The copyright on this is 2004 so I assume this is a new piece, what is your thought on her claims?
Et tu, Bono?
by Megan Basham
As a teen in the early 90s, I had yet to make a personal connection with Jesus Christ, though I spent plenty of time with my parents in His Church. Wanting to distance myself from my ?Sunday? persona around my weekday friends, I naturally gravitated to the somber grunge music that was popular at the time. Looking back on the lyrics of bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, I have a hard time remembering why I identified with their poetry of despair.
But one favorite from my teenage years preached a different message. Though their lyrics could be tough and rebellious, U2 also sang about faith. Whereas other singers seemed to claim that life has no meaning, Bono sang about a transcendent purpose, even if he hadn?t found it yet. I admired how different, how authentic he seemed in comparison to the rest of the MTV crowd, and I followed that admiration back to U2?s earlier albums The Joshua Tree and The Unforgettable Fire. In these albums, the hints of biblical imagery I?d glimpsed in later songs were there for the world to see. For the first time, I had a ?Christian? artist that I actually liked. Strange as it sounds today, God used U2 to work on both my heart and my head, telling me that all His music didn?t have to sound like Amy Grant or Michael W. Smith ? that He gives his children unique gifts so that they can make a unique contribution. Perhaps that?s why, as a Christian in my twenties, I?ve felt betrayed by Bono?s seeming desire to distance himself from the faith he helped plant in me.
U2's frontman has long taken a secretive stance on his personal faith ? attacking the organized Church on the one hand while espousing biblical philosophy on the other. But his recent commitment to fight the tide of AIDS in Africa and provide relief to AIDS sufferers has prompted him to approach American churches for the first time in nearly 20 years.
And church members ? many former U2 fans who felt burned by the singer's belittlement of "organized" Christianity ? are understandably responding to Bono's outreach with a bit of trepidation. After hearing statements like, "I don't set myself up as any kind of 'Christian.' ? I don't feel comfortable with that badge," Christian leaders can't help but wonder, "Is Bono a part of the Body or not?"
While his comments smack of flavorless salt, the rock star claims to be salt nonetheless. And pastors like Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Church in Illinois believe him. After meeting with the singer during his weeklong speaking tour to drum up Evangelical awareness of the African AIDS crisis, Hybels stated, "I came away convinced that Bono's faith is genuine; his vision to relieve the tragic suffering in Africa is God-honoring."1
Then there are the words of Bono himself. Forced into a corner at a press conference of Christian journalists last year, Bono finally stated, "I am a believer and I have faith in Christ." It's a belief that has been with him since childhood.
After his mother died when he was 14, Bono (real name Paul Hewson), David Evans (known as guitarist The Edge) and Larry Mullen Jr. (U2's drummer) became involved in Shalom, an informal Christian fellowship in Dublin, Ireland, that met regularly for Bible study and worship.
It was only when Shalom grew into a more structured church (and the band's popularity began to soar) that Bono and his band mates left. Ironically, at about the same time, their reputation as a groundbreaking Christian rock act took off.
Their second release, October (1981), was marketed explicitly as a Christian album, sold in Bible bookstores, and reviewed in major Christian music magazines. The lead song, "Gloria," incorporated phrases from the Psalms.
Their follow-up album, War (1983) was also perceived as a Christian record and opened with the hit "Sunday Bloody Sunday," which contained a call to "claim the victory Jesus won," and closed with a hymnic meditation on Psalm 40.
Despite this success (or perhaps because of it), U2 then spent the better part of the late 80s and 90s distancing themselves from their Christian music past.
For the most part, their endeavor was successful.
As lyrical references to their faith became more cryptic (one reporter stated that the favorite pastime of Christian teens in the 90s was playing a musical version of "Where's Waldo," trying to locate biblical messages in U2 songs), their over-bloated concert productions became more worldly. (1994's PopMart tour featured an intermission sequence in which a transvestite's genitals were displayed on stadium monitors for several minutes.)
Bono, in particular, seemed bent on shedding his saintly image. Just before U2 launched the "Zoo TV" tour, Rolling Stone ran a profanity-laden interview with the rock star in which he spoke of drinking and partying. He went on to talk about U2's music and his spirituality in a way that let church-going Christians know that, publicly anyway, he wanted little to do with them.2
To Bono, established churches didn't uphold biblical mandates well enough for him to be associated with them. They didn't do enough international work and they didn't demonstrate real brotherly love. (Speaking of upholding biblical mandates, Titus 2:8 tells us to "show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned," but perhaps Bono didn't get a chance to read that one before the Rolling Stone interview.) From that time on, U2's acknowledgement of their original Christian fan base was nearly non-existent.
Until last year, that is, when Bono's goodwill crusade brought him once again to the doorstep of the Church. His genuine commitment to help heal the sick became a common interest on which he and church leaders could engage one another.
The problem is that while Bono has been willing to engage churches on the matter of AIDS in Africa, he's not been willing to show them much respect. During his speaking tour, he continued to deride what he called "organized religion," despite the fact that he was addressing some of its organizers.
Of course, in and of itself, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Bono's criticisms are often well-deserved. When he calls today's Christians, "a load of sissies who run around in their 'bless me' clubs ? asleep to the millions of lives being lost," our indignation is probably more defensive than righteous. And he's certainly right that American Christians have a tendency to be complacent in their luxury, oblivious to the immense suffering of their brothers and sisters in other countries. More than a few of us were surprised by a 2001 Barna Research poll that discovered that a scant 3 percent of Christians say they intend to help with AIDS internationally, compared with 8 percent of non-Christians. And Christians were the least likely of the polled groups to support children orphaned by AIDS. Our prevailing attitude on a great many causes seems to be, "Hey, I'm happy and my kids are happy, so what's that got to do with me?"
However, when Bono rails that the African AIDS crisis is "the defining moral issue of our time" he conveniently ignores the other moral crises that have mobilized Christian Americans. Perhaps abortion as a social cause has less traction in his famous circles?
It seems that his resistance to be a member of, and have accountability to, any church body has left him with an outwardly childish understanding of a biblical commitment to Christ. After all, Hebrews 10:25 exhorts us not to "give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another." In other words, modeling Christ-like behavior requires much more than simple activism.
By making inflammatory comments like, "What's on trial here is Christianity itself"3 and "If the Church doesn't respond to this, the Church will be made irrelevant,"4 Bono minimizes the power of the Cross.
Even if Christians of this time fail (as Christians in the past have failed) to do good works, the message and motive of Jesus Christ's Church will remain relevant because there will still be sinful people on Earth who need redemption. Christ came to accomplish infinitely more than the alleviation of suffering in this life. He came to save the soul of man for eternity. And one cannot experience full growth as a believer as a solo act.
While Bono understands that being a follower of Christ must involve a sense of community responsibility, of charity, and of caring for one's neighbor, he doesn't seem to understand that connecting to the Body is essential too. Perhaps if he did, Bono would be as willing to forgive his fellow church-going believers for their blind spots as much as we, his Christian fans, are willing to forgive his.
1 ?Bono?s American Prayer.? Christianity Today Magazine. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/003/2.38.html. 02/21/2003.
2 ?U2 Finds What It?s Looking For.? Rolling Stone Magazine. 10/01/1992.
3 ?Bono: The BeleifNet Interview.? Beleifnet, 02/20/2001.
4 ?Bono?s American Prayer.? Christianity Today Magazine. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/003/2.38.html. 02/21/2003.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright ? 2004 Megan Basham. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
Photo Copyright ? 2003 Pixel Dance, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.
To request permission to reprint this article, click here.
Et tu, Bono?
by Megan Basham
As a teen in the early 90s, I had yet to make a personal connection with Jesus Christ, though I spent plenty of time with my parents in His Church. Wanting to distance myself from my ?Sunday? persona around my weekday friends, I naturally gravitated to the somber grunge music that was popular at the time. Looking back on the lyrics of bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, I have a hard time remembering why I identified with their poetry of despair.
But one favorite from my teenage years preached a different message. Though their lyrics could be tough and rebellious, U2 also sang about faith. Whereas other singers seemed to claim that life has no meaning, Bono sang about a transcendent purpose, even if he hadn?t found it yet. I admired how different, how authentic he seemed in comparison to the rest of the MTV crowd, and I followed that admiration back to U2?s earlier albums The Joshua Tree and The Unforgettable Fire. In these albums, the hints of biblical imagery I?d glimpsed in later songs were there for the world to see. For the first time, I had a ?Christian? artist that I actually liked. Strange as it sounds today, God used U2 to work on both my heart and my head, telling me that all His music didn?t have to sound like Amy Grant or Michael W. Smith ? that He gives his children unique gifts so that they can make a unique contribution. Perhaps that?s why, as a Christian in my twenties, I?ve felt betrayed by Bono?s seeming desire to distance himself from the faith he helped plant in me.
U2's frontman has long taken a secretive stance on his personal faith ? attacking the organized Church on the one hand while espousing biblical philosophy on the other. But his recent commitment to fight the tide of AIDS in Africa and provide relief to AIDS sufferers has prompted him to approach American churches for the first time in nearly 20 years.
And church members ? many former U2 fans who felt burned by the singer's belittlement of "organized" Christianity ? are understandably responding to Bono's outreach with a bit of trepidation. After hearing statements like, "I don't set myself up as any kind of 'Christian.' ? I don't feel comfortable with that badge," Christian leaders can't help but wonder, "Is Bono a part of the Body or not?"
While his comments smack of flavorless salt, the rock star claims to be salt nonetheless. And pastors like Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Church in Illinois believe him. After meeting with the singer during his weeklong speaking tour to drum up Evangelical awareness of the African AIDS crisis, Hybels stated, "I came away convinced that Bono's faith is genuine; his vision to relieve the tragic suffering in Africa is God-honoring."1
Then there are the words of Bono himself. Forced into a corner at a press conference of Christian journalists last year, Bono finally stated, "I am a believer and I have faith in Christ." It's a belief that has been with him since childhood.
After his mother died when he was 14, Bono (real name Paul Hewson), David Evans (known as guitarist The Edge) and Larry Mullen Jr. (U2's drummer) became involved in Shalom, an informal Christian fellowship in Dublin, Ireland, that met regularly for Bible study and worship.
It was only when Shalom grew into a more structured church (and the band's popularity began to soar) that Bono and his band mates left. Ironically, at about the same time, their reputation as a groundbreaking Christian rock act took off.
Their second release, October (1981), was marketed explicitly as a Christian album, sold in Bible bookstores, and reviewed in major Christian music magazines. The lead song, "Gloria," incorporated phrases from the Psalms.
Their follow-up album, War (1983) was also perceived as a Christian record and opened with the hit "Sunday Bloody Sunday," which contained a call to "claim the victory Jesus won," and closed with a hymnic meditation on Psalm 40.
Despite this success (or perhaps because of it), U2 then spent the better part of the late 80s and 90s distancing themselves from their Christian music past.
For the most part, their endeavor was successful.
As lyrical references to their faith became more cryptic (one reporter stated that the favorite pastime of Christian teens in the 90s was playing a musical version of "Where's Waldo," trying to locate biblical messages in U2 songs), their over-bloated concert productions became more worldly. (1994's PopMart tour featured an intermission sequence in which a transvestite's genitals were displayed on stadium monitors for several minutes.)
Bono, in particular, seemed bent on shedding his saintly image. Just before U2 launched the "Zoo TV" tour, Rolling Stone ran a profanity-laden interview with the rock star in which he spoke of drinking and partying. He went on to talk about U2's music and his spirituality in a way that let church-going Christians know that, publicly anyway, he wanted little to do with them.2
To Bono, established churches didn't uphold biblical mandates well enough for him to be associated with them. They didn't do enough international work and they didn't demonstrate real brotherly love. (Speaking of upholding biblical mandates, Titus 2:8 tells us to "show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned," but perhaps Bono didn't get a chance to read that one before the Rolling Stone interview.) From that time on, U2's acknowledgement of their original Christian fan base was nearly non-existent.
Until last year, that is, when Bono's goodwill crusade brought him once again to the doorstep of the Church. His genuine commitment to help heal the sick became a common interest on which he and church leaders could engage one another.
The problem is that while Bono has been willing to engage churches on the matter of AIDS in Africa, he's not been willing to show them much respect. During his speaking tour, he continued to deride what he called "organized religion," despite the fact that he was addressing some of its organizers.
Of course, in and of itself, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Bono's criticisms are often well-deserved. When he calls today's Christians, "a load of sissies who run around in their 'bless me' clubs ? asleep to the millions of lives being lost," our indignation is probably more defensive than righteous. And he's certainly right that American Christians have a tendency to be complacent in their luxury, oblivious to the immense suffering of their brothers and sisters in other countries. More than a few of us were surprised by a 2001 Barna Research poll that discovered that a scant 3 percent of Christians say they intend to help with AIDS internationally, compared with 8 percent of non-Christians. And Christians were the least likely of the polled groups to support children orphaned by AIDS. Our prevailing attitude on a great many causes seems to be, "Hey, I'm happy and my kids are happy, so what's that got to do with me?"
However, when Bono rails that the African AIDS crisis is "the defining moral issue of our time" he conveniently ignores the other moral crises that have mobilized Christian Americans. Perhaps abortion as a social cause has less traction in his famous circles?
It seems that his resistance to be a member of, and have accountability to, any church body has left him with an outwardly childish understanding of a biblical commitment to Christ. After all, Hebrews 10:25 exhorts us not to "give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another." In other words, modeling Christ-like behavior requires much more than simple activism.
By making inflammatory comments like, "What's on trial here is Christianity itself"3 and "If the Church doesn't respond to this, the Church will be made irrelevant,"4 Bono minimizes the power of the Cross.
Even if Christians of this time fail (as Christians in the past have failed) to do good works, the message and motive of Jesus Christ's Church will remain relevant because there will still be sinful people on Earth who need redemption. Christ came to accomplish infinitely more than the alleviation of suffering in this life. He came to save the soul of man for eternity. And one cannot experience full growth as a believer as a solo act.
While Bono understands that being a follower of Christ must involve a sense of community responsibility, of charity, and of caring for one's neighbor, he doesn't seem to understand that connecting to the Body is essential too. Perhaps if he did, Bono would be as willing to forgive his fellow church-going believers for their blind spots as much as we, his Christian fans, are willing to forgive his.
1 ?Bono?s American Prayer.? Christianity Today Magazine. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/003/2.38.html. 02/21/2003.
2 ?U2 Finds What It?s Looking For.? Rolling Stone Magazine. 10/01/1992.
3 ?Bono: The BeleifNet Interview.? Beleifnet, 02/20/2001.
4 ?Bono?s American Prayer.? Christianity Today Magazine. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/003/2.38.html. 02/21/2003.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright ? 2004 Megan Basham. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
Photo Copyright ? 2003 Pixel Dance, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.
To request permission to reprint this article, click here.
.
Look in the mirror, toots.
words myself, although not in public. It depends on where I am, actually. We use the words at the art studio because the staff does. We do not use them at the library unless we're in the staff room. This is something reasonable people can disagree on, IMHO.
