The Good Of The Father (Better Than DEI)

 In Whom there is no Jew nor yet Greek, there is no slave nor yet free, there is no male and female, for you all are one in Christ Jesus

Paul to the Galatians 3: 28, Concordant New Testament 

Recently, all of the mainstream media has been abuzz about how Donald J Trump has been dismantling many of the government funded programs designed to promote diversity, equity and inclusion to all.  Ask anyone about DEI and you will surely get some mixed reactions.  On the one hand, many will praise the benefit of everyone being included, with no exceptions for race, color or creed.  However, the down side to this is that there will be those who are passed over in the hiring process who might be extremely well qualified for a job yet lose that opportunity simply so someone of a lesser stature or status can be "Included."  This isn't right and equals the equivalent of modern day discrimination.  Ironically, the very same political party which prides itself on fighting discrimination has championed this DEI idea.  The democratic party, the party of American slavery, insists that all should be included.  But there is another Who has proclaimed that all are included, and that is Christ Jesus.  The apostle Paul speaks to this in Galatians, that we are all one in Christ {Paul to the Galatians 3:28}.  Traditionally, Christian groups have said that all are welcome, but have fallen into the same prejudices as any DEI program.  Those who follow Jesus are, after all, human, and we humans are often inclined to be prejudiced against others for one reason or another.  I recall the morning a pastor at my old church informed me that I probably would not be welcome in a men's fellowship golfing group because I had yet to learn the game.  To hear this coming from a pastor was devastating for me.  Was this what Christian fellowship amounted to?  A fellowship intended for those deemed worthy by those involved?  I'll go out on a limb and say that this is not what the Father intended for His children.  For even Jesus has proclaimed that we are to love one another {Johns Account 13:34}.  Now, I'll be the first one to admit that I have failed in that commandment.  There are those who I have shunned for one reason or another in the past.  As I said, we're human, it's what we do.  

If anyone should be saying that "I am loving God," and should be hating his brother, he is a liar; for he who is not loving his brother whom he has seen can not be loving God Whom he has not seen

First Epistle of John 4: 20, Concordant New Testament 

I titled this post "Better than DEI" because I believe that I have stumbled upon something.  Some time ago, I began focusing more on my fitness goals by going to the local gym more often.  Well, this presented a new problem, because traditionally I was a rather shy person often embarrassed by my physical condition.  Now, surrounded by so many others in the gym environment, I had a choice to make.  I could do what I usually did and keep to myself, or I could open up and become one of the crowd.  I chose the latter.  What has followed has been one of the best times of my life so far.  For what started with introducing myself to one person has mushroomed into a rather large group I affectionately call the "Gym Rats."  The people I have come to know are bartenders, construction workers, retail clerks, men and women.  So, if you ask me, these Gym Rats are much better than any DEI program ever developed.  There are no prerequisites or entrance exams.  There is no discrimination if someone is coming to the gym for that first time.  It may yet to be revealed in these Gym Rats, but we are all one in Christ Jesus.  The same Jesus I have come to know in me is also the same Christ who resides in them as well.  For all are in union with the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Too many in the mainstream church have taken to having requirements of those who choose to be a member of the church.  I can remember being required to attend membership classes before I could be considered a "Member" of the church I was attending.  How inclusive is that?  To be clear, the mainstream church IS NOT the church of which Christ is the head {Paul to the Colossians 1:18}.  This church is the Ecclesia, the body of believers in Christ.  This is the distinction I make when I speak of the church of Jesus.  Inclusion isn't simply a buzzword to be tossed around.  For our Gym Rats, all are welcome.  All are one in Christ Jesus.  

~Scott~