The True Myth Journal
Weekly updates on exploring how Jesus Christ is the best possible hero.
The Week of 02/01/2026–02/07/2026
This week we continued our research into the book, Between the Whip and the Cheek, through posting on the blog. We plan to continue to do this for the next few months.
Book Progress: Between the Whip and the Cheek
Current Focus: Clarifying core categories.
Words Written This Week: No formal manuscript drafting update—this week’s output was publishing on the blog.
Current Status: Excavation & Structure (by way of posts).
New in the Library
We published 2 new entries this week.
A Pencil Named Steve: Meaning, Morality, and Ultimacy — by Matthew J Coombe PhD
“The point is not that a pencil actually matters—it is that we cannot help but make it matter. Part of you dies ‘just a little bit on the inside’ when Steve breaks, because humans do not merely observe reality; we invest it.”
In this philosophical deep-dive, Matt argues that there is no such thing as a "secular" person. Using a simple thought experiment about a pencil named Steve, he demonstrates that humans are "incurably religious" creatures who inevitably assign value, personality, and "ultimacy" to the world around them. If we cannot help but worship, the only question left is what receives the weight of our glory.
Jesus’ Anger at the Leper — by Joshua Buzzard
“Jesus is something completely different in the history of the world. He isn’t one who is profaned by the world, but is one who sanctifies and brings the world back into the original vision of Eden.”
We often picture Jesus healing with a soft, passive gentleness, but the earliest manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel paint a much more violent picture. Josh explores the textual debate around an "Angry Jesus" and argues that this anger isn't a flaw, but the necessary engine of the Gospel. By getting angry at the "vandalism" of leprosy, Jesus reverses the laws of Leviticus: instead of the sickness infecting Him, His holiness infects the sickness.
Looking Ahead
Josh is going to continue to explore the relationship of the sacred and the profane. He’s particularly interested in the person of Jesus, who infects holiness into everything he touches.
Matt continues to lay the groundwork for why humans are so prone to worship and giving us a foundational view of how myth help us better understand the stories of the Bible and the person of Jesus.
Until then,
Matthew J Coombe & Joshua Buzzard