Secular Christmas

Christmas is celebrated all round the world. Christmas is not a religious holiday for most people. This secular version of Christmas promotes values of love, compassion, generosity, giving, family, hope, peace, and joy. These good values originated with the Christian celebrations of Christmas, but the main point of Christmas, from which these values derive their meaning, is Jesus Christ coming to Earth and being born so that we might have life in him.

I find it interesting that people of other faiths have their version of Christmas. Many Buddhists, Jewish people, Muslims and even atheists celebrate Christmas in some form. They have some of their own traditions but for many of these celebrations what binds them to the secular Christmas is Santa Claus, because many of these celebrations have Santa Claus.

Santa Claus is the icon of the secular Christmas. Folklore of his story has been developed over the last 200 years to what it is today. First, there was a historical person called Saint Nicholas who really did exist and was born about 280 A.D. He was a generous Christian Bishop. Today’s Santa Claus story is very different from the historical story of Saint Nicholas but Saint Nicholas provided the origins from which Santa Claus developed. The Dutch with their Sinterklaas tradition and the English with their Father Christmas tradition were blended together to create the Santa Claus tradition. In 1823, an anonymous author (likely Clement Clarke Moore) penned a poem called “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, which is also known as “Twas the Night before Christmas”. I believe that poem created the foundation for the Santa Claus tradition. From that poem, the story of Santa Claus developed into what it is today.

Secular Christmas is fun and promotes some good values, however it is missing the historical importance of the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is meant to be a celebration of the birth of Jesus. God, the Father, gave his only begotten Son, Jesus, to us to restore us back to himself and to give us life in him (John 3:16). God in Jesus humbled himself and was born human (Philippians 2:5-8) so that he could live the perfect life we could not (Hebrews 4:15) and to pay the price for our sins by dying on a cross (Colossians 2:13-14) and then rising again 3 days later. Jesus gave himself so that we might have life in him. By the power of the Holy Spirit we have real life. That is the real story of why we celebrate Christmas.

The Christmas story can be found in Luke 2:1-20 and in Matthew 1:18-2:12. This Christmas let us remember the birth of Jesus who is our Lord and Savior.

PS This year I discovered the ancient “O Antiphons” which are short chants that cover 7 days (December 17-23) of Advent, right before Christmas. The hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” incorporates the 7 antiphons into its verses. I am using a devotional based on the antiphons this year from 1517.org.

First Date

August 3, 1998 was Gail and Paul’s first date. In many ways, it was not anything special, but in other ways it pointed to our compatibility. We had started emailing each other near the end of June. A mutual friend had suggested to me that Gail needed a pen pal. I knew that she was matchmaking and I almost did not email Gail. The only reason I did, was that I was in Colorado and Gail was in Oregon. The matchmaking was not going to work because of the long distance. So this first date was just to see who I had been emailing. I was out visiting my folks, and Gail and I had planned a hike in the Columbia River Gorge and have lunch together. That was it.

We met at The Grotto parking lot in Portland. It was easy to find each other because there were a couple of bus loads of Asian tourists there, and it appeared that we were the only two Caucasians. We drove to Multnomah Falls hoping to hike to the top but the trail was closed. We did get a picture taken on the bridge there. The guy who took the picture told us to get closer together and act like we liked each other. We had just met less than an hour ago.

We ended up hiking up behind Wahkeema Falls. As we hiked up the Gorge wall, we talked and learned more about each other. We came down and had a lunch Gail prepared, and then the date was supposed to end. But we decided to drive over to Portland’s Rose Garden and there continued our conversation. We talked until it was getting late. We stopped because we had to make sure to pick up Gail’s car at The Grotto before it closed. Since it was dinner time, we stopped at a nearby restaurant, “Elmer’s”, and that was our first date.

It ended up being a lot longer than I had planned, and yet there was no spark for either of us. I did not think anything of it even though we talked much longer than planned. Gail was a nice lady and I enjoyed my time with her. I was still a confirmed bachelor. Gail learned that I was a “Lord of the Rings” fan so she read “The Fellowship of the Ring”. She struggled to read the book and was surprised to find out that it was just the first of three books. (She still ended up marrying me, and did enjoy the BBC Lord of the Rings radio drama and the movies.)

We continued emailing each other. By the time December came around, I knew I wanted to spend more time with Gail, so I took an extra long Christmas vacation to visit my folks. I did not see much of my folks, but I saw a whole lot of Gail, and at the end of the vacation I realized that I was in love.

We got engaged in February, and on August 15, 1999, I married Gail. That is now 26 years ago and it all started 27 years ago with email and that first date. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with Gail. She has been a wonderful partner in life.

*****

Gail here:

Paul captured the day well. I want to add that the timing of our meeting was God’s perfect timing. Meeting Paul at that point in my life was just right. God had been working in both of us over the years and I can see how meeting any earlier would not have worked out as well. The way we met was also perfect. We saw that we were compatible and over the months that we continued to email nearly daily, I learned so much about what Paul thought and how he lived. With the “pressure off” our love and attraction grew. We could “talk” thoughtfully about important things through email, and I learned that Paul was wise, kind, and generous. He was and is God’s gift to me. We are very different, but wonderfully suited to each other. It’s a joy to live life together!

*****

More of the story can be found with these blog posts: Before Engagement and During Engagement.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5:31-33)

Nicene Creed

Jesus Christ Statue Photo - Myriam Zilles

This year, the Nicene Creed is 1700 years old. Way back in 325 A.D., there was the First Council of Nicaea, where a large number of church leaders gathered primarily to discuss the relationship of Jesus Christ to God. There had been this ongoing controversy (Arianism) on whether or not Jesus was created and thus not the same as God the Father. Everyone considered Jesus to be divine but what was his relationship to God the Father? It came down to two Greek words, homoousios, Jesus being “of one substance” with God the Father, or homoiousios, Jesus being of a like substance to the Father. Arianism held that Jesus was the first created being, inferior to the Father but like him, and still superior to all other beings. The Council of Nicaea firmly rejected Arianism and chose homoousios. I believe homoousios fits much better with what the Bible says.

Emperor Constantine had called the church leaders together because this controversy was dividing the Church. He got the church leaders together and he let the church leaders decide the controversy and did not influence the decision. Everyone of the church leaders voted for the creed except for two holdouts. Emperor Constantine had hoped this would resolve the issue, but unfortunately the controversy continued.

In 381 A.D., at the First Council of Constantinople, the Nicene Creed was amended with the biggest change being the fleshing out of the third article which is about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was not the focus in the original creed. All the other changes have been minor. And that is how the Nicene Creed came to be.

The Nicene Creed makes it very clear that Jesus is God who became human. It says

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; … became man, …

And at the end of the original Nicene Creed it said

But as for those who say, there was when He was not, and before being born He was not, and that He came into existence out of nothing, or who assert that the Son of God is of a different hypostasis or substance, or created, or is subject to alteration or change – these the catholic and apostolic Church anathematizes [strongly condemns].

The original creed also made it clear what the wrong beliefs were. The key point of the Nicene Creed is that Jesus is God, a person of the Trinity, who became human for our salvation.

Today there is a falsehood going around that Emperor Constantine called the council because he wanted to make Jesus a so-called mortal human being who was a prophet into a deity and thus suppress the sacred feminine (symbolic of fertility and reproduction and being representative of mother earth). This is a completely different narrative from the historical documents, and the idea of the Trinity (three persons and yet one God) had already been established so it was not a new idea introduced at the Council of Nicaea.

And another falsehood that people believe today is that at the Council of Nicaea, the books of the Bible were selected and the Gnostic Gospels were suppressed at that time. Nothing about that is true. The Biblical Canon was not discussed at all. It had already been set by consensus. Again the false idea is that Emperor Constantine was suppressing the sacred feminine by banning the Gnostic Gospels. The funny thing is the Gnostic Gospels are much more anti-feminine than the books of the Bible. Be careful of the lies that surround the Council of Nicaea. Unfortunately “The Da Vinci Code” popularized many of these lies.

Jesus’ Resurrection

Why is Jesus’ resurrection so important? It is a major foundation of the Christian Faith. Early Christians believed in the resurrection, and a large number of them saw Jesus alive after the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). It is a critical piece of the story of God’s redemption of the world through the work of Jesus. It gives us hope, an expectation of an assured future (Romans 15:13).

We are connected to Jesus’ resurrection through our baptism. In our baptism we were united to Jesus’ death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4). If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then we are still in our sins and our faith is worthless (1 Corinthians 15:17). If Jesus did not rise, then we have nothing to hope for. If there is no eternal life then we just live a meaningless life, recognizing that our brokenness and evil will always be around until we destroy ourselves. With no resurrection, any hope we have then is a false hope. The reality would be then our death would send us into nihilistic oblivion. Fortunately, Jesus did rise from the dead (Matthew 28:1-10). The resurrection validated who Jesus was and what he is able to do. It gives us the assurance that he was victorious over sin, death, and the Devil (Hebrews 2:14; Romans 6:23).

Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we have a new life (2 Corinthians 5:17-18; Romans 6:4). We have been reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Because Jesus rose, we too will rise to eternal life (Romans 6:23). We will have new immortal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:42-54). Everything will be made right and we will live forever in the presence of our loving God (Revelation 21:1-4).

Therefore, because of Jesus’ resurrection, we have the hope that everything now that is broken will be made new (Revelation 21:5). There will be a perfect life for us with a new Earth and Heaven.

PS For more on Jesus’ resurrection check out “Praise God for Jesus’ Resurrection”.

Affirming People

Two women talking (Christina@wocintechchat)

Today’s culture is all about affirming people. You tell them they are good just as they are, or that they are better than good. “You are the best” is an affirmation that we all want to hear. It is good to encourage people, especially people with low self esteem, but are we being truthful when we affirm someone? Reality is we are not all hot stuff. In fact, none of us are hot stuff. We are all broken people in need of fixing.

Affirming someone means you validate, support, and/or encourage their identity, experiences, or beliefs and by doing so culture says you are recognizing their worth and value. It is good to treat everyone with dignity and respect, because everyone is of great value and worth, no matter how broken they are. God loves everyone, just as they are, but God also wants to move us to a better place, to restore us and to fix our brokenness. Why? It is because he loves us.

However, today’s culture sees everyone as naturally good, and affirming them is telling them they are okay and whatever problems they have are due to society. It is not their fault. People say “You just be you because you are the best”. Unfortunately, to some extent, it is their fault, and not society’s fault. We all are broken and sinful. It is our fault. Yes, society has its problems but it is because we are broken self-centered people. The problem is us. Each and every one of us are inclined to do evil. We are not naturally good. It is wrong to affirm harmful behavior. It is wrong to ignore our brokenness.

Over the centuries we have tried to solve this problem of our brokenness. Educating people did not change people’s behavior much. Enforcing many laws also did not change people’s behavior very much. Punishing people did not change people. Trying to change society did not fix the problem. And affirming everyone does not solve the problem and change people. All these are external actions. The real problem is internal. Deep down inside of us we are selfish self-centered people. Each and every one of us has this problem. We want things our way and we would also like to have the advantage. Because the problem is internal to each and every one of us, everytime we try to fix the issue we fail, because we can not fix it ourselves.

Fortunately, God loves us even in our brokenness, and he sent Jesus to provide a solution for our brokenness. God in Jesus took on human form, lived that perfect life free from sin and then went to the cross to pay our debt. He died on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, all who trust in him become children of God. The Holy Spirit is at work in us who believe, restoring us to become more like Jesus. Because of our internal change (which is a work in process), we can work for a better world. We can affirm God and his love because of all he has done for us.

So, affirming one another without recognizing our brokenness is harmful. This does not mean we cannot praise or encourage people for well done actions or thoughts. We can and we should, but we need to recognize that we are all still broken people. We cannot affirm people for the harmful actions and ideas that go against God’s holy standards. God’s standards are good for us. It may be kind to affirm someone with a harmful lifestyle, but that would not be the loving thing to do.

Yet, there is one way we can “affirm” everyone, no matter where they are at. It is by telling them “God loves you”. It is a truth that everyone needs to know. We just cannot affirm bad actions or bad ideas. Instead, culture today wants you to affirm everyone no matter what, but we cannot affirm bad behavior. Out of love, we need to address those harmful actions or ideas. Let us be affirming of all God has done, and let us share his love to everyone around us.

Ancient Words

Ancient words ever true; Changing me, and changing you. We have come with open hearts; Oh let the ancient words impart. (Ancient Words by Michael W. Smith; songwriter is Lynn Deshazo)

The Bible is unique. It has been around for about 2000 to 3500 years and was written in 3 languages by about 40 different authors over about 1500 years. The Bible is estimated to have sold 5-7 billion copies and is the most popular book in the world for all time. It has staying power. For 2000 years it has been changing lives. The words found in the Bible are God’s words to a broken world. The story of the Bible is one of God, out of love, rescuing us and giving us a full life. The Bible is different from other religious texts. Other religious texts talk about what we have to do to get right with God or the world. The Bible tells us what God has done to make us right with him.

We know that this world is not as it should be and we desire an utopia where we all can live in peace and harmony. Through the centuries we have tried to create utopias but for every attempt we have failed. We have failed because we are all self-centered and selfish. We live lives centered on ourselves. We are broken. We cannot save ourselves from ourselves. Our self-centered brokenness corrupts everything we try. We need an outside power to save us from ourselves.

Thank you, God, for coming to save us from ourselves. God loves us so very much that he came to earth in Jesus to rescue us and restore that relationship. God saves us and gives us a new life in him. We are not there yet but God is at work in our broken lives, changing us to be more like Jesus. Today, we still many times fail to follow God’s standards even though they are good for us. Fortunately, God’s forgiveness is there for us to allow us to start afresh. He wants the best for us. One day, Jesus will return and that desire for a peaceful utopia will become a reality. In the Bible, God gives us hope and life. The Bible is about his story of restoration for us.

This is why the Bible is the best selling book in the world for all time. A good summary of the main theme of the Bible can be found in the introduction to “The Jesus Storybook Bible”. “The Story and the Song” is a video of the introduction of the book. Yes, the book is aimed at kids, but the introduction points out what the Bible is not and what is the main theme of the Bible. It is all about Jesus. These ancient words are always true and life changing.

Inductive/Deductive Bible Study

How do we read the Bible? We can read it with an inductive reasoning mindset or a deductive reasoning mindset. When you read inductively, you read a passage and from the details you derive some general life principles. It is a bottom up approach. When you read deductively, you start with a premise or a theory and you look at a passage to verify (or not) the premise. It is a top down approach. There are valid reasons to use both approaches, and there are potential problems with each approach.

When you read the Bible, context is everything. You can avoid a lot of problems if you put the passage in context. The Bible is a library of 66 books, written about 2000 to 3500 years ago by about 40 human authors. Though the Bible was written for us to read, it was written to the people of that time and place. How did the original hearers understand it? So there are several questions to ask. What is the historical context of the passage? What is the cultural context? Is it a historical document, a letter, poetry or something else? What is the context in regard to the surrounding passages? What is the context to other passages (and books) of the same time period? And what is the context in relation to the overarching story of Jesus and his work here? Context is very important!

To understand how those who originally understood it, we also need to know how life was different between then and modern day. What things are important today that were not important back then, and what are the things important back then that are not important today? This applies to the cultural context. One example is today we are very individualistic and back then they were much more family and community oriented.

This sounds overwhelming. Do not worry. There are resources available to help you read and study the Bible. Study Bibles, study guides, and many Christian books are good resources to help you interpret the Bible. I do make use of them. They are helpful. That is why it is good to also learn how Christians in the past have interpreted the Bible for the Holy Spirit has enlightened Christians in the past as he continues to do so today. The Christian faith, though personal, is a faith that is found in community. Therefore the biblical understanding of Christians in the past and the present, under careful scrutiny of Holy Scripture, can be a guide to help you interpret the Bible. Let us get back to inductive and deductive reasoning.

If you are using the inductive reasoning approach then you need to decide what general theological principles are found in the passage. Once you have determined the potential theological principles then you need to find other passages to prove that it is a valid theological principle. (There should also be one passage in the New Testament validating your principle.) Once validated then you need to put it into practice. One needs to be careful not to a priori determine the principle or principles.

If you are using the deductive reasoning approach then you need to determine whether the passage fits the premise or topic that you had a priori determined. Again, are there other passages that fit your topic? (And again there should be one in the New Testament.) Many times with a deductive Bible study, the topic has been determined by others and you are in a topical Bible study where you are reading a list of passages that should support the topic. All the passages in context should support the topic. You need to be careful of the context and your own biases.

If you want to find something in the Bible to prove your point, there is a good chance that you can find it, but it will most likely not be in context of the surrounding verses or of the Bible in general. For an extreme example. Charles Manson used the book of Revelation, in particular chapter 9, to promote his violent vision of the future and his use of the Beatles songs. (The locusts were the Beatles.) Charles Manson looked at the Bible to authenticate his violent vision. He found what he was looking for, and by his reasoning deduced his proof. The problem was that he set out to use the Bible to authenticate his beliefs, and not to discover what the Bible had to say. His proof passages were out of context and his vision did not fit with the rest of the Bible. We need to be careful to keep things in context and to be careful to let our reasoning, desires, and feelings not bias how we read the Bible. There are many other examples of people using the Bible to authenticate their beliefs or viewpoints. Avoid doing it.

Sometimes people allow tradition, a person’s writings, cultural beliefs, certain moral values, science, or even reason to have the same or higher authority than the Bible. I believe the Bible is the true and only real authority. Do not discount or water down what the Bible says. Again, so when studying the Bible, context is important and be aware of your biases. And have other Christians confirm your interpretation.

For more information on studying the Bible, check out “Read, Mark, Learn, and Inwardly Digest” and “Is the Bible Wicked?”.

Coasting

A question I am asking myself is “Am I coasting?” If I am coasting through life then I am not striving for something. When I am coasting, I am going downhill. I need to be intentional (and disciplined) in living my life. When I coast, I just live and react, and let my desires and the influences of the culture determine my response. Instead I should be living for God and responding to life’s issues in a God-pleasing way. That takes intentionality.

We live in a very self-centered culture. Today’s culture does not help us live a life for God. Comfort and convenience for oneself are promoted. There is nothing wrong with convenience or comfort, but we need to make certain that it is not self-centered desires driving our life. If I coast, I tend to let my desires as well as cultural influences determine my actions. While coasting I tend to let convenience and comfort dictate my actions. That is not good or altogether healthy. I need a plan, a “rule of life” (a pattern of habits), to live by to help me counteract my selfish desires and the cultural influences.

I set up a “rule of life” two years ago, and I found that to be quite helpful but I do not always follow it and end up coasting through life instead of being intentional. The good news is the “rule of life” has created some habits so when I am coasting many of those good habits from the “rule of life” are still active. However, when I am coasting I miss opportunities to serve God and others.

My motivation for the “rule of life” is not to do something to earn the name of Christian or to even become a “better Christian”, rather I am motivated to serve God for his glory out of love and gratitude for what he has done for me. Jesus came to earth to take the punishment I deserve. He saved me and gave me a full life. As I rest in his love, mercy and grace, how can I not seek to give him thanks and show him love by living a life he desires. Fortunately, I am empowered by his Spirit to live this full life. So all praise and honor belong to him.

I am committed to serve Jesus Christ. The “rule of life” needs more than only good intentions. It also needs discipline to do and build the habits found in the “rule of life”. And so with the help of the Holy Spirit I strive to live a life that pleases him. I fail more times than I wish, but God is a work in me to make me more Christ-like. It is with that hope or expectation I move forward. I feel my “rule of life” is a helpful tool for me.

Maybe creating your own “rule of life” would be helpful for you. I would encourage you to give it a try. It has helped me to avoid coasting through life.

Critical Expressive Individualism

Culture has changed. In America, we think very differently as a society than we did 50+ years ago. The popular way of thinking today combines Critical Theory and Expressive Individualism. I am going to call it, “Critical Expressive Individualism” or CEI. Critical Theory views the world in terms of oppressive social structures that support the reigning oppressors and allow for continued oppression of various people groups. Expressive Individualism allows individuals to identify themselves in ways that express their inner “authentic self”. We will take a look at Critical Expressive Individualism and compare it to Christianity by asking a few basic but big questions. (Note there is a spectrum of beliefs so this will be a broad overview of CEI and Christianity, and may not match individual beliefs.)

Where did we come from?

The Christian Faith believes that God created the world. He created human beings in his own image. We are valuable to God. We were made to be in a relationship with him. CEI believes that humankind evolved by random chance. There was no intentional design. Humans just exist.

Who has the authority?

In the Christian Faith, God, the Creator, has the authority. Out of love, he has set up good and healthy moral laws for us to live by. We are to trust in him and live the good life by obeying his commands. The CEI worldview has each and every one acting as their own authority. They look inside themselves at their feelings and desires and decide who they are (usually sexually) and how they will behave. They are then free to express their individual authentic selves.

What is our problem?

Just about everyone agrees that there is a problem with life. Things are not as we expect them to be. We seek a utopia where the problem is fixed. The Christian Faith sees the problem existing in each one of us. We are broken, selfish and self-centered. We disobey the good and healthy standards that God has for us and in doing so we hurt ourselves and others. CEI sees humankind as naturally good and the problem is that there are these societal structures that allow oppression to occur and restrict the expressive freedom of each individual.

What is the solution?

CEI believes that each person has total authority and the right to express themselves as they see fit. Even though there is technically no right or wrong, CEI attempts to influence society in order to dismantle oppressive societal structures and bring about positive change. This is a reason for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) officers in companies and organizations. They are there to move people to help dismantle oppressive structures and to promote those considered to be oppressed. They believe that the people of this world will solve the problem once they have been trained to think correctly.

Christians realize there is no human solution because everyone is corrupt and broken. We are self-centered and selfish. Because of our broken nature, everything we try will be corrupted. Fortunately, God sent Jesus into the world to provide the solution. He went to the cross to pay for the price we could not pay. By trusting in Jesus we are changed. With the Holy Spirit, we can be enabled to overcome our broken nature. The Holy Spirit transforms the inner self and works to change us from the inside out. Christians, out of gratitude for what Jesus did, also work for the good of society and oppose oppression and wrong behaviors.

How will things end for us?

With CEI they believe they can create utopia on earth by training and guiding people. So through proper laws, training, destroying of oppressive structures, and the lifting up of the oppressed peoples, they believe utopia can come. Christians believe that God will at the right time end this world and make everything right for all those who believe in him. Then our brokenness will be fixed, and we will be restored to a harmonious loving relationship with God and each other.

These different ways to view the world have caused conflict in America. Because of the different worldviews, very different solutions end up being promoted, causing conflict and misunderstanding.

Dealing with DEI

Companies and government agencies have embraced the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) worldview. In order to advance in the organization you need to show you are supporting DEI. (The State Department recently said that you need to document that you are actively involved in DEI practices to be considered for a promotion.) Coming from a Christian worldview, how do you deal with DEI? How can you find some common ground when there is much you feel is wrong and harmful about DEI?

First, Christians are in favor of diversity. The body of Christ is made up of a diverse group of people with different gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-27). Heaven will be filled with people from everywhere (Revelation 7:9-10). God loves everyone (Psalm 117:1-2) and calls us to do the same (Matthew 5:43-48). Note God loves us so very much that he is unwilling to leave us as we are but will change us for the better through the work of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:16-17). So Christians are in favor of diversity, but out of love we stand against broken and harmful lifestyles and beliefs. Unfortunately the secular DEI worldview demands acceptance of the harmful lifestyles of LGBTQ+ community. As Christians we can not accept their wrong and harmful lifestyles, but we can accept and affirm the LGBTQ+ people as people loved by God.

Also, Christians are in favor of equity. God is fair, just, and impartial. He will judge with righteousness and equity (Psalm 98:9; Isaiah 11:3-4). All people have sinned and fall short of God’s standard (Romans 3:23). We stand equal before God, regardless of race, gender, or social status (Galatians 3:28). Unfortunately the secular DEI worldview distorts equity when it requires equal outcomes or the redistribution of resources without considering individual talents, individual effort, personal responsibility, and the stewardship of resources. Christians show equal dignity and respect for all people regardless of one’s status (James 2:1-4). It is only in Christ where we find true equity.

And Christians are in favor of inclusion. Inclusion is the intentional welcoming and acceptance of people. God loves all people and he desires that all would come to know him and be restored in relationship with him (1 Timothy 2:3-4). As Christians, we welcome all who follow Jesus as brothers and sisters (Romans 15:5-7) and we desire all people to come to faith in Jesus. Unfortunately the secular DEI worldview sees inclusion as the acceptance of all beliefs and of all practices, even beliefs and practices that are harmful. (However many times they will exclude people whose beliefs they consider to be intolerant.) God loved the world so very much that he gave Jesus as our substitute so that we could have life and a restored relationship with God (John 3:16; 1 Peter 2:24). God wants to include you. Do not reject him, but instead turn to him and follow him.

And yes, Christians also stand against inequality and oppression. We too are against societal structures that oppress people and cause inequality. We work for a better society through promoting love (1 Corinthians 16:14), forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32), and reconciliation (Matthew 5:24), first with God (2 Corinthians 5:18-21), but also with the people around us. Unfortunately the secular DEI worldview broadly divides the people into groups of people that oppress and groups of people that are oppressed without considering the individual circumstances of each person. The secular DEI divides. Christians seek to reconcile and unite.

So as Christians, we believe in the real biblical version of DEI, and not the distorted secular version. There is common ground with secular DEI in which we can start conversations, but it will not be easy in a secular DEI workplace. You can gently point out the problems with their version of DEI. I would do it by asking questions about their beliefs to get them thinking about what they do believe and what are the problems that the secular DEI creates. You need to realize that you may be labeled as a person who hates or an oppressor for opposing certain aspects of their DEI standard, but you need to stand firm on the truth. It is good to do so for you, for them, and for society.

This post was inspired by “Understanding DEI (From a Biblical Perspective)” by Cam Arminio.