This is the book no American who follows the Way of Jesus expects, but the wakeup call each follower and congregation needs. Meyers seeks to restore that which Jesus envisioned in a way quite unlike that of the Restoration movement in which he was raised. He focuses on the big picture of what the church should be, providing suggestions that are offensive to all who embody and extend the status quo - from the theologically conservative to the theologically progressive. Readers will be challenged to discard the declining church that is entwined with Empire in favor of a church that embraces its "radical roots" and is "driven by a truly subversive anti-imperial message and mission" (p. 9-10).To construct the framework for this vision Meyers' begins by clarifying Christianity's past, noting that the early church was never the "pure" or "unified" entity it is often popularly portrayed to have been (p.43). While any student of church history knows Constantine forever changed the religion, Meyers places Constantine's involvement alongside other changes initiated by powerful and power hungry people that transformed radically inclusive egalitarian faith communities into highly structured systems with considerable inequality and a focus on belief.Meyers compares the church's past to its present manifestation in America, noting how entwined most congregations and denominations are today with Empire. Against this prevailing model, he constructs his vision of the underground church - a church far more like the first three centuries than the last seventeen. This new underground church is subversive rather than safe, Jesus-centered rather than tradition or Empire centered, and calls for deep involvement by followers rather than marginal participation by members. The undeground church is a nonviolent community that replaces the word "faith" with the word "trust;" values authenticity over orthodoxy; makes Jesus a model for living rather than an object of worship; builds coalitions by working with others on issues of peace and nonviolence, radical hospitality, and economic justice; stands out from the dominant culture by engaging in subversive acts motivated by experience; expands the communion meal into a true feast; addresses issues of economic injustice; empowers activists and participates in creative noncooperation; favors counterimperial praxis to doctrinal uniformity; talks less and does more; and does no harm when harm can be avoided. In short, the underground church reclaims the subversive way of Jesus for our age.