I write a quarterly column for Preach magazine, in which I explore a significant word, phrase, or idea in the Bible, or a theme or section of Scripture, and the ideas that it expresses. At the end of this piece I list the previous articles I have written for them. Here I explore the importance of the theme of diversity-in-unity across the story of Scripture.
It is often claimed that diversity is an important theme in the story of Scripture—but in fact it would be more accurate to say that diversity-in-unity (or perhaps unity-in-diversity) is the dominant theme.
We can see this in the opening pages of the Old Testament. Two things are striking about the first creation account in Genesis 1. The first is the wonder of the diversity of the created order—the plants and trees are ‘according to their various kinds’, the lights in the sky are sun, moon, and starts in all their splendour, and land, sea and sky are ‘swarming’ with every kind of creature.
Yet we might miss the most striking thing about this diversity: it all springs from the creativity of the one God. In other ancient creation stories, the diversity of the world comes from the diversity of the gods, or even the conflict between them. But in this story, we have a central paradox: the immaterial God expresses creativity through making a material world, and the one God creates a vast diversity of life to fill it.
The diversity of humanity
This theme of diversity-from-unity is found at key points in the story of God’s dealings with the world. When human sin abounds and God decides to remake the world after the flood, once more we find diversity flowing from a single source. God’s command to Noah echoes exactly his original command to Adam and Eve: ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth’ (Gen 9.1). The following chapter, Genesis 10, then catalogues the diversity of humanity and flows from this one origin, with a repeated fourfold refrain:
From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations (v 5)…
These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations (v 20)…
These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations (v 31).
But these diverse people seek to unite together to defy God, so he scatters them at Babel—and begins the long process of renewing humanity through the call of Abraham, who becomes the father of a holy nation, his people Israel. Once more, we see diversity arising from a single origin; despite their shared ancestry, each of the twelve tribes has a distinct character—and destiny—as described by Moses’ song at the end of his life in Deuteronomy 33. For each of the twelve tribes, he offers a prophetic word of exhortation and warning, according to that tribe’s character.
The diversity of the new humanity
The diverse characters of the twelve tribes are mirrored in the diversity of the Twelve that ‘Jesus called to be with him’ (Mark 3.14). He called together practical artisans (in the four fishermen) with a desk-bound bureaucrat (Matthew the tax collector). Politically, he united people who were virulently anti-Roman (Simon the Zealot, probably part of a violent resistance movement) and those who were embedded collaborators (Matthew as a tax collector worked on behalf of Rome). Temperamentally, the Twelve included impulsive Peter (‘I will die with you!’ Matt 26.35), passionate James and John (‘Let us call down fire on them!’ Luke 9.54), and sceptical Thomas (‘Unless I see the marks of the nails…’ John 20.25). Most were slow to understand who he was and what he came to do—and one even rejected him in the end.
What was it that held them together for so long? Nothing other than the call of Jesus: ‘Follow me!’
What is striking about this social, political, and temperamental diversity is that it continues to mark the followers of Jesus as the movement grows and changes.
In Acts 13.1, we meet the leaders in the church at Antioch who, in nuce, represent the whole range of life and outlook in the Roman Empire.
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.
Barnabas is from a priestly family in the Diaspora (Acts 4.36) and appears to be of some wealth since he is able to sell land he owns and contribute the proceeds to the apostles (Acts 4.37). By contrast Paul is a Pharisee, connected with Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, who engaged in manual labour to maintain himself.
Simeon ‘the Black’ was likely a north African, either of dark complexion or ethnically black. Lucius is also from the region (Cyrene is in modern Libya), but has a Latin rather than Jewish name. Manaen is a Greek version of the Jewish name Menachem (meaning ‘Comforter), and the term Luke uses implies he was the foster brother of Herod Antipas—who has executed John the Baptist!
This is an impressive list for at least two reasons. First, God had truly made “two peoples into one” (Eph 2:14). He united these people at several levels: (a) Those from different financial strata —assuming that Manaen, having been raised in Herod’s household, was a wealthy aristocrat. (b) Those from different religious backgrounds—Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews as well as Greeks (cf. 11:19–20). (c) Those from different nationalities—African, Syrian, Cyprus, Palestinian. And (d) those of differing skin color—assuming that Niger, meaning black, was a description of Simeon. (Mark Moore)
Antioch contained at least 18 different ethnic groups, but they each lived within their own communities. In a place where people kept to themselves, here was a group that didn’t.
Diversity in ministry
Even more impressive is Paul’s list of fellow-believers to whom he sends greetings in Romans 16. Of the 29 people Paul lists, ten are women—though it is the women who dominate Paul’s references to leadership and ministry.
The names tell us much about their identity, though we might not realise this at a casual read. Many of them are Jewish, or adapted from Jewish names. But alongside this we find Greek gentile names (such as Epaenetus), Latin names like Ampliatus, which was a common slave name in Rome, as was Urbanus, and the names of what appear to be freedmen and freedwomen. Once more, different national and ethnic identities sit alongside each other, as well as poor and rich in one list.
Diversity shaped every moment of the Roman house churches, but Paul sought for a unity in the diversity, a sibling relationships in Christ that both transcended and affirmed one’s ethnicity, gender, and status… Every person in each of the house churches in Rome had formed an identity apart from Christ and then in Christ, and the emphasis on ‘in Christ’ or ‘in the Lord’ in the names is as emphatic as it is often unobserved. (Scot McKnight, Reading Romans Backwards).
Two things are striking about these kinds of list.
First, the diversity in these two lists appears, on the surface at least, to be effortless. It is true that Luke has a programmatic interest in ethnographic diversity, starting his account as he does with the list of Jews from all over the diaspora who witness the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost and hear Peter’s sermon. But in Acts 13, he lists the diversity of leaders in a quite factual way, and makes nothing much of it; there is no explanatory comment. This is just the way things were.
Similarly for Paul, there doesn’t appear to be a ‘diversity agenda’ at work in his list in Romans 16. The list hasn’t been engineered; there has been no attempt at positive discrimination for inclusion of different social or ethnic groups. This is just a list of those in Rome whom Paul knows and whose ministry he values. And it turns out to be very diverse.
Secondly, alongside this effortless diversity, at every point there is an equal emphasis on unity through Jesus.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph 4.4–6).
Being clear on what unites us appears to be the key to living with a natural diversity, and the diversity itself testifies to what it is that unites.
We see this clearly in Revelation 7. John hears the number of those counted out: the 144,000 from every tribe of Israel, unified in serried ranks ready for spiritual warfare. And yet when he turns to see who they are, he encounters ‘a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language’ (Rev 7.9) precisely echoing that repeated phrase from Gen 10. The renewal of God’s people Israel is also a renewal of the creation, as we, in our glorious diversity, stand united before the throne of God and the lamb.
For a more detailed analysis of the ethnic and social diversity in Acts 13 and Romans 16, see my article devoted to it here.
For a study of nurturing diversity in leadership, see this Grove booklet on Growing Leaders from Diverse Cultures.
My previous articles have been on the themes of:
- the phrase ‘Word of God’
- the theme of ‘Mission’
- the meaning of ‘Apocalypse‘
- the ministry of ‘Healing’,
- the question of ‘Welcome’,
- the biblical understanding of ‘Justice’,
- the biblical view of creation
- what the Bible means by the term ‘church’.
- what the Bible says about grief and grieving.
- what is so good about the Old Testament?
- Why should we welcome the stranger?
- How can we rejoice in an imperfect world?
- What does scripture say about disability?
- What are the scriptural roots of our understanding of preaching?
- How do we make sense of the psalms of conflict?
- What does Scripture say about poverty and our response to it?
- What is the meaning of Sabbath?
- What is it like to encounter the person of Jesus?
- What does Joel tell us about the promises of God?
- What is the connection between prayer and fasting?
- What does the rise of artificial intelligence tell us about being human?
- The God of small things
- What we can learn from the shorter letters of the New Testament.
Yes, there is diversity in abundance within the body of Christ, and I welcome it. But there is no diversity over faith: you are either in Christ or you are not. And you either accept the authority of the scriptures as He did, or not.
Statements in the Old Testament about the pagan gods of nations other than Israel are scorching. God uses the language of contempt, disgust and hate, which he hardly ever does about human beings, whom he wishes to redeem.
Thanks for this. There are several very helpful points here.
Thanks! Any in particular?
Ian – this is really very good, thank you.
One could also touch on (what I jokingly refer to as) Paul’s favourite sermon, the diversity-in-unity of the “body” of Christ. 1 Cor 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4 – arguably his three major epistles all reference the same metaphor in order to emphasise diversity in ministry. I imagine Paul expounding this theme wherever he preaches, to counter our continual tendency to want to produce “cloned” Christians. All looking like us, or else looking like what we imagine the ideal production-line Christian should look like. Paul feels the need to constantly counter this innate human tendency.
Another point to ponder is what we might call a “diversity in concept”, which is embedded deep within the Hebraic mindset and linguistic expression. (Even the NT is written by people with Hebraic mindsets, which is often in evidence even though they are writing in Greek, their thought patters are Hebraic.) Hebrew as a language constantly uses words in ways which can mean several different things at once, and Hebrew writers love exploiting the variety of possibilities this affords. One scholar sees this deliberate ambiguity in Hebrew semantics as reflecting the “profound inter-connectedness of all reality” (Jerome Walsh). He points out that the “hidden interaction between words are lost in translation and a whole dimension of meaning with them”. It seems that God created the Hebraic culture and linguistic tapestry, with its rich and profound diversity of thought within single words or phrases, as his chosen medium for expressing the diversity-in-unity of the Divine nature and character.
Yes, I would agree with you on those passages—though note that these are about diversity of gifting, and not in the first instance about diversity of ethnicity of social status.
Absolutely.
One might say diversity of “output” to balance diversity of “input” ??
Paul is interested again and again in holding Jew and gentile together in the ekklesia. I wouldn’t call that diversity – it is a specific issue in view of the fact that Jews had a prior covenant and gentiles didn’t.
God hates SIN
Sin separates as in Eden from God and from each other hence fig leaves.
Through the death of an animal God provided skins so that at least they could exist together.
When God provided the “covering” of Christs’ blood we can resume Fellowship both with God and each other. We are clothed in Christ at Conversion.
In subsequent instructions from Paul to “put on Christ” to “have the mind of Christ” “Walk as He walked”.
In Galatians 3:26-27,he writes that, “in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
Everyone who has committed their life to Christ by faith has the status of having “put on Christ.”
It is through this concept of baptism that Paul instructs believers to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Rom 13:14).
Sometimes the command is to “put on” certain godly characteristics that are a reflection of Christ himself:
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Col 3:12).The Mind of Christ.
“The call to “put on” these godly characteristics is rooted in our status as those who are holy, chosen and loved by God.”{Dr. Matt Harmon}
Addressing the people while His mother and brothers stood outside, He said” ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother’ ” (Matthew 12:48-50).
Paul said ““we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened– not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life” (2 Cor 5:2-4).
“In summary, every believer has put on Christ by virtue of trusting in who Jesus is and what he has done for us. Yet we are also called to put on the character qualities and virtues that reflect our identity as children of God. We pursue this goal in anticipation of the day when we will take off our mortal bodies and put on resurrected bodies that fully reflect Christ’s own resurrection body”..grace.edu/what-does-it-mean-to-be-clothed-in-christ/
I am not *quite* sure how this relates to diversity…?
Would it not have been better to use a synonym of diversity for your ‘word’ or even another word or concept altogether?Nowadays diversity is not a popular word among evangelical Christians.
Andrew, thanks, that is a good idea—but what synonym would you suggest? I couldn’t think of any!
Difference, assortment, diverseness, variety.
Christians are like the animals in the Ark, so to borrow from the greek can we have something like ‘Craters’ to describe diversity in unity?
or Krater, a large mixing bowl.
how about liquorice allsorts, or is that trademarked?
Heaven will be multiracial but not multicultural; there will at last be a Christian society, which is what mediaeval Catholics and Orthodox and Victorian Anglicans in their various arrogances claimed to have but didn’t.
The term ‘Culture’ embraces many aspects of life, such as language, food, music, literature. One of the marvellous aspects of the Christian Gospel is that it can take root and find valid expression in these different cultures. That the Scriptures are translated into different languages, into the heart language of different peoples, I think this rich diversity will remain. There is no single ‘Christian Culture’.
As Lamin Saneh points out, this is in contrast to Islam which has a distinct tendency to force culture into something akin to 7th Century Arabia.
The world has not yet seen a genuine Christian culture. You mention language, food, music and literature but it isn’t about the rules of grammar or what staples and spices one eats or the best poets and composers in a region. I mean a culture in which everybody manifests the seven virtues. Nobody tries to take advantage of another, everybody gives help to each other, all marriages are happy, war is unthinkable, etc etc.
Anton, I didn’t know Calvin was Catholic, Orthodox or Anglican!
Andrew
Isn’t that maybe a sign that evangelicals have become too focused on political ideology and lost scripture?
Evangelicals are focused on scripture. It is the woke anti-evangelicals such the ‘leaders’ of the C of E who ignore scripture.
I am not *quite” sure why you think diversity is important,do you?
because it reflects how different the church is supposed to be compared to typical society where different groups tend to stay within those groups.
QUOTE
“The book of Revelation records striking accounts of the last days when all nations, tribes and tongues will be worshiping Jesus. Heaven won’t be filled with homogeneous people – except that we will all be glorified. What we won’t have in heaven is the sin that separates us from God and from each other.
We won’t fight against racism or wonder how to build diversity. We will be diverse. We will love completely and fully. We will worship together and enjoy one another for all eternity.
Creation, redemption, adoption and revelation prove there is a diverse kingdom. Throughout all of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, we see God working to redeem a people for himself, a people from every tribe and tongue and nation – colorful and diverse.
The church’s pursuit of diversity reflects the Bible’s description of the kingdom. We pursue diversity because the pages of Scripture are filled with it. Mostly we pursue diversity because the Gospel embraces and advocates for a diversity of people to be born again into a new family for a holy and good God.”
{Trillia Newbell} is author of United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity, and consultant on Women’s Initiatives for the Ethics and Religious Liberty
Not quite sure what you are saying here Alan.
Bruce Symons
March 14, 2025 at 9:23 pm
“Not quite sure what you are saying here Alan.”
What seems to be the problem Bruce?
I am not sure whether you, Alan, are saying Trillia Newbell is right in what she says, or wrong. I suspected ‘wrong’ (for some reason) but in that case I had misjudged you and I’m sorry.
Excellent – again! This helps me to challenge those in my church circles who are seeking a unity through a perception of diversity that is affirming of many un-Biblical lifestyles. The comments on creational diversity reinforce for me the later parameters within which our unity in diversity should operate – the teachings of Scripture and the words of Jesus. Thank you, Paul.
His name is Ian!
How?
By diverse means.
Variable in its unvariability.
Diffuse in its focus.
Multi- facetted in its diamond stone.
Systematic in its genres.
Expansive in it’s contexts.
Specific in its generalities.
General in its specifics.
One voice through many voices; many voices but One Voice.
From the mouth of God in Trinity. Unity in diversity. One in Simplicity.
Distinction without difference. Distinctly different.
Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent.
Undomesticated, attributes of God.
Incomprehensible yet knowable.
Is diversity too restricted? Too constrained a word for the Word, for the enormity, the immensity of God and self-revelation.
Word of God, scripture, and Word made flesh, Yeshua.
Thank you Geoff , 2025 at 11:19 am
Now we are getting somewhere.
Gaining acceptance into a Church alone is a very low aim.
Gaining acceptance into the Kingdom is of a vastly different order entirely.
The Church may well accept you “as you are”
The Kingdom does not accept you”as you are” but requires
a transformation, a new disposition, a renewing of your mind.
a being of one mind (as at Pentecost), of having the Mind of Christ. a baptism, a dying, a self emptying, a putting on Christ.
The Kingdom of is not a Broad way it is an extremely Narrow way.
It is a very cruel and perverse Doctrine that equates the Church as the Kingdom of God.
A church may be in the Kingdom but conversly the Kingdom may
not be in a church in any shape or form.
The wheat and the tares indeed do grow together
but The Day will declare it by fire which tries every mans’ work of what sort it is. one may appear to be a stalk of wheat but it is the disposition which will detemine the outcome.
One aspect of diversity in the Bible is the vast number of God’s “DEI hires” – people He chose who were socially unacceptable at the time.
Wierd cheating beta male Jacob
A woman (!) Judge Deborah
A shepherd boy of so little consequence that his father didn’t even call him to line up for the prophet.
The diminutive tax collector
Fishermen
The stone that the builders rejected
the first will be last and the last first.
The last Adam is the First Son.
When I consider Scripture it speaks of harmony in love, then rebellion, disruption, and chaos in pride and rebellion. There’s then a call to separation, purification, and a restoration to harmony. Separation is the first step, as evidenced in the story of Israel and many of the 613 Mosaic laws, and in the practice of the early Church – not diversity and inclusion.
Unity within the Church is a unity in faith, life, and witness through the Holy Spirit and adherence to the Truth. The tower of Babel shows that unity is not always a noble goal. God’s will is always love and unity , but the dominance of pride and selfishness in the hearts of human beings divides us.
The real question is: “what shall we unite with and from what shall we separate?” How do we decide as a Christian community on answers to this question? And in that very question our most divisive answers arise!
Who gets to decide, define, good and evil? Holy and unholy?
Which God?
And why?
And how?
And who chooses whom?
Tiptoe through the TULIP’s with me?