The Religious Treehouse

Matthew Day and Jodie Alderette

Welcome to the Religious Treehouse! Remember when you were a kid and would have deep conversations in a treehouse-like setting? That’s what we’re trying to recreate here! Hosts, Jodie Alderette and Matthew Day, attempt to discuss the important topics surrounding religion in a fun, exciting, and academic fashion. With Matthew’s specialty in Hebrew Bible, expect lots of Hebrew Bible episodes, but we hope to present a wide variety of Religions and Religious Practices, too. This isn’t your average Bible Study!

  1. Jun 7

    #83 Brother Bear (2003): A TRT Movie Review

    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 Matthew also discuss Totemism and other religious studies themes while touching on other important ideas such as Shrek 2. Let us know your thoughts on Brother Bear or on this episode! Matthew Rating: 3/5 Jodie Rating: 5/5 Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions! Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse  Facebook: TRT Email: TheReligiousTreehouse@gmail.com

    38 min

  2. May 31

    #82 Elisha, 2 She-bears, and 42 Children walk into a bar…

    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 of bears in the Bible, extinction studies relating to the Bible, and look at a handful of potential interpretations of what is going on in 2 Kings 2.  Works Referenced and Recommended Readings: Irwin, B. P. (2016). The curious incident of the boys and the bears: 2 Kings 2 and the prophetic authority of Elisha. Tyndale Bulletin, 67(1), 23–35. Stone, K. (2023). Reading Elisha’s She-Bears: Biblical Interpretation, Extinction Studies, and the Wildness of God. Biblical Interpretation, 31(5), 602-622. Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions! Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse  Facebook: TRT Email: TheReligiousTreehouse@gmail.com

    58 min

  3. May 24

    #81 (RE-RELEASE) Conclave: A TRT Movie Review

    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 what you think about Conclave! Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions! Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse  Facebook: TRT Email: TheReligiousTreehouse@gmail.com

    51 min

  4. May 17

    #80 Ezekiel and Prophetic Sign Acts

    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 Ezekiel delivering prophecy to people who deserve this punishment? Let us know your thoughts on Ezekiel and these sign acts! Works Referenced and Recommended Readings: The Prophetic Body by Anathea Portier-Young Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions! Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse  Facebook: TRT Email: TheReligiousTreehouse@gmail.com

    50 min
  5. #79 The Testament of Ann Lee (2025): A TRT Movie Review

    May 10

    #79 The Testament of Ann Lee (2025): A TRT Movie Review

    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, existing as an outsider, and religious practice while also showing beautiful choreography, music, and acting. Let us know your thoughts about the movie and any questions you have about Shakers! Matthew Rating: 4/5 Jodie Rating: 5/5 Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions! Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse  Facebook: TRT Email: TheReligiousTreehouse@gmail.com

    36 min

  6. May 3

    #78 Habakkuk 

    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 reinterpretted. There’s a lot going on in Habakkuk for such a short and overlooked book, but it should be much more appreciated. Please reach out with any question, comment, concerts, or ideas regarding this episode! Works Referenced and Recommended Readings: Performing Habakkuk by Jeanette Mathews  Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions! Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse  Facebook: TRT Email: TheReligiousTreehouse@gmail.com

    55 min

  7. Apr 26

    #77 Evan Almighty (2007): A TRT Movie Review

    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 does it push for vague western spirituality? Jodie and Matthew discuss this and more, so listen along and share with us your comments, questions, and concerns! Matthew Rating: 3/5 Jodie Rating: 5/5 Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions! Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse  Facebook: TRT Email: TheReligiousTreehouse@gmail.com

    41 min

  8. Apr 19

    #76 Vile of the Bible: Goliath

    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 other has David as a shepherd and warrior. Without getting too much into the weeds of the David narrative, Jodie and Matthew also look at verses in 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles that may have different answers about who killed Goliath. Let us know any thoughts you have about Goliath and our episode! Works Referenced and Recommended Readings: The Historical David: The Real Life of an Invented Hero by Joel Baden Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions! Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse  Facebook: TRT Email: TheReligiousTreehouse@gmail.com

    50 min
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5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Religious Treehouse! Remember when you were a kid and would have deep conversations in a treehouse-like setting? That’s what we’re trying to recreate here! Hosts, Jodie Alderette and Matthew Day, attempt to discuss the important topics surrounding religion in a fun, exciting, and academic fashion. With Matthew’s specialty in Hebrew Bible, expect lots of Hebrew Bible episodes, but we hope to present a wide variety of Religions and Religious Practices, too. This isn’t your average Bible Study!

Information

  • Creator
    Matthew Day and Jodie Alderette
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    83
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Matthew Day and Jodie Alderette
  • Show Website
    The Religious Treehouse