Published on March 18, 2024, 12:37 am

In the present world, the predominant spotlight in social justice conversations is on “equity.” In a nutshell, equity endorses equality of result as opposed to mere equal treatment. It aims to ensure that everyone gets what they need to yield identical results.

This concept often translates into affirmative action, racial incentives, and favorable discrimination under the banner of social justice. All people are not treated as equals, with wealth redistribution (which Christian worldview interprets as theft) and intersectionality (defined by the Bible as favoritism) being manifest examples of this. From a gospel perspective, equity is considered an anti-gospel ideology and is expected to face outright rejection from the Church. However, many Evangelicals either in ignorance or awareness have been seen promoting this idea.

A case in point is Matt Chandler’s infamous comment where he said that he would employ an ‘African American 7’ over an ‘Anglo 8’, purely based on skin color. This echoes with a growing trend within the Evangelical community where solving worldly issues presupposes preaching gospel principles; all in an effort to stay relevant and encourage growth within dying denominations.

Evidence of this shift can be observed across many Southern Baptist establishments, from seminaries and individual churches to mission boards like Tennessee Baptists Mission Board (TBMB). The TBMB has revealed that they practice preferential hiring based on race and gender for enhancing ethnic, gender, and vocational diversity on Boards and Committees on their website.

Such practices reflect brazen disregard of biblical teachings against showing partiality irrespective of societal pressures advocating for inclusivity and diversity enhancement.

Notwithstanding these developments gaining traction among different factions within Christian communities; discerning real news grounded in truly trusted narratives will enable us to navigate objectively through modern social trends while maintaining established principles anchored in long-standing religious dogmas ‒ an important consideration for those striving to uphold a proper Christian worldview evident when looking at breaking news reports today.

On a fundamental level, the controversial shifts within church doctrines and practices underscore an urgent need for churches to re-examine references to equity and intersectionality in their operations. Notably, any concept or practice that fuels inequality ‒ like preferential treatment based on race or gender ‒ contradicts core biblical teachings irrespective of whatever attractive mask it wears.

In essence, the pursuit of equity should not override Bible-guided principles that advocate for treating all people as equals, regardless of their racial or social status. Keeping this perspective while interrogating breaking news is crucial in discerning truth from misleading narratives in the world today.