Bono's faith - challenged or challenging

A letter on the Guest page provoked a response from Stocki that he thought was worth printing... about U2 and their faith...

The Guest Book Entry

"I was reading your article on U2, and I couldn't help but comment briefly. I am 30 years old. I've always enjoyed U2s music, although I've never purchased one of their albums. I remember hearing when I was a teenager that U2 was a Christian band. Over the years I heard several things that bothered me. For instance, Bono saying things like "F*** the system". The member of U2 may be believers in Jesus Christ. However, I think that if they are they are baby Christians and/or have lost their way. Do you really think that Christians should be undercover? Should we have to look for subtle hints as to faith? The Great Commission is for all believers. We are all called to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We were not called to be undercover agents. It seems to me that U2 wants to be known as Christians to Christians, but as just a cool rock band to everyone else. They seem to be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, but quite bold about politics. The Bible says, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation..."

Stocki's reply: -

Goodness Craig there is a lot of stuff in that email!!!! Thank you for it.

I think I work off very different paradigms than you when it comes to communicating the Gospel. And by the way I've just been preaching very clear evangelical messages to 700 teenagers just this weekend. I'm also not quite sure how we can make the kind of judgements of our brother's spiritual state - baby or lost their way. We don't even know them. First of all. For me using the word F*** is not as big a sin as the system. We rage at Bono using that word but fail to see that the system needs turned upside down. We spend our time talking about whether that means he is backsliding rather than getting out there to campaign against the systems Third World debt. Interestingly while he does it. Bruce Cockburn another believer who has used such a word said in an interview, that I was at, that some obscene things need obscene words to describe them. I think Bono is a little liberal sometimes with his use of it but spirituality is much more than bad words. I know that in his family life and in his ordinary behind the shades life this guy is searching after God in a way I long for and in a way I hope you and I are getting near.

Subtle. Art is subtle though I have to say the new album is far from subtle although again Christians will expect clichés. Clichés are not art. They are not even very good preaching. The Bible is subtle in many many places - Song Of Songs, Ecclesiastes and Esther to name a few (Esther doesn't even mention God). The Parables are unbelievably subtle and Jesus refused to even explain them sometimes. What happened U2 in the early 80's was that right wing fundamentalists started owning them and they were being misinterpreted as that. Now Craig these people use the right phrases and are not at all subtle but they for me are a long way from Bono's spirituality. They are closer to the Pharisees who, if you don't mind me saying, would have divided Bono into an unclean camp because he used the F word!

I actually find nothing too subtle about any U2 album. In the nineties I wasn't as big a fan of their music as I was of their clear exposing of the devil's system and their hope that, in exposing it, it would get F***ed. I am just sad that many with ears to hear didn't hear. But maybe the F*** word was blocking the ears. As Tony Campolo often says "20,000 children have died of hunger today and you don't give a shit! In fact you are more concerned with the fact I used shit than that 20,000 children died of hunger".

The Gospel. The Gospel, Craig, is so much bigger than the preaching of salvation. Jesus didn't pray in the Lords Prayer that we would preach salvation. He prayed that we would bring the Kingdom and God's will on earth as it is in heaven. My preaching this weekend is included in that but so is Bono's constant political attempts to justice and the clearing of poverty etc. This was so important to Jesus that one stage he said that if we didn't feed the poor and visit them in prison we would go to hell. If the sheep and the goats parable is right then Bono will be in heaven a lot quicker than me. Of course he and I both believe in Grace. It is the theme of their new album. But Jesus still said it that strongly. Indeed in Amos God said he didn't want new worship songs until their was justice and righteousness. U2's political fight has been one of bringing the Kingdom. God's will on earth. As Bono said in an interview a while back "We could use a whole lot of that!"

Bono has been far from ashamed of the Gospel. In album after album he has quoted it, made it wrestle with real life and he has lived it hard in bring Good News to where Bad News is now. In writings for magazines he has put his cool on the line when he said The Message was his book of the year. He has done intros to a Book of Psalms where he articulates wonderfully who David was. A great insight into U2 influences. He has introduced the God part of Johnny Cash's new retrospective. Even in an intro to a book on the band itself he headed towards King David. He's never been one to be ashamed. Indeed on the new album he has a go at the other cool religions which is not very politically correct these days when he says that Grace works outside of Karma. Beyond it. Also reports a few years ago that he spent the whole of a New Years Eve party on the stairs talking about God doesn't suggest any hindrance in wanting to share his faith.

So don't miss all this for an F*** word. U2 have been more faithful to art and faith than most CCM bands who spout out the same clichés to sell units masking it under some "F*** word free" package of sanitised Christian cliché. As my late friend Rich Mullins sang "Save me from trendy religion that makes cheap clichés out of timeless truth". Bono's been saved from that - HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!

As Bono said in an interview, recently, when he was talking about God in his life. "If there is no God, it's serious. If there is a God, it's even more serious." Bono has always taken this seriously. Yes, sometimes I'm very thankful that I am not his pastor but I am more thankful for how he has ministered to me over the past 20 years of my life making me more aware of how my faith caresses and collides with the real world and for inspiring me to dream out loud and imagine that kingdom where he says on the new album "It has to be believed to be seen".

Maybe Craig we are from such different theological paradigms that this does not make sense to you. It's how I make sense of it.

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