Does Diversity Really Bring United Methodists Together?

When I was a student at United Seminary, I couldn't help but notice they had a statement that was supposed to define them and it said, " Unity through Diversity," It's funny how that statement has stayed with me over the years. At the time it seemed like a very strange thing to say and after years of pondering the meaning of it, it not only seems strange but ridiculous! In my opinion, unity does not come from diversity but despite the fact that we are diverse. Just look at Genesis and the tower of Babel. The people were working together and God realized if they all had the same language and goals they would accomplish much (Genesis 11:5-9) so he decided to give them diverse languages so they would not work together. Somehow in United Methodism we seem to have in some weird and almost indefineable way bought into the strange philosophy that being different makes us the same. Like somehow if we just celebrage being different it will bring us together! To me this is crazy. It would be like saying that school rivalries bring students together, or trying to say that the differences in culture between the European and Native American cultures brought them closer together, the differences between men and women make marriage easier. As I see it, this is obviously not factual. Just look at history and we can see diversity brings distance and seperates people instead of bringing them together. United Methodists have tried to use cheap slogans and the methods and tools of the world to bring us together..."Open Minds, Open Doors, Open Hearts." These cheap and cheezy slogans only emphasize my point...we count on the words and power of men to do what only God can do.

That is not to say that we cannot celebrate diversity! I think we should, but we cannot try to lift it up as the thing that brings us together because it isn't and to say so is simply misleading. What brings us together is a common bond. There is an old phrase that says, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." History bears this out and so does life. Only a common bond can bridge the huge gaps that divide our culture, our families, our friends, loved ones, races, nations, and even churches. Only a common bond could bring these diverse and unique things together for the common good because otherwise human nature will naturally try to seperate groups and organizations.

Paul understood this when he wrote, " You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26-28NIV) I personally don't believe Paul got into this thing for the purpose of bringing equality to the Greeks, slaves, or women. I think he got into it because he had a real, legitimate encounter with Christ and it changed his life. Because he knew Jesus, he saw everyone as someone in Christ. Take Christ out of it and it all falls apart and Paul understood that. He understood the truth of the matter, it is Christ that unifies us and levels the playing field of race, sex, culture, class, and every other diversity we have. It is ONLY Christ that could do that.

Has anything changed since then? I would say no, nothing has changed since then despite the theologians who have tried to remove a crucified Christ from the church, despite attempts on our part to seperate out social issues from the Christ, despite bureaucracy, the discipline, and everything we do. The crucified Christ is still the reason we come together all during the week to serve and folks if it isn't; we are building on sinking sand.