Undercover: Inside the Evangelical World
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Date: 7 July 2010
'Studying Abroad' at Liberty University
When Kevin Roose was a sophomore at Brown University, he decided to try a "domestic study abroad" program-- at Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. Based in Lynchburg, Virgina, Liberty is an institution Falwell himself described as a “Bible Boot Camp."
Roose went undercover and did his best to blend in; he joined the school choir, he wrote for the student newspaper, he spent his spring break proselytizing to hung-over college kids. We talk to both Roose and Brian Colas, one of the friends he made at Liberty, about his experiment in college-as-anthropology. Our story first aired in September 2009.
Kevin Roose, author of
The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University
Brian Colas, former student body president at Liberty University
In the Land of Believers
Begins at 22 min 28 sec
While Kevin Roose was going incognito at Jerry Fallwell’s university, another curious outsider was doing some research of her own, this time at Jerry Fallwell’s church. Atheist writer Gina Welch spent two years at Thomas Road Baptist Church, trying to figure out what makes Evangelicals tick. While she finds Fallwell’s politics troubling - even destructive - his death hit her with an unexpected wave of grief. “I felt really confused,” she says. "[It] was a point when I felt more comfortable around people who were grieving him at church than I did in my own life."
Gina Welch, author of In the Land of Believers: An Outsider's Extraordinary Journey Into the Heart of the Evangelical Church
Remembering Rev. Bill Callahan
Begins at 34 min 46 sec
Rev. Bill Callahan, a loyal advocate for women, the poor and the oppressed, died this week at the age of 78. He was known for his deep commitment to social justice and his wry sense of humor. “We are blessed with a merry God,” he wrote in his 1982 book, Noisy Contemplation. “Indeed, we are the entertainment.” Maureen Fiedler reflects on the life of this spiritual leader and dear friend.
Maureen Fiedler, Host
A Tribute to Rev. Callahan in the National Catholic Reporter
Deep Prayer for Busy People
Begins at 39 min
This week we re-visit our 2008 interview with Rev. Bill Callahan, who takes introspective prayer out of the chapel and into the clamor of our daily lives. First published in 1982, Noisy Contemplation is a spiritual workbook, a meditation, and a call to action. “Crabgrass Christians, noisy contemplatives,” he writes, in a poem at the book's conclusion. “Hear the cry of the poor.”
Rev. Bill Callahan, founder and co-director of the Quixote Center, author of Noisy Contemplation: Deep Prayer for Busy People
