Warriors between Worlds

Reviews / Votes

As a practical and pastoral theologian and former military chaplain, Moon's work has critically and insightfully advocated for reimagining how the church serves veterans within our congregations. . . . There is little space to speak a prophetic truth into the system that continues to deploy service members at an alarming rate. The tension, then, is how might we, as caregivers, remain staunchly anti-war and yet conceptualize our caregiving practices and moral injury support as political? Moon's text is indispensable in how we might live in this tension. Both veterans and those caring for veterans will benefit from this text. * Journal of Pastoral Theology * An important, insightful new work on moral injury-Zachary Moon offers all who care about veterans deep knowledge of the transformative power of military service and an invitation to accept responsibility for the wars waged in our name by supporting the complex transition to civilian life of all who serve. -- Rita Nakashima Brock, co-author of Soul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury After War, director of the Shay Moral Injury Center at Volunteers of America Moon adds texture and nuance to conversations about moral injury, focusing on 'moral orienting systems' to highlight society's obligation to help veterans rescript values and commitments before we send them back to families and communities. The book advocates a clearer vision of moral identity, attending to the role of relationships and communities in shaping and sustaining veterans and reducing severe moral stress. An excellent if prohibitively expensive text for students, pastors, clinicians, and hurting people. -- Duane R. Bidwell, Claremont School of Theology As an interdisciplinary scholar of military moral injury and a Marine Reserves chaplain, Zachary Moon writes compellingly and compassionately about how veterans' post deployment struggles are shaped by their military moral orienting systems-the values, beliefs, and ways of coping instilled in basic training. Moon draws upon six military veterans' stories of how their military values and ways of coping helped them thrive during deployment and also made post deployment extraordinarily challenging. Warriors between Worlds is an interdisciplinary resource for spiritually oriented care of veterans: a must-read for clinicians, religious leaders, and chaplains, as well as veteran groups, religious communities, and non profit organizations. -- Carrie Doehring, Iliff School of Theology Zachary Moon draws on his expertise as military chaplain and practical theologian to offer a valuable new contribution to the literature shaping care for combat veterans affected by Moral Injury. Drawing on the lived experience of six veterans, Dr. Moon develops strategies for supporting veterans' re-entry into civilian life and the work of reconstructing their moral orienting systems following the life changing experiences of military combat. He offers specific resources for religious leaders and faith communities who seek to participate in veterans' reentries, recognize the strengths they offer, and walk beside them as support is needed. -- Nancy J. Ramsay, Brite Divinity School In Warriors Between Worlds: Moral Injury and Identities in Crisis, Zachary Moon offers an important exploration of the "moral" in moral injury which draws on not only key interdisciplinary concepts and conversations in the field, but, crucially, sensitive engagement with veterans themselves. His work demonstrates the limitations of addressing moral injury as a question of individual trauma and the necessity of taking into account the broader impact of military training as socialization into particular values and relationships. An exemplary text in practical theology, this book will be of great use not only to religious leaders seeking to offer care to veterans but also to military personnel concerned for the well-being of veterans and, indeed, to veterans themselves as they navigate between the moral worlds of military and civilian life. -- Elizabeth M. Bounds, Emory University Warriors Between Worlds is an insightful deep dive into the lived experience of people entering the military and then re-entering civilian life. Moon models valuable practical theological research in drawing on multiple sources, especially the voices of those affected, in order to understand the moral challenges they have faced and are working through, and in order to develop appropriate ministry responses. The book points to the nature of compassionate understanding that will help foster creative and courageous post-traumatic growth. It is relevant for military members and veterans, chaplains and other caregivers including heath care workers and concerned faith community leaders. -- Darren Cronshaw, Support Chaplain with the Australian Army