Reddit reviews The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University

I love imposter stories.

Ever read the book by the kid from Brown University who faked being a born-again Christian so he could attend Liberty University (one of the most fanatically religious and conservative schools) for a semester? It was a very entertaining read, and he painted the students at Liberty in a good light (mostly reasonable, ordinary kids).

I assume you were not allowed to live on campus?

Kevin Roose also wrote a book when he was in college where he spent a semester at Liberty University called "The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University". It was really good and an interesting perspective.

The Unlikely Disciple

boom. Great book.

I would have to think about it, since a lot of those incidents don't come readily to my mind (no surprise, I've tried to forget about most of it). It's less about individual events I remember and more about the overall experience that what the extreme Christians say among themselves is much different than what they say in public.

This is the reason that documentaries like Jesus Camp are so shocking to people on the "outside", I think. It's a look behind the curtain at what these people are like when they think they're among their own.

This article is more about the neo-conservative movement than Christianity, but the two are very connected, and this article demonstrates the amount of crazy they throw around in private.

A book called The Unlikely Disciple is also a really good look at the crazy that goes on behind the scenes. I would highly recommend it if you want to understand what the evangelical movement is like from the inside. It's a fairly accurate depiction of the world that my family used to live in.

You should read The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose. This guy went to Liberty for a semester in 2008 or so to see what it was like.

I'd strongly recommend this book. It's pretty objective and balanced and sort of gave me closure to a lot of things.
http://www.amazon.com/Unlikely-Disciple-Semester-Americas-University/dp/044617842X

Also, in reference to the sexual misconduct (not sure what you were referring to)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286153,00.html


When reading up on most sexual abuse cases, its necessary to put things into perspective. Most abuses in Protestant churches happen from non-clergy or adjunct clergy (unlike other denominations, it's more like a job interview and any major qualification will go, so people might unbeknowingly hire a paedophile, or they might stalk churches posing as parishoners to get close to children. Many large churches are being proactive about it). Further, most Catholic abuses happened in the 1970s, and the rush of news about it came with people in their 30s and 40s coming forward after living with guilt. The rest essentially occur at the same frequency as sexual abuse in schools and in civil administration (e.g. Policemen and Firefighters).

It's a fallacy to assume that one's religious actions, such as celibacy or abstinence, increase or decrease the amount of sexual abuse in a congregation or denomination.