People equate Christianity as a Western white imperial religion, which is a major ethical barrier for many to considering Christ. 

The Bible is a Diverse Multiethnic Faith

Contrary to popular conceptions, the Christian movement was multicultural and multiethnic from the outset. Jesus scandalized his fellow Jews by tearing through racial and cultural boundaries. Throughout the gospel, you see this. Take, for example, the parable of the Good Samaritan. Another instance is Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus command to “go…make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). In the book of Acts, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit enabled them to proclaim the good news in different languages. Moreover, Paul declared a new humanity in the people of God (Galatians 3:28). Therefore, this notion that Christianity is an anti-diverse, white Western religion of privilege id utterly irreconcilable to the New Testament. 

Christianity Around the World

Christianity is spreading all around the world and continues to be a globalized religion. We are seeing rapid growth in India, China, and Iran despite the ongoing pressures from the government. Experts like Fenggang Yang predict that there will be more Christians in China than in the United States by 2030 and that China could be a majority-Christian country by 2050.

Consider this, most Christians in the world are neither white nor Western. Instead, Christianity is getting less white and Western by the day. This is largely in part of the missionary efforts of non-Westerners. For instance, notwithstanding its small population and Christian minority (just 29%), South Korea exports the second largest number of missionaries of any country in the world.

Yale law professor and leading black public intellectual Stephen Carter has observed that black women are by far the most Christian demographic in the US. At the same time, “around the globe, the people most likely to be Christians are women of color.”

The Most Diverse Movement of All of History

History has shown that Christianity has been a multicultural, multiracial, multiethnic movement since its inception. In fact, the very last book of the Bible paints a vivid picture of the end, when “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” will worship the Lord Jesus (Revelation 7:9). 

So, if you care about diversity, don’t dismiss Christianity: it is the most diverse, multiethnic, and multicultural movement in all of history.

Rebecca McLaughlin, Confronting Christianity