Liberty University may conjure up different thoughts, ideas, and emotions for Christians from diverse backgrounds, denominations, and geographical regions. But for the nonbeliever, these emotions are no doubt even stronger. "Fundamentalist," "intolerant," "homophobic," and "irrational" are just some adjectives that probably come to the minds of many, regardless of their Christian or secular leanings.
Kevin Roose, author of The Unlikely Disciple, held many of these same views. As a result, during his sophomore year at Brown University–long a bastion of broadminded, liberal higher education–he determined he would spend his "semester abroad" at Liberty, attempting to gain a deeper understanding of the mindset, the ideology, and the hearts and minds behind what he saw as radical fundamentalism. Roose, the son of Quakers from a liberal Midwestern college town, did not grow up in the world of American evangelicalism and therefore sought answers, hoping to immerse himself within America's largest evangelical university.
In so doing, Roose found his friends and family questioning him, wondering what he could possibly gain from such an experience, and worrying about how and if he would return. Upon receiving his acceptance into Liberty and prior to arriving, Roose spent time with a friend who had grown up in the evangelical church, learning the Christian-ese necessary to survive at "Bible Boot Camp" and finding out just what would be expected of him during his time "abroad." In order to infiltrate the scene, he knew he would need to speak the language.
Throughout his time at Liberty, Roose was intent on doing all he could to truly understand the university and the people within and behind it. He immersed himself in Friday night Bible studies (not exactly his experience at Brown on a Friday night), frequently going to the prayer chapel with a dorm hall mate just to pray, attending support sessions for both chronic masturbators called "Every Man's Battle" and for homosexuals (while he stated he was neither), involving himself in a one-on-one Bible study with a college pastor, spending spring break in Florida doing street evangelism and, ironically, being granted the last interview with Jerry Falwell.
Through all of his experiences, Roose found himself repeatedly confounded as he began friendships with likeminded people, fell romantically for a girl, learned about prayer, theology, and the Bible, and discovered that Jerry Falwell seemed a likeable man in person. All the while, he was continually confronted with peers who made derogatory comments about homosexuals, including a roommate who continually called him an inflammatory name. He noticed, however, that his professors were not allowed to, nor did they wish to, think or seek outside their fundamentalist box. Rather, they wished only to indoctrinate and insisted that their view was absolute truth. They insisted upon six-day creationism, with no scientific examination of evolution. They demanded political ideology to the point that a College Democrat's club was outlawed on campus. They were adamant about pretribulation end-times eschatology. Openness to discussing and exploring alternatives, even within a Christian framework, was simply not optional.
Amid the confusion, Roose grew to love many of his peers, to respect some of his professors, and to find some level of comfort in the Christian lifestyle to which he grew somewhat accustomed. He seemed to seek answers to difficult questions, yet held true to his familial and cultural roots. He was open and honest in his assessment, all the while staying true to his personal perspective. I was struck throughout the book by the manner in which he consistently faced his questions about God, salvation, works righteousness, even doubt. Throughout his semester at Liberty University, Roose learned there was much to like about the school, although there remained a great deal to question and about which to be concerned. Coming from the Ivy League, he found the academic challenge of Liberty to be formidable, in some cases because he simply lacked the cultural capital necessary to navigate the evangelical world, including a background in the biblical text.
From a personal perspective, I was not surprised by anything I read. The author's narrative was fair and unbiased. In fact, I believe he found himself surprised by his own personal transformation. As he states on his website (www.kevinroose.com), "Some of the religious lessons I learned there have stayed with me to this day." My personal lack of surprise, however, does not mean I am not disappointed in how evangelicals can appear before the nonbelieving world. Liberty's culture and mistreatment of homosexuals is dismaying. The language used to refer to homosexuals is in no way winsome. The idea that one would pay cash fines for drinking alcohol, having premarital sex, or even simply kissing a person of the opposite sex is ridiculous to me. Ultimately, the misunderstanding of common grace and seeking truth is what I find to be the most unsettling components of Liberty's educational perspective, as reported by Roose.
I appreciate Kevin Roose's willingness to approach Liberty with an open mind. I appreciate his honesty in sharing his perspectives before, during, and after his time "abroad." I appreciate that after returning to Brown he went back to Liberty and apologized for having lied to so many friends and colleagues. I appreciate his willingness to continue to seek the truth. In so reading, I was continually reminded that such seeking is truly a result of God's relentless pursuit of us.
Shortly after I finished The Unlikely Disciple, I began reading Finding God at Harvard (Zondervan, 1997). I was struck by the different tenor of the book as its author and contributors admitted to God's movement upon their hearts, upon God's reaching down and filling them with wisdom and knowledge as they sought truth through science, literature, art, and service at one of America's most esteemed yet secular universities. The difference in the approach to learning and knowledge was stark between intellectuals at Harvard who wanted to truly know God more deeply and those at Liberty who seemed to think they had all of the answers.
The Unlikely Disciple was a quick, fascinating read that will not turn anyone's world upside down, but will provide some laughs, moments of bewilderment, and not a little insight into areas where we as evangelicals must think more clearly and change our approach as we seek to share the good news with those around us.
