Chapter One

Where diversity began

My name is Angulus Wilson I am the University Pastor, Dean of Spiritual Formation and Chief Diversity Officer at Fresno Pacific University. The aim of this blog is to explain and highlight Spiritual Formation and Diversity in the University context for the glory of God. I want to take you on a journey today and show you how in the body of Christ and in the work of the Spirit the believer must see that diversity is God’s idea and not men.

In the book of Genesis, the holy Scriptures began with the truth stating, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Moses as the author of Genesis goes on to explain all that God did in his creative work to bring the universe into existence with all of its contents. In doing so God displays divine creativity in the development of diverse ecosystems and life.

According to the Scriptures everything he makes he made diverse. No two creatures are created the same. Every form of human life, plant life, or birds and beast of the field have been created distinctly different and diverse from one another. Therefore, the idea of diversity and the celebration of diversity does not come from man but it comes from acknowledging the God of heaven and earth who created all things for his honor and his glory.

Moses goes further on in Genesis to say that it is good. That’s correct after he created all things at the conclusion of his Great work, the Lord said it is good.

With these thoughts set on the backdrop of our discussion for today, it is important to identify that the human race is made up of many cultures, and all created in the image of God. For the very same book in its beginning, stated that when God got ready to make a man, he distinctively created him different from anything else he created. It is said in the Holy book that God created man in the image of himself. When God created his image in the earth he did it in a diverse manner. No two human beings are alike, male and female are created distinctively different by the hand of our Almighty God. Therefore, we see diversity in the very beginning of creation and all of it was designed and developed by a thoughtful creator who embraces diversity as his idea.

After God creates the human race in his likeness, he delights in making humanity the crown jewel of his creation. As the crown jewel of his creation, humanity has been made the Stewart leaders of all that God had created on the planet.

Mankind becomes involved in the work of God by caring for the cosmos, the creation, and all of the creeping things, plants, ecosystems, that God delighted in. God has made men a collaborator with him on the earth.

This idea of diversity and stewardship collaboration is A beautiful picture of what God desires in the earth for his people. As we further progress through these ideas I want to encourage the reader to hold on to this narrative as it will become the idea that we come back too often in this work.

Here at Fresno Pacific University, our kingdom agenda is to be involved in what God is doing in the lives of his people that he has created in the earth for himself.

Through the medium of higher education, we inspire people to have a kingdom worldview of how God can use them through the earth and all of their gifts and service opportunities in collaboration with God. Therefore kingdom diversity is God’s agenda for humanity. We do not embrace A humanistic worldview of secular diversity, that separates, segregates, and subjugates any race or class of people from one another. The kingdom diversity perspective is A perspective of service, submission, as a sacrifice on behalf of one individual to all individuals ensuring that God is glorified in our good works toward one another.

Secular diversity demands for inclusion and acceptance. Kingdom Diversity willingly embraces all people groups because all have been made in the image of God and all are deserving of the dignity of being created in this very image. Therefore, the celebration of cultures is a necessity and obligation for the believer to act out of love, service, and honor to the one who has done such a marvelous work on behalf of himself for himself through himself and by himself. Kingdom inclusion does not have to be mandated because it is done out of a heart of gratitude and love for the splendor of our God himself.

In Kingdom Diversity racism is not tolerated or celebrated. For racism is a social construct created out of a heart of sin and separation from God. Racism is from the evil one. Racism is evil and therefore flows from the father of lies, who the Bible calls the wicked one or the devil. Racism does not honor God nor does it honor God’s creation or plan for humankind. Because it is a social construct and creates havoc and systems of separation and division. It also points directly towards what God’s agenda is on the earth for all of humanity. We will talk more about racism in the later chapters of this book. However, for the sake of our conversation, we want to discuss today how the Christian university has a direct obligation to express kingdom diversity in all areas of her existence.

[Wilson, Angulus, Understanding Kingdom Diversity, What I wish you knew, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, November 6, 2018]