GruntGod 2.1.2: Imago Dei and the Grunt

Why Genesis Says You're Good Revising the Cain chapter for God Is a Grunt (2nd edition) required aggressive cutting of exegetical material to keep the book centered on military families rather than seminary professors. But the Genesis 1-2 creation theology that grounds human dignity—including the dignity of

GruntGod 2.1.1: From Printing Press to PTSD

The Etymology of "Stereotype" I'm deep in revisions for the second edition of God Is a Grunt, systematically working through each chapter to sharpen the hagiographic method while keeping the book accessible to military families. The Cain chapter examines moral pain and the "All Soldiers

GruntGod 2.2.4: From Lamb to GOAT

Why the New Testament Gets Sacrifice Wrong Christians love the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). It's beautiful imagery—pure, innocent, meek Jesus. There's one problem: the Hebrew Bible never calls the Passover sacrifice a baby

When Fellow Military Families Choose Silence

In 2014, my partner babysat Esau McCaulley's children in Scotland so he and his wife (a Navy Reserve medical officer) could work and teach. When Esau organized a prayer vigil after Mike Brown's murder, we showed up. That's what military families do for each

Military Voices Only Count if They Confirm Civilian Bias

In April 2022, Chris Smith, editor of The Englewood Review of Books, declined to review my book God is a Grunt (Hachette). His reasoning was explicit: "the primary audience for this book (active military/veterans) is narrower than the previous books, and doesn't intersect well with our

😇 Epiphany 1 (and my essay on being a combative noncombatant)

Readings: 📜Jeremiah 31:7-14; 🎶Psalm 147:12-20; 📜Ephesians 1:3-14; 📜John 1:1-18. For full access, go to PewPewHQ.com/tfw/a-e01 On Being a Combative Noncombatant Why Silence Isn't Neutral When Your Friends Are Getting Erased I hear it enough that I should probably address it: "

GruntGod v.2.2.3: Why Azazel Matters

Yom Kippur and the Scapegoat Problem Most Christians know Passover, which has become Easter. Fewer know Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement, which centers on two goats—one slaughtered, one exiled. This ritual reveals something Americans need to understand about how we treat veterans: we're still

GruntGod v.2.2.2 Passover's Political Theology

What "Freedom Isn't Free" Gets Wrong Americans love to say "freedom isn't free" while pointing to military service. The phrase shows up everywhere—bumper stickers, Memorial Day speeches. It's meant to honor those who serve, but it misreads both freedom

Update 20260108

There was a time that I used to send out emails to a bunch of friends, family, and companions I met along the Way. They’d carry subject lines like “update” or include a date time group like 20151111 (as in November 11, 2015). Those days are lost to the

Where's the Battle? The Missing Word at the Heart of Epiphany

Every January, Christians worldwide celebrate Epiphany—a feast that ostensibly marks divine manifestation. Many liturgical traditions conflate this with the Baptism of Our Lord, reading gospel accounts of the dove descending and the voice from heaven. But here's what nobody mentions in those lectionary readings: the Greek word

😇 Xmas 2

Readings: 📜Jeremiah 31:7-14; 🎶Psalm 147:12-20; 📜Ephesians 1:3-14; 📜John 1:1-18. For full access, see pewpewhq.com/tfw/a-x02 Central Thesis/Theme In this episode, I wrestle with the growing tension I feel between Pauline Christianity and the Jesus I encounter in the Gospels. The Christmas readings this

Whoops! 😬 Philosopharmer is now Martinalian 👽

I realized I made changes to my newsletter without telling you—sorry! Since landing in Oregon with some geographical stability, I've been able to commit energy to projects I've dreamed about forever. The Chapter House is one (still can't believe it's real,

Between Wanna-Warriors and Toxic Pacifists: Where Grunt Works Stands

This morning's strikes on Venezuela prove why we need a veteran perspective on resistance - one that rejects both the warrior cult and the civilian moralists. Grunt Works exists because both the warrior cultists and the civilian pacifists get veterans wrong - and in getting us wrong, they

The Fourteen-Year Echo: When "Lament" Becomes Liturgical Theater

I've been sitting with something that makes my skin crawl. In October 2011, I interviewed Stanley Hauerwas at Duke. We talked about moral injury, about the church's complicity in sending people to war without adequate formation, about Veterans Day pageantry and the people who "put

First Sunday after Christmas, Year A (Matthew)

The new calendar year is almost upon us, and I've got your Sunday lectionary covered, as well as another essay extracted from my GruntGod revision of the chapter on Moses and sacrifice. Essay is below the break, head to PewPewHQ.com/tfw/a-x01 for notes, transcript, and links

GruntGod 2.2.1 Pharmakoi: The Ancient Roots of TYFYS

I'm revising God Is a Grunt for a second edition, sharpening the hagiographic method chapter by chapter. The Moses chapter examines Levitical sacrifice and how TYFYS ("Thank You for Your Service") functions as modern scapegoat ritual. While cutting material to keep the book centered on military

Oops! Here's the Advent 4 video...

My last email contained the wrong video for Advent 4, so I wanted to quickly correct that and provide the correct link. As consolation ;-) keep scrolling to read my essay on the divine message to barren women that connects Christ with Abraham's firstborn son, Ishmael. The Hidden

😇 Advent 4

📜Isaiah 7 :10-16 🎶Psalm 80 (__ LXX) :1-7, 17-19 ✉️Romans 1 :1-7 😇Matthew 1 :18-25 Central Thesis/Theme: A distinctive six-part Hebraic formula—"You shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call his name X"—appears only twice in Scripture when spoken by a divine messenger: to

😇 Advent 3

Readings: Isaiah 35 :1-10; Psalm 145 (146) 5-10; James 5 :7-10; Matthew 11 2-11 Central Thesis/Theme: John the Baptist's doubt from prison reveals a fundamental debate about confronting systemic oppression. John sees Rome as the primary enemy requiring direct anti-imperial resistance, while Jesus targets something deeper—the

When Compassion Looks Like Betrayal: The Limits of Revolutionary Purity

*I am unable to record for Advent 3 today for personal reasons, but I will get to it tomorrow. In the meantime, here is an essay on the Matthew 11 reading, the parallel of which is Luke 7. There's a familiar pattern in our cultural moment. Someone builds

How to Read Scripture Like You’re Still in the Field

A Field Manual for Grunt Works Bible Study If you’re new to how we approach Scripture here at Grunt Works, you might notice we don’t read the Bible the way most churches do. We’re not trying to be edgy or contrarian - we’re trying to be

😇 Advent 2

Readings: Isaiah 11;Psalm 72; Romans 15; Matthew 3. *Full, free access at https://pewpewhq.com/formation/a2-a. Central Thesis/Theme: The Divine Warrior motif reveals God's power as fundamentally creative rather than combative. Where Babylonian cosmology imagines creation emerging from divine conflict, the Hebrew imagination presents a

Advent Study 2025

Last year I shared with readers a short study I did on the city of Bethlehem. What interested me was the realization that its name can be translated "house of war," or "combative clan." That's because Semitic roots are trilateral, based on three consonants,

😇 Advent 1

Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5;Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44. *Full, free access at https://pewpewhq.com/formation/a1-a. Central Thesis/Theme: The Advent season inaugurates a new way of seeing humanity itself—the "son of man" as both ordinary human and harbinger of radical transformation.

Invitation: GruntGod Season Ticket?

Dear friends and fellow grunts, I'm excited to announce the next phase of the #GruntGod experience: Season Tickets — weekly live book group discussions exploring God is a Grunt together. Over the course of 13 weeks, we'll dig deep into each chapter of the book, creating genuine