Kevin Roose, raised a liberal Quaker, from Brown University enrolls at Liberty University in order to write a book. Hilarity ensues.
Bryan P emailed me this story last night and it is kind of intriguing.
two bits in particular struck me:
Yet, some students also grilled him about his relationship with Jesus and condemned non-believers to hell.
After a gunman at Virginia Tech killed 32 people in April 2007, a Liberty student said the deaths paled next to the millions of abortions worldwide — a comment Roose says infuriated him.
….
Roose said his Liberty experience transformed him in surprising ways.When he first returned to Brown, he was shocked by the sight of a gay couple holding hands — then shocked at his own reaction. He remains stridently opposed to Falwell’s worldview, but he also came to understand Falwell’s appeal.
Once ambivalent about faith, Roose now prays to God regularly — for his own well-being and on behalf of others. He said he owns several translations of the Bible and has recently been rereading meditations from the letters of of John on using love and compassion to solve cultural conflicts.
He’s even considering joining a church.
First, as a side note, have you ever noticed how simplistic the prose is in USA Today? I haven’t either until I was snipping these two quotes. Wow.
Second, I wonder why did that comment about abortion infuriate him? Any time there is anger, I get curious.
Third, isn’t it interesting that Roos professes to be more open to the faith now? Even after experiencing Liberty University’s version?
I can say this much: “second” infuriated me as well. The abortion “epidemic” and the shooting of 32 students are both atrocious. To say that one was less horrible than the other is incredibly insensitive.
I do think it’s interesting that he’s more open to the faith, but probably because he found that his pre-judgments–on the whole–were off base.
That said, it isn’t easy going to an overtly Christian university, where they expect you to act “perfectly.”