NENJI YILPET | senior staff writer

This spring, ethnically diverse students and faculty will come together at the table of faith and diversity. They will share how culture influences their understanding of Christian faith by forming Mosaic discipleship groups.

“We need to ask, ‘what are the positives I bring to the table as a Christian due to my ethnicity?’” assistant professor of church history Jacquelyn Winston said.

This new element to discipleship programs will begin with three groups. Each group will have culturally-mixed leadership and students. Once interested students sign up, each group will choose an emphasis, such as prayer, worship, personal devotion, Bible study or fellowship.

The primary difference between Mosaic d-groups and other d-groups will be the intentionality of having diverse perspectives, thus, assuming that with diverse perspectives come greater opportunities for growth, according to Winston.

“If you are with everyone who is just like you, then you just reinforce what you are. But when you are with people who are different, you get to see faith in a different way,” Winston said.

As an African-American pastor who has participated in a wide range of churches, Winston has found that there is much to be learned from how different cultures practice faith.

After members of the Haggard School of Theology read Divided by Faith by Michael Emerson last year, Winston, assistant professor of Old Testament theology Robert Duke and director of diversity studies and ministry instructor Deborah Gin began discussing the influence that ethnic differences have on personal faith.
These three faculty members will each lead a Mosaic d-group.

“This is not just another addition so we can check off a diversity box,” Duke said.

Instructor in practical theology and facilitator of d-groups Mark Sanford has a positive outlook on this development because he expects the faculty and students will bring depth and richness to the dialogue within the groups.

“It is of great benefit any time you are able to be on a faith journey with people from different ethnic backgrounds,” Sanford said.

The division in faith between different ethnic groups occurs because people are uncomfortable with the way other groups carry out spiritual practices, according to Duke.

“Ultimately the key is humility. We need to be humble and say that we have a lot to learn,” Duke said.

Duke, Winston and Gin each look forward to growing alongside the students. They recognize that there will be growing pains as the members are stretched to see faith in a new ways. Yet, they anticipate those pains will lead to deeper understanding.

“I am hoping there won’t be challenges as much as there will be ‘Ah ha moments,’” Duke said. “We are not critiquing how people view the world, but saying ‘how can I learn from you?’”

According to Winston, each member who brings their experiences to the table is not expected to represent their entire culture. It will be a safe place for students to connect issues of ethnicity, background and faith.

Gin recalls a time when the Korean, Japanese, and Chinese students in her Exodus-Deuteronomy grasped the meaning of the word ‘obedience’ differently than the western interpretation due to their cultural understanding of a son’s duty to his father.

“Who I am as a Korean American is very different than someone who is not,” Gin said. “We need to ask ourselves, ‘Are we willing to bring in diverse perspectives?’”

Mosaic d-groups are the perfect forum for coming not only to a global understanding but a domestic one too, according to Gin.

Winston said, “These groups are not gripe sessions or power discussions. Rather they are about developing relationships in the process of being brothers and sisters. This is a need among the students.”

Students who are interested in participating in one of the Mosaic d-groups should email Sanford with their name, ethnicity, and leader preference.

“To me, diversity is different from disunity,” Gin said. “In order to bring unity we need to have these discussions in which everyone has an equal voice. Through learning about cultural perspectives, our picture of the kingdom of God changes. We must come to the table as equals.”