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Raised in a secular, liberal home, Kevin Roose had little contact with the Religious Right. When he happened upon a group of students from Jerry Falwell's Liberty University one day, he found himself standing over a massive cultural divide. Rather than brush these conservative students aside however, Roose decided to become one of them. Unlikely Disciple is the story of Roose's journey into a semester at Liberty University where he attempts to connect with the evangelical community by experiencing their world first-hand. Liberty U takes him to class, choir practice, an evangelical hip-hop concert and to Daytona Beach, where he learns how to convert bar-hopping co-eds to Christianity. Thought-provoking, hilariously told, yet respectful, Roose's embedded report from the front lines of the culture war will inspire and entertain believers and non-believers alike.
Format: Hardcover
Number of Pages: 336
Vendor: Grand Central Publishing
| Publication Date: 2009
ISBN-13: 9780446178426
Availability: In Stock
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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.
Kevin Roose is a senior at BrownUniversity, where he studies English literature and writes regular columns for the Brown Daily Herald. His work has been featured in Esquire, SPIN, mental_floss, and other publications. You can visit his Web site at www.kevinroose.com.
In what could be described as religious gonzo journalism, Roose documents his experiences as a student for a semester at Liberty University, the largest Christian fundamentalist university in the United States. Coming from progressive Brown University, the author admits that the transition to Liberty, with its iron-clad attempts at controlling student behavior, came with much anxiety. He trains himself to control his foul language and even begins to pray and study the bible regularly, much to the bewilderment of his liberal Quaker parents. He suffers his way through a course debunking evolution, but surprisingly finds enjoyment in a scripture class. Roose may be young—he's a 19-year-old college sophomore—but he writes like a seasoned veteran and obviously enjoys his work. He quickly makes friends at Liberty, but is naively stunned and not a little disgusted by their anti-gay rhetoric. School founder Rev. Jerry Falwell grants Roose an interview for the student newspaper shortly before the famous evangelical's death in May 2007. "Complicated" is how he describes Falwell, which is a good descriptor for his undercover student experience. (March) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
"Kevin Roose has produced a textured, intelligent, even sympathetic, account of his semester at Liberty University. He eschews caricature and the cheap shot in favor of keen observation and trenchant analysis. THE UNLIKELY DISCIPLE is a book of uncommon wisdom and insight. I recommend it with enthusiasm."
--The Rev. Dr. Randall Balmer, Episcopal Priest and Professor of American Religious History at Barnard College, Columbia University
"Kevin Roose is a delightful writer, and this is a humane book. Read it and I predict you'll have less paranoia, more exposure to 'the other,' and a larger dose of Roose's generous and hopeful faith."
--Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christian, A Generous Orthodoxy, and Everything Must Change
"Keenly observed, funny, and compassionate. Kevin Roose parachutes us into a seldom-glimpsed and little understood pocket of America, then guides us through a story of religion and country more resonant than any of us could have imagined."
--Robert Kurson, New York Times bestselling author of Shadow Divers and Crashing Through
"This is a brilliant book. Absolutely brilliant. Roose's wisdom, humanity, and love kept me going. And I laughed. A lot."
-- Rob Bell, founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church and bestselling author of Velvet Elvis and Sex God
"What happens when a Brown undergrad goes undercover at Liberty University? If he's a writer as insightful and open-minded as Kevin Roose, he ends up learning as much about himself as he does about the evangelical Christians he lives with. The Unlikely Disciple provides a funny, compassionate, and revealing look at Jerry Falwell's 'Bible Boot Camp,' and the surprisingly diverse band of true believers who make it their home."
--Tom Perrotta, New York Times bestselling author of Little Children and The Abstinence Teacher
"Hallelujah for Kevin Roose. This is a remarkable book. He takes us on a fascinating, funny, nuanced journey that doesn't condescend or make glib judgments. It's just what the culture wars need. If I didn't already have kids, I'd adopt Kevin."
--A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Year Of Living Biblically
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 stars(4 out of 5 stars)
3 of 3 Reviews Showing: 5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Kate (Pittsburgh, PA), July 23, 2009 I loved the book! It was well written, very thought provoking, and extremely funny. I could not put the book down and finished it in one night, just because I wanted to see how Kevin Roose finished up his thoughts. A very balanced perspective on what Liberty is all about and how doubts, temptations, concern and faith are a part of all of us, even conservative evangelicals. As a twenty-something, it is refreshing to read a book which does not boil everything down to simple answers or one-dimensional views. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in Christianity, politics, culture or a well-written book! 2 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Phyllis Mckenzie (Ashland, KY), June 01, 2009 I was disappointed in the book. I found very little humor in it and actually felt sadness and concern for the author. For someone to study and gain so much knowledge of the bible and yet not actually believe it all is beyond me. These young students are human and are going to have trials and tribulations as we all will. That is part of living in this sin filled world. I hope that someday Mr. Roose studies the bible again with his heart and not his liberal background. I was taken aback by his use of profanity and claims to be a christian. He really missed the boat on a soul changing opportunity. 5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Priscilla (New Jersey), May 17, 2009 This is one of those books that you just don't want to end. I have had such an amazing time getting to know Kevin Roose and hearing his impressions of conservative Christianity. Though he is not a conservative Christian himself, he addresses the subject with such tolerance, respect, and empathy that it's possible to draw deep spiritual insights from his reflections! I would recommend this book to believers and nonbelievers alike! Write a review of The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University
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