Review: The Diversity Culture

If post-modern Christianity is faithful to its “relativistic” roots, there is no need to convince anyone of its relevance. Why? Because all faiths are equally true. While pluralism poses a distinct problem for traditional, absolutist, evangelicals, evangelism creates a similar quandary for post-moderns. I mean, why engage someone about the truth of Christianity when one views all beliefs as equal? Post-modernism effectively strips Scripture of absolutes, which creates a problem for a movement whose Founder claimed to be the only way to God (Jn. 14:6).

Pastor Matthew Raley’s new book “The Diversity Culture” tackles the relational intersections of the Gospel in a secular society. The book’s subtitle is “Creating Conversations of Faith with Buddhist Baristas, Agnostic Students, Aging Hippies, Political Activists, and Everyone in Between. ” Whew! Did he miss anyone? Actually, the colorful demographic sampling is representative of the daunting task facing evangelicals. Our ever-expanding multicultural vista can be intimidating… especially for those who still take the “Great Commission” at face value. So how do we engage those of differing philosophical persuasions without coming across as elitist, judgmental, or close-minded?

Part of it is overcoming our own fears and misconceptions about the culture of diversity.

…fear often drives evangelicals to a blanket rejection of every aspect of the diversity culture without asking enough questions. For example, the diversity culture is overwhelmingly on the political left, while evangelicals are mostly on the right. But progressive political views are not necessarily anti-Christian. Is evangelism about winning souls, or votes? …More deeply, evangelicals can easily brand an openness to new perspectives as “relativism.” But is it relativistic to hear someone out, or to participate in discussions that may not resolve neatly? (pg. 14)

I think Raley’s right about our tendency toward “blanket rejection,” to pigeonhole people, whether they’re on the political or religious left, and the barriers to conversation those prejudices create. We simply cannot rush to judgment about someone based on the color of their hair, the bumper stickers on their car, their political party, or their tattoos and ear awl.

And lest we conceive our current plight is without precedent, we need only remember that the first-century church was birthed in a culture where politics, pagan gods, Stoics, Gnostics, spiritualists, and hedonists cavorted. Raley illustrates this by threading Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well throughout his book, extracting insights from their conversation. It’s a helpful illustration and one that Raley plumbs in detail, and rather effectively.

But perhaps my greatest concern in reading “The Diversity Culture” was how the author would approach the undermining of biblical evangelism that inevitably results from strict postmodernism. Why “create conversations of faith” (as the book’s subtitle states), if all faiths are legit, or at least neutral? And if Christianity is worth defending and/or propagating, on what grounds do we base its precedence?

Such discussions usually divide along two lines: either the way of Christ is compromised to include other faiths, or other faiths are viewed as inferior to the way of Christ. Perhaps this is why the book has taken some heat from postmodern Christians. As one fellow blogger and reviewer said about “The Diversity Culture,”

It’s a book written for fat conservative Baptists sitting in San Francisco coffee bars trying to convert post-moderns…  this is another one of those “us vs. them” how-to books – ‘if you want to save the pomos and the homos, you’ve got to ________’. [Raley] really cares about us, and he’s not a bigot or anything, he just wants us to convert from our immoral and unrighteous ways.

The question I would ask this reviewer is. Does Jesus still want to ‘save’ anyone? Does Jesus still want to ‘convert’ us to anything? If so, what does that ‘saving’ and ‘converting’ involve, and how do followers of Jesus engage in that process? The last time I checked, the Gospel was still about converting us from our “immoral and unrighteous ways.” But if we become the arbiters of what is “immoral and unrighteous,” then we’re screwed.

The fact that some post-modern Christians have reached the aforementioned conclusions is, in my estimate, a validation of Raley’s position. He writes:

There is always pressure to redefine the faith so that it fits ungodly prejudices better. For instance, some are experimenting again with the notion that people of other faiths will be saved as long as they are sincere. Some others want to blur biblical standards on sexuality so that we seem less prudish. None of these faux-biblical teachings will lead people to Jesus.

…there will be times to say things that open us to slander and mockery. Jesus calls us to do no less. He was impaled on the cross for exactly such uncompromising stands. (pg. 120)

Both evangelicals and post-modern Christians are guilty of trying to “redefine the faith so that it fits ungodly prejudices better.” The sooner we recognize the errors on both sides, the closer we are to productive conversations between ourselves and our culture.

If you’re looking for a book concerning the philosophical defense of the Gospel or apologetic approaches, “The Diversity Culture” isn’t it. However, if you’re contemplating how to “create conversations of faith” with your agnostic brother-in-law, transgendered co-worker, bitter ex-Catholic neighbor, or confused teenage daughter, Raley’s book provides a practical, biblical framework for building relationships and engaging in civil, non-judgmental dialog. And as our culture becomes more and more diverse, Christlike listening and engagement will become all the more important.