A Race For Unity with Miles McPherson

A recent increase in high-profile, racially-charged conflict has led well-meaning people to wonder what they can do to help alleviate racial tension in our churches, communities, and country. For one day, churches across the Nation will open their doors, partnering with other churches in the community to be a gathering place for conversation, learning, & healing.

Miles McPherson, author, former NFL player, and Senior Pastor and founder of the Rock Church and Academy in San Diego, California, will host a free two-hour “Race For Unity” simulcast on September 15. McPherson’s message is a direct response to the recent increase in high profile, racially charged conflict that has led well-meaning people to wonder what they can do to help alleviate racial tension in our nation’s churches, communities, businesses, and schools.

McPherson is a multi-racial man of Black, White, and Chinese heritage, who has personally experienced the pain of segregation and racial division. Prior to the simulcast, McPherson will also release his powerful next book titled “THE THIRD OPTION: Hope For A Racially Divided Nation,” on September 11. In “THE THIRD OPTION,” McPherson examines the cultural influences that shape our attitudes on race relations in present-day America.  In a culture that compels individuals to choose between sides – Black or White, police or communities of color, racist or woke, “us” or “them” – McPherson offers a third option: honor.

McPherson writes,

“The message I got from both sides was the same: ‘You’re not really one of us because we don’t share the same skin tone.’ But is skin tone really a legitimate basis for determining our similarities and differences?”

McPherson offers a different perspective than those offered by culture, focused on every individual’s inherent value and worth. In “THE THIRD OPTION: Hope for a Racially Divided Nation” McPherson asks soul-seeking questions about our attitudes on race, provides historical context for racial bias in America, and offers practical advice on how to honor the priceless value of God’s image in every person we meet.

Diving deeper, McPherson analyzes and defines the different types of racism – institutionalized, internalized, and personal – and the impact they have on us all; provides scientific and sociological examples of how we develop stereotypes; and explains why we must overcome the cultural barriers that prevent us from “doing life” with those who look different from us.

Both “THE THIRD OPTION” book and the “Race for Unity” simulcast will give audiences practical strategies and starting points for conversations on race that will help our nation, communities, and churches become more cohesive, loving, and unified.

For a video message from McPherson, details and a link to register for the simulcast, visit: https://www.araceforunity.com/.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:9-11

Risen Reflections

Host a simulcast. Organize a simulcast at your church, business or organization. Consider partnering with other local churches and organizations to host an event together. Pray and ask God to show you who to ask to get involved. Pray that God would use the event as a catalyst in your church and community for reconciliation. Pray for reconciliation to God and to one another.

Encourage others to attend. If your church or another local church is already hosting a simulcast, encourage your friends, family, classmates, co-workers to attend. Offer to meet up before-hand so that you can sit together and invite everyone to a meal or coffee afterwards. This will give you the opportunity to get to know one another better and discuss what you learned from the experience. Ask the group what they thought about the simulcast, if there was something that stood out to them, or if they were surprised by anything that they heard.

Be open. It can be hard to discuss racism, reconciliation, and unity. Be willing to listen to what others have to say even if you don’t agree with it. If you are having a difficult time, pray and ask God to help you to help you to understand and be graceful. Be open to share things that have happened to you in your past that might have shaped what you believe or why you react a certain way to things. Be open to forgiving someone that might have hurt you. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean that we are saying what they did was right. It can be difficult to forgive someone that has offended us. Ask God to help you. It can also be helpful to talk to a pastor or counselor to help you process a difficult experience. If you want to meet with the person that offended you, but don’t feel comfortable meeting alone, ask a pastor or trusted friend to go with you. Pray that God would work in the midst of your conversation.