Jesus Camp is an Oscar-nominated documentary from 2006 that looks at a Pentecostal children’s summer camp and the conflation between this branch of evangelicalism and the Republican party. Jodie and Matthew discuss why the leaders of this camp act the way they did, why the children reacted the way they did, and how Jodie and Matthew’s personal experience in religious circles similar to this parallel the documentary.

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This is a re-release of episode 8, Jonah and Satire. 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. Last week we released a review of the Veggietales version of Jonah, so this is a good companion episode to note the differences in some scholarship compared to the popular presentation of this story in Children’s media.

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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Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse

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Perhaps one of the most well-known pieces of Christian media is Veggietales, and Jodie and Matthew are delving into the Veggietales retelling of the story of Jonah. Whether you grew up with Veggietales or not, you should enjoy this conversation as Jodie and Matthew discuss the interpretive choices that may occur when adapting a text for a children's movie. Likewise, how does an explicitly Christian production company make choices about how they present a story to its audience? Listen along and please share your thoughts!

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The Bible has some pretty freaky creatures in it, and that is certainly the case for Seraphim. Burning, 6-wings, human-snake hybrids should certainly sound scary, and that is the point of these creatures: to be intimidating and deadly. Listen along as Jodie and Matthew discuss seraphim and how they appear in the Bible - especially in Numbers 21 and Isaiah 6. How are they used, what is their role, and what do we do with such creepy creatures in the Bible?

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

God’s Monsters:Vengeful Spirits, Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible - by Esther J. Hamori

Reiterer, F. V., Nicklas, T., & Schöpflin, K. (2006). Angels : The concept of celestial beings - origins, development and reception. De Gruyter, Inc..

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Jodie and Matthew watch (what they learn to be an absolutely amazing movie/musical) Fiddler on the Roof, and how it portrays Russian Judaism at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Likewise, how does the theme of “Tradition” transcend this small community and present a universal message that is relevant to all religions and all cultures? Please, let us know in the comments what you would do if you were a rich man!

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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, appreciating it as a text, immersing ourselves into the narrative and only occasionally (ok, often) getting distracted by other ways to look at this text, whether that be through Kierkegaard’s lens, rabbinic literature, art history, reception history, source criticism, or some other interpretive lens. Let us know your thoughts on this episode and how you want us to focus on this story next time!

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

Check out Faith’s other podcast: The Garden Podcast, associated with San Dieguito United Methodist Church

https://www.youtube.com/@TheGardenPodcast-k3v

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The Passion of Joan of Arc is often included on lists of the best movies of all time, and often tops the lists of best religious movies of all time. This silent French film condenses Joan’s trial and death into a single day and by using famously beautiful cinematography and acting, it depicts the harrowing final few hours of her life. Listen along for a brief discussion on the historical figure, and Jodie and Matthew’s thoughts on what the film did well and perhaps did poorly. We would love your thoughts, as well!

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This week Jodie and Matthew delve into the New Testament to discuss Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed. It’s a short parable that is only a couple verses long in each of the synoptic gospels, but much like a mustard seed, it packs a punch. However, it’s brevity can make it difficult to interpret, so Jodie and Matthew set off to explore the variety of ways it has been interpreted, for better or for worse.

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi by Amy Jill Levine

Howes, L. (2019). The Q Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven: Half-Baked and Garden-Variety Metaphors? Neotestamentica 53(2), 339-374.

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