Kevin Roose is an aspiring writer and a student at Brown when he decides to transfer to Liberty University--probably America's best and most well known evangelical university--for one semester, immerse himself in its culture, and write about the experience. Roose is no academic writer. Although he references theologians and anthropologists in his book, he does not use the confusing jargon and high-minded academic theories prevalent in many other ethnographies about Christian fundamentalist culture. Instead, his writing is intimate and honest--and if we are to believe what he writes, it turns out that there is a lot more complexity at Liberty than most of us secular liberals would like to believe.

Roose lived in the dorms of Liberty. He sang for the choir. He took 6 courses that a typical Liberty freshman would take. He made friends, went on dates, went to Bible study, and prayed with his friends. In short, Roose, a liberal and intelligent young man who was raised in the Quaker church, went to Liberty to get the most realistic, average Liberty experience possible. He kept an open mind, and even admitted that he might, in fact, be converted and born again by the end of the semester. In the end, Roose does not convert to evangelical Christianity--however, he is admittedly changed (for the better) by the experience.

I really enjoyed this book. In part because I have a morbid curiosity about extremely conservative Christians, but also because I do believe and agree with Roose's conclusions: that just as fundamentalists paint gay people, feminists, Democrats, etc with a broad brush, so do secular folks paint religious folks with a broad brush. In reality, there are many shades and types of Liberty students. Roose made friends with evangelical feminists, he attended a meeting for gay students at Liberty (trying to go straight) and male students struggling with lust (he dubs this group Masturbators Anonymous). He also prays on a regular basis with a stereotypical, blindingly optimistic future youth pastor and deals with his incredibly hostile and homophobic roommate. Roose takes a class called History of Life (a required class for all LU students) that teaches strict Young Earth Creationism--a class he can never quite get his head around. But he also takes a class on theology, which he grows to love. And for every goody-goody rule following student he meets, he is bound to interact with a "rebel" student--someone who isn't a virgin, or who curses, or watched R-rated movies. Basically, there is no typical LU student just as there is no typical Brown student.

The most fascinating aspect of Roose's experience is how is changes him. He transforms from a non-church going atheist/agnostic to someone who believes "70-75% of the time" in a higher power. He goes from never praying to automatically praying as part of his daily routine. He comes to enjoy going to church! Roose is not a hardcore believer by the end of the book, per se (he still finds Liberty's party line on homosexuality, evolution, etc and its insistence on two black and white categories of people: saved and unsaved, to be abhorrent), but he is much more open minded about the possibility that there is a God out there and that belief in Him can change a person's life in a very positive way.

I liked this book because I understand Roose's thought process. Like the bumper sticker that says "Jesus, save me from your followers", I am a self-identified Christian who is easily annoyed by other (fundamentalist, evangelical) Christians. I see and understand the shades of gray that Roose found in his time at Liberty and I can see how and why he came to see the good that comes out of religion, as well as the bad. I'm glad that Roose wrote this book and I'm glad he wrote it in a way that showed Liberty's good side as well as its darker corners. Roose claims at the end of the book that he did not "bridge the God divide", and indeed, that bridge may never be built. But I think he went further than many non-evangelicals would dare to go in his attempts to understand and humanize Liberty students. ( )

Absolutely frightning, yet at the same time full of heart and hope. A thoroughly enlightening read. ( )

Roose goes to Liberty College as a "study abroad" experience hoping to see how others religious experiences differ from his. He states that these people are in his time zone and vote in the same elections as he does but he knows little about the extreme conservative Christian movement.
I liked that the book was not a this way is right / this way is wrong type of book, but explored the culture and beliefs of the conservative movement. It also brought up examples of people within the extreme conservative movement disagreeing with each other over politics, interpretations of the Bible, breaking rules enforced at the school and students coming to Liberty College for a variety of reasons (from its Christian background to being close to home to it providing an opportunity to play sports). Yes there is Friday night Bible Study and hand holding not hooking up, but there is still dating drama and intermural sports. ( )

Kevin Roose starts out his book with a fairly solid idea - spend a semester at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia to find out what it really is like to attend a fundamentalist Bible College. His subtitle claiming it to be America's Holiest University may be a bit of hyperbole, as events in the book lead students to compare the Liberty Way rules to the rules of other biblical colleges where they learn that they're downright liberal compared to other institutions. At the same time, what Liberty allows in relative social freedoms, it makes up for in a strict curriculum that still follows the 6,000 year-old earth theory and the leadership of the controversial Jerry Falwell.

The easy book to write today would have been one very critical of Falwell and one that would have mercilessly mocked the students at Liberty. After all, this seems to be the way to a larger audience today - make fun of the crazy religious nuts, claim they're going to be the end of us all and make fun some more. It's an odd argument and one that is about as effective as, say, claiming everyone that attends Brown is part of some massive east-coast liberal conspiracy.

Thankfully, Brown doesn't write the easy book. He goes in and simply writes what he experiences as a student at Liberty. Not as a student from Brown who chose to spend a semester at Liberty. And in it, he finds a diverse student body with a number of different reasons for attending Liberty. While he frets over the teaching of the strict 6,000-year-old earth creationism, he also finds that a good percentage of students won't leave Liberty sharing that same view. Not that all is well at Liberty and Roose delves into this as well.

All in all, this is an even-handed view of a dividing issue. And we could use more discussions like this. You know, less calling of names and more humanizing of the views. Less scary sound bites, more reasonable discussion, that kind of stuff. ( )

Think Blue Like Jazz if Don Miller wasn’t a Christian. Roose has so much heart. He’s gracious and vulnerable, which makes him so enduring. But his transparency is coupled with wisdom beyond his years (or a phenomenal editor). This book is great reading for anyone with a connection with fundamentalist Christians. It’s also great for “Bible believing Christians” to read to help them empathize with the target of their evangelism. Roose’s story is a great testimony to the blessings that can arise when we get beyond labels and make an honest effort to treat people with real respect and open arms.

As someone who has attended a fundamentalist church for the past five years (think Liberty University) as well as liberal churches with gay pastors (think Brown University), I am in awe of Roose's even-handedness. Although I don't agree with him on every point, he made a phenomenal effort of good will and open mindedness and should be commended. ( )