I recently watched a video1 in which the speaker described diversity as something harmful—likening it to poison or cancer. His argument was that diversity “doesn’t work” in contexts like marriage or business because communication breaks down. But what he ultimately described wasn’t a failure of diversity; it was a failure of communication.
Yes, some kinds of diversity—such as speaking different languages—can create significant challenges. But that’s not what most conversations about diversity are actually addressing. Instead, they focus on differences of race, culture, citizenship, religion, and more. And while language can play a role, these issues must be understood within the broader context of human relationships and how we choose to engage one another.
The speaker in the video also appealed to Christian identity as if Christian sameness should be the foundation of unity—yet he offered no Scriptural grounding for this view. No teachings of Jesus. No reference to the overarching story of God’s people. Only personal opinion.
That disconnect made me curious to revisit what the Bible actually shows us about diversity.
Throughout the Law2 and the Prophets3, God repeatedly commands His people to welcome the “alien”—the foreigner, the outsider. Even in the Old Testament, before Gentiles were explicitly brought into the covenant, God’s people were instructed to extend hospitality and justice to those beyond their own community. Welcoming the outsider wasn’t an optional act of kindness; it was part of Israel’s identity.
This theme continues in stories such as Ruth—an outsider who becomes part of the lineage of Christ—and in the prophetic visions of nations streaming toward God. The ends of the earth are pictured as recognizing their need, being invited to salvation, and responding4.
The pattern is unmistakable: God’s heart embraces an ever-widening circle of people. And if our life together today is meant to foreshadow the kingdom, then the people of God—those indwelt by His Spirit—should reflect that same wide welcome.
Jesus confirmed this trajectory when He commissioned His followers to go to “the ends of the earth.” The book of Acts shows how this was not only a geographic mission. At Pentecost, the Spirit enabled the disciples to speak in many languages, signaling that God’s kingdom would not erase diversity but gather and redeem it.
The mission continues: to reach those who do not yet know God – whether that means physically going to them, or welcoming them when they physically come to us.
Scripture’s final vision makes this unmistakably clear. In Revelation 7 we see:
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9–10 (ESV)
This is the destiny of God’s kingdom: a people gloriously, joyfully diverse—unified not by sameness but by the Spirit of God.
In a world that often fears difference, we have the opportunity—and the calling—to embody a better way. Let us reject simplistic narratives that portray diversity as a threat, and instead embrace the Scriptural vision of a kingdom where every tribe and tongue finds a place. May our communities today reflect the welcoming heart of the God we claim to follow.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc3XWMnTXac ↩︎
- For example, Lev. 19:33-34, Ex. 22:20-21, and Deut. 10:19 ↩︎
- For example, Jer. 7:5-7 and 22:3-5, Zech. 7:10, and Malachi 3:5 ↩︎
- This is also illustrated in the Old Testament in the idea of Gentiles (“the nations”) coming to God. See Jeremiah 16:19, Isaiah 2:2-3 and 60:3, Zechariah 8:22-23 and 14:16-17, and Micah 4:1-3. ↩︎
Exploring Antioch 