Surprises from Liberty University: What I Learned as an Undercover Evangelical
When I stepped on to the campus of Liberty University for my first day as a new transfer student, I thought I knew what I was getting myself into.
I knew that Liberty was a Christian college in Lynchburg, Virginia, founded in 1971 by the late Reverend Jerry Falwell to train "Champions for Christ." I knew it had required courses in Creationist Biology and Evangelism 101, a student body whose political views ranged from conservative to arch-conservative, and a 46-page code of conduct - called "The Liberty Way" - that outlawed drinking, smoking, cursing, dancing, R-rated movies, and hugs that last for longer than three seconds.
I knew all those things, which is why I decided to transfer to Liberty from Brown University, one of the nation's most liberal colleges, and write a book (The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University) about my experience. Before Liberty, I'd never been exposed to conservative Christian culture - my parents are secular Quakers who once worked for Ralph Nader - but during my sophomore year at Brown, I decided to break out of my left-wing enclave and learn about my Christian peers by experiencing their world firsthand. For an entire semester, I took Bible classes, lived in Liberty's single-sex dorms, and sang in Rev. Falwell's church choir, trying to expand my horizons while studying "abroad" in a subculture more foreign to me than Barcelona or Tokyo. A slew of adjectives could describe my Liberty semester - "enlightening," "difficult," and "weird," to name a few - but perhaps the most apt one is "surprising."
Some of the surprises I saw at Liberty were off-putting and worrisome. I remember opening my first Creationist Biology exam to find the question: "True or False: Noah's Ark was large enough to accommodate various species of dinosaurs." (According to my professor, the answer was "True" - since dinosaurs and humans cohabited the earth after the Flood, they would have had to find a way to squeeze onto the Ark. He suggested that they could have been teenage dinosaurs, so as to take up less space.) Also troubling was Liberty's extreme social and political conservatism, which made for classroom lessons like "The Consequences of Immoral Sex" and textbook chapters like "Myths Behind the Homosexual Agenda."
A few surprises were strange but harmless. I'm thinking of my spring break mission trip to Daytona Beach, Florida, where a group of Liberty students and I tried (and mostly failed) to convert drunken coeds to Christianity. Or when I paid a visit to "Every Man's Battle," Liberty's on-campus support group for chronic masturbators. (Insert your own "hands-on research" joke here.)
But many - maybe even most - of the surprises I encountered at Liberty were much more pleasant. For starters, I learned that my stereotypes about evangelical college students - that they were all knuckle-dragging ideologues who spent their free time writing angry letters to the ACLU - were almost entirely wrong. Far from crazy, the friends I made at Liberty were some of the warmest, funniest, most intellectually curious college students I've ever met. After a few weeks of frantic acclimation to life in the dorms (aided by a Christian self-help book, 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue, that helped me kick my cursing habit), I began to fit in on my hall, and I found that Liberty students had a lot of the same day-to-day anxieties as my friends back at Brown. They gossiped about girls, complained about their homework, and worried about their post-graduation plans. Many even doubted their faith.
I was also surprised to learn that Liberty's strict religious discipline can actually be a good thing. I've always assumed that college students and freewheeling social climates went hand-in-hand, but most of the students I met were thankful for Liberty's rules. (Although I did find a few subversive Facebook groups, like one called "I Hug For Three Seconds, Sometimes Four.")
A sociologist named Margarita Mooney has shown that college students who attend regular religious services report being happier, more diligent, and more satisfied with their college experience than students who practice no religion. I still don't consider myself an evangelical Christian, but I can understand now what millions of Christian college students see in faith-based education, and why Liberty's enrollment has grown at a rate that few colleges, secular or religious, have ever matched.
Since the book came out, I've taken some heat from people who have argued that, by going to Liberty with an open mind, I was turning a blind eye to intolerance - or worse, that I'd been brainwashed by my time under Rev. Falwell's tutelage. But no community is all bad, and to dismiss Liberty as a place of wall-to-wall insanity is to reduce it, and the evangelical movement that birthed it, to a lazy caricature.
I still disagree with a lot of the values Liberty stands for, but seeing the human faces on the other side of the American culture wars made me question my own assumptions and realize that, in some ways, I had just as much to learn about tolerance as the most hard-line fundamentalist.
We can all be surprised by our ideological opponents. We just have to give them a chance.
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Teenage dinosaurs?
I see they haven't changed a bit.
My stepdaughter is One of Them. She was going to vote for McCain because "the gays are trying to take over." She is now in college and making very good grades. She also "meets people well."
Great article! We are so bombarded day in and day out of everything that is WRONG with people....we really do need to stop, take a few seconds, breathe, and listen to what the other guy has to say.
Palin-tology 101
You put your finger on the libera dilemma.... liberals are -- by the nature and definition of the outlook, SUPPOSED to listen to their opponents and find common ground... conservatives feel NO such need in the nature of their positions.
My thought also...
"I have______ friends" (fill in the blank)
Hence the ax that Liberty put on their Young Dem's Club this past week.
I had an opportunity to spend a few days in Lynchburg, Va. a couple of years ago. Falwell was still alive. I asked some of the locals how they felt about the good Reverend. Mostly the response was negative. When I asked why, the response was generally about a hypocritical, holier than thou attitude that emanated from Liberty and Falwell, in particular. I'd be curious to learn if that attitude has shifted since Falwell's death?
Thanks for this. As distressed as I continually am by the social and political agendas of evangelical Christians, I also feel the need to remind my self continually that they are also my family , my neighbors, and my fellow citizens. Rather than dismiss them as shrill ideologues, it's important to engage them in conversation to realize the extent of what we hold in common, both desires and fears. And despite the seeming intractability of debates over science, love, and reproductive ethics, the shift in certain areas of the evangelical movement to the consideration of the environmental crisis and social justice demonstrates the possibility for productive discourse. I will also, like you, Kevin, remain open to the possibility that evangelicals might have something to contribute.
Good news! the anti-science, gay bashing Christian fascists who tell us what's right and wrong are pretty nice people when you get to know them!
I can't tell you how comforted I am by that.
That's helpful. About as helpful as the religious right insisting that all liberals are family-hating, baby-killing godless commies who have no concept of right and wrong. If we empathize with our opponents, then the Other has won!
That's why those liberals were on TV after 9-11 saying conservatives angered God, causing him to lift his magic shield and attack us. Those same liberals were fear-mongering, too, saying we had only reached the "antechamber of terror" and suggesting that our political establishment were calling for conservative group leaders to be hung in the public square.
Oh, that's right... I'm mistaken. Those "liberals" were Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.
And that is where we, as liberal - free thinking people, should open a discussion with "the others" and see WHY they feel that way. Perhaps you can't change their minds...just as we won't change ours, but we can at least get a better perspective if we open the lines of discussion.
Excellent point, jbatch. Nazi death camp officers can be seen in photos and film away from their jobs, laughing and partying. Hitler loved children and dogs. Ted Bundy was a handsome, intelligent and charming man. Human monsters don't usually look or act like monsters.
Evil people are still people --- but they're also still evil. No amount of warmth and laughter can erase that.
I'm also impressed with your willingness to step into another world, and come away with broad perspective. I was involved with my church's youth group for a few years. Our councilors were Texas republicans who weren't quite opposite of the current model, and were loving and generous people. They didn't beat us over the head with the bible, or promote the strict father model. We had a kind and wise pastor who never had to break out the big guns, just a small mirror. Then it came that our councilors had to move for job reasons, and our pastor retired. And the old guard took over the church became more strict and controlling. And it destroyed youth groups.
I've never been back to church since.
The power to control is the dominate force in the "church". It is the dominate force in the conservative movement. And is a dominate force in humans. Beware the jabberwock.
Ah yes, "selective" preachings and teachings. They don't tell you that Christ did not believe in getting rich on religion and he didn't believe in organized religion:
As a Christian, I am glad you noted how many students at Liberty questioned their faith. Faith is tough sometimes and religion haters don't understand that very devout people often struggle with faith in Jesus. This was especially clear when reports that Mother Theresa doubted her faith at times were made public. I didn't even flinch. Yet the media and Bill Maher types took that and ran with it. Never as Christians are we taught that faith would be easy.
And if someone gave me crap for having an open mind... I'd simply tell them to repeat what they just said and see if it's not apparently dumb to say that!
Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.
Oscar Wilde
Tolerance is a level of homophobia, according to The Homophobia Scale by Dr. Dorothy Riddle:
http://allies.tamu.edu/resources/riddle.htm
A great deal of heterosexism is based on the false notion that homosexuality is a defect. Defects/flaws are things that people may "tolerate", but people do not tolerate things they appreciate. In addition, people who have forced to tolerate something will gladly get rid of whatever it is that bothers them if given the chance.
So, it's obvious that by not appreciating one's fellow citizens simply due to ignorance regarding the facts of sexual orientation, such people are not actually doing anyone any favors, including themselves. Prejudice is a corrosive social force that negatively affects everyone because society is a collective in which the work of each person benefits all others. By reducing the quality of life of gay people with prejudice, it makes it harder for gay people to enrich the lives of the people promulgating the prejudice. How do they do this? By building roads, treating the sick, and doing all the other jobs heterosexuals do.
Fighting irrational bigotry is not intolerance of anything but ignorance and the asocial behavior it spawns.
It's time for all heterosexuals to recognize the full humanity of gay people instead of clinging to incorrect anachronistic prejudice. It's time for all heterosexuals to appreciate the work gay people do that enriches their lives.
Live your life as you see fit. You are entitled to respect and dignity. But please do not insist that my children learn about a homosexual lifestyle before they know how to tie their shoes by themselves. I sincerely believe that prejudice and intolerance are a direct result of the gay lobby putting their lifestyle on public display and insisting that we all smile and say we agree. Many of us don't. I don't care what you do, just don't tell me about it in front of my children. :Don't ask, don't tell" is a terrific idea. Because if you insist on debating your lifestyle in public, I have no choice but to tell you that from my knowledge of biology, you are deviant. And from my religious faith, I believe your activities to be immoral and against God's word. Please don't insist that we have this debate. Live and let live.
Let's see. There are at least seven major logical errors in your post. Here are a few:
"don't insist that X learn about (homosexuality)"
Yes, ignorance is bliss. Why should people learn anything about reality? As for your misuse of the word lifestyle and your false dilemma about the age at which someone might learn that two people of the same sex may love one another... fail.
"I sincerely believe". The only person who cares what you sincerely believe is you. What everyone else cares about are the facts.
"prejudice and intolerance are a direct result of the gay lobby putting their lifestyle on public display". That's patently false. Invisibility is the biggest cause of homophobic suffering because familiarity (education) makes the lies about us obviously false. It's called demystification. Invisibility = death, literally and figuratively.
"insisting that we all smile and say we agree." I could not care less about the expression on your face when you acknowledge the truth which is that gay people are just as good as heterosexuals.
"don't tell me about it in front of my children." You are not entitled to use your children as weapons to attack gay people by telling us that we're somehow unable to exist in public. You're doing a disservice not only to us but to those kids. They deserve the right not to have a homophobic parent keeping reality from them.
Kevin, I'm hugely impressed by the attitude you took in with you - which is what enabled you to be surprised.
In the comments here, as always, the number of gross generalisations is disturbing. eg. "Religeous (sic) people can't handle the truth when it's too painful, so they 'trust in God'." The "left", the "right", the "liberals", the "evangelicals", the "conservatives" - these are all lazy stereotypes. If we all made a point of spending time with people of other persuasions, genuinely listening, we'd not be able to make this sweeping statements ever again.
Your language shows you up, people.
Yo Max. The left, the right, the liberals, the evangelicals, the conservatives. They are all real.
Max, I have tried many times to spend talk to evangelicals but after about 5 minutes, I get a splitting headache. The bible is a hid eously u gly book about an im moral and unjust sky pixie created by goat herders back in the Bronze Age. The only reason it survived for this long is because Emperor Constantine found it politically expedient to make it the official religion of a Rome in decline.
There are so many problem with the bible that it would take weeks to go over them. The only was to continue believing is to just shut reality out.
Bingo!
I am truly sorry that you have had such bad experiences with Christians. Our "sky pixie" is awesome and we would love it if you would give hime (Jesus) a try. HE IS THERE FOR YOU!
One has to contemplate the departure after one semester. I find that as enlightening as one Frosh semester at college, even Brown. I question how it is that Brown is unable to ask about the ark (common knowledge) and would prefer to teach as if it didn't exist. Or maybe How was it possible for a human being to surmise what is love, what is truth, at a time when life was as precious as a grain of sand. As they hung people upon a cross, enjoyed games of lions tearing humans apart in living color, and fought wars hand to hand that you could smell your enemies breath and feel his blood on your hand a man said "Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself". Gosh, dating for years with just kisses till the love rises to everlasting. Enjoying friends and relationships just for camaraderie. Learning to learn not to earn. Best of all having answers to how and why it is what it is.
Noah: "OK, son, keep a list...two giraffes, two sheep, two tigers, two rabbits..."
Son: "OK, Pops, got it."
Noah: So, son, what do we got on board so far?"
Son: "Two fat tigers."
Noah: I have two hawt cougars, don't tell your mother.
I might be missing something here but I watch the news on a regular basis and all of those things still seem to be happening on a firly widespread and regular basis... perhaps without the lions, probably too low on lion stocks most places for that now.
As for the ark being common knowledge and a historical fact.... I'm not even going there.
The bible was written by men. Many people, myself included, view it as a work of fiction. But that's as far as I can take this discussion.
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