Both personal and scholarly in tone, this book encourages readers to think theologically, ethically, and politically about the statement that declares: "God loves diversity and justice." The multi-religious, multi-ethnic, multi-disciplinary, and multi-gendered identities of the eleven contributors and two respondents deepen the conversation. It considers questions such as: Do we affirm or challenge this theological statement? Do we concentrate on "God" in our response or do we interrogate what diversity and justice mean in light of God's love for diversity and justice? Alternatively, do we prefer to ponder the verb, to love, and consider what it might mean for society if people really believed in a divinity loving diversity and justice? Of course, there are no easy and simple answers whether we consult the Sikh scriptures, the Bible, the Qur'an, the movies, the Declaration of Human Rights, or the transgender movement, but the effort is worthwhile. The result is a serious historical, literary, cultural, and religious discourse that fends against intellectually rigid thought and simplistic belief systems across the religious spectrum. In our world in which so much military unrest and violence, economic inequities, and religious strife prevail, such a conversation nurtures theological, ethical, and political possibilities of inclusion and justice.
Introduction: From Progressive Theological Discourse to Changing the World Susanne Scholz PART I. ABOUT GOD Chapter 1: God Is Diversity and Justice: A Feminist Sikh Perspective Nikky-Guninder K. Singh Chapter 2: As Long As You Are Doing Something: A Secular Feminist Perspective from Canada Pamela J. Milne Chapter 3: I AM, Who Loves the Prophets, Loves You: Meditations on the Progressive/Prophetic at the End of Jewish History Marc H. Ellis PART II. ABOUT LOVE Chapter 4: A World without Tags: A Progressive Palestinian Muslim Scholar Speaks Isam Shihada Chapter 5: Class Matters in an Age of Empire: A White Feminist Working-Class American Speaks Susanne Johnson PART III. ABOUT DIVERSITY Chapter 6: Celebrating Diversity Is Not What It's All About: A Progressive White Male German-American Theologian Speaks Joerg Rieger Chapter 7: Does God Really Love Diversity? Biblical Counter-Examples from a Chinese-American Perspective Sze-Kar Wan PART IV. ABOUT JUSTICE Chapter 8: Diversity, Justice, and the Bible for Grown-Ups: A Jewish Russian-Israeli-American Hebrew Bible Scholar Speaks Serge Frolov Chapter 9: The Exiled Native: The Paradox of the Black Scholar Maria Dixon Chapter 10: Justice Is at the Core: The Law, Justice, and Gender Equality in Islamic Feminism Qudsia Mirza Chapter 11: Transgender Spirituality: Finding Justice through Activism and Love Gordene McKenzie and Nancy Nangeroni PART V. TWO RESPONSES Chapter 12: Reflections on "God Loves Diversity and Justice": A (Modern) Human Rights Perspective Pat Davis Chapter 13: Should God Remain? A Response from the Perspective of Peace and Conflict Studies Victoria Fontan
