Here are my thoughts on The Third Option by Miles McPherson.
What’s It About
Pastor Miles McPherson has written The Third Option to offer hope for a racially divided nation. In the book, Pastor Miles talks about the concept of in-groups and out-groups, and the tendency for us to have an “us vs. them” mentality based on the groups we identify with. He suggests a third option, an alternative to “us vs. them:” honoring what we have in common by acknowledging the image of God in every person we meet.
Using personal stories, accounts from historical and current events, and the words of Scripture, he addresses the impact of racism, the misconceptions that contribute to division between different ethnicities, and the part we can each play in facilitating unity.
Each chapter ends with reflection questions to help you take next steps as you process the content of that chapter and draw application to your life. He also ends each chapter with a Scripture and prayer you can pray to bring what you are learning into conversation with God and intercede for His work in the areas discussed in the book.
How It Impacted Me
I love how Pastor Miles really leans into an honest conversation about race and unity in an accessible way with a biblical perspective. The Third Option helped me reconnect with God’s heart for me personally, for humanity, and for the topic of racism/racial bias, healing and unity.
Even as a person of color myself, I’ve spent the majority of my life in diverse cities as well as in diverse churches and friend groups that love each other like family, honor each other and celebrate our diversity. I’m so grateful for this reality in my life and for the incredible people I’ve had the privilege to do life with.
At the same time, though, it can be easy for the topic of prejudice not to be at the forefront of my mind very often due to the overwhelmingly positive environments and communities I’ve been a part of.
I’m inspired in a fresh way to empathize with others when their experience is different from my own and to grieve with God and with my neighbors of all cultures whenever His image in them is not valued and honored the way it should be.
I’m provoked to pray for God to intervene in the broken areas of our world and to continually grow as one who extends love, honor and friendship to all the beautifully diverse people created and loved by God.
The questions and prayers Pastor Miles submits at the close of each chapter were also a highlight for me. (Don’t skip them!) They’re deep and get to the heart and tackle a range of topics. Identity, bias and favoring your in-group, your own experiences with racism, blind spots, receiving and extending forgiveness, just to name a few.
I appreciated the invitation to a place of sincere reflection before God, making space for the Lord to convict us and lead us to repentance when necessary, as well as encourage and heal us when necessary.
Favorite Quote
“…We honor God when we honor someone else’s inherent, priceless value, including his or her ethnicity.” – Miles McPherson, The Third Option (12)
Why You Should Read It
Some of us may not have thought about the fact that the gospel has implications for peace, unity and reconciliation amongst groups that are different from one another or have wrestled with hostility toward one another. This includes men and women, people from different socioeconomic statues, different spiritual gifts and callings, and–yes–racial and cultural differences. (1 Corinthians 12 // Colossians 3:11-15 // Galatians 3:26-29)
It’s important for us to have solid theology on how our faith in Jesus speaks to unity amongst diversity and how to treat our neighbors inside and outside of the Church, especially when they are different from us.
Secondly, once our theology is right, we need some practical steps on how to live rightly in relation to our neighbors of differing races and cultures. Miles McPherson points us to the principles of Scripture in both the theory and the practical. He casts vision for you and I to partner with God to see hope and healing in the area of racial division, impacting both our personal relationships and society.
Lastly, one of my favorite aspects of the book is that Pastor Miles talks both about seeing the image of God in ourselves and seeing the image of God in others. You’ll walk away from reading this book more connected with the value and identity God has placed in you and more connected with the value and identity God has placed in others.
I believe you’ll be empowered even more to live out the principles of the great commandments in Matthew 22:37-39–to love God, love yourself and love your neighbor. The message of The Third Option is powerful and it’s a game-changer. Don’t miss it.
About The Author
A former NFL football player, Miles McPherson is the founder and senior pastor of the Rock Church in San Diego, CA, which has grown to include 20,000 weekly attendees in person and online. Pastor Miles and his wife Debbie live in San Diego and have three children. (Bonus fun fact: Pastor Miles graduated from the same college I did, the University of New Haven. 🙂 )
Pastor Miles is one of my favorite preachers and I love connecting with Rock Church content online. They are an incredible community of believers. I highly recommend you check them out!
Connect with Miles McPherson: The Third Option sermon series / Rock Church / YouTube / Instagram / Twitter / Facebook
Get your copy of The Third Option here
Let’s Talk: Have you read The Third Option? What impacted you most from the book? Discuss this post in the comments below.
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