Jesus Christ, Superstar. Who are you? What have you sacrificed? Do you think you’re who they say you are? These are all fantastic questions asked by Judas, scholars of the historical Jesus, and Chrsitian theologians. Too bad we don’t really get into answering those questions from any of those perspectives (though we pontificate on how Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Judas would have thought about those questions). Jodie and Matthew analyze Jesus Christ Superstar and talk about the provocative and controversial artistic choices made in this film about the last few days of Jesus’ life. Take a listen and let us know what you think!

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This may sound really simple, but belief may be more complicated than we would like to think. In this episode Jodie and Matthew explore what belief is in religious settings and how we have come to see other religions in terms of belief - and how that’s largely due to Chrsitianity’s influence on western culture. What is belief and what do you believe?

.Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

Robert A. Orsi (2011) Belief, Material Religion, 7:1, 10-16, DOI: 10.2752/175183411X12968355481773

Chapter 1: Belief by Donald S. Lopez Jr. from Critical Terms for Religious Studies (1998) edited by Mark C. Taylor

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The Religious Treehouse is back talking about movies! This time Jodie and Matthew look at Dreamworks’ The Prince of Egypt. They talk about the artistic choices made, what it may mean for Val Kilmer to voice both Moses and God, what can be gained by depicting a Biblical story, and about how this film is so beloved by many! GIve us a listen and give the movie a watch and let us know what you think about both!

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Happy Halloween! Well, it’s not Halloween, but we’re talking about monsters in the Bible: specifically the Leviathan. 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’s Monsters:Vengeful Spirits, Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible - by Esther J. Hamori

Grafius, B. R. (2017). Text and Terror: Monster Theory and the Hebrew Bible. Currents in Biblical Research, 16(1), 34-49. (Original work published 2017)

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In honor of the recent 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 get touch on all the spoilers, following each character and how this movie portrays catholicism in all of its beautiful and problematic forms. Take a list and let us know what you think about Conclave!

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Happy Easter to all who celebrate! In honor of this celebration for Christians, this episode looks at the final meal of Jesus before his death and subsequent resurrection as celebrated on Easter. So, Jodie and Matthew talk through the 4 gospel accounts of this final dinner with a focus on the synoptic gospels and a brief discussion on the synoptic problem. Then they talk about how the last supper is celebrated through communion, the Eucharist, and Divine Liturgy in Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Churches. Finally, Matthew loves art history and could not resist talking about the magnificent fresco of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. Please send any comments, questions, or critiques you may have, and let us know how your denomination (if you are Christian) practices communion!

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Jodie and Matthew have returned to Exodus to discuss the 10 plagues! Well, the first 9 at least. Well, it depends on who’s counting. Throughout Exodus 7-10, we discuss how the first 9 plagues act as a literary unit and how the plagues may have been intentionally chosen to emulate a reversal of Genesis 1, and how they may have intentionally been chosen as a sort of cosmic war between the God of Moses and the Gods of Egypt. Finally, as always, Matthew couldn't help himself and the conversation leads down the road of source criticism and what may be gleaned from these chapters if we understand the original sources that were edited together.

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

The Plagues Project — Judaism Unbound

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Jodie and Matthew once again investigate the exciting world of alternative religious movements. This time, they talk about The Seekers, a UFO religion from the 1950’s that was convinced the world was going to end on December 21. But what they didn’t know was that a group of Sociologists and Psychologists infiltrated the group to try to understand what happens when their predictions of the end of the world fail, and they came up with one of the most famous theories in social psychology because of it: Cognitive Dissonance.

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

When Prophecy Fails: A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group that Predicted the Destruction of the World by Leon Festinger, Henry W. Rieken, and Stanley Schachter (1956)

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