The Underground Church

Looking at liberal and conservative Christians Meyers says that we should move beyond labels and act together. The following paragraph summarises the book for me:
"I have conservative friends who lead lives of sacrifice and service yet believe things about Jesus that I do not believe. But their lives count for more to me than their beliefs. Besides they may be right and I may be wrong. I can only hope that they feel the same way about me. Otherwise we are all in trouble. Whether families or in churches, uniformity of belief has never and will never be achieved. Uniformity of spirit, however, is not only a possibility but the hallmark of the most successful and authentic Christian communities in the land. This is the hope of the Underground Church"

Although this is another American author we felt that, generally speaking, his arguments apply equally to this country. We all agreed with the general premise of the book, namely that we should learn from the early church. This attracted people from all walks and stations in life. They cared for each other, for their communities and about what was just and right. They stood up to authority, though peacefully, despite danger and unpopularity for themselves.
The Underground Church therefore urges us to be active in the community and put money into outreach rather just for our own buildings. It teaches that being loving is more important than being right. It recognises that there was no unanimity of view in the early church so we should, for instance, accept different types of worship, rather than seek one style for all.. The early church also served an actual meal as communion rather than merely bread and "wine", before or after the service. This might be possible sometimes and could be one small step towards our joining the Underground Church.

Mike Cragg – July 2013