Commonality

Jesus died for all, and those who receive Him can experience salvation and enjoy a relationship with God. Peter declared in Acts chapter 10:
(34b) "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.
35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.
36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all--
37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

This is a concept under the New Covenant, which declared that salvation, as brought to us for Christ, was extended to all who would believe in Him. But, while God invites all to know Him, in our flesh, we are not so charitable; we, like culture at large, become divided in a variety of ways, and that results in a lessened sense of effectiveness for the sake of the gospel.  The enemy is a master of a "divide and conquer" strategy, and we need a strong body of Christ to exemplify Him, not one weakened by division.

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There is an important exhortation in Scripture, in the book of James chapter 2, that is extremely applicable in today's culture. Verse 1 states:
1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.
2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,
3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool,"
4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Later in the chapter, we can read:
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well;
9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

You could say it looks good on paper, but in the end, it is becoming more apparent that initiatives that promote more "inclusive" workplace policies have produced division.  The National Religious Broadcasters Convention this past year even had a workshop devoted to exposing the agenda that claims to be attempting to bring a more equitable workplace.

Quite frankly, it seems to be falling apart.  WORLD Magazine notes that the position or role of "chief diversity officer" "...incurs 40 percent higher turnover than other human resources jobs and saw a 75 percent dip in the number of searches in the past year, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal."

The article notes that:

Disney CDO Latondra Newton is out after leading the park to end “gendered language” and promoting progressive ideas within movies, leading to a nearly $900 million dollar loss in revenue. 

When it comes to raw dollars and cents, extraneous positions harmful to a company’s bottom line are first to go. After Newton’s exit from Disney, a wave of diversity heads from Netflix, Warner Brothers, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences left. 

The article goes on to say:

When USA Today chooses a biological male as a “woman of the year,” political leaders grant interviews only to people of one color, and “inclusion” means allowing men to compete in female athletics, it’s no wonder people are more skeptical than ever of what “diversity and inclusion” actually means. 

Furthermore, Harvard Business Review found that “diversity programs” have made little progress since they began, their studies revealing that most are merely designed to “preempt lawsuits by policing managers thoughts and actions” and may actually exacerbate bias due to increased focus on race, gender, ethnicity, or sexuality. 

The writer of the article, Ericka Andersen, also notes, "As Christians, we know God is not partial to any individual based on immutable characteristics, and the Bible consistently commands us against unequal treatment or twisting justice toward the rich, poor, or any other category of people."

The Bible is certainly not opposed to diversity, but also teaches how to live in unity with one another. Alliance Defending Freedom has created a Viewpoint Diversity Score, which is devoted to highlighting how companies can affect the workplace by allowing employees to freely express their viewpoints in a productive way. Its website notes, "Viewpoint Diversity Score brings together leaders from business, civil society, and academia who are committed to preserving the freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief in the market, workplace, and public square."

A recent article at the website highlights the work of former Vanderbilt University professor and Christian thought leader Carol Swain, who is quoted as saying, “The current diversity training makes people feel miserable. Everyone’s miserable at the end of the training. No one’s better off,” adding, “Instead, we can actually present people with a historical background of discrimination and the law, and then present them with positive principles and training that bring people together and educate them.”  It goes on to say, "Crafted for use in corporations, as well as churches and other groups, Swain’s material was recently adopted by the Tennessee Board of Education, marking a major step forward for the upstart venture."

Swain's comments are taken from an article at The Federalist written by Alliance Defending Freedom Director of Strategic Campaigns and Initiatives Jay Hobbs. He notes:

At least 78 percent of the 50 Fortune 1000 companies evaluated on the Viewpoint Diversity Score 2022 Business Index utilize employee training that undermines trust, respect, and openness in the workplace.

Rex Rogers, President of the international Christian media organization, SAT-7, wrote recently at The Christian Post website on the topic of "diversity, equity, and inclusion," or DEI:

The list of “dos and don’ts” and verbal faux pas are enough to put anyone into a state of social anxiety.

The Christian faith, however, has embraced and practiced the true meaning of diversity, equity and inclusion for some 2,000 years since the birth of the Church recorded in the book of Acts.

True DEI, as I call it, is totally different from the warped version that the world is pushing so hard to force upon us all. True DEI is not living in rebellion and opposition to God’s moral code. It’s living in the freedom that only Christ can give. As Galatians 3:28 says: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Rogers notes:

We won’t be “programmed” by woke DEI practitioners who’ve twisted God’s original plans for His creation. As Christians, we will follow the teachings of Jesus who showed us how to live rightly, how to treat others with compassion and respect, and how to invite others into the most loving, diverse, equal and inclusive body that has ever existed — the Church.

There is a well-known author who has been quoted as saying that you combat discrimination with more discrimination.  Discrimination based on immutable characteristics is blatantly unbiblical - but the answer is not to punish people because of those characteristics.  ADF's Viewpoint Diversity Score website notes that Andrea Lucas, a commissioner on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, wrote this at Reuters:

A general interest in diversity or "equity" is not sufficient to allow race- or sex-motivated employment actions. Nor are references to societal discrimination, or differences between the composition of a company's workforce and "society," or the company's customer base.

Again, in matters concerning the workplace, the Bible has answers.  I mentioned the plan developed by Christian believer Carol Swain to promote cohesion and effectiveness and to limit divisiveness.  Coca-Cola Consolidated is a company known for its Christian values.  The ADF site states:

On the other hand, businesses that reject narrow-minded ideologies like DE&I and instead embrace viewpoint diversity are better equipped to serve people with diverse values, recruit and retain top talent, and promote a culture of respect and civil discourse. For example, Coca Cola Consolidated is leading the way in an alternative approach to DE&I by emphasizing “teamwork,” “excellence,” and “personal growth” – goals that are attainable for everyone regardless of their background or creed.

The Bible warns against showing partiality. In the words of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we should judge people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.  By viewing one another in an impartial way and not drawing conclusions about people based on their race and biological sex, which is all too common these days, we can develop a sense of unity, fairness, and common purpose. 

We are called to walk in love based on the One who gave of Himself so that all might be saved. Our race or sex should not be weaponized to bring division by manipulating circumstance, but we should seek to affirm one another and carry the presence of Christ into human relationships.