Throughout the year, we present an article in the bulletin each week on a variety of topics, written by a member of our Parish staff or ministries on a rotating basis.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion According to the Bible

by Corey Shorter, Coordinator of Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity

The rise of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion really began to resurface in the year of 2020 in the wake of the unfortunate tragedies that occurred that year. For most of us, we can directly trace DEI efforts back to the 1960s, but I believe we can go further than that. The theoretical approach of diversity, equity, and inclusion is encouraged for a number of reasons. Some of those reasons are to:

· Make everyone feel welcomed and valued;

· Embrace the variety of the different people, opinions and experiences that make our world special;

· And lastly, make sure everyone has a fair chance at different opportunities.

So seemingly this is a fairly new approach introduced to make our society better, but the Bible encourages diversity, equity, and inclusion within scripture.

In Galatians 3:28- “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” – Inclusion

Revelation 7:9 “9 after this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands”- Diversity 

Psalms 9:8” He rules the world in righteousness and judges the people with equity”- Equity

The Bible encourages us to be a unified body of Christ.  Division was never God’s intention for mankind.

We are all in some way, shape, or form, a representation of Jesus Christ. That requires us to be good stewards of the things he has placed in our care including people. Gen 1:26 says – “let us make man in our image and likeness”- This shows us that in order for us to truly live out God’s vision for our lives, we must love, embrace and treat everyone equal, because we are all made in his image and likeness.