The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose *** (of 4)

It was a great idea (especially in 2010), pulled off with panache. The author, Kevin Roose, took a leave of absence from Brown University in the second semester of his freshman year. Instead of studying abroad with other Americans in Madrid or Paris, Roose enrolled at Liberty University, America's flagship school for evangelicals, thus moving from one of the most liberal to one of the most conservative universities in the United States.

Most of what Roose describes would not be a surprise to anyone following Jerry Falwell's political agenda. If you are not so familiar, then this book is a good introduction to a university that insists that no liberal views are permitted on its campus. Students "learn" that evolution never happened and the earth is only 6,000 years old. Abortion is murder. All homosexuals are faggots. Women should marry early, support their husbands, and bear many children. Prayer is infallible. Muslims are infidels.

Also, not very surprising, Roose discovers that among the many thousands of students attending Liberty U., many are at least a little open minded about some things, and nearly all are really pleasant people. Moreover, despite "Liberty Rules" prohibiting touching (yourself or another), kissing, or sex before marriage, like fundamentalists of all stripes the world over, the overwhelming restrictions on dating has only served to increase student obsession with sex. 

In the summer of 2020 as intolerance, racism, and white supremacy have become even more blatantly ugly, Roose's generalized acceptance of widespread, on-campus gay-bashing feels terribly out-of-date. Also, a college education that insists that every student memorize the bible and runs out of town any student that might question whether the earth really was flooded in the age of Noah, doesn't seem very distinct from the madrassa that Liberty's administration claims to abhor.