2021: A Year in Review
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Members
    • Covenant Partners
    • Issue Statements
    • Governing Board
  • Programs
    • NC Interfaith Power & Light
      • NCIPL Overview
      • Faith in Action NCIPL
      • NCIPL Articles
      • NCIPL Resources
      • Upcoming Events for NCIPL
      • Contact NCIPL
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • PHW Staff
      • Mini-Grants
      • PHW Collaborative Pledge
      • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • Mental Health Advocacy
      • BIPOC Mental Health Grant
      • Growing Communities of Inclusion: A Faithful Response to HIV
      • Citizen Science
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Racial Justice
    • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Criminal Justice
    • Immigrant Rights
    • Public Education
    • Farmworkers
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • Christian Unity
    • Peace
  • Events
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
  • Donate
  • Council Store
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

God’s Creative Diversity

The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director · October 12, 2021 · 15 Comments

The following remarks were delivered by Executive Director, Jennifer Copeland, on October 11, 2021 at a press conference hosted by St. John’s MCC in front of Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s house in response to hateful anti LGBTQ comments. Read more about the comments made by Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson at this link.

There are lots of ways to read the Bible.  Some of us read it like a self-help manual; not a bad idea since there’s some pretty good individual improvement information in it.  

But the primary reason these scriptures were put together in this book that some of us call “holy” was to give folks a manual on how to live well together.  

One of the most important ways to live well together is to celebrate diversity. God would not create so many wonderfully diverse expressions of humanity if God wanted us all to be the same. After 5 days of creation ecstasy, imagine God on that 6th day of creation, saying to the heavenly host:

“We’re making humans today. Let’s make them all different. Let’s give them different hair: black, brown, blond, red, straight, curly, kinky. Let’s give them different eyes:  blue, brown, black, gray, green, hazel. Let’s give them different skin. Not just black and white, but hues and shades, tones and colors.”

And God set to work loving making all those different humans. If hair and eyes and skin can be so beautifully diverse, crossing spectrums with no absolutes, why not human gender and sexuality? Male and female don’t begin to capture God’s imagination any more than binaries like Black and white. Heterosexual doesn’t begin to capture God’s imagination for the multiplicity of ways humans can express love for one another.

Friends, we’re here today because some of our neighbors have been insulted and by our Lt. Governor, no less. His comments are an affront to the God who created such wonderful diversity. For those of us who worship the God who created that diversity, the God who calls us to live well together, we have no choice but to speak out. We don’t get to say we love God and then stay silent when our neighbors are treated unlovingly. 

Mr. Robinson, we are here to say, “Your words of bigotry and hatred have no place in a community blessed by God’s creative diversity. Your words have no place in a community seeking to live well together.” We are here to say, “Make it right, make it right, or resign.”

Filed Under: Blog, Homepage Featured Tagged With: LGBTQ

About The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director

Jennifer is a native of South Carolina and an ordained minister in The United Methodist Church. She loves South Carolina, but has managed to spend all but ten years of her adult life in North Carolina. Those ten years were spent pastoring United Methodist churches across the Upstate. She attended Duke University several times and in the process earned a BA, double majoring in English and Religion, a Master of Divinity, a PhD in religion, and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies. Prior to coming to the Council, she spent 16 years as the United Methodist Chaplain at Duke University, where she also taught undergraduate and divinity school classes, served on committees and task forces, and attended lots of basketball games. Jennifer has two children, Nathan, a software developer who lives in Durham, and Hannah, a student at the University of Tampa.

Reader Interactions

More Like This

Democracy, Values & the 2020 Election: A Reflection Guide for Faith Communities
Reaffirmation of Support for the LGBTQ+ Community
Raleigh Report – April 5, 2019

Comments

  1. Charles M. Smith says

    October 20, 2021 at 7:48 am

    You continue to do us proud, good friend. See you in Cameron.

    Reply
  2. jon says

    October 19, 2021 at 9:42 am

    Although their are many shades of skin color, the Bible clearly says this in regards to gender:
    So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them. (see Genesis 1:27)

    These two genders were chosen by God Himself and made to complement each other.
    I do not believe in a God who makes mistakes. he is perfect in all His ways! I do recognize however that mankind is sinful. We have all rebelled against God’s perfect plan in many ways. And that includes God’s perfect plan for our sexuality.
    You are free to believe what you wish. But your appeal to Scripture rings hollow for your words contradict it.

    Reply
    • The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      October 21, 2021 at 1:01 pm

      Every translation of scripture from the ancient languages is also an interpretation.

      Reply
  3. David Rockefeller says

    October 14, 2021 at 3:21 pm

    Thank you for taking a public stand for honoring diversity, inclusion, tolerance, and love once again, Jennifer. Bless you and your work, and the work of the NCCC.

    Reply
  4. Deborah Suess says

    October 14, 2021 at 12:44 pm

    Thank you very much for this witness. God help us to live into the call to love God and our neighbors- no exceptions!

    Reply
  5. Marilyn Kennedy says

    October 13, 2021 at 11:27 am

    You have no business going to his home, bringing your entourage for a photo shoot. You are political and spouting social trends of the day that are not biblical. Read the Bible and it doesn’t matter your degrees it matters if it God’s word, not your interpretation to support your social and political views.

    Reply
    • The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      October 14, 2021 at 8:49 am

      The place we stood was a public sidewalk in front of the Lt. Gov.’s office. Not his home.

      Reply
  6. Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth says

    October 13, 2021 at 11:11 am

    Dr. Copeland, given Mr. Mark Robinson’s office in the State and your position in the Church, and given the fact that Mr. Robinson is Christian as you are, this question arises: Before holding a press conference in front of Mr. Robinson’s house, did you approach Mr. Robinson to discuss with him your concerns about his recent comments? Our Lord’s plan for working through disagreements in the Church (Matthew 18) might be considered a part of the “self-help manual” that you mentioned in your press-conference remarks.

    Reply
    • The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      October 14, 2021 at 8:50 am

      Yes, repeated attempts were made to speak with Mr. Robinson prior to the press conference.

      Reply
  7. Roberta Lee Pfizenmayer says

    October 13, 2021 at 8:52 am

    I agree with loving everyone, even those who are confused about which sex they are; however, when the church starts agreeing that cross dressing and being LGBT are normal behaviors, then that’s when I will start worshiping my God elsewhere.

    Reply
  8. Cureton Johnson says

    October 13, 2021 at 3:58 am

    thanks for “loving on” our diverse universe of neighbors! God is love…not hate!

    Reply
  9. Sandy Irving says

    October 12, 2021 at 10:02 pm

    Rev Dr Copeland, beautifully spoken words about our creator God. Thank you, S Irving

    Reply
  10. Tim says

    October 12, 2021 at 3:25 pm

    The author of this article must have no knowledge of the Scriptures.

    Reply
    • The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director says

      October 12, 2021 at 5:15 pm

      The author of this article has a Ph.D. from one of the best religion departments in the nation.

      Reply
  11. Ed McFarland says

    October 12, 2021 at 3:16 pm

    Loving god lead us to live with love and joy and peace with each, not conditionally but unreservedly
    Ed McFarland
    Lake Junaluska

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Anonymous comments or comments that target individuals will not be posted (please include your first and last name). All comments must be on topic and respectful. Comments will not be posted until they have been reviewed by a moderator. Comments do not reflect the positions of the NC Council of Churches.

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

God’s Creative Diversity

Latest Tweets

Your Vote is Your Voice! Learn more this morning with Blueprint NC’s Executive Director, Serena Sebring. We will hear about the political movement and how we can take action. Register for our #2022CriticalIssues at the link! bit.ly/3KZgi7z pic.twitter.com/OUND…

About 2 days ago

This morning! Join us with speakers @MarcusLFairley and @MarcusBassNC from @NCBlackAlliance at the #2022CriticalIssues where they will discuss the challenges of voter suppression and access to the polls. Register and join! google.com/url?q=htt… pic.twitter.com/qNcl…

About 3 days ago

RT @DanBlueNC We’re in crisis. Our kids are in crisis. Banning books isn’t the answer. We need to keep guns out of the hands of the wrong hands. We need to hire enough mental health providers to support students. We need to act #nced #ncpol

About 4 days ago

Happening all this week! There is still time to register for the event and attend every day at noon! #2022CriticalIssues ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/gOCi…

About 4 days ago

We continue to work on various issues in NC and we want to share with you even more information about the accomplishments you helped us achieve in 2021! We hope you will look for places you can join us on this faith-filled journey. ncchurches.org/resou…

About 5 days ago

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

Join us for Sacred Conversations: Older Adults - Fraud & Scams on Friday, June 24th from 11 AM to 12 PM and learn to recognize common scams targeted towards older adults and how to protect yourself and those in your faith communities. ncchurches.ourpowerb…

About 4 days ago

RT @FaithCompassWFU Consider becoming an HIV & Faith Ambassador! To learn more, plan to join us for a virtual information session on 05/18 at 2 PM, 06/30 at 2 PM, or on 07/20 at 11 AM, all EST. Register now: bit.ly/FaithAmbInfo #faithandHIV #faithcompassWFU #transformthestory pic.twitter.com/oZo7…

About 2 weeks ago

Join us now Attorney General Josh Stein for a virtual conversation, “A Faith-Based harm Reduction Approach to the Opioid Crisis.” youtube.com/watch?v=…

Last month

RT @NCAGO Join Attorney General @JoshStein_ today at 1 p.m. for a discussion on a faith-based harm reduction approach to the opioid crisis with representatives of Olive Branch Ministries. Register here: us06web.zoom.us/webi… pic.twitter.com/XB05…

Last month

Register here! #phw #MentalHealthAwareness ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/VTN7…

Last month

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @interfaithpower We believe elections are a referendum on the values that will shape our future. Join us June 9 for a conversation about our multi-issue Faithful Voter Reflection Guide. Register: ow.ly/PnPg50Jjz6h #FaithClimateJusticeVoter #Vote2022 #VoteReady

About 2 days ago

RT @ncchurches Happening all this week! There is still time to register for the event and attend every day at noon! #2022CriticalIssues ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/gOCi…

About 4 days ago

RT @mocleanair Read our editorial in @GeorgiaRecorder. georgiarecorder.com/… @EnergyFdn @GCVoters @cleanenergyorg @GeorgiaIPL @gasierraclub @CleanAirMoms_GA @PSEquityMatters @SouthfaceInst @GAChapterAAP @CEHN @docsforclimate @enviRN @schoolnurses @uwomenfaith @eldersclimate @NCIPL @AlabamaPJC

Last week

RT @mocleanair Comments due in 3 days - if you haven't submitted one yet, do it today! For tips, read our blog about the different kinds of air pollution heavy duty vehicles make. #HealthyAirIsHealthCare #CleanAir @CEHN @TheOxygenProj @eldersclimate @uwomenfaith @GeorgiaIPL @AlabamaPJC @NCIPL twitter.com/mocleana…

Last week

RT @WECAN_INTL 📢Today, Indigenous women leaders & 200+ groups sent a letter calling on @USACEHQ to deny the permits for Line 5, conduct a federal EIS & respect Indigenous rights! To protect communities, water & our climate we must #StopLine5. Learn more👉bit.ly/3MBazW4 pic.twitter.com/FqeQ…

Last week

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2022 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine