When I was in seminary my leadership professor taught the principle of, "like attracts like" in ministry teams. People gravitate to others with similar beliefs, gifts and talents, skin color and ethnicity. That's just how the human heart and mind work.
We see it in politics to the extreme: Democrats on one side of the aisle, Republicans on the other.
Calvnists and Arminians in the church;
Pro-gay or pro-straight (anti-gay);
Pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian;
Simple church or big church, traditional or contemporary;
It seems to me that Jesus broke with this pattern in selecting his 12 disciples. They WERE homogenous in one way: ethnicity and their overall religious views as Jews. But they diverged from there - several of them were certainly politically hostile to each other; they were different socio-economic classes; they had different family upbringings and conflicting and complementing personalities; and there were numerous religious sects which competed with each other.
Living in a diverse context challenges me in some healthy ways:
1. I need to shut up and listen to other people;
2. I have to know what I believe and why. Diversity forces me to believe more clearly (it does not mean watering down my beliefs to accommodate)
3. I have the possibility of loving someone I would not normally love - sounds Jesus-like!
4. I learn a whole lot more about God and His creation when I live in diverse community.
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