Why Church Diversity?
If you’re like me, you probably don’t think about diversity very often. We’re more often content to “live and let live.” That’s the very assumption that Scott Williams wants to challenge in his new book Church Diversity: Sunday the Most Segregated Day of the Week. Williams bases the premise for his book on a quotation by Martin Luther King Jr. that is as startlingly true now as it was fifty years ago–
“We must face the sad fact that at the eleven o’clock hour on Sunday morning when we stand to sing, we stand in the most segregated hour in America.”
You may be thinking, “But, what’s the big deal? Why is diversity so important? If Whites, Blacks, Latinos, and Asians each have their own church, why does it matter? We’re all worshiping Jesus.”
Well, part of it has to do with the Great Commission Jesus gave us in Matthew 28 to “go and make disciples of all nations,” and challenging ourselves to move beyond “what is” to “what will be.” There will come a day when every tribe, tongue and nation will gather to worship the Lamb. So, when we worship as a diverse body of Christ, we reflect the kingdom of God on earth as it will be in heaven.
I interviewed Scott Williams a few weeks ago, and was intrigued to learn more about this topic. I hope you’ll listen to the interview and start thinking about what the body of Christ can look like.
Message from Scott Williams
August 2, 2011 at 11:14 am