The Unlikely Disciple

A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University

By: Kevin Roose

Narrated by: Kevin Roose

Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

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 10,000 undergraduates take courses like Evangelism 101, hear from guest speakers like Sean Hannity and Karl Rove, and follow a 46-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.

©2009 Kevin Roose (P)2010 Hachette

Critic reviews

"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)

Outstanding

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a great read, for anyone who is either evangelical or knows any evangelicals. Light-hearted, and hopefully a bridge between cultures.

Best of Both Worlds

A very enjoyable read and quite the social experiment. This is a great study of human interaction and acceptance. Listening to it was a learning experience for me and I came away from it with a new appreciation for Evangelical Christianity - not that I'm ready to make the conversion or start witnessing or anything - but hey, it's not an easy path they have chosen for themselves and I admire anyone who attempts to walk it. No wonder so many are "fallen". This young writer did a wonderful job of remaining objective in his analysis, yet compassionate in his portrayals as well. I expect more from him in the future.

well written and interesting

What did you like best about this story?

I felt it was a fair representation of the controversial clash of cultures. It did not demonize or apologize for the actions and beliefs of the people involved.

enlightening

interesting story. Good lesson that we learn to get along despite our different backgrounds.

A good listen

I enjoyed this book. I am an American evangelical pursuing a PhD in theology in the UK. Although I did not attend Liberty, I know what it can be like on "the inside" so I thought this would be an enjoyable book. This book is at its best when Roose is open an honest, and attempts to give a fair listen the liberals and conservatives alike. To be honest, Roose was more equitable to evangelicals than I expected. I also really enjoyed the author reading the book. A few memorable lines stick in my head such as the possibility of Jersey Joey saying, "Roosta, you been lyin' to us?"
Why I gave it 4 stars: I think Roose is a great reporter and a good writer for his age, but I feel like some of the low points of the book were when he decided to theologize. Although he was familiar with terms such as theodicy or Calvinism, he simply does not have the training to write off certain aspects of theology or evangelicalism as he does at times. With that said, I really enjoyed the listen and would read/listen to another book by this author.

Helped me form less negative opinions of people

I struggle to respect the ideas of Evangelical Christianity and it was a refreshing to hear a human story about the people I disagree with so strongly.

Excellent and insightful

One of the best Audiobooks around. Really insightful and interesting and written in a way that is unbiased. Interesting for a young South African to see what us happening in the US.

good book.. bad idea.

what i mean is great story.. i say go ahead and get it you will like it.. funny at times but its a think piece at the end. kinda was 50-50 on the whole idea of doing that.. great story though.

Impressive work of non-fiction

Don't read this if you're looking for a cynical exposé of the religious right. Don't read this if you're looking for a sugar-coated story of Christian conversion. The Unlikely Disciple is neither of those. It's a nuanced and non-jaded account of the author's "study abroad" experience inside Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. Along with The Faith Club, this book belongs on reading lists for college courses, book clubs and discussion groups interested in healing our nation's religious and cultural divide. Not only is Kevin Roose a prodigious writer--there's no other explanation for this high a level of achievement at so young an age--he's also a wise person and a corrective role model for those of us prone to judging and stereotyping the "other."

I Swallowed it Whole

A friend recommended this book to me recently.
As a practicing Christian, I was skeptical of how Kevin Roose (a liberal non-church-going 19-year-old) would treat many who proclaim my faith.
he spent a semester at Liberty University, a university that (while not the most conservative out there) ranks quite high on the conservative scale. Kevin wanted to explore the "God divide". His parents and his friends at Brown were concerned that the experience would change him...
And it did. But not in the ways one might think.
It's been a VERY long time since I sat down and read an entire audiobook start to finish (I usually read on my commute to work, picking it up and putting it down as my bus gets to my stop or my lunch break ends). I read this book on a Saturday and couldn't turn it off. I read it while I was going for a run, doing chores around my house, and even refused to go to sleep until I finished the book and the author interview at the end.
Kevin refuses to give easy pat answers for why people believe what they believe. He refuses to demonize those who he disagrees with (such as the man who counsels homosexuals at the school), even as he questions their methodology. He meets conformists and rebels, struggling saints and sanctified sinners.
No matter what you think about conservatism and Christianity, this book will make you think.
If you are a Christian, it's important to read this book, to understand how words and actions can appear to those around you. If you aren't a Christian, or have problems with Christianity specifically, read this book and meet some folks who may have more in common with you than you'd think.
Well worth your time, money and credit.