Psalm 19:1 – says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Can we assert that DEI is one of God’s Handiworks? In the book of Leviticus, God speaks to Moses, who in turn speaks to the Hebrews. Does anyone have doubts that Leviticus is a Handiwork of God?
So, what is in Leviticus that can have any bearing on DEI? Well, one might start with Leviticus 19:34 in which God says, “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” DEI, anyone?
Break it down. A stranger can include anyone that is not within your realm of familiarity as far as people are concerned. That’s the diversity element. Treating that stranger among you as “the native among you” is the equity element. And loving that stranger as you love yourself blends equity with inclusion.
Of course, Leviticus also says to love your neighbor as you love yourself in Chapter 19:18, but that may not necessarily address the diversity issue, unless they moved into your neighborhood from elsewhere.
There’s plenty of DEI in the New Testament. It involves spreading the Word to others. Also, there is Galatians 3:29 which says if you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s offspring along with the Jews and are as much heirs to the Promise God made to Abraham as the Jews are. And while it’s true that the missionary work of inclusion is primarily associated with Christians rather than with Jews, Leviticus 19:34 is arguably the primer for DEI. Perhaps over the years since Leviticus 19:34 was expressed, the Jewish leadership was more concerned with conserving their identity as the People of the Book than they were with adding others.
Well, Jesus enlightened us to the implied point that God’s Heavens are not just for the Jews, but for anyone who would believe in Him. And of course, when Jesus appeared, the Jews may have been skeptical that others are entitled to the same God they are. Did not some of them look amazed and thrown off their rockers when in Acts 10:44–48, as Peter spoke to them and to others in his own language, the Holy Spirit enabled the others to understand what Peter was saying though they didn’t speak the same language?
But clearly Jesus’ disciples, many of whom like Peter were Jewish, understood the command that Jesus gave in Mark 16:15-16 to “proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” Is that not DEI? And it isn’t enough to proclaim it solely by word…in this era when talk is cheap in many places, the gospel has to be proclaimed in deed as well if DEI can ever get finally off the ground for good.
So, what is in Leviticus that can have any bearing on DEI? Well, one might start with Leviticus 19:34 in which God says, “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” DEI, anyone?
Break it down. A stranger can include anyone that is not within your realm of familiarity as far as people are concerned. That’s the diversity element. Treating that stranger among you as “the native among you” is the equity element. And loving that stranger as you love yourself blends equity with inclusion.
Of course, Leviticus also says to love your neighbor as you love yourself in Chapter 19:18, but that may not necessarily address the diversity issue, unless they moved into your neighborhood from elsewhere.
There’s plenty of DEI in the New Testament. It involves spreading the Word to others. Also, there is Galatians 3:29 which says if you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s offspring along with the Jews and are as much heirs to the Promise God made to Abraham as the Jews are. And while it’s true that the missionary work of inclusion is primarily associated with Christians rather than with Jews, Leviticus 19:34 is arguably the primer for DEI. Perhaps over the years since Leviticus 19:34 was expressed, the Jewish leadership was more concerned with conserving their identity as the People of the Book than they were with adding others.
Well, Jesus enlightened us to the implied point that God’s Heavens are not just for the Jews, but for anyone who would believe in Him. And of course, when Jesus appeared, the Jews may have been skeptical that others are entitled to the same God they are. Did not some of them look amazed and thrown off their rockers when in Acts 10:44–48, as Peter spoke to them and to others in his own language, the Holy Spirit enabled the others to understand what Peter was saying though they didn’t speak the same language?
But clearly Jesus’ disciples, many of whom like Peter were Jewish, understood the command that Jesus gave in Mark 16:15-16 to “proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” Is that not DEI? And it isn’t enough to proclaim it solely by word…in this era when talk is cheap in many places, the gospel has to be proclaimed in deed as well if DEI can ever get finally off the ground for good.
