Podcast
Ye Gods With Scott Carter
Hosted by NPR Network · EN
Host Scott Carter, an award-winning executive producer and writer, known for his work on Real Time with Bill Maher and Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, explores codes of religious, cultural and secular conduct. Among Carter's diverse celebrity guests are Martin Short, Bob Costas, Ken Burns, Patricia Heaton, Killer Mike, Sam Harris, Rabbi Sharon Brous, Larry Wilmore, Moon Zappa, Rainn Wilson, Yvonne Orji, Rabbi Steve Leder and Tim Gunn.
26episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Of God and Country: David Dark
1w ago00:50:29Tap to summarizeWe conclude our miniseries OF GOD AND COUNTRY with professor of Religion and the Arts at Belmont University and author of WE BECOME WHAT WE NORMALIZE: Dr. David Dark. His books include EVERYDAY APOCALYPSE: THE SACRED REVEALED IN RADIOHEAD, THE SIMPSONS, AND OTHER POP CULTURE ICONS, and LIFE’S TOO SHORT TO PRETEND YOU’RE NOT RELIGIOUS.His latest book, WE BECOME WHAT WE NORMALIZE: WHAT WE OWE EACH OTHER IN WORLDS THAT DEMAND OUR SILENCE, is available in audio and hard-cover from Broadleaf Books, and his “Dark Matters” Substack is at daviddark.substack.com. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →
Of God and Country: Charlie Sykes
2w ago00:50:30Tap to summarizeCharlie Sykes is a rarity: Decent, Wisconsin-nice, smiling, gracious, man of integrity in an often transactional profession. He was raised in a liberal, non-religious household, but became a Catholic and a Republican. He's still a Catholic, but no longer a Republican, though still a conservative. A journalist and radio host in Wisconsin for 40 years, and the bestselling author of nine books including 2017’s HOW THE RIGHT LOST ITS MIND. In 2019, Charlie co-founded The Bulwark news site, with the motto “Country Over Party.” He hosted its flagship podcast until, in 2025, he started his own substack newsletter, TO THE CONTRARY, with the motto “You are not the crazy ones.” On it, Charlie publishes solo commentaries and interviews politicos and journalists. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →
Of God and Country: David Frum
3w ago00:50:42Tap to summarizeAs part of our miniseries OF GOD AND COUNTRY, we speak with author, podcaster and journalist for THE ATLANTIC, David Frum. David served as a presidential speechwriter for George W. Bush, has authored 10 books, and now hosts THE DAVID FRUM SHOW and writes for The Atlantic. We’re discussing how both America and classic conservative David have shifted since Donald Trump took over the Oval Office in 2017. We also discuss where the American experiment goes from here, whether Americans still value dignity from their elected leaders, and how David’s childhood in 1960’s Canada shaped his understanding of global politics. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →
Of God and Country: Bradley Whitford
4w ago00:50:56Tap to summarizeAs part of our miniseries OF GOD AND COUNTRY, we're talking with activist and TV and film star from A HANDMAID’S TALE, GET OUT, and THE WEST WING, Bradley Whitford about his relationship to religion, after being raised a Quaker by atheist leaning parents. Brad attended All Saints Episcopal in Pasadena during priest-in-charge Ed Bacon’s leadership. Bacon is now retired but the church, founded in 1882, continues its commitment to radical inclusion, joyful spirituality, and ethical stewardship. Standing in stark contrast to the splendor of All Saint’s 1924 gothic revival church is the austerity of the Quaker meetings which Brad attended as a child, and to which he has returned.Correction: Bradley Whitford did not originate the lead role in A FEW GOOD MEN, but was the understudy for TOM HULCE who originated the part of LT JG Kafee. A part later made famous by Tom Cruise Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →
Of God and Country: Nayyera Haq/Robert Costa
Jul 800:50:44Tap to summarizeWe’ll look at two American stories: The Christian Right and Muslim-American Immigrants. We’ll hear from former Senior Director at the Obama White House and Senior Advisor at the State Department, Nayyera Haq. The daughter of Pakistani Muslim parents, she describes how her 1980’s childhood on Staten Island led to her working to elect Barack Obama.But first: CBS News national correspondent for Sunday Morning and chief Washington analyst, Robert Costa. I’ve known him since he was a young Washington Post reporter and, later, as host of PBS's Washington Week. Since 2008, he’s covered the religious right, from the Moral Majority, to the Tea Party, to MAGA. Robert holds a BA from Notre Dame and a masters from Cambridge University in the UK. In 2021, he and Bob Woodward co-authored the #1 New York Times bestselling book PERIL, about the 2020 campaign, leading up to and after the January 6th assault on America’s capital. In 2025, Robert became a Fourth Estate Honoree, the highest award of the National Press Club. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →
Of God and Country: Jonathan Alter
Jul 100:50:30Tap to summarizeJonathan Alter: author, columnist, pundit, podcaster, filmmaker and lecturer. Jon executive-produced Amazon Prime’s 2013 satirical series ALPHA HOUSE, created by Pulitzer-Prize-winning Doonesbury cartoonist Gary Trudeau, and starred John Goodman. We discuss how religion influenced the founding fathers and why the “separation of church and state” is a controversial American idea, which doesn’t appear in the constitution. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Killer Mike (Encore)
Jun 2400:50:29Tap to summarizeScott talks with actor, activist, 4-time Grammy-winning rapper, and half of hip-hop supergroup, Run The Jewels, Killer Mike. In the episode, Mike talks about his admiration for - and friendship with - Civil Rights icon and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young, growing up in the all-Black neighborhood of Atlanta’s Collier Heights, and his musical evolution. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Susie Essman
May 2000:50:46Tap to summarizeActress and comedian Susie Essman, who played Susie Green on CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, is poised to reteam with Larry David and an all star cast, including past YE GODS! guest Larry Wilmore, for HBO’s LIFE, LARRY AND THE PURSUIT OF UNHAPPINESS.Susie's 2009 memoir is "WHAT WOULD SUSIE SAY?: BS WISDOM ABOUT LOVE, LIFE AND COMEDY".She and bff Joy Behar appeared on stage together last year in Joy’s off-Broadway play MY FIRST EX HUSBAND. Check out their joint interview on theatermania.com for more on their four-decade friendship. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Danielle Crittenden
May 1300:50:43Tap to summarizeDanielle Crittenden is a journalist and author. Her new book is DISPATCHES FROM GRIEF: A MOTHER’S JOURNEY THROUGH THE UNTHINKABLE. Danielle’s Atlantic article "ON LOSING A DAUGHTER" and husband David Frum’s article "MIRANDA’S LAST GIFT", also for Atlantic, explore their sudden loss of their daughter Miranda at 32, the time they had with her, and how they both processed that loss. Danielle also recently contributed to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL explaining the role technology has played in her grief experience. We discuss Danielle’s conversion to Judaism and how it helped her process Miranda’s sudden absence. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Stephen Mitchell
May 600:50:35Tap to summarizeStephen Mitchell is an author, editor, and translator of classic and spiritual literature. His 1988 translation into English of the TAO TE CHING by Lao Tzu, and its accompanying audio book have been indispensable guides to millions of seekers. We discuss how spiritual texts come to be written, the history of the translating and compiling of the Christian gospels, and why Stephen was compelled to untangle Jesus’s teachings for himself. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →