Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ARE Christian Values AND Loving God and Your Neighbor

In response to the statement that "a TRUE Christian is going to be all in on DEI," one of the commentators at Banned by HWA replied: "Do you even know what DEI is? It is contrary to Christ's teaching and Christians would never get involved in such a thing. Apparently, you are confused as to what true love is, believing it to be the acceptance of sin." From my own experience, this is standard fare for many of the folks involved in Armstrongism (not all of them). They claim that most of the folks who claim to be Christian are NOT, and that they embrace a "touchy-feely" kind of "false" love! Personally, I'm thinking that it's the other way around - the folks who say such things are the ones who are NOT Christians!

First, the Apostle Paul defined love as: "patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing <like discrimination> but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." (I Corinthians 13:4-8, ESV) In other words, things like cliquishness, exclusivity, discrimination, and racism are INCONSISTENT with Paul's definition of love. Moreover, those things are also INCONSISTENT with Christ's example and teachings!

Jesus of Nazareth declared: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." (John 3:16-17) Likewise, Paul wrote to the saints of Galatia: "for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." (Galatians 3:26-29, ESV) He also wrote to the Christians in Rome that "the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.  Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. (Romans 3:22-30, ESV)

Indeed, Jesus was criticized for healing those who were disabled and keeping company with sinners. In the Gospel of Luke, we read: "And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?' And Jesus answered them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.'" (Luke 5:30-32) In the same spirit, James wrote: "My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, 'You sit here in a good place,' while you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there,' or, 'Sit down at my feet,' have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it." (James 2:1-10, ESV) Hmmmm, I don't know about you, but that sure sounds like diversity, equity, and inclusion to me!