The Equality Ride announced that it will visit Northwestern College in St. Paul on April 25. NWC officials have made it clear through materials posted on the school’s Web site that the Equality Ride was not invited but will not be banned access to the campus.

“The Equality Ride representatives have told us that ours will be among the most restrictive visits on their tour. And we’re alright with that,” said Brook A. Berry, vice president for marketing and enrollment management at NWC. “It was important for us to set limits. We are not allowing unrestricted access to our students.”

The college has set limits on where Soulforce members can go on campus, which students they can speak to and how long the bus will be there. Students who want to participate in panel discussions are also being given pre-visit training.

NWC has created a section on the school Web site that will serve as a central location for students, staff, faculty, parents, alumni and others to learn about preparations for the visit. A series of chapel presentations and seminars will cover the “biblical, psychological, social and political aspects of the homosexual discussion,” according to the site. Each chapel and seminar presentation will be videotaped and posted on the Web site.

“Ultimately, we decided to treat this as an opportunity to prepare our students to lead the next generation for the cause of truth,” Berry said. “The best protection is strong preparation. If we really expect our students to lead culture, then they’ve got to be ready to engage culture.”

NWC President Alan Cureton has established an Equality Ride Response Team to implement a plan of action. One major result of the pre-event planning is a series of prayer meetings that includes weekly prayer for students and staff, prayer walks and organized prayer during the Equality Ride visit.

“We believe in the power of prayer. We need Christ’s wisdom, grace, courage and love in every step we take on this,” Berry said. “We invite any of your readers to join us. … If God isn’t a part of this, how can we win? If He is beside us, how can we lose?”


Preparing Leaders
Berry indicated that preparation for the Soulforce ride fit in with the school’s mission to empower and educate students to be Godly leaders.

“When Paul writes about putting on the armor of the Lord, he doesn’t expect his readers to grab the sword, the belt, the shield then run and hide,” he said. “No, this is a battle for truth and our students need to be ready to challenge the enemy and advance the cause of Christ.”

NWC’s decision to engage the Soulforce participants was made to reflect the college’s new slogan: “Light the Way.”

“The Equality Riders plan to show up on our campus no matter what we way. We are willing to discuss these issues in front of our students and we have great confidence the truth will prevail,” Berry said. “But we will not compromise the safety or our students, the stability of our academic schedule or the sanctity of our beautiful campus. And we will never allow an outside group to dictate our Christ-centered, biblical curriculum, policies or convictions.”


Policy
NWC leaders are defending the school’s policies by taking the position that gay rights are different from civil rights.

“It is no more a civil rights issue for a college to restrict their employees and students from engaging in homosexuality than it would be for a company to restrict their employees from engaging in pornography,” the school’s Web site reads. “It is not a civil rights issue for a college to insist that students share the college’s belief of the Bible any more than it is a civil rights issue for a church to insist that their pastor believe in God.”

“Northwestern has a very nurturing, giving community for our students to learn about God’s world and grow into adulthood,” Berry said. “The Equality Ride is just one of the issues that we are working through.”


ACTION POINT:
To read more about the Northwestern College response and preparation to the Soulforce Equality Ride visit on April 25, visit http://nwc.nwc.edu/display/5002.