Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Lutheran Perspective (Part One: Diversity)
Part One: Diversity
What is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)?
These days, you will encounter references to "DEI" when you open your preferred news app or browse through a social media feed. The Trump-Vance administration has targeted and is actively working to eliminate this term across the federal government, in education, and beyond. Before we delve into this series on DEI from a Lutheran perspective, it is important that we establish a clear definition of DEI.
DEI is an acronym for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. I am in agreement with the standpoint of numerous others who believe that it is imperative to abandon the use of the acronym and articulate all the terms. For what reason? Because Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are principles and practices that are designed to establish environments in which all individuals, irrespective of their background, experience respect, are valued, and have equal opportunities to flourish. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is fundamentally concerned with the removal of obstacles and the enhancement of opportunities for individuals from a variety of socioeconomic, racial, gender, sexuality, persons with a disability, and other identity groups, particularly those who have historically been subjected to discrimination.
In its Simplest Sense
Diversity is the recognition and appreciation of the distinctions among people, including but not limited to race, gender, age, and ability. Equity emphasizes fairness by addressing systemic inequalities and offering resources or support that are customized to the unique requirements of each individual. Inclusion is the process of cultivating a sense of community, ensuring that all individuals feel valued, respected, and encouraged to make a meaningful contribution.
About this Series
I believe the concepts of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are a fundamental aspect of God's creation and an essential element of the church's mission, as well as my calling as a pastor. This first article investigates the Scriptural and Confessional underpinnings that justify diversity as a fundamental principle within the Lutheran church, with a particular emphasis on the ELCA.
Scriptural Foundation for Diversity
Open your Bible. Now flip through its pages taking note of the different names of people, cultures, and places that span from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible as the story of God’s relationship with humankind reveals the creative extent to which God went to fill the earth with diversity. Each individual named in the Bible has a story that reveals how their life’s events shaped who they are and their relationship with God and with others. The Bible affirms diversity as a divine value and a reflection of God’s creative genius.
Genesis 1:27 states that God created humanity in God's own image. This theological notion of humanity being made in the image of God (imago dei) invites us to appreciate the intricacy of both the Divine and ourselves by recognizing the unity we share with one another and our Creator. The Divine's image is multifaceted, akin to a finely cut gemstone that emanates a spectrum of colors, symbolizing not merely distinctions, but the attributes of the Divine reflected in each distinct human.
The Apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Galatians, asserts, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (3.28 NRSV). Paul articulates the unity we possess with God through Jesus Christ, highlighting that diversity is not diminished but rather exalted in Christ as an aspect of God's creativity to mirror God's own image. The observed variances within a group of individuals constitute merely 0.1% of our DNA. What is the significance of the remaining 99.9% of our DNA? The Human Genome Project indicates that this is the quantity of DNA common to all humans. This illustrates the veracity of the adage that our commonalities outweigh our differences, both scientifically and scripturally.
The Book of Acts, the historical account of the early church, has Peter stating, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, be in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (10.34-35 NRSV). Incorporating Peter’s speech and Paul’s epistle to the Galatians may appear to preemptively address the theme of inclusion; nonetheless, both exemplify that the diversity of humanity does not reduce or constrain God's offer of redemption. The early church embraced diversity—Jew, Greek, male, female, young, old, etc.—within its complete life and expression. Welcoming persons from all backgrounds and cultures exemplifies the vision God seeks for the kin-dom, where the diversity of people and their talents bolster the church's mission and address the needs of the community.
The Lutheran Confessions
Background
The primary doctrinal writings for the Lutheran Church are found in the Book of Concord, initially assembled in 1580. The Augsburg Confession, Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Smalcald Articles, and Luther’s Small and Large Catechism articulate the confessions of faith that define Lutheran teaching and answer the controversies that emerged during the 16th-century Reformation. This era was marked by considerable social, political, and religious turmoil, subsequent to Martin Luther's attempts to reform the Catholic Church beginning in 1517.
The Confessions address practical matters, including the instruction of faith (catechisms) and the organization of worship and church power. The writings sought to offer clarity and cohesion among Lutherans at a tumultuous time while simultaneously countering theological counterarguments.
Diversity
The Augsburg Confession's initial article asserts the belief in "one divine essence which is named God and truly is God" (AC I.2). This highlights God's divine nature as a singular, unique, and creative essence that is triune—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—“eternal, undivided, unending, of immeasurable power, wisdom, and goodness” (AC I.3).
The Augsburg Confession goes on to address the concept of free will, arguing that persons have a measure of free will to live virtuously and make decisions concerning rational issues (AC XVII.4-6). No distinction is made concerning the degree of free will individuals possess based on their situation, background, or identity. It recognizes that all of humanity possess this level of free will, underscoring that everything originated from and is enabled by God. If all derives from and through God, we can affirm that each individual is made in God's image and possesses the varied gifts, existence, and mind that constitute the essence of the Divine.
Fashioned in the image and likeness of God, reflected in human diversity, we also manifest the essence of God through the knowledge, trust, and fear of God that God has imbued within each individual (cf. Ap. II.18-22). Only by recognizing our creation in God's image can we more distinctly understand ourselves as reflections of God's attributes—love, creativity, relationality, and wisdom.
The confessions urge us to place our trust in God by surrendering to God's knowledge, which allows us to comprehend God's greater plan for humanity through the purposeful diversity of creation considered good by God. Understanding that surrender is a challenging endeavor for our human conscience, we must consequently recognize the role of faith. Faith is the trust we place in God, enabling us to acknowledge our collective differences—be they cultural, linguistic, gender-based, sexual, or related to ability—but that we are created in God’s image (Ap. II.18). None of these distinctions are coincidental; rather, they are a deliberate reflection of God that, through faith, unites us in and with Christ.
I assert that hostility towards the concept of diversity and its celebration equates to hostility towards God. This animosity against diversity repudiates God's declaration that God's creation is good and dismisses the notion that creation operates as intended by God. In the act of creation, God expressed delight and satisfaction with the outcome. The fractured nature of humanity conceals the belief that our differences are divinely ordained. The benevolence of God, which illustrates God's essence, was realized in creation and is validated in Christ, who recognized the intrinsic worth and beauty of all he encountered.
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Kolb, Robert and Timothy J. Wengert, eds. The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000.