No drinking. No smoking. No cursing. No dancing. No R-rated movies.
Kevin Roose wasn't used to rules like these. As a sophomore at Brown University, he spent his days drinking fair-trade coffee, singing in an a cappella group, and fitting right in with Brown's free-spirited, ultra-liberal student body. But when Roose leaves his Ivy League confines to spend a semester at Liberty University, a conservative Baptist school in Lynchburg, Virginia, obedience is no longer optional. Liberty is the late Reverend Jerry Falwell's "Bible Boot Camp" for young evangelicals, his training ground for the next generation of America's Religious Right. Liberty's ten thousand undergraduates take courses like Evangelism 101, hear from guest speakers like Sean Hannity and Karl Rove, and follow a forty-six-page code of conduct that regulates every aspect of their social lives. Hoping to connect with his evangelical peers, Roose decides to enroll at Liberty as a new transfer student, leaping across the God Divide and chronicling his adventures in this daring report from the front lines of America's culture war. His journey takes him from an evangelical hip-hop concert to choir practice at Falwell's legendary Thomas Road Baptist Church. He experiments with prayer, participates in a spring break mission trip to Daytona Beach (where he learns to preach the gospel to partying coeds), and pays a visit to Every Man's Battle, an on-campus support group for chronic masturbators. He meets pastors' kids, closet doubters, Christian rebels, and conducts what would be the last print interview of Rev. Falwell's life. Hilarious and heartwarming, respectful and thought-provoking, THE UNLIKELY DISCIPLE will inspire and entertain believers and nonbelievers alike.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
The Good Book:
Kevin Roose treats us with an earnest and perceptive piece of "method" journalism. His rather wacky and outlandish idea was to leave the creature comforts of his liberal Ivy League community at Brown and apply for a semester abroad, not in Prague or Paris, but in Lynchburg, VA as a student in Jerry Falwell's evangelical Liberty University. Had this book simply been a caricatured rendition of the hackneyed investigation of Christian conservatism, it would have been boring and utterly predictable. But... more info
Brilliant and sensitive:
Like many people today, I'm fascinated by stories of people who immerse themselves in other cultures. Morgan Spurlock's adventures and TV programs demonstrate that this premise can be compelling. To be honest, I was afraid the book would turn out to be boring: a semester among Protestant evangelists? What could happen? Roose turns out to be a brilliant writer. He captured the details of daily life while finding ways to make mundane details come alive. He even describes classes that many would find... more info
Hilarious- insightful- and gentle:
A very hilarious observation- looking at the world of evangelical college life. Hilarious- but never mean or cruel- just a look at the realities of the closed world of college creationists who wear purity rings. At times-very very funny, especially explaining the various college support groups such as: Every man's problem group- dealing with "self abuse". Laugh along and gain understanding into the world of evangelical born again Christians. A definite read.
Terrific, even-handed fun read!:
Brown University student Kevin Roose pledges not to condescend or make fun of his classmates when he spends a semester plumbing the minds and hearts at the uber-Conservative Liberty University, and he does a great job. He goes out on a limb, getting involved in everything from the choir to an evangelical spring break mission. The writing is well-sourced and lively, and his profiles of his classmates are intriguing. I learned a lot. I agree that us lib'ral Ivy League Northeasterners can be condescending and... more info
