Kuyper Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day Chapel
No one is ever too young to change the world, says Dr. Anthony Bradley.
“Many people do not realize that the Civil Rights movement was a young people’s movement. It would not have happened were it not for the courage of those individuals, primarily young adults and college students,” he told members of the Kuyper community gathered in the Vos Chapel on January 28 for a special service in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day (which previously had been postponed because of a snow day for the Kuyper campus).
If we have the maturity necessary to care for others as those young people did, then we already have what it takes, Kuyper’s Research Professor of Interdisciplinary and Theological Studies continued.
Citing Psalm 31, he asserted that this kind of maturity means speaking for those who can’t speak for themselves and defending the rights of the marginalized, which has always been part of God’s plan for His people.
“This isn’t just a brand-new invention that Jesus brought, it has always been part of what it means to be one of God’s own,” said Bradley, who then reminded the audience of the many sacrifices made by the young people of the Civil Rights Movement, particularly the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
“This organization had a lot of power because it activated that sense of maturity in the lives of young adults,” he said. “They didn’t wait for someone else to act or assume change was someone else’s responsibility. Instead, they saw injustice and took action, often at great personal cost.”
The work of SNCC members and others like them reminds us that students are not just the leaders of tomorrow, they can be the leaders of today, he emphasized.
Bradley then challenged his listeners to consider how to combat injustice in their own communities, just as SNCC members did.
“You don’t have to risk your life or travel across the country, but you can look for ways to serve the needs of your own community, to advocate for justice, and to have a meaningful impact,” Bradey said. “Because SNCC’s story shows us what students can do when they come together for purposeful lives. They have the power to change the world.”