{"product_id":"the-underground-church-hardcover-2","title":"The Underground Church - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRobin Meyers\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA new way to follow Jesus that draws on old ways of following Him\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Underground Church proposes that the faithful recapture the spirit of the early church with its emphasis on what Christians \u003ci\u003edo\u003c\/i\u003e rather than what they \u003ci\u003ebelieve\u003c\/i\u003e. Prominent progressive writer, speaker, and minister Robin Meyers proposes that the best way to recapture the spirit of the early Christian church is to recognize that Jesus-following was and must be again \u003ci\u003esubversive\u003c\/i\u003e in the best sense of the word because the gospel taken seriously turns the world upside down.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo matter how the church may organize itself or worship, the defining characteristic of church of the future will be its Jesus-inspired countercultural witness.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eDebunks commonly held beliefs about the early church and offers a vision for the future rooted in the past\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eProposes that the church of the future must leave doctrinal tribalism behind and seek a unity of mission instead\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eArchbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said,\"Robin Meyers has spoken truth to power, and the church he loves will never be the same.\"\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDear reader, I hope that you do not find the word crazy to be offensive when used to describe Jesus of Nazareth. It is not meant to be irreverent, or dismissive, or even shocking in the service of selling a book. It is meant to be true--as in real.\u003cbr\u003e --\u003cb\u003efrom Chapter One\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Underground Church\u003c\/i\u003e is a radical book that proposes a radical idea: we need to recapture the spirit of the early church with its emphasis on what Christians do rather than what they believe. Written by the prominent minister, teacher, speaker, and writer, Robin Meyers, The Underground Church posits that the best way to recapture the spirit of The Way is to recognize that Jesus-following was--and must be again--subversive in the best sense of the word. Instead of endless theological and political arguments, the church must be more concerned with being loving than with being right.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMeyers offers a potent antidote for organized-religion-as-usual--suggesting that until being a follower of Jesus is dangerous again we will continue to bless the status quo instead of transforming it. We must return to our culturally and socially subversive roots and live by the two most powerful words in the gospel Fear not. No matter how the church may organize itself or worship, the defining characteristic of the Beloved Community should be its love of justice and its countercultural compassion for all people.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt is time to stop arguing about who is saved and who is lost, who is the elect and who is the damned, who is chosen and who is Left Behind. Are we in it for ourselves or for others? Are we willing to be transformed by God, or will we continue to play god? Is going to church about looking decent or about being undone by a radical gospel? Can we do mission work across our differences, or will our differences define us?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Underground Church\u003c\/i\u003e will provide healthy, inclusive, dignified options for living in a world saturated with sickness, separation, and indignity. In short, we will not try to get people up into heaven. We will try to get heaven to come down to earth.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt is time to stop arguing about who is saved and who is lost, who is the elect and who is the damned, who is chosen and who is Left Behind. Are we in it for ourselves or for others? Are we willing to be transformed by God, or will we continue to play god? Is going to church about looking decent or about being undone by a radical gospel? Can we do mission work across our differences, or will our differences define us?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eDear reader, I hope that you do not find the word \u003c\/i\u003ecrazy\u003ci\u003e to be offensive when used to describe Jesus of Nazareth. It is not meant to be irreverent, or dismissive, or even shocking in the service of selling a book. It is meant to be true--as in \u003c\/i\u003ereal\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e\"\u003cbr\u003e --FROM CHAPTER ONE \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Underground Church\u003c\/i\u003e is a radical book that proposes a radical idea: we need to recapture the spirit of the early church with its emphasis on what Christians \u003ci\u003edo\u003c\/i\u003e rather than what they believe. Written by the prominent minister, teacher, speaker, and writer, Robin Meyers, \u003ci\u003eThe Underground Church\u003c\/i\u003e posits that the best way to recapture the spirit of The Way is to recognize that Jesus-following was--and must be again--\u003ci\u003esubversive\u003c\/i\u003e in the best sense of the word. Instead of endless theological and political arguments, the church must be more concerned with being loving than with being right. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMeyers offers a potent antidote for organized-religion-as-usual--suggesting that until being a follower of Jesus is dangerous again we will continue to bless the status quo instead of transforming it. We must return to our culturally and socially subversive roots and live by the two most powerful words in the gospel \"Fear not.\" No matter how the church may organize itself or worship, the defining characteristic of the Beloved Community should be its love of justice and its countercultural compassion for all people. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is time to stop arguing about who is saved and who is lost, who is the elect and who is the damned, who is chosen and who is \"Left Behind.\" Are we in it for ourselves or for others? Are we willing to be transformed by God, or will we continue to play god? Is going to church about looking decent or about being undone by a radical gospel? Can we do mission work across our differences, or will our differences define us? \u003ci\u003eThe Underground Church\u003c\/i\u003e will provide healthy, inclusive, dignified options for living in a world saturated with sickness, separation, and indignity. In short, we will not try to get people up into heaven. We will try to get heaven to come down to earth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRobin Meyers \u003c\/b\u003eis a nationally known United Church of Christ minister and peace activist. His congregation describes itself as unapologetically Christian and unapologetically liberal (mayflowerucc.org). He writes for \u003ci\u003eChristian Century\u003c\/i\u003e, is an award-winning commentator for NPR, and a professor of rhetoric in the philosophy department at Oklahoma City University. He is married to Shawn Meyers, an artist, and they are the parents of three children, Blue, Chelsea, and Cass. More information can be found at www.robinmeyers.com\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 290\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.03 x 9.01 x 5.45 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 03, 2012\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47378708070649,"sku":"9781118061596","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0789\/2782\/3097\/files\/rOJuCL4U2w9781118061596_70953a00-c15e-429c-85c6-2553c50c1bc6.webp?v=1770047157","url":"https:\/\/bookscloud.io\/products\/the-underground-church-hardcover-2","provider":"BooksCloud Book Dropshipping","version":"1.0","type":"link"}