This past week my denomination (PCA - Presbyterian Church in America) held its annual General Assembly. As has been the case for a few years I was unable to make it, but I was fortunate enough to be able to watch it live at times on a webcast that the denomination has put together. There were no great decisions and no great fights that will go down in the annals of the history of the PCA so I had the opportunity to watch the proceedings from a more relaxed perspective. One of the things that I couldn't help but notice is that the PCA is filled with a bunch of old white guys. Now I've got nothing against old white guys, I hope to be one myself someday, but it would sure be nice to see a little more variety there. I will say this, the PCA has aggressively tried to recruit and develop men of various ethnicities, but we just have a long way to go before we have a real mix.
What do you think? Does it matter if there is diversity or not? And what exactly is diversity? Are people diverse when their skin color is different? Or are they diverse when their tax bracket is different? I believe that it does matter and I also think that a lot goes into who we are and what makes us unique. It matters because God makes us special and different and we all have something to offer. I believe that when we get to heaven we're going to realize how much we have missed out on because we were so wrapped up in our own little world. I also think that we should aggressively pursue relationships with people that are in different worlds societally speaking. It helps us to understand the other side and see how wonderful people are that previously we had so many prejudices against. And that road runs both ways.
So do me a favor. Find someone that is nothing like you and have a conversation with them. You just might be surprised how you much you like them and how much they have to offer; even in your bizarre little world!
2 comments:
This opinion piece reflects my feelings on a lot of situations, not just the PCA...
I think there is too much emphasis on diversity and tolerance and not enough emphasis on what is right.
If what is right by God is being respected and adhered to as well as possible, what difference does it make who is in charge and whether or not they are of the same gender, age bracket and race?
Can we really claim to not be racist/ageist if we see a room full of old white guys and immediately assume something is amiss? Isn't that, in itself, a form of prejudice? Let's respect where these elders come from and what they have to offer the Church. If they are not acting as agents of God, if they actually are found to discriminate on race, let's worry about that then.
Why can't we worry more about what is being said and less about who is saying it?
Just wanted to add that this is a very poignant topic considering the upcoming election.
How many times have we heard "could this be the election that will give us our first female or first black president?"
Personally, I am more concerned with backing the candidate with the best economic, domestic and foreign policy, regardless of the external package that candiate comes in. Not to say it won't be a landmark occasion and worth celebrating if such a thing were to happen, the struggle for equality was and is real, but it should never be THE determining factor.
So basically, I'm agreeing with what delanorome had to say.
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