A Review of The Unlikely Disciple

Every once in awhile I pick up a book that I have a hard time putting down and can't wait to see how it ends. The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University was one of those books. Kevin Roose, whom I have mentioned here before, took a semester off of his studies at Brown University in order to immerse himself in an evangelical Christian world at Liberty University in Virginia.

Roose, who does not consider himself to be an evangelical Christian, wanted to gain the experience of what it would be like to be surrounded by Christians his age while inhabiting a world unfamiliar to himself. His account of his semester-long experience at Liberty is candid, refreshing, uncomfortable and telling.

In order to gain an unvarnished view of Rev. Jerry Falwell's university, Roose kept his true identity a secret from his classmates and sought to blend in with his peers. He attended chapel services, went to prayer meetings and Bible studies, sang in the Thomas Road Baptist Church choir and even went on a spring break evangelism trip to Daytona Beach. In short, he participated in the activities of an evangelical Christian student without actually being one.

An obviously talented writer, Roose paints what I perceive to be a fairly accurate picture of conservative evangelicals. He highlights the sincerity of faith of many of his Liberty friends, the emphasis on prayer that he experienced and the commitment of the student body to reach out to others. On the other hand, he spends a good portin of the book commenting on the conservative political atmosphere at Liberty which he finds often at odds with his own viewpoints.

In reading this book, I felt as if I was along for the ride as he shares his initial uneasiness with the unfamiliar Christian culture he encounters after stepping on campus and the development of deep friendships as the weeks passed. As a Christian that ministers to college students, I found myself agreeing with many of Roose's conclusions, humored at his gentle ribbing of our Christian subculture and grieved at the insensitivity that he experienced by others that didn't know he wasn't "one of them."

The Unlikely Disciple not only chronicle's Kevin Roose's experience at Liberty, but also gives insight into the final months of Rev. Jerry Falwell's life as Falwell passed away at the end of Roose's semester. While most of the book is about the students that Roose encountered, a sizable portion is devoted to Falwell and his influence on evangelicalism in America and on Liberty itself. Remarkably, Roose scored an interview with Rev. Falwell just days before his death, which turned out to be the last print interview he ever gave.

For Christians that hope to gain a greater perspective on how non-Christians experience us when they are in our world this could be a great tool for personal reflection and examination. For non-Christians that are hoping to get an outsider's take on what evangelicals are like behind closed doors this would be a helpful resource. All in all this was a great book.

Is Facebook Losing its Older Users?

From Switched.com:

"Facebook may be losing ground among its older users, according to Inside Facebook.

Over the past few months, baby boomers joined the popular social networking site in droves, creating some inter-generational tensions in the process. From February and March, though, to April and May, that trend seems to have reversed. According to data that Facebook supplies to its advertisers, the 55-to-65-year-old age group's activity has drastically declined over the past couple months (by 651,080, to be exact), making it the only demographic to experience an overall drop in numbers.

While their parents seem to be fleeing Facebook, 18-to-25-year olds are spending more time on the site than ever. Since the end of March, nearly 2 million new members have joined up in that age bracket. The root of these developing Facebook trends? We'd bet that those Gen Y-ers, finding themselves unemployed and out of school, are aiming to waste some time and distract themselves. Meanwhile, we'd guess that their parents, in light of their companies' tightening belts, are laying off the during-office-hours browsing."

Brennan Manning: A Favorite Author

I, along with many Christians of my generation, was introduced to Brennan Manning through his intro to the song "What If I Stumble" on dc Talk's seminal 1995 album, Jesus Freak.

Manning's words on that album were:

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

Those two brief sentences instantly interested me and, after getting the opportunity to hear him speak in person a couple years later, I was hooked. I began reading his books at that point and have read nearly everything he has written. His perspective on the unconditional love of God drew me in and his emphasis on the grace of our heavenly Father helped to set me free from the chains I was in. It is no coincidence that my firstborn child shares his name.

The thing about Brennan Manning is that he is no saint in the eyes of many evangelical Christians due to his background and challenges in life. He comes from a Catholic background and has struggled with alcoholism. He is divorced. In a nutshell, he is not perfect. His unique experiences in life and brushes with sin even after walking with Christ have caused some to write him off.

I, however, feel like he has a grasp on the love of God for the prodigal child that few of us may ever understand. His writing has encouraged and challenged me as no other modern writer has done. I was pleased to learn that Brennan has a new book out this year entitled The Furious Longing of God. Michael Spencer, aka The Internet Monk, has written a review of the book here, along with some thoughts on the author. Spencer has this to say:

"Brennan isn’t for everyone. I learned that long ago. But he sure is for me, I can tell you that. Let’s be honest. Brennan Manning isn’t an exegete or a expositor. He’s a Catholic. He’s a mystic. He’s a story-teller. He’s sloppy. He makes no attempt at neat Systematics. He quotes other writers, some of them a bit off the farm. He repeats the same ideas and stories in almost every book. He never seems to be anything other than weak and in desperate need of help from God. His prose is occasionally excessive and sometimes obscure. He can be frustrating, puzzling and disturbing.
And Brennan Manning is, for my life (and the lives of thousands of other devoted readers), simply the most indispensably authentic writer on the God of Jesus Christ I’ve ever encountered. Brennan knows Jesus and can bring you right there like no other writer of our time.
One thing I can say for every critic who finds Manning “a waste of time.” They are not longing, in the midst of the wreckage of their own souls, to hear, existentially and constantly, the assurance of God’s absolute love and affection. I can say this with some certainty, because no one can compare to the ability of Brennan Manning to stop you and embrace you with the astonishing love of God."

If you'd never had the privilege of reading a book by Brennan Manning, I'd encourage to check him out. I'd start with either The Ragamuffin Gospel or Abba's Child and see if his take on the Christian life resonates with you. I'm sure you'll be glad you did.