The Apostle Paul is certainly one of the best-known figures in the Bible. The letters he wrote thousands of years ago remain insightful and beneficial to us today. The ministry of the Apostle Paul provides a blueprint for successful diversity engagement.
Think about it. The Apostle Paul was of Jewish ancestry, yet God called and commissioned him to share the Good News with the Gentiles ― diverse people, different ethnicities or races, if you will. Today, conservatives find themselves with a similar challenge faced by the Apostle Paul. Mostly made up of white Americans, conservatives are trying to broaden their traditional base by inspiring more minorities, women and young people to join the ranks of their movement — diversity inclusion.
Consider this: By profession, the Apostle Paul was an attorney and a tent-maker (Acts 18:3). In essence, God called the Apostle Paul to assemble a “big tent.” The phrase “big tent” is a metaphoric expression for diversity engagement. Conservatives say it all the time ─ we need a “big tent” approach to diversity outreach.
In my view, the Apostle Paul is the greatest diversity outreach specialist in the history of the world. He understood that the first step in diversity outreach is not about being visible. That comes later. It’s about understanding where the other person is coming from; entering their world to learn how you may see things from their point of view. Then, you’ll know exactly what to say and how to say it to win the narrative battle and, in time, win them over.
In 1 Corinthians 9:22, the Apostle Paul provides us his insight on diversity engagement:
Among the weak in faith, I become weak like one of them, in order to win them. So, I become all things to all people, that I may save some of them by whatever means are possible. – Good News Translation
The Message Translation puts it this way:
Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!
If you take the time to enter the world of African-Americans and try to understand things from our viewpoint, you’ll quickly discover that the word “conservative” is not the language of liberty, and the same goes for the word Republican. Because they have a racist connotation, these words slam the door to effective diversity outreach. To understand why this is the case, refer to my previous article dated November 18th and entitled Political Homelessness.
Making the effort to understand the deep political perceptions that motivate African-Americans is the first step and a powerful advantage for successful diversity engagement.
It is evident that far too many conservatives fail to recognize the significant strategic impact of “preaching to the choir” ─ speaking to people who already vote conservatively. Preaching to the conservative base is not a waste of time, nor should it be ignored or downplayed. Why? Because the “conservative choir” must be empowered, equipped and trained to inspire new and diverse choir members to join its ranks. This is a critical factor in achieving diversity inclusion.
The “conservative choir” must be taught to sing a new song — a powerful and inspiring freedom melody that can resonate with all Americans — the Frederick Douglass Republican message of liberty.
A former member of President Trump’s Coalition Advisory Board, KCarl Smith is the President and CEO of KCarl Consulting Group, empowering freedom advocates with the confidence, knowledge and skills to trump the race card. His column appears every Thursday in 1819 News. To contact KCarl or request him for a speaking engagement go to http://kcarlinc.com/bookingsandfees . The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
