I’ve been reading a book: The Unlikely Disciple, by Kevin Roose. It’s the account of a non-evangelical who spent a semester at Liberty University, to attempt to understand the Christian sub-culture. Since I am part of that sub-culture in many ways — and am an “evangelical” Christian, I thought it would be valuable to hear an outsider’s perspective.
It’s fascinating.
Anyhow, that is not the point of my post.
Jerry Falwell, the man who started the university, had a lot of good intentions. I like some of what he did, in spite of all the bad press he received. (And I also admit he did a fair amount of harm, prior to his death in May 2007.)
But the thing that offended me most about him from the book is that he insisted on being called “Dr. Falwell” — even though the highest degree he earned through studying was a bachelor’s degree. He had three honorary doctorates. Those can be cool — but if you insist on being called “Dr.” — make sure you earned it the real way.
Disclaimer: if you pick up the book and are an evangelical, there may be parts that will offend you. And I’d rate it R; some parts are just not appropriate for the under-18 set (with a few possible exceptions). Mostly there’s just a lot of stuff that teenagers shouldn’t have to think about yet. But it could prepare them for life in college. I guess I’m not prepared to have those discussions yet. Maybe next year.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia and used under Wikimedia Commons.
