You’ve likely met some Christians who emphasize safety for children rather than preparing them for spiritual conflict. That’s why some more genteel-churchy responses to pop culture have said “it’s useless” or else “stay away” from stories like Harry Potter, Doom, or Dungeons and Dragons. So is it any wonder that a top-selling subgenre among young male readers is LitRPG, often with totally epic and jacked soldier good guys (maybe with mech suits) who slay evil aliens and demons?

Episode sponsors1. Perplexity by Chawna Schroeder 2. Realm Makers 2026 Conference & Expo 3. Land of Giants by Laurie Christine 4. Wisdom and Wonder Conference & Expo

Mission update New at Lorehaven: new review of Wavemaker* by F. C. Shultz * Coming in early May: major site upgrades, especially with search * Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild

Backstory: Jonathan Shuerger

Jonathan Shuerger is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who brings authenticity, faith, and a love of story to every page. His writing is marked by military precision, theological depth, and cinematic imagination. He’s the author of Devil Dog: A Marine vs. Hell, available on Royal Road. Find all his works at JonathanShuerger.com.

1. Warrior culture v. safety culture* Why we should train people for battle.
2. The martial art of Jiu Jitsu appeals to people.
3. Warrior culture seems to be dying.

4. Safetyism seems to be taking over.

5. How Christian culture responds to war stories* Some critics claim violent stories cause us to be violent.

6. What kinds of battles do we expect ourselves (or our kids) to face?

7. How young men long to level up* Exploring the quests young men want to take.

8. Jonathan’s new LitRPT book Devil Dog:
9. “A Marine wakes up in Hell. He’s confused by two things: he’s part of a Game where demons level themselves up, and he’s infused with holy energy in defiance of every infernal law. Time to regroup.”

Com stationTop question for listeners* What’s your favorite military story, whether from LitRPG or another genre?

Next on Fantastical TruthPragmata released to gaming consoles April 17. The new Capcom title promptly sold 1 million copies by its first weekend and provoked much discourse from fans and some haters. Why the gate? Because players everywhere, especially men, loved the key concept of an outer space soldier teaming up with a little android girl to fight robo-monsters. Gamers declared they would do anything to protect Diana. How does these stories help humans remember to restore our “factory settings”?