DEI or Imago Dei: How to Discern Biblical Truth

Abstract:

I wonder how many people would be able to give a good, accurate definition of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Recently I decided to dig into this subject to gain a better understanding of DEI. My goal is to better understand what it is teaching and how it aligns or misaligns with what our Creator, God has to say about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

This post aims to share what I have learned and to help others come to a better understanding of the subject of DEI and ID (Imago Dei.)

I will provide the secular meaning and the Biblical meaning of each word. I will point out the similarities and very importantly- the significant differences of the outcomes of each.

The topic is very complex and I have found many good resources! You will find links to these resources within this post which will enable a deeper understanding than this post intends to provide.

Introduction

In his article, DEI and the Gospel: Affirming the Good, Rejecting the False, and offering a Biblical Vision, Dr. Tim Orr begins his article with this paragraph:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has become one of the most powerful forces shaping contemporary culture, affecting policies in corporations, universities, and even churches. While DEI is often presented as a neutral or benevolent initiative designed to ensure fairness and justice, a closer examination reveals that it is far more than a set of workplace policies. It is an ideological system with deep philosophical roots, drawing from postmodernism, critical theory, and identity politics. Rather than merely addressing issues of fairness, DEI introduces a new way of understanding human identity, justice, and morality—one that often conflicts with biblical truth.
For Christians, this presents a challenge. Some believers embrace DEI uncritically, assuming that it aligns with Christian values because it speaks about justice and inclusion. Others reject it outright, seeing it as a manifestation of secularism and leftist politics.

It’s important to note that Dr. Orr acknowledges that DEI does speak to real issues – issues of fairness, justice, and the treatment of marginalized groups and confirms that these concerns need to be addressed. Why? Because the Bible commands us to care for the vulnerable and to seek justice for the oppressed.

However, Dr. Orr points out a couple of concerns:

Many Christians have simply either embraced or opposed DEI without thoughtfully discerning its principles and how they align with Biblical truth.
The problem with DEI is not the issues it raises but the ideological framework it uses to address the issues.

What do the letters 'DEI' stand for?

DEI stands for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Merriam-Webster dictionary says that it is:

a set of values and related policies and practices focused on establishing a group culture of equitable and inclusive treatment and on attracting and retaining a diverse group of participants, including people who have historically been excluded or discriminated against.

Let’s look at the definition of each word according to the dictionary.

Diversity: The practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc

Equity: the quality of being fair and impartial. (emphasis added) (definition from Oxford Languages)

Inclusion: the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those who have physical or intellectual disabilities and members of other minority groups. (definition from Oxford Languages)

What do the letters DI stand for?

DI stands for Imago Dei means: made in the image of God. Yes, God does value diversity, equity and inclusion. These are Christian values as seen in creation, Jesus’ teachings, and God’s plan for salvation.

Let’s look at what each of these words looks like in the Bible, God’s revelation to us:

Diversity: Being made in the image of God is foundational to the Christian faith. Christians (Christ-followers) believe that all people, including the not yet born, have inherent value, worth, and dignity because they are created by God. Genesis 1:27

Diversity was God’s idea.

God loves diversity! He created an amazing variety of plants and animals.

When He created humans, He created two different genders, male and female Mark 10:6 This is diversity at its most basic—two sexes that are perfectly complementary.

God continued to create diversity at the Tower of Babel. Genesis 11:9 Humankind was clustered together, and God wanted them to

“be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” Genesis 9:1

In order to facilitate His plan of filling the earth, God further diversified the people by confusing their languages. Subsequently, the people groups whose languages were common to each other began to spread out across the earth.

Over time, cultures, different people groups and regional dialects emerged and resulted in the diversity we now know. How Many Races Did God Create? This post is fascinating to me- you need to read it to understand that though there are many ethnicities, there is only one race- the Human Race!

One day in the future there is going to be a huge gathering of God’s people from “every nation, tribe, and tongue”

Revelation 7:9 says:

“with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation”

He designed us the way we are and delights in His handiwork. Psalm 139:13-16

Our likeness to God is not material but is a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.

Today, we still bear the image of God James 3:9 but because sin entered creation through Adam and Eve, we are all born with a sinful nature.

For further understanding of sin, its consequences and knowing God’s plan for our redemption, you can check out this article: Heaven is an awesome place: How To Get There!

The good news is that when God redeems an individual, He begins to restore the original image of God, creating a “new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” Ephesians 4:24

Next- Equity, the Biblical meaning.

Equity: Equity refers to God’s love for justice and fairness, and the value He places on individuals.

God loves every created person who has been or will be born and knew each one intimately before he/she was ever born.

For your formed my innermost parts; your knit me together in my mother’s womb….I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:13-15
From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. Acts 17:26
God wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4

Inclusion: The Bible portrays God as one who welcomes and values all people regardless of their background or status. Jesus ministry was characterized by inclusion, where he forgave and transformed people who were considered outcasts or sinners, rolling back boundaries and deconstructing categories. (AI overview)

There are over 100 Bible verses on the topic of inclusion that I found. Here are a few:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that He has made. Psalm 145:9

More inclusive verses below!

Galatians 3:28	Romans 12:15-18	James 2:1-4
Luke 14: 13-14	Ephesians 4:25	Deuteronomy 10:17

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a humanist parallel to the Christian conception of Imago DEI. Stephanie Looomis PhD

Before diving into the practice and differences, I want to share a paragraph from a post: DEI and Imago Dei by mrsloomisPhD. She writes….

On the face of it, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a humanist parallel to the Christian conception of Imago DEI. But there is a striking difference between them: while the biblical principle is rooted in a belief that all of humanity is to be equally valued as the God-breathed pinnacle of creation, the other is grounded in a Freirean conviction of oppressors and oppressed in a constant battle for domination. Interestingly, Freire himself expected Christians to engage with his work (Freire, 1970,p37) because he understood the basis of nonsectarianism expected by the Bible. He didn’t expect Christians to agree necessarily, but he anticipated they would participate in the dialog he suggested. His hope was that his concept of humanization might be a bridge between those he named “oppressors” and “oppressed;” fifty years later, his ideal of liberation is farther away than ever, with the right and the left warring against each other instead of seeking a common good.
DEI, while a noble ideal, has been politicized to the point that diversity, equity, and inclusion are for everyone except perceived oppressors, generally defined as white and/or Christian. (READ MORE of her article).

Understanding the Origins of DEI and Influences on DEI Teaching and How it Differs from ID

According to an article in Forbes by Julie Kratz, The Little Known History Of DEI And Why It’s Critical To Its Survival, many DEI supporters cite the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a catalyst for the modern DEI industry. The act made discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin illegal in employment, leading to further developments.

In each decade over the past 70 years there has been continued expansion of DEI initiatives which you can read about in this article in the above link.

Jumping ahead to the 2020’s organizations like BlackLives Matter and StopAAPIHate, started a renewed focus on addressing social injustices and bringing them into the professional world.

Neil Shenvi’s very in-depth post: DEI Done Right: Disentangling Christian Community from Critical Theory, is a must read for anyone who desires to understand what is happening in our culture.

He states that

“while most DEI programs are rooted in critical theory, we can think about these concepts in ways that are compatible with Christianity. In other words, we can see our churches, universities, and institutions as places where diversity, equity and inclusion can be fostered provided that we define these terms is a biblical way and explicitly reject definitions rooted in critical theory.

I want to emphasize his last sentence: “In other words, we can see our churches, universities, and institutions as places where diversity, equity and inclusion can be fostered provided that we define these terms is a biblical way and explicitly reject definitions rooted in critical theory

The aim of his article is to show how to do that.

Shenvi recognizes that there is something going on in our culture that is impacting it significantly. Namely- contemporary critical theory.

He states:

As Christians, we simply cannot accept critical theorists’ understanding of oppression, justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and a host of other concepts.

Why not? Because the critical theorist’s understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion is fundamentally flawed.

Please read his excellent article using the Link to his article at top of this section.

What does DEI and ID look like in practice? What are the significant differences?

Diversity: In Secular Practice

The Truth About DEI in Schools: How It’s Changing Education by Goldwater Institute (Video Link)

Goldwater Institute says that DEI: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are great empathetic words and when you put them all together you get a movement of programs that appeal to the compassion and good intentions of our society. The programs are supposed to promote fair treatment and participation for everyone especially those groups that especially suffered under discrimination, bondage or injustice. And, Let’s be honest, in our Country, like most Countries, that’s included a lot of people throughout our history.

So, that sounds good right? Promote fair treatment and participation for everyone?

What is DEI actually teaching?

There are different types of oppression.
There are 2 categories of people The Oppressors (Privileged Group & Border Social Groups) and The Oppressed (Oppressed Social Groups)
A dominant culture of white, middle class, cisgender, educated able-bodied Christians have and will always be responsible for holding other groups down.

These same schools are eliminating honors and gifted programs and even standardized tests as they supposedly promote systemic racism rather than hard work or achievement.

A study done by American Experiment called DEI training and it’s dangerous, counterproductive impacts, came to this conclusion:

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives typically purport goals of combating bias and promoting inclusivity, but an experiment on the topic has found that its pedagogy produces hostile attribution bias.

The study found that ‘Anti-racist materials induce prejudicial attitudes and racial suspicion’

You can read the complete article as linked above.

Excerpt from the article:

Ibram X. Kendi/Robin DiAngelo Essay
(Pieced together from quotes in How to Be an Antiracist by Kendi and White Fragility by DiAngelo.)

White people raised in Western society are conditioned into a white supremacist worldview. Racism is the norm; it is not unusual. As a result, interaction with White people is at times so overwhelming, draining, and incomprehensible that it causes serious anguish for People of Color. Furthermore, racism is essentially capitalist; capitalism is essentially racist. To love capitalism is to love racism. The U.S. economy, a system of capitalist greed, was based on the enslavement of African people, the displacement and genocide of Indigenous people, and the annexation of Mexican lands. We must deploy antiracist power to compel or drive from power the racist policymakers and institute policy that is antiracist and anti-capitalist. Additionally, the ideologies of objectivity, individualism, and meritocracy are social forces that function powerfully to hold the racial hierarchy in place. White people in North America live in a society that is deeply separate and unequal by race, and White people are the beneficiaries of that separation and inequality. As a result, they come to feel entitled to and deserving of their advantages. The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination.

Diversity: Biblical View

Biblical diversity – demonstrated in unity.

God loves diversity and was the creator of it; it was part of His plan. Genesis 1:27
Jesus prayed for the unity of His followers -all who would ever believe in Him. John 17:20
The Bible teaches that there is no Jew, nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
We all stand on level ground at the foot of the cross; we all need forgiveness and salvation. Romans 3:23
Unity can only be achieved through God’s truth. John 17:17-21
Heaven will have people from every nation, every tribe. Revelation 7:9

God loves us and seeks to have a relationship with each one of us through Jesus- so that – we can have our identity as a child of God!

Therefore, Biblical diversity is unlike DEI which groups people according to race, gender and social class to be defined by their group identity. DEI reinforces division rather than overcoming differences.

Equity: In Secular Practice

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Equity: Biblical View

Jesus came to remove barriers between people. Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew not Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”