Comments on: The Unlikely Disciple

By: Keith Brenton

Keith Brenton — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:36:57 +0000

Posted now: How To Be a Christian Despite Attending a Christian College.

By: Keith Brenton

Keith Brenton — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 19:18:19 +0000

This article sounds like the flip side of your “How to be a Christian Dsspite Being at a Christian College,” Mike.

(I’d link it at Wineskins.org, but it’s among the dwindling few we haven’t posted yet.)

By: James

James — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:12:20 +0000

Good book. It ought to be part of the “field research” reading list of anyone coming as a minister/church planter/what-have-you to the northeast. Of course, the irony is that you may find yourself learning more about yourself and “us” than you will the secular northeasterner.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:17:07 +0000

You are spot on, Leah. My constant prayer for all who proclaim Jesus as LORD and Savior is that we would internalize, trust in and fully believe that God is the only Judge – not us and that The Judge has given us a job , if you wish.
We are to love Him with all our being, thereby be mirror-images of Christ to the world, loving the lost, all of them – NOT judging them, loving them as we would love ourselves. We cannot sanctify ourselves, much less anyone else -God has a pretty good handle on that process, so we can safely take our hands out of His pocket, putting them to the plow of sowing, watering His field, and trusting HE will bring the harvest, not us.

btw-I, like Amy, am adding this to my own ever growing list of “want to, have to, really should” reads.

By: Leah

Leah — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:44:27 +0000

ex-Preacher – Amazing response. I tend to agree with you!!!

I read a Donald Miller book recently and I want to paraphrase something he said. As Christians we try to wage a war against homosexuality or abortion or politics (remember I am paraphrasing but this is the jist) but what do we do in a war? We try to destroy the enemy or at least imprison them. But in most cases we are destroying the hostage the enemy is holding and not the enemy.

My thoughts: Sometimes as Christians we are our own worst media release.

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:14:25 +0000

Fascinating. I wish I were as brave as Kevin when I was 20. For that matter, when I’m 40. His “experiment” took alot of guts! You’re really expanding my already-too-long reading list.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:13:10 +0000

I would really love to read this book. I was raised Baptist, although my family were not church goers when I was growing up, and I’d never even heard of the CofC before attending ACU. It was definitely weird, and at first I felt left out a lot and kinda like oh my goodness what did I get myself into here? I can’t imagine what someone like this author or your Hindu student would experience!

By: ex-preacher

ex-preacher — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:48:33 +0000

Now, here’s an interesting idea: take a Liberty (or ACU) student and drop them into a secular, multicultural university for a year. I think he/she might find “that despite his/her deception and arrogance,” the Catholics, Muslims, atheists, Mormons, Hindus, Democrats, Buddhists and homosexuals “were pretty good people.” I have this crazy theory that people are basically the same regardless of creed, color or nationality. Our religious and nationalistic labels and prejudices about those are different only serve to divide us.

Perhaps this could be the beginning of a student exchange program to break down barriers. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. Imagine . . .

By: Casey McCollum

Casey McCollum — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:55:42 +0000

I read this book a few months ago and I cannot recommend it more highly. I could not put it down – It made me laugh, cringe, reflect, and laugh some more.

I spent 8 years as a student at ACU (5 undergrad and 3 M.Div) and now I work for ACU. Roose’s experience mirrored mine in so many ways. And what I really like is that he does not take the cheap shots (that are readily available by the way) but is very balanced and nuanced in his assessment of the Christian bubble.

By: Gareth Flanary

Gareth Flanary — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:49:14 +0000

I have been a part of the CofC for all my life. I have preached for 28 years. My daughter is a Sophmore at Liberty University. I am proud of her choice even though I do not embrace all of their theological or political perspectives. Would Jesus feel out of place at such a school? Absolutely not! Jesus is the focus of their lives. He would be honored to experience their discipleship and their efforts to worship and serve Him. He would love them. He might temper their phobic views of people, but he would honor their commitment to the law of God. He may temper their political rancor, but he would honor their commitment to the righteousness of a nation. Rouse experienced the genuineness of the majority of the students and even Falwell himself. He may have scoffed at the “Liberty Way” but it is a way embraced by most and it creates a God-centered and Christ-honoring environment.

What Rouse tells me is that anyone of us can fake godliness and belief. We can convince others of our piety by our platitudes. We can fit into a crowd by deception. We can remain arrogant and defiant against God while wearing a mask of faith. What he found was that despite his deception and arrogance, the Christians were pretty good people. MMMM!

By: Canada Jim

Canada Jim — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:47:18 +0000

My daughter read it before me… good stuff.

By: Jeff Slater

Jeff Slater — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:04:04 +0000

I’ve wanted to read this for a while — it sounds fascinating. I’ll have to see if I can get it at the library.

By: Karen

Karen — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:59:24 +0000

I thought it was a great book. Kevin’s time at Liberty planted a seed in him. No, he hasn’t fully embraced the Christian life, but he didn’t dismiss it all, either. Would he have had the same results if he’d visited Harding, ACU, or Lipscomb? Now that would be an interesting thing to find out.

By: Kent F

Kent F — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:44:11 +0000

Regardless of what we perceive or think, I think church leaders need to read this one – if for no other reason than what Mike shares here.

Sorry gang – but growing up in an insular cofC world and living out your days as one devoted to the denomination while warding off all the evil around you won’t cut it anymore. I could spout the falling attendance numbers, but that only fuels the fire of the “narrow gate” folks. Would Jesus feel out of place and uncomfortable at LU?

By: julie

julie — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:43:01 +0000

Mike, I want to read this book. . . for many reasons.