Imago Dei: Seeing Each Person as God Does

One of my favorite Instagram creators is Blair Imani, who teaches folks how to be “smarter in seconds.” She uses a peppy, engaging style to explain complex topics with clarity and kindness — and it’s hard not to smile while you learn something new. My favorite video (and the first that introduced her to me) is this one about DEI.

I’ve heard people ask — sometimes quietly, sometimes out loud — “Isn’t all this DEI stuff (diversity, equity, inclusion) just anti-white?”

It’s an honest question. If you’ve ever felt that way, I think I understand. A lot of what we hear about DEI comes in sound bites — words that feel political, even hostile, instead of hopeful.

But let’s step back for a moment. Before DEI was a corporate program or a training session, long before it became a buzzword, Scripture told us something profound:

“God created humankind in God’s image… male and female God created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

This is what the church calls Imago Dei — the image of God. It means every person you meet carries something sacred. Not because of their job, not because of their achievements, not even because they believe the “right things” — but simply because God made them. Every human. Full stop.

At its best, DEI is simply about making sure people don’t get pushed to the edges — that people are treated fairly, have opportunities to thrive, and are welcomed as they are. It’s about noticing when the playing field isn’t level and doing something about it.

That’s not anti-white. That’s pro-human.

It’s exactly what Jesus did over and over again — noticing who was left out and inviting them back to the table.

Imago Dei gives DEI a deeper root.

DEI is a tool to help us not overlook marginalized communities, but Imago Dei is the truth underneath it all.

DEI says: “Let’s make sure people are included.”

Imago Dei says: “They already belong — because God made them.”

When we see each person as bearing God’s image, diversity isn’t something to fear — it’s something to celebrate. Our differences — in language, culture, skin tone, background, even in how we think and see the world — aren’t problems to fix. They’re glimpses of God’s endless creativity.

Equity isn’t about taking from you. Sometimes people worry that “equity” means someone else has to lose for another person to win. But biblical equity isn’t a pie with only so many slices — it’s a feast where there’s always enough.

When Scripture talks about justice, it’s not talking about punishing one group or shaming another. It’s talking about God’s dream where everyone has what they need — where no child is hungry, no one is overlooked, no one is told they don’t matter.

Inclusion isn’t about forced agreement

And inclusion? It doesn’t mean we have to pretend our differences don’t matter or that we agree on everything. It simply means we meet each person as God’s beloved. Jesus never met anyone — tax collector, Pharisee, or fisherman — without also inviting them into something new.

When the church roots its life in Imago Dei, we don’t have to be afraid of DEI. We can affirm what’s good about it — the longing to see and value every neighbor — without getting stuck in the politics around it.

And maybe, just maybe, the world will see in us a community where no one is afraid of being replaced or erased, because we know who we are: beloved children of God, created in the image of the One who called creation “very good.”