Ask the Pastor 145

What can be wrong with diversity?

President Bill Clinton once made the statement that our diversity is our strength. That immediately raises the question as to whether or not that is even possible. In team situations, whether in sports, business and especially the Church the emphasis is on unity. It is true that there is diversity at first but what is different about each one is then submersed into one unity of purpose and goals. Every member is willing to suppress their individuality for the sake of the whole. Years ago, when I joined the Coast Guard the very first thing that was done in bootcamp was to make everyone the same, so that everyone moved in the same direction and accomplished the same purpose. The Scriptures have a great deal to say about this issue. When the nation of Israel entered into the promised land, they were ordered to not intermarry with the people of the land (Deuteronomy 7:3).

An important question is asked in the book of Amos, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3), it is a rhetorical question and the answer is no, they cannot. The New Testament is about unity that is found in Christ. Both Jew and Gentile have been brought together (Ephesians 2:14-22); “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all on in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28). The emphasis in the Scriptures is on the one body in Christ rather than the individual and diversity, such as “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” (I Corinthians 12:18). Again, we are confronted with the issue of how is diversity defined. In our postmodern world words are being defined for the purpose of attacking and compromising the Word of God and those who stand for its truth. When people talk about diversity, they want sin to be accepted as being diverse and there is no place in Scripture that will accept that premise. To know true unity, one must be a member of the body of Christ through faith in Him.

Have questions about the Bible? Send them to Dr. Greg Koehn at gak4850@gmail.com and read the answer here in this article.