Will True Christian Churches Be Forced Underground in America?

underground church
Preacher draws lunchtime crowd in New York City's Battery Park. But could the American church soon be forced underground? (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration)

Will the real Christian churches please stand up? Or, er, should they rather go underground?

In order to stay true to their belief and to God, one conservative Christian commentator is convinced that the “real” Christian church in America is going to be forced to do as the early Christians did—go underground.

J.D. Longstreet is making a lot of noise with a commentary that argues many of the mainline Christian churches have slipped away from the foundation of Scripture to adopt secular tenants and leftist, politically correct philosophies until they have become only a shadow of the true followers of Christ.

Strong words, but words that Longstreet—who left his own denomination a few years ago because he said it was forsaking the tenants of the Bible and the gospel—is standing on.

“Unfortunately, many of our mainline denominations have become nothing more than social clubs with many franchises nationwide,” Longstreet writes. “Their pastors ‘preach’ feel good ‘sermonettes’ about the environment, and things like ‘social justice.’ In my opinion, that is not the mission of a church that purports to follow Christ. In fact, Christ Himself, spelled out the mission of the church in what we refer to as the Great Commission.”

As Longstreet sees it, pastors in America are fearful of preaching scriptures and of pointing out main’s failings. They are concerned that they will be accused of slander or sued for libel. Longstreet admits that’s a real threat in America—and that’s why he is suggesting churches that hold true to the gospel will be forced underground.

“And very soon now, I believe, the Supreme Court of the land will be in the hands of socialists, as well, and that will be the end of the experiment called ‘America’—a nation which was to have been governed only by the voice of it’s people and their God,” he writes. “The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah could not hold a candle to the wickedness in America today. If the true Christian church is to survive in America, it must go underground.”

Do you agree with Longstreet?


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