Happy New Year! In this episode, Jodie and Matthew discuss a variety of terms that they think are worth discussing, including the name of God, pronouns of God, the dating system we use, differentiating people groups, the Difference between the different collections in the Bible, the differences between Religious Studies and Biblical Studies and Theological studies, ending with a conversation on ethnocentrism. Exciting stuff. We know.

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Jonah is a well-known story for kids, but why do people stop talking about it after they’ve grown up? Jodie and Matthew attempt to strip away the Veggietales-ification of this fascinating story to get into the fascinating Biblical satire that is the Book of Jonah. And no, it’s not a whale. It’s a fish.

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

Rhetorical Criticism: Context, Method, and the Book of Jonah by Phyllis Trible

Strawn, Brent A. “Vocatio Interrupta: Jonah’s Call, Jonah’s, Silence, and Form Criticism.” In

Historical Settings, Intertextuality, and Biblical Theology: Essays in Honor of Marvin A.

Sweeney, edited by Hyun Chul Paul Kim, Tyler D. Mayfield, and Hye Kyung Park, 77-

94. Tubingen, Germany: Mohr Siebeck, 2022.

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Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

The Religious Treehouse has taken a turn from an attempt to be academic to have a nice fun chat about Christmas. After discussing some of the hosts’ favorite things about Christmas, they continue last week's conversation by discussing the movie/musical “Journey to Bethlehem” and Matthew ends the conversation with some introspection for the podcast.

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

Movie: “Journey to Bethlehem” directed by Adam Anders, 2023

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Jodie and Matthew boldly go where many have gone before and discuss the birth narratives of Jesus found in Matthew and Luke. Sadly, the Biblical accounts of Jesus’ birth don’t exactly line up with nativity scenes and stories told in Sunday School, but they still tell rich and important stories in their own right, with their unique purposes and theological claims.

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

Monson, D. A. (2023). The Birth of Jesus: A Rhetorical and Ideological Analysis. Clio, 51(1), 1–25.

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We’re back in the Hebrew Bible as we discuss Esther! As Esther is such a rich text with so much to discuss, expect sporadic future episodes on detailed analysis and study of Esther, but for now, we do an in-depth reading of Esther with a focus primarily on the genre and humor so evident in the text. Let us know your thoughts!

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

The Megillah Project Videos — Judaism Unbound

The Book of Hiding: Gender, Ethnicity, Annihilation, and Esther by Timothy K. Beal

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No one of sound mind would have one of their first podcast episodes be about something as controversial as Scientology, but here we are. This week, Jodie and Matthew move away from discussions of the Bible and talk about the practices, history, and controversies of Scientology.

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion by Hugh B. Urban

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It may seem like The Religious Treehouse is merely trekking through the Bible in order, but fear not! This is the last time we’ll have an episode dedicated to Genesis for a while. Immediately after last week’s discussion is a second, earlier creation account, which focuses on the creation of the first 2 humans. What mysteries are in store here? Is Eve a feminist icon or a dastardly troublemaker? What ideologies and misunderstandings have been commonly inserted into the text? Listen along to find out!

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

The Formation of Genesis 1-11: Biblical and Other Precursors by David M. Carr

Anchor Yale Bible Commentary: Genesis by E. A. Speiser

The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel by Benjamin Sommer

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The first full episode of The Religious Treehouse has arrived! In this episode Jodie and Matthew discuss the first creation story in the Bible, but the 2nd one written? How could that be? Listen along as they discuss Genesis 1:1-2:4 and talk about the 7 days of Creation, what may have influenced the text, and how it has been interpreted.

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

The Formation of Genesis 1-11: Biblical and Other Precursors by David M. Carr

Anchor Yale Bible Commentary: Genesis by E. A. Speiser

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