A conservative publication recently published an article titled “Over Half of Southern Baptist Universities Have DEI Infrastructures,” listing SBC institutions that make references diversity, equity, or inclusion on their websites. To be sure, the reporter was not seeking to celebrate the efforts of a denomination founded on an affirmation of chattel slavery to move past the racism of the past, but rather to illustrate that the SBC has fallen victim to “liberal drift.”
Be that as it may, DEI has become something of a political hot button issue, with a number of Republican politicians and candidates railing against programs aimed at increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Similarly, the Supreme Court recently ruled against affirmative action in collegiate admissions, prompting praise from conservatives but leading to an outcry from progressives.
Assuming that people on both sides of the political spectrum are interested in racial justice and the fair treatment of people regardless of their race or ethnicity, why is there such a divide when it comes to these policies? While progressives see them as the answer to centuries white supremacy, many conservatives see the methods they employ as counterproductive.
In this episode, we discuss DEI and affirmative action. We explore the goals of these programs and policies, how they are effective at achieving those goals, and the ways in which they fall short. We also discuss whether these types of strategies could be helpful to churches, and if so, how we should handle their implementation.
RELATED RESOURCES
READ: We Need To Talk About Race in Church More, Not Less
READ: Colorblindness and the Persistence of White Supremacist Theology
READ: Ancient Wisdom on the Debate Between ‘Social Justice’ and ‘Biblical Justice’
REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE
The Sentinel: “Over Half of Southern Baptist Universities Have DEI Infrastructures”
AP News: “Divided Supreme Court Outlaws Affirmative Action in College Admissions, Says Race Can’t Be Used”
“The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America” by Richard Rothstein
