Logan Mehl-Laituri’s path to peace activism is a much more winding path than you might expect. Why? Because he served more than a year as a soldier in Iraq.

Mehl-Laituri then had a conversion experience that led him to eschew violence. His story and take on war, patriotism, military service and Jesus’ call to nonviolence are chronicled in his new book, Reborn on the Fourth of July: The Challenge of Faith, Patriotism and Conscience. We spoke with Mehl-Laituri about his new book, his military service and his commitment to peacemaking.