While many of his Brown University classmates were leaving to study abroad in Europe, Kevin Roose was packing his bags for Lynchburg, Virginia. An agnostic who lied about his religious beliefs on his application, Roose was studying for a semester at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University bible school. For the next few months he would follow "The Liberty Way", the school's forty-six page code of conduct that prohibits watching R-rated movies, drinking, smoking, cursing, gambling, dancing, and anything beyond holding hands. When his History of Life exam read "True or False: Noah's Ark was large enough to carry various kinds of dinosaurs", he answered True. During spring break he preached the gospel in Daytona Beach bars, on Friday nights he attended bible study, and on Sunday mornings he sang on national television in the front row of Falwell's church choir. He was undercover at what Falwell called "Bible Boot Camp", hoping to connect with his evangelical peers.
The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University is not an attack on the many friends Roose met during his semester; rather it's an attempt to understand a culture that was completely foreign to him. The kindness of the students and faculty helped him feel at home at Liberty, and it was interesting to see how the author's own beliefs changed during his evangelical immersion. His attempt to bridge the God Divide in our country is a welcome break from the shrill voices on our radios and televisions.
nice post, thanks, appreciated.