EQUITY MEANS means the adoption, performance, and preservation of just policies, systems, governance, and practices. Equity differs from equality, in that equity takes account of and attempts to rectify the different needs and disadvantages that inhibit some people more than others. In an equitable organization, no one is denied access to the opportunity and power their peers enjoy. It is fitting that equity stands at the end of the ABIDE acronym, for equity is the goal. Accountability, belonging, inclusion, and diversity are not ends in themselves; they matter especially because they make equity possible. Equity, like justice, nevertheless remains an elusive goal in a world that resists God’s transformative presence, that answers back to progress with regression, and that clings to privilege rather than surrendering to love. It requires constant tending. Nevertheless, just as the witness of the biblical prophets underscores God’s relentless commitment to justice and righteousness, those who abide with God are called to advocate, show solidarity, and foster agency for those who are denied opportunity or face oppression.
A CHRISTIAN PRACTICE: Justice. Jesus Christ, to whom we belong in baptism and with whom we commune through our relationships with one another, calls us to be instruments of his radical love in the world. Our practices, like the gospel they embody, propel us beyond ourselves. We will not merely pray for justice; we must endeavor to do it. In Christ, God demonstrates love for the whole world; accordingly, our pursuit of just communities and systems occurs because we believe that all people should have opportunities to experience God’s love. We never stop asking God and each other for healing from the lingering effects of past injustices. We hold ourselves accountable to persist in this vocation. Above all, we will remember that pursuing justice in response to God’s leading demands a posture of deep humility from us all
~ from Luther Seminary's Calling to ABIDE