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Dr. Del Tackett is the author, architect and teacher for Focus on the Family's The Truth Project, a nationwide initiative designed to bring the Christian worldview to the body of Christ.

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The Beauty of Diversity

Posted on October 20, 2009
Filed Under The Church |

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands…” Rev 7:9

Last week (sorry, we’ve had more technical problems) when I wrote about attending a Lutheran Pastor’s Conference, I made this statement:

“Now, I am neither Lutheran, nor a pastor. Why was I there?”

It was my way of telling you that I was the conference speaker for the purpose of training them to be Truth Project small group leaders—and thrilled to do so.

However, Mark submitted a comment saying that he was concerned when I said I wasn’t a Lutheran because “it hurt to read the disassociation”.

I believe I understand where Mark was coming from, but it gives me an opportunity to reflect on the beauty of the diversity within God’s people.

Revelation 7:9 paints a picture of that diversity: from every “nation, tribe, people and language”.

One of the mysteries of the Gospel is that God brings the diverse into unity—it doesn’t mean that He destroys that diversity—only that He unifies the diversity, much like the atom. The neutron, the proton and the electron are “unified” into the atomic “system”, but each retains its uniqueness. Every system in the universe is like this. Why? I believe because it reflects the nature of God Himself—who, though existing in three distinct persons, is unified into one God. He is the ultimate and original “one and the many” —unity & diversity—the Triune God of the Universe.

So, maybe it is just my view, but I find delight in the great diversity within God’s people. We have some who enjoy a form of worship that others do not. We have loud worship and quiet worship, liturgical and informal, lots of singing or not as much singing, organ or guitars, etc.

Some are evangelists, some pastors, some teachers…some are granted gifts of administration, some gifts of hospitality, some the gift of giving. Paul admonishes those who would say that everyone should be the same…“if all were an eye, where would the hearing be?”

Islam is more monolithic in its worship. Why? Because it springs from a monolithic concept of their god. Allah is the monolithic one. When a Muslim declares that Allah is one…the essential reality is that he is not just the only god for them, but he is without diversity within himself. Before creation, He was the eternal alone one. But not so with the Triune God of creation. He is diverse within Himself. He was not the eternal alone one, but He was the eternal socially complex One—existing in full communion, fellowship, love, harmony, etc.

So, diversity is at the very heart of God. And He has filled the universe with the grandest of diversity. He loves it and is pleased with it—when, of course, that diversity is right and good…AND when that diversity is unified. That is why He is so opposed to disunity and why He has declared in His word His dislike for dissention and strife.

But, none of this should be taken to mean that God desires the diversity to be pressed into a bland conformity or rigid monolithic sameness.

In fact, I would contend that unity cannot exist without diversity. If nothing is diverse, then the unity isn’t unity…everything is simply the same. Real unity comes from the bringing together of that which is diverse. The beauty of unity is based upon the depth of the diversity. The more diverse the parts, the more beautiful and exquisite is the unity.

I understand there are doctrinal differences…differences that should not be ignored, but rather worked on in the context of Christian love. However, we need to also discern and understand when those differences are merely “preferential” differences and be accepting of those differences in which we have the freedom to be diverse.

The Body of Christ is filled with the most diverse of people. Racially we come (or will come) from every race on earth. I have had the privilege over my life to meet with brothers and sisters who were not only racially different, but denominationally different. We come from both ends of the economics spectrum and everywhere in between. We are doctors, lawyers, farmers, janitors, welders, moms, truck drivers. We are tall, short, male, female, brown eyes, blue eyes, north, south, east, west, Norwegian, Jamaican, early birds, night owls, outgoing, shy, Yankee fans, Dodger fans, Auburn, Alabama, classical, country, thin crust, thick crust, with ice, without, older, younger, nerds, ties, sushi, tomato soup, Army, Navy, aisle seat, window seat, glasses, 20/20, we have various noses and ears, lips and chins, we like to read or we like to surf, we enjoy the mountains or the city lights, hot sauce or mild, chocolate or vanilla…we are a very diverse bunch of folks.

Maybe it is because I regularly experience the deep unity of the radical diversity of God’s people. The Focus Leadership Institute brings together young believers from ALL over the spectrum. Yet they end up in an inspiring oneness—a unity that is made more beautiful by their diversity.

I’m not Lutheran, but I sure love Lutherans! I’m not a city kind of guy, but I had an opportunity to talk with a group of New Yorkers who were going through the Truth Project and after hearing what the Lord was doing in their lives, I couldn’t help but have this great inward love for these folks and their distinct New York accents. I’m not Latino, but it was hard for me to leave our Spanish training conferences in Costa Rica and in Weston, Florida.

Grant Cheney

Grant Cheney


Next time you meet someone who is not like you…rejoice in the beauty of it.

Our task is not to destroy the diversity, but to bring about the unity of that diversity.

That is what Jesus asked for over and over again in His prayer to the Father in John 17… “that they may be one as we are one”. Remarkably, He said this unity would cause the world to know that the Father had sent the Son.

Something we ought to be striving for, no?

Comments

21 Responses to “The Beauty of Diversity”

  1. Debbie on October 20th, 2009 3:42 pm

    Thanks for this post. My Dad, a Pastor, always taught us that the Lord had a distinguished taste and wasn’t a “vanilla” only God… he likes all the flavors of the church! However, if you mixed them all together to make them the same the pistachio may not jive to well with the sherbert or another flavor thus ruining their diversity of taste. I think it was Tozer that said a body of voices that were tuned to the same fork would produce a beautiful melody more than if they all tried to sing in the same tone and key which would leave the music flat! :)

  2. Kenny G on October 20th, 2009 9:20 pm

    The creation is the ultimate proof of God’s love of diversity. Unity is something that has always puzzled me a great deal. Jesus prayed for it, yet in a sense the concept of denominational Christianity if foreign to the New Testament and historically looks as though Jesus’ prayer has been ignored by believers through time. I am grateful for the The Truth Project and for you Del because I believe the project can be a real force for the unification of believers…thank you for your hard work and thank you for stretching my thinking on this and all the other issues that are covered…God bless you all.

  3. Trey on October 21st, 2009 7:35 am

    Amen brother. It pleased God to make every color of butterfly and diverse people. It is a sign of His creativity and complexity.

    As far as denominational differences go, it is proper and accurate humility for me to strongly accept that my theology is wrong and broken. The glass is hazy and my seeing dark. That accurate humility helps me to accept the theology and practices of my brothers and sisters, secure in the knowledge that they are wrong about some things just as I am and we are both too fallen to completely know where we ourselves err, much less where each other fall short.

    Thank you God for you wonder of your creation and the true diversity of this world.

    Trey

  4. Scott on October 21st, 2009 4:21 pm

    I appreciate your comment on diversity “when it is right and good” and note that it comes in your writing just after your discussion of Islam. I pray that one of our national leaders will draft a new “Freedom of Religion” bill addressing this very issue of diversity in the following manor. In order to be recognized as a tax exempt, 501(c)X or whatever, the representatives of that body must agree by signature that all persons are free to join that group and all persons are free to denounce the head of that group, the “God” of that group, or people in it, and all people are free to leave and disassociate themselves from that group without any repercussions or pressure at all from that group or its members. On a different note, I understand there is an attempt underway already to do away with all such status and I pray that our courts up the supreme court will hold that diversity in this manner is certainly not the government supporting 1 religion!

  5. Geoffrey on October 22nd, 2009 3:13 pm

    If we were not different, what purpose would we each serve? Some friends and I have thought about, if everyone were exactly the same, someone would design the Car. We would all eat the Dinner.

    Also, the Bible refers to the members of the body. It certainly is good that we aren’t a big pile of eyeballs! God knit us together to serve His purpose for His glory in our unique manner.

  6. Leslie on October 22nd, 2009 4:10 pm

    I’m a Lutheran who studied several years in an evangelical Bible school comprised of Baptists, Mennonites and Pentecostals. By the end I think most were convinced of my salvation. :)

    There has been over time a great divide between mainline and evangelical protestants, but I think that has really softened in the last 10 years or so. In fact, I think the efforts to elevate the discussion of worldview concepts with projects such as the Truth Project have helped that. That is to say, there are points of commonality in the Christian worldview around which to unite, which takes the focus off quibbling about baptism.

  7. James on October 22nd, 2009 7:12 pm

    I have taught my children the following God created mankind or rather the Human race it has always been my ignorant assumption that there is only one race of man. For all came from Eve and Adam was our father. So in the beginning diversity was the order of the day. For in his great wisdom and grace our Lord made us of many colors, many varied sizes, and multitude of combinations of these two. I have taught my children about Ice Cream as another diversity tool; for it has three simple ingredients(eggs cream sugar) and one can add many different flavors but it is always going to be ice cream. Salt and water bring them together with some simple work.

  8. Mark on October 23rd, 2009 9:54 am

    I appreciated your article and can celebrate diversity within the body of Christ. I am concerned that you did not stress the doctrinal difference of the gospel. It seemed as if you said “yes, yes there is good doctrine, bu that aside…”
    The verse you have quoted are those who have placed their faith in the crucified Christ. We are living in an age that many who call themselves christians do not believe the gospel. This must be stressed who the body of christ is.

  9. Elizabeth on October 23rd, 2009 9:56 am

    I grew up attending a Bible Church, being taught Lutheran doctrine by my mother, and now still doctrinally consider myself Lutheran (though I have recently disagreed with some Lutheran decisions) but attend an Evangelical Free Church. I agree with your statements about the diversity, especially that the doctrinal disagreements should be worked out with love and the preferences should be left as preferences, celebrating the diversity when we have the freedom to choose. For me, which Church I attend has always been about where I will be most led closer to God. However, the hardest thing I have encountered with my background is that I have a difficult time finding a Church in which my doctrinal convictions and my worship preferences match up, or sometimes even finding a Church that I feel fosters my spiritual growth but that I also agree with all of their doctrinal statements. The church I attend now I agree with on all but two points, and I attend because I feel I learn a lot about the Lord there. But because one of my points of disagreement is not an issue now, but could become one in the future (regarding infant baptism), I wonder if I should seek out another Church with which my doctrinal convictions align more closely?

  10. Ian on October 23rd, 2009 2:15 pm

    Tonight my wife and I are going to start a Truth Project in a Lutheran Church in a town an hour east of the city that we live in. This opportunity fell into my lap when I wasn’t looking and I thought that I would “go for it”. As an evangelical pentecostal lay preacher, the very idea of being given this chance, this privelege to fellowship with these different saints of God excites me. A large part of that excitement is that they would open their doors and their hearts to me and to this Project is too wonderful for words. God is truely good.

  11. Thomas on October 24th, 2009 8:08 am

    WOW…..so intense this UNITY!
    I’m a word nut…..what would COMMUNITY be without UNITY?
    How about OPPORTUNITY, HUMANITY, ACCOUNTABILITY? I find UNITY in VULNERABILITY.
    PowerFul…..UNITY is a HUGE part of the Gospel!
    John 17:23 I am in them and You are in me, may they Experience Such Perfect UNITY that the world will KNOW that You sent me and that You Love them as Much as You Love me. NLT
    God Bless You…..ALL of You!
    Sincerely,
    Tom S

  12. Philip on October 24th, 2009 10:43 pm

    Diversity? How diverse is the Triune nature of GOD? The Holy Trinity allows us a great example of how to relate and have a loving relationship with GOD and our brothers and sister in Christ. What kind of relationship would we have with GOD without Jesus and the Holy Spirit? If we can’t come together as Christians, in diversity, then we might as well be rebots of a carved piece of burned up wood.

  13. Bill on October 26th, 2009 12:10 pm

    What a great discourse on “Unity and Diversity”.
    Man is diverse in nature from one another, by race,age,ethnic background you name it …we are diverse. We, however, become unified when God enters our lives and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Our human nature makes us believe that we are still diverse and forces us to label our “beliefs”, Lutheran, Baptist, Catholic, etc.

    In truth, we are one in Christ when the Holy Spirit take up residence in us. That make a unity of believers.

    When people ask me what religion I am my response is I am a Christian first and a Lutheran because their doctrines give me less conflict that other doctrines I’ve studied. That does not make them perfect!

    For Elizabeth, looking for the perfect church that will match your beliefs…none this side of heaven. But rejoice that God is in you and we are united by Christ. We will share eternity as one united body of heavenly followers.

    Gods Blessing to you Del and to all who are working with this “Truth Project”. Don’t let demomonation get in the way. There are no denominations in the Bible.

  14. daniel on October 26th, 2009 11:51 pm

    The truth project is a blessing. Thankyou for its production.
    To me, diversity is good if it gives glory to God, our creator and Savior. If it does not, one should disregard it for evil. (I.E.) Exceptance of other races goes to evolution, which is a lie. God created all mankind in His image - one race. The exceptance of evolution in the church is a large part of its undoing. The key word here is exceptance. the willingness to compromise. In Phil. 2, among other verses, it says to be of like mind; 1 Cor. 1 be in agreement, be of same judgement. Jesus said in John 17 I am in you and you in me.To have the mind of Christ, the Holy spirit. Why then are there different denominations? Why then do Christians quit serving, quit giving or just leave? Maybe its better somewhere else, or I’ll just stay home. Because some of us have to do things now and my way. (I.E.) Leaders in the church.
    Do we really love our neighbor as ourselves. enough not to go past them. Being patient and forebaring to change our/their minds in order to be complete before you move on to the next pasture. I feel the biggest problem in the churchis the lack of oneness, which takes the love of Christ to do. Where is it said that majority rule is OK? This could be the Jezebel of the church. Jesus said; whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me. A shepherd has 100 sheep, if one be lost would he not leave the 99 to save the one. All of creation is designed diverse within its own perimeters. The mind of mankind is designed to choose oneness in Christ.

    Thankyou for this space, it is appreciated.

  15. Joan on October 28th, 2009 7:45 am

    Del,
    Your “diversified unity, or unified diversity” blog brought tears to my eyes - thank you! We are all one in Christ Jesus and you brought it down to earthly terms. God bless you and your ministry.

  16. Sam on October 28th, 2009 8:18 am

    Dr. Tackett, my wife and I have now gone through the Truth Project 8+ times and each time we hear or understand something that we didn’t before. This is how we know it is of God. The same is true with scriptures. I can read something 9 times and God will reveal something new the 10th time which absolutely creates another “WOW” moment for me; and why it is His “Living Word”. Being involved in Jewish Evangelism, we share God’s truth by showing the simplicity of how God created His story. We ask two simple questons. Either there is a God of creation or there isn’t. Y/N. Either Jesus was the Messiah or he wasn’t. Y/N. And if He is the Messiah, it means He is the Messiah for ALL mankind, i.e. the Jew, Gentile, Arab, atheist, humanist, New Age Spiritulist, murderer, pedophile, Buddist, Hinduist, Islamic Extremist, etc. (The true creator of the unified Body of Messiah….true diversity). Which then of course makes both the Hebrew scriptures (Old) and the New Testament true. And as you point out, if we will study His word and grow in it, its how we can come to know the true nature and character of our Lord. It is literally that simple to come to the feet of Messiah and accept His love and grace. Thanks Dr. Tackett from Louisville, KY. Shalom and Grace

  17. Dave on October 28th, 2009 10:29 am

    All I have to say is that is BEAUTIFUL!

  18. Jason on October 28th, 2009 1:38 pm

    As long as “diversity” is not a trojan horse for “Jesus being one of many ways to heaven.” That lie is alive and well in our current Americanized christianity and part of the battle that Satan is winning in the culture war. Del, thanks for the Truth Project, it’s been a real blessing in our (Christian faith, Lutheran brand)church. By the way, being a Lutheran preacher is great when it comes to Biblically grounded doctrine, but I can’t get an “Amen!” or good ol’ fashioned “TESTIFY!” You can’t have your cake and eat it too. In this life there’s no such thing as a perfect church, if you find one and join it, you just ruined it! Amen! (see how easy that is)

  19. Kristy on October 29th, 2009 12:42 pm

    Beautifully said! The power in the simplicity of
    the message and diversity of it’s scope is so
    beautifully seen again in a book I came across
    when cleaning out boxes. My mom read it in 1960 and it was written in 1959. It has chapters in it
    titled An Heroic Priest: Loyal Lutherans: Brave
    Baptists: and talks of the many other faiths that
    embraced the heart and hope of Christ Jesus our
    Lord and only Saviour. The Book. “I found God
    in Soviet Russia.” By John Noble May we and I always seek to
    strip away everything if it gets in the way of seeing one another through His eyes. Blessings
    Del. Thanks. Kristy

  20. Bill on October 31st, 2009 1:46 pm

    Good post. I think the Christian church has the diversity thing down - we are indeed diverse. As you state, we can’t have unity without diversity, but like many aspects of life (which I think reflect the nature of God Himself - or at least how a finite, pre-glorified follower percieves Him) there is a natural tension between diversity and unity, a sort of energy that can be harnessed to move one direction or the other. The wide path has a one size fits all “unity” and diversity without unity. The narrow path has one choice, diversity with true unity “like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

  21. Mike on December 15th, 2009 3:28 pm

    It seems the Apostle Paul had come to a diffrent conclusion than most who have commented here.

    1Cr 1:10 ¶ Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and [that] there be no divisions among you; but [that] ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment

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