Liberty’s most credible spokesperson?

Kevin Roose, author of The Unlikely Disciple, spoke out against Liberty University nixing the campus Young Democrats club in a Huffington Post article today.

The thing that strikes me with this guy is that, over and over again, he ends up acting as a sort of apologist for evangelicals. His recurring message appears to be “I realize what this looks like to us outsiders. Don’t judge too harshly. I’ve spent time with these people and I’ve seen they do have good qualities.” In his own words:

“… speaking about the Liberty Young Democrats as if they were bizarre outliers (like “Jews for Jesus” or “Skydivers Afraid of Heights”) ignores the fact that Liberty students, like many other young evangelicals across the nation, are rethinking what it means to be a Christian in the 21st century.”

Millions of young evangelicals are ready to overhaul “traditional” evangelicalism, opening the doors to secular culture with an eye toward inclusiveness, acceptance, and love–all while maintaining the integrity of the faith.

I think much of the massive disconnect between evangelicalism and mainstream society is that evangelicals fail to balance their position in the world with their mission. They miss nearly every opportunity to effect real change because of their own rhetoric. They rail against secular culture while bemoaning their loss of influence in the marketplace.

Kevin Roose seems to have his hand on the pulse of the “underground” Liberty–the Liberty that, whether the administration likes it or not, will be out in the world teaching, preaching, leading, and serving. They will be the agents of change, showing the love of Christ to every corner of the world (ideological corners as well as geographic ones).

I’m pretty sure I can guess what Liberty’s “official” position is on Kevin Roose, but they should consider him a blessing. I’m willing to bet that more people are listening to what he has to say about LU these days than what they do.