By Hannah Schultz, Executive Editor
This is a difficult time to be an American. We are facing a divisive political and social climate marked by riots, shootings, harsh words, and doubt in the very institutions that make up our society. Many ground-breaking, pivotal moments will pass during both the next few years and our lifetimes.
This is a difficult time to be a young person. As millennials, we are part of the largest generation ever to walk the earth. We are capable of shifting the course of human history—positively or negatively. It won’t be long before the baton is passed to us, and we must decide what kind of world we want to live in.
This is a difficult time to be a Christian. More than ever, we are called to take a stand against in-justice and inhumane actions. As a religion founded on caring for the poor and accepting the out-casts, we are asked to address social problems: global climate change, the refugee crisis, racism, the death penalty.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]I want to encourage you: do not be afraid of getting involved.[/perfectpullquote]
Not only that, but Asburians, we are at an intersection in our very lives. As college students, many of us about to graduate and enter the real world, we must decide what kind of impact we will have. Will we sit in the background and let these pivotal moments pass by without our input?
For some, their answer is yes. Last semester, when the Collegian released a survey about the up-coming presidential election, over 13 percent of the 216 students who responded said they would not be voting. Nationwide, according to a poll by the the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, only 50 percent of millennials voted, compared to 58 percent for the general voter turnout rate.
No matter who you voted for in the election, no matter your race, no matter your income level, we cannot let millennials be known as the generation of passivity. As Christians, we are not called to be selfish, not called to sit still and watch people suffer in poverty, or animals go extinct, or children live in fear of another school shooting while we have the capability to do something about it.
“Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy,” says Proverbs 31:9. God does not instruct us to ignore to injustice, to wait for someone else to fix the problem for us—open your mouth and defend the voiceless. Show the world that Christians do not selfishly hold absolute truth close to our chests, but we proclaim it so that all can hear.
In light of the difficult times for us as young Christians about to enter a tumultuous world—where it is difficult to discern truth from partisan manipulation, or to put any trust in our institutions—I want to encourage you: do not be afraid of getting involved. If you see someone writing lies, then shout the truth. Do not be afraid of investing yourself in the wellbeing of our society.
The Collegian stands proud in its role as a medium for truth to be known through informing the student body as pivotal moments of the world’s, America’s and Asbury’s history occur. We will not shy away from addressing the issues that matter to you, our readers. We will not back down from lending a voice to the marginalized. We understand the responsibility this places on our shoulders, and we gladly accept it.
“Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault,” said Henry Grunwald, best known as the managing editor of TIME. “It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air.”
