Why Multicultural Is Good

Posted by Jonathan Brink
December 27, 2007

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I live in Sacramento and it is increasingly becoming a multicultural community. Intel, which is the largest employer attracts a increasingly diverse population. Although Folsom, which is the community I live in is predominantly white, the makeup is changing. In my neighborhood I can find about fifteen different nationalities and probably six different languages.

I like multicultural communities. When I was in New York, I found myself really enjoying the different communities. London was the same. My wife and I have talked extensively about spending a year traveling the world and immersing ourselves in other cultures. I love the beauty that diversity provides.

And yet there is the darker side of diversity. The reflection of something different has an interesting way of reminding us what we are not. It has a way of making us question what we are. The differences we see sometimes push us to gravitate towards those who are similar to us. One of the most fascinating books I’ve ever read was called, Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Tatum. We gravitate towards the similar to remind us of what we are.

There is a tension that exists in faith communities as well. As Christianity ceases to be the dominant faith of the United States, we feel the tension that arises from those around us who want to express their own faith. I get this. The U.S. is not a Christian nation but it is founded on Christian ideals. And as new faiths rush in to fill the space we feel the tension of those around us who don’t believe what we believe. And these tensions create questions. How could someone not see the world the way I do. Isn’t Christianity so obvious? Maybe not.

And as I begin to live in a racially and spiritually different world I begin to realize that there is much good in the tension. Multicultural communities have tremendous positive value. For one, they provide us with a glimpse of the beauty of God’s creativity. I think a world with 7 billion people who looked just like me would be boring.

But living in a world that doesn’t believe like me. Is that good? Well sort of. Living in community with those who don’t believe like me is good because it forces me to live in the tension. It asks me tough questions every day about what I really believe. It requires me to think about what I believe in and why because it constantly presents what I am not. And I don’t want to run from that fear. I don’t want to avoid the reminders that make me question my faith, pushing me to face the things I’m not comfortable with. I want to address them…and eventually move past them, knowing that I do believe what I say I believe, rather than just blindly believe something someone offered me when I was young.

And I realize that in a multicultural world, the tension has the potential to break me. But it also has the potential to deepen my soul in a way that reflects courage and conviction for a God that is real and wants so desperately to restore the world. I want my life to reflect that.

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  • I have found that it also gives me the opportunity to listen and learn aspects about myself, God, life and faith that I would never have known had it not been for their presence in my life and my approaching them as a learner and friend. It raises the question in my heart, how can I expect them to listen and learn from me and about God as I know him if I don't genuinely do the same?
  • I find myself a bit confused about the "dark side" of a multicultural community... that there is "tension"? Can you expand on this a bit further? I'm having a hard time grasping why it's something that reminds us of "what we are not."


    (From what you've written, it appears that we were raised in very different places. The city that I grew up in is crazy diverse {as is the one where we live now} and has the highest population of immigrants per capita on the west coast. I hope that you understand that I simply cannot relate and am interested in understanding where you're coming from.)
  • Raquel, no worries. It's just not where you are at.

    Diversity is a mirror to what we are not. It's very presence acts as a reminder to what we aren't. In a spiritual domain this can test us but also prove us in really good ways.
  • FYI, I grew up on the East side of San Jose, which was at that time predominantly black and Hispanic. I was the minority for most of my early years. But this post is more about spirituality than color or race diversity.
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