Three Dirty Words

“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” [1]

Before there was DEI, society witnessed a push for tolerance, diversity, and welcoming. According to Michael Orsi, the words “tolerance,” “diversity,” and “welcoming” are dirty words that were subverting traditional morality. [2] More than a decade ago, Orsi published his assessment of changes that were then being advocated for society, and time has proved his assessment to be accurate as the more recent concept of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion morphed into the all-consuming drive to remake society into a Marxist ideal. Make no mistake—diversity as advocated in modern social dynamic, equity as embraced by many today, and inclusion that enjoys much favour in contemporary life, is undermining biblical morality. DEI is societal death, and the impact of this new philosophy, which is as old as sin itself, contaminates everything it touches, and that contamination includes the Faith of Christ the Lord.

Tragically, many people, even people who claim to be committed to the Faith of Christ the Lord, see no problem with embracing the concepts of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In fact, despite a loss of favour witnessed within corporate society and even within society itself, a vast swath throughout Christendom has come to advocate the more modern-sounding ideals of diversity, equity, and inclusion. A stunning number of contemporary influencers still appear to believe the ideal advanced by these words is worthy of adoption throughout society. As innocuous as these words may sound, they are lethal to righteousness if they are adopted as standards by which we are to guide our lives. This is especially true when the people of God embrace these words. Let’s examine these words— Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion—noting especially what is implied by their use. Because we have the standard God has given—His written Word, we can test the modern ideals against the timeless standard God has given all mankind.

SO, WHAT’S WRONG WITH DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION? Superficially, there is nothing objectionable with the words, diversity, equity, and inclusion; and there would be no objection to the concepts as defined in most dictionaries. However, it is the meaning that is commonly given to these words when used in combination in the past decade that make them not only objectionable, but positively destructive. When these words are applied within the contemporary social fabric, they imply anything other than the meaning given in dictionaries.

Diversity, according to Orsi and applicable to this present hour, is the mantra of those who desire no unifying truth. The diversity crowd has taken over the academy.

There was a time when unity was celebrated. It stemmed from a belief in one God who revealed certain truths by which human beings were called to live. The most obvious expression of this was expressed in The Ten Commandments. For Americans, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were designed for “E Pluribus Unam” (one from many). It has always been known that in unity there is strength. It was the commonly held ethical and political beliefs found in these documents that made America a great nation.

What was true of the American experiment was equally true in the Dominion of Canada. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms recognises this. Note the opening words of the Charter as adopted in 1982: “Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognise the supremacy of God and the rule of law…” Parliament recognised at that time that Canada is established on shared principles enshrined in the Faith of Christ the Lord. Canada is a welcoming country, and all religions are free to be practised here, but not at the expense of the Christian Faith and the principles that flow from that Faith.

Diversity, on the other hand, has no other purpose than to promote divisiveness, which weakens any society, organization, or a Church. Just look at the damage diversity has caused in the Anglican/Episcopal Church. A lack of shared beliefs in traditional marriage, in the ordination of female priests and bishops, and dubious theological positions regarding even the Resurrection has reduced the Church’s membership. It has also caused schism and even heresy which Christians have always deemed to be evil since these rend the unity of the Body of Christ.

Diversity usually begins in education with innocuous events like sponsoring a banquet with foods from different ethnic groups or instructing young people about various cultures. The indoctrination process moves from appreciating the lasagna, egg rolls, knishes, and sushi, of diverse cultures to the surreptitious promotion of alternate lifestyles which is code for “each to his own taste” in behavior.