Straight White American Jesus It's in the Code ep 184: “A Crappy Sermon?”
Mar 18, 2026
A critique of Josh Hawley’s portrayal of men as “warriors,” tracing how biblical conquest gets turned into personal self-help. Discussion of rhetorical evasions, literalism versus metaphor in conservative preaching, and how warrior rhetoric collapses into generic virtues. Argues the book functions more as culture-war polemic than a distinctively Christian or masculine guide.
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Hawley Uses Joshua While Ignoring Genocide
- Dan Miller shows Josh Hawley frames Joshua as a warrior exemplar to justify a contemporary masculine program.
- Hawley emphasizes strength and courage from Joshua while ignoring the genocidal commands and moral problems in the text.
Joshua Recast As Personal Self-Help Metaphor
- Miller demonstrates Hawley converts Joshua's violent history into a generic personal metaphor for character building.
- Hawley turns Canaan into an inner state, urging readers to 'clear the ground of our lives' instead of confronting historical violence.
Phone Workout Feed Analogy For False Transformation
- Dan Miller uses his phone workout-feed example to show how Hawley's message promises transformation by imitation.
- Algorithms feed celebrity workouts claiming you can become a Jason Momoa or Dwayne Johnson, yet you remain middle-aged you.
