Dwayne Joseph Jr.
MC Contributor/Staff Writer
Can a Christian student remain faithful to religious practices on a college campus?
The answer to this question is pondered by many students that come to college with a foundation of Christianity and find themselves away from home and the people who guided their spiritual growth.
Christianity is the world’s largest religion, with over 2.4 billion people professing belief in Christ.
Jackson State University was founded by the Natchez Seminary in 1877. However, some Christian students feel that staying faithful to religion as a college student is challenging.
“It’s a lot to grasp honestly; my faith in God is beyond this campus so I know that whatever I’m going through, God has a purpose for me, so I never let go of faith. I know He’s going to guide me in the right place,” said Kennedy Jones, a sophomore mass communications major from Blytheville, Ark.
Pastor Gregory Divinity of New Vineyard Church shared his ideas on why it is hard for some students to maintain Christian values while in college.
“When someone is away from their spiritual advisors or from people that kept them out of trouble, they tend to forget about priorities and values. For some students this is big transition for them to be away from home, they simply don’t have a mind for themselves right now,” said Divinity. “With the absence of a parent, a student has to make decisions for themselves and be responsible for their own actions”
Ceaira Wilson, a senior mass communication major from Indianapolis, Ind., admits that being away from the structure of organized religion is challenging for some students.
“My sophomore year was very difficult,” said Wilson. “I had the emptiness inside. It was difficult but the good thing about RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) being here, it brought me back to what I was raised on, basically back to my Christian values.”
RUF is a Christian college ministry on over 150 college campuses across the country that helps students explore Christianity and grow in their understanding of who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him.
RUF is one of several religious organizations on the campus of JSU. There are also a number of churches in the city of Jackson students can attend if they are at a spiritual standstill in their life according to the RUF website (www.jsuruf.com).
Debra Divinity, MAST Grant Manager for Jackson State University and First Lady of New Vineyard Church, said that this journey is not a hard one.
“It’s not hard being a Christian,” said Divinity. “You just have to quietly go in and build relationships with others and you have to value them as people and value their opinions as well. Basically you have to look at their background and meet on some common ground with others.”
Tiara Turner, a sophomore English major from Memphis, Tenn., is very open about the ideas of being a Christian on a secular campus.
“It’s hard because you feel left out and left alone because when other people are doing the wrong things, you feel like you have to do it so you can fit in because people are either making fun of you or treating you bad,” said Turner. “I feel like it gets boring because you always have to do right and watch the way you do stuff. But I have never been pressured into doing wrong.”
Debra Divinity understands that Christian students can feel alienated from other students when trying to remain faithful to Christianity.
“At times, being a Christian can be lonely,” said Debra Divinity. “It’s not hard until you have to stand alone against the secular world or the site you work at decides on something that is secular to you and against your belief, then that’s when it becomes tough.”
