Book Review: The Unlikely Disciple

I just finished reading 'The Unlikely Disciple' by Kevin Roose, and must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also must be honest and say that I had never heard of Liberty University, nor this book before finding it on a Barnes and Noble book list.

It has a simple plot, with a very good message. Kevin, a Sophmore at Brown University, took a semester off to attend Liberty University, as he put it, "A sinners semester at America's Holiest University".  Because I had never heard of the book nor the University, I wasn't sure what the book would be like, but found the synopsis interesting.

I thought the book was enlightening and provocative in its perspective of being a Christian 'outsider' (though as a Quaker, he technically is a Christian), and I must admit that I have changed my view of sharing my beliefs with others, and working with others in finding common grounds in which to build.

The best part of the book was the parallelism to experiences at BYU, in terms of philosophies and cultural ideas, which can be found in the following descriptions of life at Liberty University:

"I guess I should explain that outside of Jane Austin novels, nowhere is marriage a more frequent topic of conversation than at Christian college. Since arriving here, I've heard hundreds of jokes about the Liberty wedding frenzy--the 'ring by spring' race, going to school for your MRS degree, and on and on. Three weeks into the semester, it's already crystal clear, this school wants marriage like Ohio State wants football championships."

"I've never felt particularly rushed about getting married (probably because I've never taken an abstinence pledge), but when you're surrounded by nuptial-crazed Christians, it forces the issue. Every few days, I hear about another Liberty guy who popped the question, and I spend a few minutes feeling panicked. I'm almost twenty! Shouldn't I at least have someone in mind?"

"At Liberty, hand-holding is third base" 

"When you go on a date, all you have to do is follow one rule: pay, pray, and say"

Also, one overriding theme of the book, that was thought provoking for me was summarized in the following paragraph:

"What happens when a Liberty student' [or any student, BYU student, etc.] instilled values clash with his personal experiences? What happens when the moral system we're taught in our classes-- a system where everthing is clear-cut, black or white, good or evil--comes in to contact with the messy, complicated world? Do the values fles to fit reality? Or is Liberty's thoelogical inculcation so powerful that it can convince its students to override their social inclinations?

Roose also had a couple of quotes that sparked my interest:

"Religious observance increases students' satisfaction with academic life, social life, and the college experience in general." -A conclusion of a study by Margarita Mooney. Mooney studied both religious and non-religious college students and demonstrated that students who attended religious service weekly or more were both happier and more successful in school than their non-religious counterparts.

"It is not so true that prayer changes things as that prayer changes me and I change things." -Oswald Chambers  

Overall, I would recommend this book, with the caution that there is forward conversation about adult content (though they are not explicit but rather discussion topics), with some language (not heavy).