By Dakota Jackson, Salt Company Resident
Recently on Drake’s campus, there has been a great deal of brokenness over the issues of race. There have been a number of threatening notes that have been left under the doors of African-American students that communicated that they were unwanted by other students. This is a heartbreaking issue that has caused our staff and students to grieve over Drake’s campus. As a ministry, we know that the issues of racial justice are not simply social issues but are gospel issues. We know that God has so much to say on the dignity and value of every human life and that we, as the church, are called to stand up for those who are being unjustly oppressed and, as Proverbs 31:8 says, speak out for those who don’t have a voice.
With all this in mind, we had specific sections of our Thursday night services set aside to take time to address these issues that are happening on our campuses and in our city. God has given us the unique call and ability to comfort those who are in need because of the comfort he has given to us in our need. We must hurt for those who are hurting because that is how we can love those who truly are in need. God has the ability to change cultures and convict hearts so we must come before him in prayer asking that he would give us hearts like his to love people who are being threatened and pushed aside, treated as less than the image of God that they are.
All of the campus ministries of Drake University came together on Monday, November 19th at Cottage Grove Church to pray that God would give us broken and repentant hearts that would lead us to act in defense of those who are in need. It was such a beautiful picture of the gospel to have people from different backgrounds, denominations, and races come together to pray for the campus that we all love. Praying that God would heal the brokenness that exists on that campus and he would shine through like a light in the darkness to a student body that needs to know the truth that the kingdom of God is made up of every tribe, tongue, nation, race, culture, and color.
