DEIA

On June 25, 2021 President Biden signed an Executive Order (EO) pertinent to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).

On September 29, 2022 the Office of Personnel Management convened a panel of all Federal government agencies’ Chief Diversity Officers. The panel was tasked to provide guidance on how to implement President Biden’s EO of fifteen months earlier.

You realize, I trust, that equity and equality are not synonymous. Equal refers to equal opportunity under the law and is insured by the United States Constitution. Equity refers to preferential treatment to underserved communities until there is parity with those who are deemed privileged, i.e., anyone whose skin is white and heterosexual.

Granting the President the benefit of the doubt, I assume he means well with his EO. However, DEI—and now A as well—is a slippery, tricky business. Equity is based upon arbitrary preference while equality is based upon opportunity.

In the aftermath of hurricane Ian, Vice President Harris stated that Federal relief funds would be dispersed in Florida based upon equity, not need. Presumably, she meant that where a white family, a brown family, and a black family all lost their homes during Ian, the brown and black families would receive relief funds ahead of the white family. Not until all the brown and black families affected by Ian, as well as other underserved populations like LGBTQ+ people, had received aid would the white family affected by the storm receive Federal aid.

I say “presumably, she meant” because the Director of FEMA quickly dismissed the VP’s pronouncement of equity and stated that Federal relief aid through FEMA would be based upon need, not the color of one’s skin, texture of one’s hair, gender, race, etc.

Again, granting benefit of doubt, I assume our leaders mean well. However, the more we embrace equity the more unequal our culture becomes. The more we point out diversity, the more divided we become. The more we champion inclusion, the more discriminating our culture becomes. The more we promote access, the more groups we cancel.

As the Federal government bears down on DEIA, the more diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility slip through our fingers.

What’s the solution?

On July 25, 2022 I wrote to you about DEI. (“A” hadn’t been picked up in general society yet.) In that article, I observed: “’Equity’ appears three times in Scripture. In each case, its use means to do what is right. In each case, God is called upon to achieve, establish, or execute equity. Like is the case with vengeance, Scripture indicates that God alone can accomplish equity.”

This means that no corporate policy, no ruling of the highest court, certainly no politician; no remuneration, social initiative, statue replacement, or title; no reallocation of wealth, educational funding, or revision of the tax code is big enough, sweeping enough, or far-reaching to sufficient depth to repair the darkness of a creation distant from our Creator.

Our country is longing for what is right to be established. We are writhing under the weight of our human failings, and the harder government tries to help, the worse we suffer. Do you realize that 70% of Americans are now looking for additional work to combat the effects of inflation?

The closest thing humans have to right-ness is the rule of law. But when civil society suffers, even the rule of law is suspect and disposable. Consider all the calls to defund the policy, abolish the Supreme Court, pack the Court, eliminate the filibuster, compromise secure voting, reduce or eliminate bail, ignore criminal charges, whitewash horrifying escalations in violent crime, politicizing the FBI and DOJ. I could go on.

America is straining at our cultural constraints, pushing against the guardrails of society, and testing the fabric of our union. Things are wrong and we are growing more and more desperate to make them right. But the more we labor for what is right, the more corrupt we become.

Right-ness can only be established by One who is right, knows right, and embodies right.

As Scripture notes, only God can establish equity.

As Scripture teaches, only God can make a person right.

As Scripture promises, one day God will make all things right that are wrong.

As Believers we celebrate our right-standing with God, our inclusion in His family, our participation in His inheritance, and the comfort that in Him there are no trappings of inequity. As civil society becomes more uncivil and as incivility escalates, it is only through confidence in who we are and whose we are that we enjoy the fact that Jesus Christ is the anchor of our soul.

I encourage you: Watch culture out of the side of your eye, but focus on what is true about you and those around you. Only in so doing will you weather the preposterous effort to resolve what ails us by physical appearance, physical address, and physical location.

Here is a link to my earlier article, DEI.

Now is an important time to be certain your spiritual health is in good shape. Now is a good time to help your community of faith be certain their spiritual foundation is solid. It is to this end that I wrote Rigorous Grace: Practicing the Life of Jesus. You can purchase the book here.

Keep your wits about you.