承诺 & 关键文件 多样性很重要

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在韦斯特蒙特，多元化很重要

基督在我们学院的教育使命中占据首位，无论是作为一个学术机构还是作为一个居住ag娱乐官网. 大学成员在回应基督的卓越的具体期望列举在 ag娱乐官网生活宣言 . “Westmont的多样性问题”描述了我们如何实现这些期望，因为我们努力彼此相爱，就像基督首先爱我们一样.

长期的目标 — As an academic institution, our desire to honor Christ informs our 通识教育哲学 , our intended learning outcomes for students, and our expectations for our graduates. One of the central goals of Westmont’s educational program is that:

学生有理解和技能参与不同的人-个人和团体-以肯定他人的人在上帝的形象创造的方式. 学生们能够恭敬地对待他人——避免用诋毁来处理分歧的自然倾向, 浪漫, 或加害.

类似的, 作为一所住宿学院, we aspire to the vision of our ag娱乐官网生活宣言, 这提醒我们:

Community is built upon other-centered practices. It flourishes in a place where love for God and neighbor is cultivated and nurtured. It grows strong when members practice integrity, 忏悔, 和宽恕, attempt to live in reconciled relationships, accept responsibility for their actions and words, and submit to biblical instructions for communal life.

我们的长远目标 ——无论是在课堂内还是在课堂外——都是为了庆祝上帝塑造我们的创造力，并在彼此之间和睦相处. But our long-range goals must also be reflected in our daily walk. For Jesus the kingdom of God was not just a long-range goal. He broke through the prejudices of his day, showing that everyone — not just the privileged few — is welcome in God’s kingdom, 此时此地.

In the time and place where Jesus lived, people despised anyone who came from Samaria, and rabbis would not speak to a woman in public. 但是耶稣推翻了这些偏见, 当众向一位撒玛利亚妇女要水喝，并开始和她交谈. 他的门徒很惊讶, 但他们刚刚开始看到基督的跟随者对他人的尊重. As we cross paths with each other in classrooms and residence halls, 在办公室和会议上, 在教堂和餐厅, 我们要在凡事上都高举基督为至高的渴望，也塑造了我们在日常交往中彼此交往的方式.

每天相遇的目标 — Jesus gave us “a new commandment, that you love one another.“因为我们遵守这条诫命, we learn to honor and respect one another in the ways that Scripture teaches. 因此，在我们的日常交往中，当我们努力活出成为神国度的一部分意味着什么, 我们力求:

  • 公开地参与讨论, demonstrating humility toward our own perspectives, and respectfully examining views that are unfamiliar;
  • 肯定每个人都是按照上帝的形象创造的，拒绝那些贬低人的刻板观念, 模拟, 或过于简单化;
  • honor what is distinct in each other’s experience as well as what we share in common;
  • make choices that convey respect for our neighbors’ experiences; and
  • acknowledge the significance of context and its influence on our words and actions.

We are all alike in our need for Christ. 但在我们的堕落中，我们很容易把“我们都需要基督”误认为“其他人都和我一样”.” Unity in the midst of deep and valuable difference was one of the most difficult issues for the early church; we shouldn’t suppose it’s going to be easy for us.

第一世纪基督的犹太信徒不能接受外邦人可以跟随基督而不成为犹太人. 但正如上帝启示给彼得的, they were confusing their personal cultural experience with what is normative. 同样地, we may be tempted to suppose that for others to be Christians, 他们一定和我们一样是基督徒. But the family of God includes brothers and sisters from all sorts of backgrounds, 而我们大多数人才刚刚开始了解那些将与我们共度永生的人.

耶稣来救赎我们，但他也来更新我们，在我们的思想和我们的心. 这意味着, 在某种程度上, becoming open to one another’s experience and honestly sharing our own, working through our differences rather than just pretending that no conflicts exist.

门徒与纪律 — Even as we aspire to live out such goals in all our interactions, we recognize that sometimes we are not as wise, 作为关心, 就像我们所希望的那样. 然而，有些行为远远达不到这些目标，这是不能容忍的.

  • 破坏公物和暴力. Subjecting others to physical violence, threatening others with physical violence, or engaging in acts of vandalism are unacceptable (and illegal!处理冲突的方法. But such acts become even more repugnant when they are based on race, 教会传统, 种族, 性别, 性取向, 或残疾. 威斯蒙特不容忍破坏、暴力或对任何人的暴力威胁.

  • 文字和图像. Calling people names is an immature way of responding to conflict. 然而, 使用种族, 少数民族, 或者性别歧视, 或者展示有辱人格的图像, crosses the line into conduct that is intolerable.

While physical attacks and vandalism are rare on college campuses, demeaning jokes or harassing or threatening phone calls or emails are not. 遗憾的是, 韦斯特蒙特ag娱乐官网的成员有时会受到粗鲁或贬低的电话, 电子邮件信息, 和海报. 有时候，那些传达这种信息的人认为，如果他们“试图搞笑”，那就没关系.“这一点都不好笑. It can be, and often is, hurtful to those subjected to the humor. 这是不对的. Humorous intent does not excuse repeating demeaning stereotypes. Such behavior hurts every member of a community called by the name of Christ. Westmont does not tolerate slurs based on race, 教会传统, 种族, 性别, 性取向, 或残疾; other forms of verbal abuse; threatening behavior or threatening messages; the creation of a hostile environment; or any form of harassment. For more information, see the college’s policy on harassment.

耶稣推翻了当时基于种族的偏见，这让他的门徒感到震惊, 国家的起源, 宗教的差异, 和性别. 他对待穷人至少和对待有钱有势的人一样尊重. 因为他打破了偏见和偏见, 他让他的弟子们思考，为了追随他，他们必须在许多方面重新思考一些根深蒂固的期望. After Peter had twice been told in a vision “what God has made clean, 不可称为不洁净,他花了一段时间“对这异象感到困惑”，然后意识到他必须违反犹太人不可与外邦人交往或拜访的律法. Jesus had treated the woman from Samaria with respect. 但即使在复活之后, 彼得没有意识到他, 太, had to treat people of different races, 种族, religious traditions and nationalities with equal respect.

对抗与尊重 耶稣对他人的尊重不仅跨越了他所在文化的种族和性别障碍, it reached even to those he had to confront. 当耶稣遇到一个正在犯罪的人时，他不会嘲笑或嘲笑这个罪人. He told the woman taken in adultery to go and sin no more, but those he really confronted that day were the men intent on stoning her. 在我们的文化中, 没有人用石头砸奸夫, 但有些人认为，对那些经历同性吸引的人投掷嘲弄的石头是可以的. At Westmont we do not condone sexual relations outside of marriage, 但我们也不能仅仅因为我们的诱惑不同就宽恕彼此的嘲笑. 我们非常清楚自己的罪，也非常需要宽恕，所以不会用石头嘲笑别人.

我能做些什么来改变呢?

  • 愿意学习. 作为这个小区的一员, 文理界, take advantage of the opportunity to learn from engaging with others unlike you.

  • 愿意教书. 谈论你自己的经历和你正在学习的新想法，而不是让你的方式听起来是唯一的方式，这需要勇气和谦逊. 但你不能指望别人知道你的感受，除非你愿意教他们.

  • Recognize that the image of God doesn’t look like you alone. God’s children come from different races, 不同的种族, 不同的性别, 不同的社会阶层, 还有教会的传统. 在那些与你不同的人身上寻找神的形象，他们的看法、思想和经历都与你不同.

  • 寻找家族相似性. Your cousins are different from you in important ways; but there is much that you share. 神的家也是如此.

  • 检查你自己的语言. Ask yourself if you use derogatory or degrading terms in describing others.

  • Speak out against jokes or comments that demean others. Silence implies consent; when we don’t speak out against injustice we share some of the blame.

  • 和你的邻居联系一下. Remarks that strike some as just a joke may not feel like that to others. Have the courage to ask about it; and have the courage to answer honestly. 如果你想发展真正的友谊，你不能假装伤害性的话没有伤害.

采取行动反对不尊重 — Sometimes statements are meant to be hurtful. Recognizing such remarks as demeaning is pretty obvious. At other times, the hurt can be unintended but still very real. When we bump into someone, we apologize even though we didn’t intend any harm. 类似的, when our words hurt others we need to own up to what we’ve done, 即使我们无意造成伤害. And when we’ve been injured, we need to acknowledge it—to ourselves and to others.

As Christians we know what it means to repent and seek forgiveness. 每次我们祈祷主祷文, 我们求神“赦免我们的罪”, as we forgive those who sin against us.通过所有这些练习，我们当然应该知道当我们的行为伤害或冒犯他人时该怎么做:忏悔并谦卑地请求原谅. (And that means much more than a perfunctory apology; it means a change of behavior.) As we learn by God’s grace to take redemptive action on our own, reconciliation may take place without college officials being involved. 根据圣经, we desire that conflicts be resolved as quickly as possible and, 在适当的地方, 用最少的形式. 耶稣告诉我们，在召来一两个弟兄或把问题带到教会之前，要先一对一地面对犯罪的弟兄或姊妹. 学院试图在解决学生冲突或不满的政策中尊重这一原则, 教职员工. But sometimes we’re slow to learn what it means to be God’s people; when redemptive intervention is needed, 大学官员会介入.