the poor, and how listening to marginalized communities can help us hear God's call to love and justice in the world. He highlights people on the frontlines of issues ranging from immigration policy and voting rights to women's rights and environmental stewardship. Through these narratives, we encounter a recovery of values that upholds

My guest is Tara Ross. She is the author of "Why We Need the Electoral College." Is the Electoral College anti-democratic? Some would say yes. After all, the presidential candidate with the most popular votes has nevertheless lost the election at least three times, including 2016. To some Americans, that’s a scandal. They believe the Electoral College is an intolerable flaw in the Constitution, a relic of a bygone era that ought to have been purged long ago. But that would be a terrible mistake, warns Tara Ross in this vigorous defense of “the indispensable Electoral College.” Far from an obstacle to enlightened democracy, Ross argues, the Electoral College is one of the guardrails ensuring the stability of the American Republic. In this lively and instructive primer, Tara Ross explains: Why the Founders established the Electoral College—and why they thought it vital to the Constitution Why the Electoral College was meant to be more important than the popular vote How the Electoral College prevents political

My guest is Marilee Albert. Her new novel is The Tutor (https://www.amazon.com/Tutor-Marilee-Albert/dp/1644280345). In it recent Yale grad, Alice, wants to be close to her boyfriend in Paris, with enough space to sow a few oats. Rome fits, so off she goes. Her other goals? To make art and find a muse. Instead, she finds herself a muse to various men―including a TV-host dwarf, lonely banker, alcoholic playboy, aging prince, and the disillusioned Oscar-winning film director, Frank Colucci. The middle-aged Frank is in Rome to film the last of his famed movie series, but longs to get back to making art films. Alice, still wandering Rome, lost and confused, tumbles into Frank’s life, and he hires her as his philosophy tutor. Although at opposite poles of life with little in common―the bright but broke Alice is just getting started and has few prospects, and the married-with-kids Oscar-winner Frank bored and disillusioned―the two form a bond. Will this be an older, powerful man using his position to seduce a confus

My guest is Sarah Hurwitz. Her new book is Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life--in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There) (https://www.amazon.com/Here-All-Along-Spirituality-Life/dp/0525510710). After a decade as a political speechwriter—serving as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama, a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama, and chief speechwriter for Hillary Clinton on her 2008 presidential campaign—Sarah Hurwitz decided to apply her skills as a communicator to writing a book . . . about Judaism. And no one is more surprised than she is. Hurwitz was the quintessential lapsed Jew—until, at age thirty-six, after a tough breakup, she happened upon an advertisement for an introductory class on Judaism. She attended on a whim, but was blown away by what she found: beautiful rituals, helpful guidance on living an ethical life, conceptions of God beyond the judgy bearded man in the sky—none of which she had learned in Hebrew school or during th

My guest is Alberto Cairo. His new book is How Charts Lie: Getting Smarter about Visual Information (https://www.amazon.com/How-Charts-Lie-Getting-Information/dp/1324001569/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=how+charts+lie&qid=1572474634&sr=8-1). In it this leading data visualization expert explores the negative―and positive―influences that charts have on our perception of truth. We’ve all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words, but what if we don’t understand what we’re looking at? Social media has made charts, infographics, and diagrams ubiquitous―and easier to share than ever. We associate charts with science and reason; the flashy visuals are both appealing and persuasive. Pie charts, maps, bar and line graphs, and scatter plots (to name a few) can better inform us, revealing patterns and trends hidden behind the numbers we encounter in our lives. In short, good charts make us smarter―if we know how to read them. However, they can also lead us astray. Charts lie in a variety of ways―displaying incomplete or inac

My guest is Nicholas Buccola. His new book is The Fire Is upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate over Race in America (https://www.amazon.com/Fire-upon-Us-Baldwin-William/dp/0691181543). On February 18, 1965, an overflowing crowd packed the Cambridge Union in Cambridge, England, to witness a historic televised debate between James Baldwin, the leading literary voice of the civil rights movement, and William F. Buckley Jr., a fierce critic of the movement and America's most influential conservative intellectual. The topic was "the American dream is at the expense of the American Negro," and no one who has seen the debate can soon forget it. Nicholas Buccola's The Fire Is upon Us is the first book to tell the full story of the event, the radically different paths that led Baldwin and Buckley to it, the controversies that followed, and how the debate and the decades-long clash between the men continues to illuminate America's racial divide today. Born in New York City only fifteen months

My guest is Jarret Kobek. His new book is Only Americans Burn in Hell (https://www.amazon.com/Only-Americans-Burn-Jarett-Kobek/dp/0578529718/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=only+americans+burn+in+hell&qid=1571353565&sr=8-1). If you still want to play the game of American life, then you had better learn to lie. Kneel before false gods. Pretend to care about the ruling class and their illusions. Keep your head down. Pray that no one sees you. Your world is one of endless interruption and constant despair. This is not the future you were promised. What if someone had navigated the chaos of the Twenty-First Century and solved the puzzle of America's blinding and relentless informational assault? And what if they had put that solution into a novel that explained everything? This is Only Americans Burn in Hell, true believer. Rapturously reviewed in the United Kingdom, it's your only guide to 2020 and beyond. Just remember: every suicide needs its note. Special Guest: Jarett Kobek.

My guest is David Fitch. His newest book is The Church of Us vs. Them: Freedom from a Faith That Feeds on Making Enemies (https://www.amazon.com/Church-Us-vs-Them-Freedom/dp/1587434148/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+church+of+us+vs+them&qid=1571349899&sr=8-1). We are living in angry times. No matter where we go, what we watch, or how we communicate, our culture is rife with conflict. Unfortunately, Christians appear to be caught up in the same animosity as the culture at large. We are perceived as angry, judgmental, and defensive, fighting among ourselves in various media while the world looks on. How have we failed to be a people of reconciliation and renewal in the face of such tumult? Claiming that the church has lost itself in the grip of an antagonistic culture, David Fitch takes a close look at what drives the vitriol in our congregations. He traces the enemy-making patterns in church history and diagnoses the divisiveness that marks the contemporary evangelical church. Fitch shows a way for the church to be t

My guest is Jonathan Walton. His new book is Twelve Lies That Hold America Captive: And the Truth That Sets Us Free. (https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Lies-That-America-Captive/dp/0830845585/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3ND5NDBMY2IYR&keywords=12+lies+that+hold+america+captive&qid=1571347397&sprefix=12+lies+%2Caps%2C140&sr=8-1) "America is a Christian nation." "All men are created equal." "We are the land of the free and the home of the brave." Except when we're not. These commonly held ideas break down in the light of hard realities, the study of Scripture, and faithful Christian witness. The president is not the Messiah, the Constitution is not the Bible, and the United States is not a city on a hill or the hope for the world. The proclaimed hope of America rings most hollow for Native peoples, people of color, the rural poor, and other communities pressed to the margins. Jonathan Walton exposes the cultural myths and misconceptions about America's identity. Focusing on its manipulation of Scripture and the person of Jesus,

My guest is Johanna Hanink. Her newest book How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy (https://www.amazon.com/How-Think-about-War-Ancient/dp/0691190151) is an accessible modern translation of essential speeches from Thucydides’s History that takes readers to the heart of his profound insights on diplomacy, foreign policy, and war. Why do nations go to war? What are citizens willing to die for? What justifies foreign invasion? And does might always make right? For nearly 2,500 years, students, politicians, political thinkers, and military leaders have read the eloquent and shrewd speeches in Thucydides’s History of the Peloponnesian War for profound insights into military conflict, diplomacy, and the behavior of people and countries in times of crisis. _How to Think about War _presents the most influential and compelling of these speeches in an elegant new translation by classicist Johanna Hanink, accompanied by an enlightening introduction, informative headnotes, and the original Greek on fac

My guest is James Garbarino. His new book is Miller's Children: Why Giving Teenage Killers a Second Chance Matters for All of Us (https://www.amazon.com/Millers-Children-Teenage-Killers-Matters-dp-0520295676/dp/0520295676/ref=mt_hardcover?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=). It is a passionate and comprehensive look at the human consequences of the US Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Miller v. Alabama, which outlaws mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juvenile murderers. The decision to apply the law retroactively to other cases has provided hope to those convicted of murders as teenagers and had been incarcerated with the expectation that they would never leave prison until their own death as incarcerated adults. Psychological expert witness James Garbarino shares his fieldwork in more than forty resentencing cases of juveniles affected by the Miller decision. Providing a wide-ranging review of current research on human development in adolescence and early adulthood, he shows how studies reveal the adol

My guest is Carl Zimmer. His newest book is She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity. (https://www.amazon.com/She-Has-Her-Mothers-Laugh/dp/1101984597) In it he presents a profoundly original perspective on what we pass along from generation to generation. Charles Darwin played a crucial part in turning heredity into a scientific question, and yet he failed spectacularly to answer it. The birth of genetics in the early 1900s seemed to do precisely that. Gradually, people translated their old notions about heredity into a language of genes. As the technology for studying genes became cheaper, millions of people ordered genetic tests to link themselves to missing parents, to distant ancestors, to ethnic identities... But, Zimmer writes, “Each of us carries an amalgam of fragments of DNA, stitched together from some of our many ancestors. Each piece has its own ancestry, traveling a different path back through human history. A particular fragment may sometimes be cause for wo

My guest is Kenyatta Gilbert. His newest book is Exodus Preaching: Crafting Sermons about Justice and Hope (https://www.amazon.com/Exodus-Preaching-Crafting-Sermons-Justice/dp/1501832573). Exodus Preaching is the first of its kind. It is an exploration of the African American prophetic rhetorical traditions in a manner that makes features of these traditions relevant to a broad audience beyond the African American traditions. It provides readers a composite picture of the nature, meaning, and relevance of prophetic preaching as spoken Word of justice and hope in a society of growing pluralism and the world-shaping phenomenon of racial, economic and cultural diversity. African American preachers have distinctively invested great symbolic significance in the Exodus story, the messianic witness of Jesus, and the prophetic literature for developing and shaping prophetic sermons. Kenyatta Gilbert demonstrates how four distinctive features of discourse can shape sermon preparation, for effective preaching in a peri

My guest is Jennie Dear. Her new book is What Does It Feel Like to Die?: Inspiring New Insights into the Experience of Dying (https://www.amazon.com/What-Does-Feel-Like-Die/dp/0806539860), As a long-time hospice volunteer, Jennie Dear has helped countless patients, families, and caregivers cope with the many challenges of the dying process. Inspired by her own personal journey with her mother’s long-term illness, Dear demystifies the experience of dying for everyone whose lives it touches. She spoke to doctors, nurses, and caregivers, as well as families, friends, and the patients themselves. The result is a brilliantly researched, eye-opening account that combines the latest medical findings with sensitive human insights to offer real emotional support and answers to some of the questions that affect us all. Does dying hurt? A frank discussion of whether dying has to be painful—and why it sometimes is even when treatment is readily available. Is there a better way to cope with dying? Comforting stories of p

My guest is Joshua Rasmussen. His newest book is How Reason Can Lead to God: A Philosopher's Bridge to Faith (https://www.amazon.com/How-Reason-Can-Lead-God/dp/0830852522). Do you seek the truth? Do you value reason, science, and independent thinking? Are you skeptical of beliefs that people maintain merely "on faith," yet you remain interested in the big questions of life? Do you hope there could be a greater purpose to the universe, if only that were realistic? If so, then philosopher Joshua Rasmussen can encourage you in your journey. Beginning with his own story of losing faith and the belief in any ultimate purpose in life, he then builds a bridge to a series of universal truths about ultimate reality. Using only the instruments of reason and common experience, Rasmussen constructs a pathway―step by step, brick by brick―that he argues can lead to meaning and, ultimately, a vision of God.

My guest is Scott Sunquist. His newest book is Why Church: A Basic Introduction (https://www.amazon.com/Why-Church-Introduction-Scott-Sunquist/dp/0830852387). Is a church just something we create to serve our purposes or to maintain old traditions? Or is it something more vital, more meaningful, and more powerful? This can be hard to believe when we look at what happens in any one congregation or denomination. Certainly not all churches act like Jesus in the world, and many individual churches in the West are dying. When it's so easy to be confused, frustrated, or simply apathetic about the church, how should we understand its purpose today? In this appealing introduction to the nature of the local church, set in the context of Christian history and global diversity, historian and missionary Scott Sunquist shows us the church in motion. Why Church? clarifies the two primary purposes of the church―worship and witness―and unpacks what the church is (and ought to be) using five movements of worship: come togeth