Ep. 7 - Seek Unity, Not Diversity

Discern Daily
Ep. 7 – Seek Unity, Not Diversity
Discussions about race and skin color are flooding social media today. On this episode of Discern Daily, we walked through Shai Linne's new article for The Gospel Coalition, titled, "6 Ways to Show Your Child God’s Design for Ethnic Diversity." The article touches on some important lessons. Check it out and let's seek the truth.

[embed]https://youtu.be/ki5C7rf5rAk[/embed]
A Summary of Shai Linne’s Article
Six ways to help your children appreciate God’s design for ethnic diversity:

Teach them what the Bible says about ethnic diversity.
Correct common errors regarding the Bible and ethnicity.
Educate yourself and your children about cultures other than your own.
Seek out interactions and relationships with people of different ethnicities.
Model loving confrontation of prejudiced words and behavior.
Be hopeful for a future where the Spirit will break down barriers between people of different ethnic backgrounds.

“Countercultural, biblical views don’t just happen. They must be taught.”

“One of the greatest barriers to pursuing God’s design for diversity is the lack of proximity many have with people from different ethnic backgrounds. Depending on where you live, it may take more intentionality to develop these relationships.”

“If there’s ethnic diversity in your church, be intentional about having dinner/family outings/activities with people of different ethnicities so that these interactions would be the norm, rather than the exception, for your child.”

View Shai Linne's full article on TGC here.
Highlights of the Episode
I’ve been following Shai Linne for a few years now. I appreciate his ministry and have deep respect for him. Number four on Shai Linne’s list didn’t quite resonate with me, so I want to challenge it.

No biblical Christian is against diversity. Every born-again Christian hates racism.

Born-again eyes are color blind. A person’s skin color should never determine how we treat them, even in regards to favoritism.

Many conversations are happening today online regarding skin color. Some prominent leaders are even encouraging people to pursue reading from authors that are not Caucasian. This line of thinking won’t fix anything. It’s way off.

Take a look at Jesus’ example — his twelve disciples were all Jewish men. Jesus did not actively seek relationships with people of different ethnicities.

I’m thankful to have friends that are not white. However, we aren’t friends because our skin color is different. Together, we love the truth, not our diversity.

The Enemy could very well use today’s discussion around skin color to make some feel ashamed for not having friends or disciples from different cultures. We don’t get to decide who one another should be faithful around. Be faithful and loving around everyone equally.

Heaven will include people from every tribe and tongue (cf. Revelation 5:9-10), but should the Church strongly seek diversity of ethnicities or unity in the truth? We’ve got enough diversity and not enough unity. Seek unity in the truth with all, not diversity of color with some.

Truth is so powerful that it cannot be controlled by skin color.

Don’t choose your leaders and authors based upon their skin color. Simply pick the ones that teach the truth no matter what they look like. And all God’s people said, “Duh!”
Let’s Seek the Truth
What do you think about the article and its content? Should we pursue ethnic diversity harder? Read Shai Linne’s article for The Gospel Coalition

Discern Daily
Ep. 7 – Seek Unity, Not Diversity
Discussions about race and skin color are flooding social media today. On this episode of Discern Daily, we walked through Shai Linne's new article for The Gospel Coalition, titled, "6 Ways to Show Your Child God’s Design for Ethnic Diversity." The article touches on some important lessons. Check it out and let's seek the truth.

[embed]https://youtu.be/ki5C7rf5rAk[/embed]
A Summary of Shai Linne’s Article
Six ways to help your children appreciate God’s design for ethnic diversity:

Teach them what the Bible says about ethnic diversity.
Correct common errors regarding the Bible and ethnicity.
Educate yourself and your children about cultures other than your own.
Seek out interactions and relationships with people of different ethnicities.
Model loving confrontation of prejudiced words and behavior.
Be hopeful for a future where the Spirit will break down barriers between people of different ethnic backgrounds.

“Countercultural, biblical views don’t just happen. They must be taught.”

“One of the greatest barriers to pursuing God’s design for diversity is the lack of proximity many have with people from different ethnic backgrounds. Depending on where you live, it may take more intentionality to develop these relationships.”

“If there’s ethnic diversity in your church, be intentional about having dinner/family outings/activities with people of different ethnicities so that these interactions would be the norm, rather than the exception, for your child.”

View Shai Linne's full article on TGC here.
Highlights of the Episode
I’ve been following Shai Linne for a few years now. I appreciate his ministry and have deep respect for him. Number four on Shai Linne’s list didn’t quite resonate with me, so I want to challenge it.

No biblical Christian is against diversity. Every born-again Christian hates racism.

Born-again eyes are color blind. A person’s skin color should never determine how we treat them, even in regards to favoritism.

Many conversations are happening today online regarding skin color. Some prominent leaders are even encouraging people to pursue reading from authors that are not Caucasian. This line of thinking won’t fix anything. It’s way off.

Take a look at Jesus’ example — his twelve disciples were all Jewish men. Jesus did not actively seek relationships with people of different ethnicities.

I’m thankful to have friends that are not white. However, we aren’t friends because our skin color is different. Together, we love the truth, not our diversity.

The Enemy could very well use today’s discussion around skin color to make some feel ashamed for not having friends or disciples from different cultures. We don’t get to decide who one another should be faithful around. Be faithful and loving around everyone equally.

Heaven will include people from every tribe and tongue (cf. Revelation 5:9-10), but should the Church strongly seek diversity of ethnicities or unity in the truth? We’ve got enough diversity and not enough unity. Seek unity in the truth with all, not diversity of color with some.

Truth is so powerful that it cannot be controlled by skin color.

Don’t choose your leaders and authors based upon their skin color. Simply pick the ones that teach the truth no matter what they look like. And all God’s people said, “Duh!”
Let’s Seek the Truth
What do you think about the article and its content? Should we pursue ethnic diversity harder? Read Shai Linne’s article for The Gospel Coalition here. Share this episode so that others can join the conversation. Share your thoughts in the comments below.