Monday, November 22, 2010

Have you read any good books lately?

Yes. 

When we visit the States, I tend to have more time to read for pleasure than I do in Croatia.  Two years ago I spent all of that time devouring Anna Kerenina.  This time I'll invest my reading energy into a variety of books and authors.  Here's the latest:

The Unlikely Disciple is a fun read.  The rookie author of this book - Kevin Roose - decided to take a semester off from Brown University and attend Liberty University while covertly assembling the thoughts contained in this book back in 2007.  He's not an Evangelical Christian nor had he ever been immersed in Evangelical culture before his transfer.

So it's a book about culture shock.  Roose's political views are drastically different than those of the conservative Evangelical student body at LU.  He believes in evolution but is surrounded by young-creationists.  And perhaps most severe, his tolerance of homosexuality collides with the often homophobic comments he encounters numerous times every day. 

But what about the faith aspect?  How does his unbelief fit in?

Without giving away any of the conclusions he comes to by the end of his experience, let me share one quote that's worth considering:
Liberty's true social code, the one they don't put in a forty-six-page manual, has everything to do with being a social and religious conservative and not a whole lot to do with acting in any traditionally virtuous way
Whoa.  And that observation is only a third of the way into the book. 

This is an entertaining read.  It's an enlightening read.  It's also an important read. 

If you're interested in finding out more, visit http://www.kevinroose.com/.  On his site you'll be able to read an excerpt from the book.

1 comment:

Tracy said...

I'd forgotten about this guy, and his book. Thank you for the reminder!