The Religious Treehouse

Looking at the Vile of the Bible, Jodie and Matthew discuss one of the famous villains in the Bible: Goliath. Found primarily in 1 Samuel 17, the Goliath story acts as one of the introductions of David to the biblical narrative. Jodie and Matthew discuss some text critical issues examining how multiple sources were combined together to introduce David: One of which has David as a musician, and the...

Woah, woah, woah. Has TRT switched it up and started watching TV instead of movies? Yes!!! (at least for this week’s episode). Jodie and Matthew review Season 1 of “We Are Lady Parts” created by Nida Manzoor, which explores a feminist, Muslim, punk band and their interpersonal dramas as they search for their identity and their place in the world. This show was hilarious and poignant, and brought u...

Jodie and Matthew return to Biblical Studies to discuss Psalm 104. Often described as a psalm of praise, creation psalm, or perhaps even an historical psalm or wisdom psalm, Psalm 104 is one of the most well-known and beautifully written psalms in the Bible. Jodie and Matthew discuss everything from redactional criticism to potential connection to Ancient Egyptian poetry such as the Hymn of Aten t...

Movie March Part 4 is a 2004 film called “Saved!” featuring Macaulay Culkin, Mandy Moore, and Jena Malone. While both enjoyed it, Jodie and Matthew disagreed on the extent to which they thought they should enjoy it. Was it an amazing movie that accurately critiqued early 2000’s Evangelical Christianity, or did it create a caricature of Christianity from this era? Let us know your thoughts on both...

Movie March continues with the cult classic 1922 film Häxan, written and directed by Benjamin Christensen. Jodie and Matthew discuss the film’s portrayal of medieval witchcraft and its successes and pitfalls by addressing witchcraft through lenses of feminism, psychoanalysis, and filmmaking of the early 1900s. While the costuming and filmmaking was superb, the content may have fallen short in a fe...

Movie March Part 3 treats us to Ryan Coogler’s SInners. Note this was recorded before the Oscars, so let us know if the Academy thinks this was as good as we did. Jodie and Matthew analyze the various themes put forth in this film and discuss the consequences of assimilation, African American spirituality, Christianity, colonization, music, community, and other topics that this film tackles. By us...

Movie March part 2 gifts us with the presence of Jack Black in the pop culture phenomenon that is Nacho Libre (2006). Or maybe it curses us. Jodie and Matthew disagree on the quality of this movie but agree that it acted as an interesting portrayal of Catholicism. They consider the ways that Christianity influenced the reception and creation of the film and ask questions regarding the potential co...

It’s Movie March!!!! The first movie of this marathon discussed by Jodie and Matthew is Netflix’s Christian musical “A Week Away” where a troubled teen is sent to a Christian camp to turn his life around. This was a light and fun movie, albeit poorly written, exploring how Christian camp and evangelical Christian culture creates a space for members to feel included and part of something bigger. Jo...

We’ve all heard of Jonestown. But do we all know what actually happened? Do we know the story behind the massacre? And perhaps more importantly, do we know the story about after the massacre? Jodie and Matthew discuss the history behind Jonestown and the events leading up to its infamous last moments, followed by a conversation on how Jonestown has been framed by the media and others, and pontific...

Everybody cut Footloose! Jodie and Matthew examine the hit classic Footloose (1984) and how it relates to religion. In a small town dominated by a local pastor, Jodie and Matthew examine how the small town politics related to overbearing religious authority and how religious authority is based on tradition and changes with times and culture. But this was overall a fun and great movie full of great...

We’re back and discussing Chapter 6 of Mark Jurgensmeyer’s Terror in the Mind of God where we discuss Buddhist extremism and violence. How can a religion so stereotypically known for peace and nonviolence commit horrible acts of violence? Jodie and Matthew look at a few Buddhist outliers such as the Aum Shinrikyo movement to analyze what happens when Buddhism goes wrong Works Referenced and Recomm...

Jodie and Matthew review 2011 Documentary Koran by Heart, which explores an annual Koran recitation competition for children and young people around the world, held in Egypt. The documentary follows a few children and their respective journeys, presenting a variety of ways Islam is practiced around the world and how the memorization of the Koran is important for many Muslims. In western society, p...

It’s time for a Biblical Studies podcast episode - this time talking about Cain and Abel, found in Genesis 4 and 5. Listen along to hear Matthew try to pronounce fun words like antediluvian and hendiadys as he and Jodie discuss the children Adam and Eve, along with their relevant genealogies. Who knew genealogies could be so fun?!Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions! B...

Jodie and Matthew return to the Akedah, or the binding of Isaac, but this time by analyzing a recent movie produced by Christian production company, Angel Studios. His Only Son looks at the binding of Isaac, and other scenes of Abraham’s life. However, Jodie and Matthew discuss how the movie falls short by taking itself too seriously, not having the ability to see the story as anything other than...

We’re back and discussing Chapter 5: The Spear of Shiva, the Sword of Sikhism of Mark Jurgensmeyer’s Terror in the Mind of God. We’re not sure if Matthew made this clear in the episode, but this is so very far away from his area of expertise, so please let us know anything that was wrong. Pay attention to common themes that have been recurring throughout these episodes on religious violence and le...

Matthew and Jodie summon their inner Beniot Blanc’s to investigate the religious imagery found in the newest Knives Out installment, “Wake Up Dead Man,” which is a fantastic movie that uses the intrigue of a murder-mystery to comment on the opposing Christian factions that see the Church’s job to either fight the world or care for the world. Sure the murder plot, and the lighting, and the visuals,...

Jodie and Matthew begin their discussion on religious violence and extremism by offering a brief introduction to religious violence. Following Mark Jurgensmeyer’s book: Terror in the Mind of God, Jodie and Matthew will explore various care studies of religious extremism before delving into the logic and justification of these horrific acts of violence. Works Referenced and Recommended Readings: Ju...

Happy Hannukah! Jodie and Matthew try to bring in the Hanukkah cheer by discussing Adam Sandler’s 2002 movie, Eight Crazy Nights. Too bad it was an awful movie. Even so, Jodie and Matthew professionally press on and discuss some of the things the movie did wrong and try to find what the movie may have done well, like perhaps showcasing itself as an example of the increase in popularity of Hanukkah...

Jodie and Matthew are back again to ruin Christmas (sorry) by looking at Mary, mother of Jesus, from a historical-critical perspective to figure out if Mary was likely a virgin or not when conceiving Jesus. With Mary's virginity only mentioned in Matthew and Luke, the podcast explores why those authors would have included the virginal conception of Jesus, what other biblical authors included (...

#57 A Charlie Brown Christmas: A TRT Movie Review Christmastime is here! So Jodie and Matthew are looking at one of the most iconic Christmas movies of all time, and one of the most explicitly Christian scenes in all of Christmas media. But is that enough to make this a religious movie? And does this movie, whose central message is anticonsumerism succeed in its goal? See what we have to say about...

Jodie and Matthew continue the series going through Mark Juergensmeyer’s book “Terror in the Mind of God” as they discuss Islamic extremism. By looking at case studies of Extremist and Terrorist organizations such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Hamas, and those that support them, Jodie and Matthew try to follow the logic on why these organizations create terror and why the vast majority of Muslims across...

Who doesn’t love Jim Carey?! This week, Jodie and Matthew look at the 2003 film, Bruce Almighty, and analyze how it presented an American view of religion that parallels Christianity without ever actually using explicitly religious terminology. How does Bruce Almighty depict religion and western depictions of a deity in a way that is appealing to the religious and non-religious alike? Let us know...

Jodie and Matthew delve into the topic of Jewish Extremism as they discuss Chapter 3 of Mark Jurgensmeyer’s “Terror in the Mind of God” (TITMOG). Much of modern Jewish extremism and violence is related to Zionism in one form or another. Without getting into too many details about Zionism (that’s a topic for another time), Jodie and Matthew discuss Jewish extremists such as Meir Kahane, Yoel Lerner...

In a fun change of pace, Jodie and Matthew review Jeff Baena’s “The Little Hours” starring Allison Brie, Kate Micucci, Aubrey Plaza, and Dave Franco, which is a comedy based on a story from The Decameron about a 14th century convent who lust after a new groundskeeper who is pretending to be deaf and mute. Shenanigans occur as the movie hilariously delves into human flaws and fascinating characters...

Jodie and Matthew delve into the topic of Christian Extremism as they discuss Chapter 2 of Mark Jurgensmeyer’s “Terror in the Mind of God” (TITMOG). They look at some case studies of religious violence in extremists such as Anders Brievik, Timothy McVeigh, and Michael Bray and then discuss some of their justifications and reasonings behind committing these horrible acts of violence, briefly touchi...