In The Underground Church: Reclaiming the Subversive Way of Jesus, Robin Meyers calls the contemporary church to examine its roots and consider whether the way we do church today is what Jesus intended. Meyers’ voice joins others, such as Diana Butler Bass and Paul Nixon, who are asking the church to take a hard look at itself and consider whether it has lost its original purpose and mission.

There is much to be learned from Meyers’ book and I especially like the way he compares different definitions of faith. He notes that if you ask someone to define Christianity “the first words out of his or her mouth will likely be the affirmation of a creed or doctrine…” Meyers argues that “Christianity was born as a movement of the spirit, animated by faith” and that it is “not something we argue about. It is something we make manifest in the way we live.” He calls Christians on both the left and the right to serve the poor and work for justice despite their theological and political differences.

Meyers compares America with the Roman Empire, but this comparison makes it too easy to blame some vague entity outside of ourselves for our problems. As H.L. Mencken and others have said, “People deserve the government they get.” Societal injustices in America are caused by the apathy and greed of individuals rather than an oligarchy or emperor who enforces rules by military means.

Greed is the focus of Meyers’ call to the church to take radical steps and become a subversive force to combat materialism and unfair economic systems. He wonders why there are so few sermons about greed and calls on the church to “return to the ancient practice of running our own underground economy… including the redistribution of wealth and the loaning of money at no interest to other members of the community.”

The “Manifesto of the Underground Church” which is the book’s epilogue, is not without controversial ideas, such as the requirement of a financial pledge for church membership. However, its call for the church to get beyond its complacency and take an honest, if painful, look at itself in the light of Jesus’ gospel message, is something the church desperately needs to hear.