SEEKING REDEMPTIVE DIVERSITY IN CHRISTIAN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION: CHALLENGES AND HOPES FROM WITHIN

Diversity and cross-cultural engagements should be among the leading forces and objectives in Christian institutions of higher education. The increasing influence and penetration of globalization and the melting pot of contemporary societies necessitate that Christian colleges and universities revisit their heritage, mission statements, and perspectives on diversity in terms of their Christian identity and their interactions with the world that exists outside their physical, religious, racial, ethnic, and cultural boundaries. The first part of the paper explores the biblical foundations and teaching of redemptive diversity, which emphasize diversity in God's creation, redemption, and eternal diversity in the kingdom of God. However, like other projects of human interactions with different norms, convictions, traditions, expectations, languages, economic and social structures, diversity comes with tensions and challenges. The second part provides an institutional analysis of the major challenges and tensions that should be addressed in Christian institutions of learning. These tensions and challenges may seem like significant barriers that can be used to suppress the initiation and implementation of redemptive diversity, or to celebrate forms of diversity that respond to ever-changing external pressures or temptations. The third part highlights a set of proposed recommendations based on the biblical principles of diversity and the challenges and tensions facing Christian postsecondary institutions, especially from within.