How Can We Bridge the God Divide?

Not long ago I read The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Most Holy University by Kevin Roose. If you've not heard of the book, in 2007 Roose, who was then a sophomore at Brown University, one of America's most liberal universities, decided to enroll for a semester at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. Through a chance meeting with a group of Liberty students a few months earlier, Roose realized that many of his peers are Christians with whom he has had little interaction and even less understanding. So in a genuine effort to better understand his peers and expand his own education, he convinced the administration at Brown and his reluctant parents to let him "study abroad" for a semester at Liberty--something that even as an evangelical I'm not sure I could do. But what follows is an entertaining and thought provoking study of the "God-divide."

Admittedly, having been raised by Quaker parents who once worked for Ralph Nader, Kevin was nervous and apprehensive about what he might find. Even so, he was committed not to mock the school or level and unfounded accusations--he felt that would be far too easy. Instead, he decided to fully immerse himself in the Liberty culture by joining a number of student groups and eventually the choir at Thomas Road Baptist Church, the congregation the late Dr. Jerry Falwell led. Roose even managed to secure an interview with Dr. Falwell for the school's newspaper, which turned out to be the last in-person interview Falwell would give prior to his death. And despite whatever misgivings he may have had with Dr. Falwell and the many challenges of living as a stranger in a strange land, Roose managed to maintain his cover for the entire semester.

And while he did encounter the stereotypical evangelical positions on hot-button issues such as abortion, homosexuality and "liberals," he was shocked by how "normal" the students at Liberty are. They're concerned about their grades, paying for school, dating prospects, playing video games, finding a job after graduation and many of the other typical things that weigh on a college student. What surprised him most, however, was the love and acceptance he received from his classmates, even after he revealed his purpose for attending Liberty. He writes in his book's acknowledgments, "I never thought that the world's largest evangelical university would feel like home...But by experience your warmth, your vigorous generosity of spirit, and your deep complexity, I was ultimately convinced--not that you were right, necessarily, but that I was wrong."

And of all that I read in the book, that is what struck me most: a non-Christian is taken aback by the love, grace and mercy shown to him by Christ's followers. And I have to ask myself, "Why isn't that more the norm?" Perhaps had they known who Roose really was they would have treated him differently, but I hope not. Yet therein lies the challenge. Christ calls his followers to live as the salt of the earth, as the light of the world and to love those we would otherwise consider our enemies. Granted, many of us "know" this, but how well do we live this out on a daily basis? Is it something we take seriously, or do we see it as optional? If you met someone like Kevin Roose on the street, at the mall, at school or even in your church, would he experience the same kind of love, warmth and generosity of spirit he received from his classmates at Liberty, or would he instead be turned away by the resentment, anger and judgmental attitudes that Christians can be prone to demonstrate, especially toward non-Christians?

By all accounts, Roose is still not a follower of Jesus Christ. At the same time, however, he acknowledges that he now prays regularly for himself and on behalf of others, is open to the idea of attending a local church, owns several different translations of the bible and is reading meditations on the letters of the apostle John. And let me stress that while I realize such activities do not make Roose a Christian, they certainly appear to be steps in the right direction. He is open to seeking God and exploring what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ because he met a group of people who took seriously our obligation to love God fully and our neighbor as ourselves. If that isn't the power of love, then I don't know what is.