The Religious Treehouse

We are starting a 4-part series, going through Phyllis Trible’s Texts of Terror, where each week, we will discuss a story from the Hebrew Bible from a Literary-Feminist perspective, following Trible’s book. Feel free to follow along and read with us! This week, we talk about Hagar, an enslaved Egyptian woman who conceived a son for Abraham, but is then banished. It’s a tragic story, but an importa...

It’s our 100th episode! And Jodie and Matthew talk about how to study a new religion. If you are interested in learning more about religions, we hope this is a good resource. By using a tree analogy, Matthew offers steps for how to begin your research into studying a religion. Importantly, create a good foundation by asking good questions, be aware of your biases, and use quality resources. Let us...

Jodie and Matthew watch Good Fortune (2025), written by, directed by, and starring Aziz Ansari, and also starring Seth Rogan, Keke Palmer, and Keanu Reeves. In parallel with the previous episode, Jodie and Matthew discuss the portrayal of angels in modern western media. How do angels, and in particular their wings, differ from other ancient sources and art throughout the past 2000 years? Additiona...

Jodie and Matthew discuss angels in the Bible. No, not the nice, kind, warm, guardian angels that come to mind, nor the many eyed, many wheeled, creepy creatures you sometimes think about when you hear the phrase “biblically accurate angel.” No, it’s so much worse than that. By looking at how angels are depicted throughout the Old and New testaments, Jodie and Matthew unveil the scary and murderou...

Jodie and Matthew watch Adam and Eve (1983), originally titled “Adamo ed Eva: la prima storia d'amore,” which is an Italian film that takes influence from the biblical Adam and Eve story. In short, this movie confounded Jodie and Matthew. It was low budget, and perhaps made claims about a lot of things ranging from evolution to the patriarchy, but Jodie and Matthew could not tell where it stoo...

In this re-release, originally posted on May 3, 2025, Jodie and Matthew briefly introduce what a monster is, where they show up in the Bible, and how modern discussions tend to tame them. Then, they get into it with the leviathan and how it’s the biggest and baddest of monsters, but also maybe God’s BFF? Take a listen and let us know what you think!! Works Referenced and Recommended Readings: God’...

Jodie and Matthew watch Disney’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996), one of Disney’s most explicitly religious movies. Tackling themes of genocide, otherness, lust, and other heavy ideas, this is also one of Disney’s most hard-hitting movies, but it did so in a very tasteful and subtle way. Jodie and Matthew discuss how it portrays religion at its best and as its worst - as a prison and as a san...

Jodie and Matthew had such a great time with their first Q&R Episode, that they decided to do it again, addressing the questions below: If you had to recommend one translation for someone who wants to get as close as possible to the original meaning, knowing no translation is perfect, which would it be and why?  What’s a widely-assumed “biblical idea” that’s actually a later theological or cul...

Jodie and Matthew watch Hadestown: The Musical (2026). Recently released in theaters (and at the time of this episode coming out, no longer in theaters), Hadestown is a proshot of the original broadway cast in London’s West End and it is AMAZING. If you haven’t seen Hadestown, go to New York or London, or see it on tour, or see it when it gets released. Jodie, but mainly Matthew, decide to take a...

In our first ever Q&R episode, Jodie and Matthew answer a handful of listener questions (after getting distracted by a heated discussion on spiderman…) What have y’all found to be the most difficult topic/concept to discuss or address on the podcast (think either hard to explain/define or emotionally-charged, like SA or violence)? What’s a term or phrase that every major translation gets sligh...

Jodie and Matthew watch Dreamwork’s “The Road to El Dorado” (2000) and get distracted and forget to discuss much of the religion in this film. But they do touch on it amidst their lively debate on the quality of the movie and its depiction of mesoamerican culture… which admittedly takes up the majority of this episode. Let us know your thoughts on The Road to El Dorado, and any thoughts, opinions,...

If you grew up in Sunday School, you’re probably familiar with the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, but how much of the story did you actually understand? Jodie and Matthew unveil the cultural background and literary styles that make up Daniel and specifically Daniel 3, where this narrative takes place. Jodie and Matthew address questions such as who the fourth figure...

Jodie and Matthew watch Bill Maher’s Religulous (2008). Spoiler: We hated it. Listen along to find out about all the misinformed claims Bill Maher makes about religion, how he belittles religious folks, and how he misrepresents religion. Matthew and Jodie usually take a critical look at the Bible and religion (but hopefully in a way that is generous and kind), but Maher’s critique was rude, dising...

In this re-release, originally posted on August 24, 2025, Jodie and Matthew AND Faith (That’s right! We have a special guest this week) get together to talk about one of the best, if not the best, stories in the Bible: the binding and attempted sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham. There is a lot to unpack here, so instead of trying to unpack it all, we talk through the drama and story of Genesis 22, app...

Jodie and Matthew take a winding journey full of numerous tangents as they discuss Sister Act, starring Whoopi Goldberg. Ranging from the state of current Christian music to the presentation of Catholicism in the media, Jodie and Matthew discuss all the chaos that is Sister Act, and are pleasantly surprised by the  representation of Christianity and religion. Listen along to our episode and send u...

Jodie and Matthew dive into a brief introduction to the Gospel of John and analyze the famous story of the adulterous woman (sometimes referred to as the Pericope Adulterae) found in John 7:53-8:11. The only problem with this passage is that it isn’t in many of the earliest manuscripts of John. So, Jodie and Matthew discuss what is going on in this passage and why it may not be considered original...

Jodie and Matthew jump back in time to a famous black-and-white Yiddish film, “The Dybbuk.” Based on a play by S. An-sky, the Dybbuk explores a forbidden love between two lovers across social classes despite being pledged to each other by their fathers before their births. So, Chanan dives into Kabbalah to win Leah over, but dies, becomes a Dybbuk, and possesses her. It’s a brilliant film that use...

Jodie and Matthew talk about the canonization of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. Sadly, there was no single time in history where someone just decided that the books in the Old Testament were settled as definitive scripture for Jews or Christians. Rather, it was a process that occurred over time with debates on what makes the canon and what misses the cut. Regarding this process, Jodie and Matthew...

Jodie and Matthew investigate the 2003 Disney movie “Brother Bear” and discuss the potential religious themes that it gives the audience to ponder over. Whether it be themes of family, forgiveness, love, grief, empathy, or Othering, Brother Bear provides a good starting point for discussing theological issues for children for many religious traditions. Through tangents and other topics Jodie and M...

Jodie and Matthew dive into 2 Kings 2:19-25 to discuss the infamous story of Elisha sending 2 female bears to maul 42 children. It’s your classic Bible story with all the warm fuzzy feelings you’re familiar with, right? Wrong. It’s a weird story with no meaning we can be really certain about, but it provides a great context for Jodie and Matthew to introduce the books of Kings, explore the nature...

Originally released on April 27, 2025 in honor of the passing of Pope Francis, Jodie and Matthew discuss the Oscar award winning movie, Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes. If you haven’t seen it yet, you definitely should, because we touch on all the spoilers, following each character and how this movie portrays catholicism in all of its beautiful and problematic forms. Take a listen and let us know...

Street theater in the Bible may be more common than you think! Jodie and Matthew introduce the book of Ezekiel and then look at one of the things he is most known for: Prophetic Sign acts. Especially in Ezekeil 3-5, Ezekiel acts out the siege of Jerualem, eats a scroll, and lays on his side for over a year to mediate prophecy for those in exile with him. Is God being an abusive leader or is Ezekie...

Jodie and Matthew return to the cinema to discuss Mona Fastvold’s recent materpience: The Testament of Ann Lee (2025), starring Amanda Seyfried. This biopic explores the life of Ann Lee as she becomes the leader of the Shaker movement, an offshoot of the Quakers, started in the 1700s. The Testament of Ann Lee explores her fascinating life while also raising questions of femininity, motherhood, exi...

Jodie and Matthew dive into the Minor Prophets and discuss the short, but beautiful, book of Habakkuk. After introducing the Biblical prophets as a whole, Jodie and Matthew talk the critical study of the Bible and how it relates to Habakkuk. They also look at modern interpretive lenses such as performance theory to understand how Habakkuk could be performed, reperformed, interpreted, and reinterpr...

In this week’s TRT movie review, Jodie and Matthew discuss Evan Almighty (2007) starring Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, John Goodman, and Lauren Graham. On the heels of Bruce Almighty (see TRT episode #55), Evan Almighty imagines if God asked a modern person to build an ark for a flood, just as God did in Genesis 6. But with these biblical themes, is this enough to make this a religious film, or do...