Urine in Muslim Prayer Room at NYU, $1Billion in Funding Lost, and What rights do International students have?
Plus: Scholasticide in Gaza and Resistance Questions We Need to Ask
Friends! I believe that Jesus is Lord was a political statement, just as much as it was a theological one. Because in context, politics and theology were inseparable for the people of that day and I believe that they should be inseparable for us. To follow Jesus is to receive and reflect His kingdom of abounding love, liberative justice and powerful, embodied truth. I hope you’ll join us TODAY AT 12pm for a conversation with Dr. Matthew Taylor to explore that more fully!
Here are 5 things we believe are worth your time:
SCRIPTURE AND PRAYER
Have you prayed about what you’re going to do?
A few weeks ago, Sy Hoekstra from KTF Press, asked basic questions about what we are willing to do to resist injustices that we see in the world – especially in response to the Trump Administration. This post leans into the reality that if we don’t slow down and pray, it’s very possible that our reactions to deportations, infinite detentions, unlawful arrests, funding cuts and other acts against political opponents of the current administration will be – nothing. We could retreat into our bubbles of self-interest and leave our neighbors behind. Or we could take the sermon on the mount seriously, and live as though Jesus actually meant what He said about loving our neighbors. I hope you’ll take a moment, read the piece and consider what seeking justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with God looks like individually and collectively in 2025.
STATISTICS
Israel, Palestine and Scholasticide
Last year, there were no universities left in Gaza. By April 2024, 80% of all schools had been destroyed or damaged and UN experts asked “if there is an intentional effort to comprehensively destroy the Palestinian education system?” This is officially known as scholasticide and the American Historical Association reached the same conclusion in January. The UN gave this comprehensive report on the intentional and overwhelming loss of life, livelihood and opportunity for hundreds of thousands of children suffering under the brutality of occupation and armed conflict. At the intersection of politics and education, there is much to rejoice and much to mourn. May we do both with open hearts, minds and hands.
STORIES
$1 Billion in Funding Taken from Cornell and Northwestern
“The Trump administration is freezing $790 million in federal funding to Northwestern University and more than $1 billion to Cornell University, a White House official told CNN.” The reasons behind this echo the ones that we have noted in past newsletters. Accusations of antisemitism and discrimination and a fundamental misalignment with the priorities of this administration are disrupting colleges and universities in every corner of the country including Brown, University of Michigan, Ohio State, and 110 other schools. We pray for the vulnerable people impacted by these cuts in funding especially those reliant on medical research. May His kingdom come and His will be done in the lives of those in need and the leaders with power to do better.
Urine and Graffiti in Muslim Prayer Room at NYU
On April 3, students that showed up to pray were met with a desecrated space at NYU where their prayer mats had been soiled, vulgar graffiti painted on the walls and their fears became reality. The university’s response as well as the response of the NYPD has been muted and certainly doesn’t match the rigor and attention paid to fighting antisemitism. Peter Beinart noted that if we investigated islamophobia and anti-Palestinianism just as rigorously as antisemitism, then we could have a more robust, transformative and forward moving reality as opposed to the polarized, insincere one that we have now. Every person is made in the image of God and intimidation, discrimination and prejudice against anyone is worthy of our prayer, lament and resistance.
What rights do international students actually have in the US?
Asking what is legal vs. what is right are two very different questions. And sadly, they don’t always have the same answer. So, as Marco Rubio targets 300 students for deportation and they begin to disappear from campuses, the questions around what exactly is happening to students from overseas and what rights they have is a pertinent one. This podcast from CNN’s Audie Cornish is a great recap of what’s happened since Trump took office, how Project 2025 and retribution against students who oppose the genocide in Palestine intersect, and how the Constitution applies or doesn’t in all of this. The majority of the interview is with a student journalist whose father is a professor and green card holder. Her perspective is especially insightful, clear and must be elevated.
Over the next two weeks, followers of Jesus will end lent, observe Good Friday and celebrate Resurrection Sunday. To honor this time, I’ll be taking a break from our weekly post but a reflection or two may come into the feed! May God bless you as you pray, press in and remember who you are and whose you are at the intersection of politics, education and following Jesus.
In Christ and for His Glory,
jonathan