Impartial

Today the nation celebrates the birthday of the late Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.  As a guest said to me years ago, it's important to note that he was a preacher of the gospel.  The concept of civil rights for all people is certainly a Biblically-driven ideal, and it's no wonder that it grew out of the Church.  But, today, the Church seems to be confused about words such as equality, diversity, inclusion, tolerance, and many words that have been, well, essentially, weaponized against people that don't necessarily see eye-to-eye with what these concepts have become.  The Bible reinforces the notion of seeing people, not based on appearance, but on the heart - as King put it: not the color of your skin but the content of your character.  In James 2, the Bible says, "My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory."  The passage goes on to say:
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself, ” you are doing well.
9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

As believers in Christ, we are called and empowered to love God - and by connecting with the love of Jesus, who gave His life for us, we are called to love our neighbor. Seems simple to me, but in this electrified culture, it has become increasingly difficult.  

Erik Reed, who is Lead Pastor of The Journey Church in Lebanon, TN, outside Nashville, elaborated on the notion of partiality in a recent piece at WORLD Magazine.  He writes, "Diversity is a good thing. We see it in Revelation 7, with people of every tribe, nation, and language gathered around the throne. Or in 1 Corinthians 12, where the Lord distributes a variety of gifts to different members of the church. Diversity is good—so DEI must be a good thing, right?"  

"Not so fast," the pastor writes, stating that DEI, which stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, "...is not neutral; it carries a full worldview. It is rooted in Critical Race Theory and intersectionality. In this paradigm, everything is filtered through the grid of oppressor and oppressed. Society is seen primarily through the lens of power, race, gender, and sexual identity. Racism is no longer viewed as an individual sin or prejudice, but as something embedded in systems, institutions, and structures. This ideology perpetuates grievance and division."

Reed uses these Scriptures that reflect God's heart on the notion of partiality:

Proverbs 20:23 says, “Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord, and false scales are not good.” Proverbs 11:1 echoes this: “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.” God hates unequal weights and measures. He despises partiality. DEI programs are institutionalized partiality.

Noting ways that these ideas are manifested, Reed says, "Christians must stand against them."  He declares: "But if Christians stay silent, these false ideologies will only entrench themselves deeper into society and workplace cultures."

We hear a lot about "justice" these days - and Reed did an excellent job of contrasting what has come to be known as "social justice," with Biblical justice - he writes:

Biblical justice is about equal standards and impartiality. DEI is about chosen outcomes, achieved through partiality. Biblical justice is rooted in truth, righteousness, and the fact that every individual is an image-bearer of God, deserving fair treatment. DEI is rooted in power dynamics and group identity. Biblical justice measures by personal responsibility and merit. DEI measures by group status and disparity. The Bible calls for just scales—everyone living by the same rules. DEI creates unequal rules and justifies them as “balancing historic grievances.”

Citing the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, Reed writes: "The parable reminds us that God calls each of us to be faithful stewards, judged not by identity or group status but by what we do with what we have been given. Christians should reject ideologies...that reward partiality and undermine personal responsibility. Instead, we should champion a framework that reflects God’s justice—where character, accountability, and faithful stewardship are what truly matter."

This is a great day to discuss this notion of partiality, and especially as it applies to the Church. God calls us to unity in Jesus, He instructs and empowers us to love one another. But, if we allow divisive ideas to enter the body, like a cancer, it festers and fosters distrust and even dislike.  We cannot pursue the external mission of Jesus if we are divided as a body.  And, that, quite frankly, is Satan's scheme.

So, we have to reject ideas that don't contribute to unity.  That includes Christians in the body of Christ and in the workplace.  Rather than embracing "equality," which emphasizes opportunity, there are those in our culture who prefer to speak of "equity," which demands equal outcomes and manipulating systems to produce those outcomes.  It is demeaning to the individual and a tool borne of partiality.  We are not merely chess pieces on a board, players in a game to see who will get ahead - we are human beings, created in the image of God, who are called to see our fellow humans not through man-made philosophies, but through our love for others, rooted in the love of God.