By Kevin Roose
Barnes & Noble link
(Lordy, I waited too long to read this glorious tome. Hope not to do that for Rob Sheffield's newest book.)
There are times when you confront someone who has different beliefs than you and you wonder "what is it like to be them? And most importantly, are the stereotypes true?" Kevin Roose, instead of settling with stereotypes, decides to dive right into the world of evangelical Christians. The Unlikely Disciple is the chronicle of that adventure.
Roose, a Brown University student raised as a Quaker, goes undercover as himself (albeit, rated PG-13 and a Christian) at the well-known and controversial Liberty University (founded by the late Jerry Falwell, a famous preacher and one of the founders of the Moral Majority). He follows the strict rules (e.g. no R-rated movies, no hugs lasting longer than three seconds, etc.), meets friends (like Jersey Joe, Paul, and Max), and even falls head over heels for a woman (Anna). He also explores the curriculum, which is heavily Biblical and inerrant. Not knowing much of the Bible himself, Roose has to study hard and rely on his friends. The semester starts off without much incident, but as we all know, it's not going to end on the same note.
There is a hilarious, along with a brain-ouch, moment when Roose reads up on a Liberty teacher who does evolutionary research while being a young-earth creationist. Yeah, if you're confused, read Roose's thoughts on it.
At first, Roose seemed to get caught up in the optimism and kindness of many of his friends and teachers. However, rude awakenings like the casual uses of homophobic slurs or claims that tragedies like Virginia Tech would bring non-believers closer to God, would bring him back to the reason why evangelicals are reviled. Even with that, he couldn't hate them completely. He makes close friends that honestly do care about him. He enjoys the illegal R-rated movie watching with Jersey Joe, the Bible studies with Paul, and the lunches and talks with Anna. But of course, it's not like he missed the point:
I reach[ed] this conclusion: humanizing is not the same as sympathizing. You can peel a stereotype off a person and not see a beautiful human being underneath. In fact, humanity can be very ugly.
The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose, page 110
He learns over time that while their opinions are horrible and disenfranchises many people, it is mostly the fault of their belief system. They aren't willing to listen to other people, put those needs into consideration:
But I've also seen a process whereby some reasonable, humble believers are taught to put their religious goals above everything else.
The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose, page 237
Let's not kid ourselves, if you already made these conclusions on your own (myself included), Roose isn't telling you anything new. And yet, most people haven't realized all this yet. Perhaps that is who the book was for. But it is also a good read for those who know all this already, just so they can be in good company. Kevin Roose does what many want to do and comes out not as the better person, but well-educated and eager to bridge the gaps between secular folks and religious folks. Something we all can get behind.
COPYRIGHT NOTE: all bold quotes are from the novel and were written by the author himself. Those words are not my own.
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