The entire classification of humans into racial groups is a pseudo-science developed over 400 years ago. The entire structure of U.S. society and government were built on, and continue to function, with these classifications. Therefore, racial justice continues to matter to all God's people.

Interpreting the vision and mission of Women of the ELCA is a community task. The language we use is carefully selected. Our executive board, churchwide women's organization staff, and other constituents are resources. Other resources are board resolutions, official language adopted by the ELCA, and definitions offered by the National Council of Churches of Christ.

This is the second in a reference series we hope to compile into a larger reference resource at a later date. We hope this information is helpful, and will be presented and shared in other ways within synodical organizations and beyond.

Dialogue of Words 2
A guide to definitions on diversity, inclusivity, and tolerance
A dialogue is "a conversational passage" between two or more people. The word dialogue is used purposely here. The dialogue is between the words or phrases used in our programming. This exploration covers the basics, although much more could be written.

Dialogue of Words 2 consists of several parts:

• Introduction of terms
• Explanation on how the terms function apart from each other
• How you can expect to see these terms used in future Women of the ELCA programming.

Here the dialogue is between and among diversity, inclusion/inclusivity, and tolerate/tolerance.

Definitions
("Textbook" definitions are taken from the National Council of Churches of Christ Diversity, Pluralism, Multiculturalism. Other definitions are either common or taken from Merriam-Webster, Tenth Edition.)

Diversity
The condition of being diverse; of having distinct or unlike elements or qualities.
There are ranges of diversity within all creation. Here we are focusing on the diversity of people. Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (as well as the ELCA) understands diversity as having both primary and secondary dimensions.
The primary dimensions of diversity are those unchangeable human differences that are inborn or that exert an important impact on our early socialization and an ongoing impact throughout our lives. It's those things about ourselves that we have little or no power to change. They are: age, ethnicity, gender, physical ability and quality, race, and sexual orientation.
The secondary dimensions of diversity are those things that can be altered or changed. There are many of these. Examples of the secondary dimensions of diversity include religion, education, geographical location, military experience, profession, and marital status.

Inclusion/Inclusivity
The act of including; the state of being included
Inclusivity is a quality or value measure of inclusion. The ELCA's goal of 10 percent inclusion of people of color is a goal of racial inclusivity.

Tolerate/Tolerance
To endure, put up with
One's tolerance level is the measure of one's capacity to endure pain or hardship. Tolerance encourages sympathy for or indulgence of beliefs or practices that differ from or conflict with one's own. Tolerance also means the act of allowing something and is the allowable deviation from a standard. 

How do these words sometimes function apart from each other? How will they function within Women of the ELCA's programming?
Diversity and inclusion are not synonyms, though they often appear together. Diversity speaks to the differences of being, without giving any value to these differences. Alone, the word diversity is neither an act nor a value. Inclusion is action that gives value to diversity.

Organizations usually have a specific range of diversity in mind when they seek to be inclusive. For example, an organization that is historically all white and male may use gender as its sole measure of diversity and seek (white) female enrollment (inclusion). These same white males will have to make structural as well as institutional changes to accommodate this diversity.

For the people of God, any selecting of just how diverse we are willing to be is not an option. Our range of diversity has been determined by the Creator, and the gospel reveals to us that God reaches for all. Therefore, the inclusion that reaches for the greatest diversity — full inclusion — is most reflective of God's creation and intent; it is also the most challenging to achieve. Nevertheless, Women of the ELCA is committed to discovering our unity within our diversity so that we may be as God intends: fully inclusive and one in Christ.

What place does tolerance have in this dialogue?

While developing Women of the ELCA anti-racism and cross-cultural programs, the word tolerance has come forward in interesting ways. In this Dialogue of Words 2, we will hear why the word tolerance and seeking to be tolerant (see footnote)* are not applauded.

As an approach to life, tolerance opens us to more new places and experiences than intolerance, but the focus of tolerance remains on the comfort abilities of our interior worlds. Tolerance asks us to endure or indulge that which is different, but when that which is different is another human being, clearly being endured is not a nurturing action, and being indulged has an evident, hierarchical edge. Few people wish to describe their experience as being tolerable. Fewer still wish to be described as being tolerated, although perhaps being indulged may provide a kind of short-lived relief for those who would otherwise be ignored.

* We are not discouraging such curriculum as "Teaching Tolerance," which expands people's comfort zones through education.

The goals of inclusivity and diversity
The goal of an inclusive education (or an inclusive vacation package) is that everyone can plan on being fully engaged. Those who design such services consider everything from budget to desired results. Time and resources will be expended to provide the inclusive service. Yet, the measure of how inclusive a service is gets determined by the diverse end-users. If tolerance were part of this service provider's equation, failure to reach a pre-determined measure of diversity could push them to the end of their tolerance.

Both inclusion and diversity (like the gospel) take us into ourselves that we may be led outside of ourselves. Diversity promises a regular, if not continuous, encounter with what is different. Inclusion is an acknowledgment of how expansive and intentional God's reach is here on earth. An inclusive community is one that trusts in and is open to God — knowing it will experience both purposeful and significant impact by the diversity it embraces because that obedient community knows that diversity is a gracious gift from God

Diversity is a gift that enriches the body of Christ, the communion of saints. God emphasizes the value of diversity by providing diverse gifts to God's diverse peoples. In that way, God makes our need for each other most concrete. Women of the ELCA's ministry areas of anti-racism and cross-cultural programming will continue to challenge us to focus outside of ourselves and act boldly on our faith with acts of inclusion that seeks the greatest diversity, the greatest experience of God's grace within community.

If you have questions regarding this information, please contact Inez Torres Davis at 800-638-3522, ext. 2428, or e-mail her at InezTorres.Davis@elca.org.

Our mandate
The mandate for Women of the ELCA's anti-racism efforts, as well as cross-cultural programming, go back to legislative action of the 1993 Triennial Convention where anti-racism education was affirmed and requested. The 1993-1996 Executive Board responded with an action that called for on-going program and strategy to help this organization become more cross-cultural and understand anti-racism. The convention of 1996 added to the earlier directives by specifically requesting education in institutional racism. Plenary action at the 1999 Triennial Convention directed that anti-racism education be continued as a priority through 2002 and become a principle of the organization. Therefore, cross-cultural programming was established and firmly grounded within an anti-racist context with full appreciation for how mutually enriching cross-cultural relationships are the fruits of anti-racism.

Women of the ELCA's anti-racism programming began in the spring of 1997 through the establishment of the Today's Dream: Tomorrow's Reality network of anti-racism educators. Trained by a churchwide anti-racism team, these educators continue to serve the organization churchwide. It is one way Women of the ELCA is reaching toward the mandate to become anti-racist. 

Copyright © 2002 Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. May be reproduced provided each copy carries this notice: © 2002 Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Reprinted with permission.