Diversity. Equity. Inclusion.?

“[Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ And he said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ And he said, ‘Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.’ When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away.” [1]

Diversity, equity, inclusion—the words have become familiar to almost anyone who is even marginally conversant with the news of this day. And if the words have become disturbingly familiar, the concept of D.E.I. is becoming distressingly common, and equally oppressive, throughout contemporary western society. To prove their “woke” credentials, corporations must hire directors of diversity, openly showing their commitment to the contemporary standards of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Corporations champion a focus on race, gender identity, who an individual sleeps with—everything except for diversity of political thought, or equity in the realm of acceptance of civic responsibility, or inclusion of those committed to obedience to biblical standards in an effort to prove commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Even sports teams work at providing for the magical standards defined by diversity, equity, and inclusion. Except people don’t want diversity, equity, and inclusion applied in the sporting events they pay to watch. Here’s what I mean. No basketball team will hire a blind forward; likewise, you will never witness a baseball team hire a centre fielder who must wear an artificial leg. However, no one complains that sports teams are being ableists. Corporations will be reluctant to hire a COO who is dyslexic or a CFO who cannot add or subtract. Yet, these corporations are never held up to ridicule because they discriminate in this manner. Many of those who profess themselves to be “woke” in the world of politics or jurisprudence will quickly argue that religious organisations must accept atheists to work in their organisations, though it is highly unlikely that the Liberal Party of Canada will ever knowingly hire someone who belongs to the Conservative Party. So, the “woke” world is highly selective in polishing the credentials they deem critical for advancement in this day.

We are witnessing something of a backlash to the woke philosophy that seems to have infiltrated the board rooms of numerous corporations. Anheuser Busch appears to have paid a hefty price to celebrate a grown man pretending to be a little girl for one year. In a comparable manner, Target and Disney have been on the receiving end of a consumer backlash. It is not at all clear that these corporations are prepared to alter the path they have apparently chosen to follow, and it isn’t clear that consumers will continue to punish these Corporations, though they are taking a hit at the present.

But, what happens when the “woke” philosophy is brought into a church? What happens when the attitude of the world takes precedence over the revealed will of God? Will the people who claim to follow God, people claiming to honour His Word, obey what is written? How will the professed people of God respond to Him once they are “woke?” It seems that a growing number of churches are determined to find out what happens when they go woke. And in our text we witness an example of a religious organisation that had brought the philosophy of the world into their sacred precincts.