Pentecost and DEI
I was inspired to write this after church last week, where we celebrated Pentecost.
There are three triggering letters in the alphabet that evoke strong reactions among some in the circles of conservative Christianity. Those three letters are D, E, and I. Those letters stand for Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion. A concept adopted by organizations worldwide aimed to promote the value of those three words. It upsets some because it dissolves elements of exclusivity and perceived entitlement in the context of employment. Yet, DEI is not a new concept created by modern policymakers; it's as old as the Bible itself.
Christians celebrated Pentecost Sunday last weekend. It falls 50 days after Easter, and this year, the festival fell on June 8th. Pentecost (50 in Greek) commemorates the founding of the church when the Holy Spirit descended upon the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem. When this happened, Scripture records a miraculous event in which the believers began to speak in other languages. People visiting from the known world at the time were visiting Jerusalem and they remarked,
"These men who are doing the speaking are all Galileans, aren't they?" they said. 8 "So how is it that each of us can hear them in our own mother tongues? 9 There are Parthians here, and Medians, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judaea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya that belong to Cyrene; there are people from Rome, 11 proselytes as well as Jews; there are Cretans and Arabs. We can hear them speaking about the powerful things God has done—in our own languages!" Act 2: 7-11
When I read the 8th verse, I interpret the speakers as having a very personal connection with what they were hearing; I'll paraphrase here,
"They said it like my momma would have said it back home in our kitchen."
Another modern way to say it would be, "This was way better than Google Translate..." The language heard was contextual and had nuance. It was not an imperial, tolerant concession made by the speakers to be understood. The people visiting Jerusalem could hear their accents woven into the narrative of God's story.
This beautiful idea gives us a glimpse into the politics of God. They are much more than policies that encourage tolerance. They invite the nations to the table, embrace diversity, and are egalitarian. Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion are at work in the redemption of humanity. Grace is not exclusive to one group.
Assimilation is comfortable for imperial dominance, and our history is full of sad examples. It would have been a lot more efficient if everyone in Jerusalem had begun to understand Hebrew. That's not how the miracle played out. I've read these verses hundreds of times, and over the years, I continue to be challenged by this beautiful truth that no one culture, language, or community should dominate the conversation of life.
So what do we do with this?
Let's be real for a moment. Diversity can be its own chaos and can be frustrating and uncomfortable. This is all nice stuff to say on paper. In practice, It's hard, and it takes time. Sitting in the discomfort of having to work through what you don't understand is hard work. But you always discover more of what it means to be human at the edge of discomfort.
Having multiple languages at the table makes feasting even better. The tongues that speak poetry and prose from all over the world bring exotic flavors, stories, and songs to our gatherings. I believe God smiles when we can join with those who are different than us at the table of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion.
Thanks for reading friend, may you find the opportunity to hear the diversity of life.
Notes:
My favourite Commentary on the book of Acts is Acts: A Theological Commentary on the Bible written by Dr. Willie Jennings. Anyone wanting to dig into Acts with an eye for diversity should have this commentary in their library. Or…you could borrow mine if you know me IRL 🙂