Walk On - the Christian Student.Net review

Walk On
by Andrew Holmes

I must admit that the old arguments as to whether or not U2 are Christians bore me intensely. This is partly a reaction to the overtly cultural content of our definitions of Christianity, but also an awareness that these discussions may often be hypocritical and vulgar if taken too far. All of us are sinners and sin affects our thinking as much as it does our behaviour, not least in our judgements of others who profess faith in Christ. Whether or not a believer smokes tobacco or drinks alcohol seems pale in comparison to whether or not the fruits of the Spirit are evidenced in their daily lives. Nevertheless, the question does bring to the surface fundamental issues about how Christians, particularly evangelicals, relate to the world in which they are placed. In this regard, Steve Stockman has a long, and often honourable reputation for attempting to challenge Northern Irish evangelicals to think about what authentic Christian discipleship looks like, often invoking U2 as a worthy example to emulate. His latest book, Walk on: the spiritual journey of U2, may be seen as a convenient summary of his views, not only about U2, but life, the universe and everything. This is a passionate, engaging and well written epistle from a star-struck lover. This reader found himself agreeing wholeheartedly with much of what was written, though there a number of thorny issues that are not satisfactorily resolved by the end of the book and which may warrant further reflection.

Walk On charts the spiritual development of U2 from the obscurity of Dublin to the world stage. The Christian faith of Bono, the Edge and Larry Mullan Jnr was nurtured in a small charismatic fellowship in Dublin, though the lack of an identifiable evangelical subculture did allow the band to develop their individual sound and ethos. What is more, the influence of non-Christians such as Gavin Friday and Adam Clayton, the bassist, kept them from becoming too otherworldly. From the introspective pietism of their first two albums, U2 became politically more aware and bombastic in the 1980s, turning to angst ridden irony in the 1990s, before reverting to plain honesty in their latest offering, All that you can’t leave behind. Stockman argues passionately, and often convincingly, that U2 have an important, prophetic role to play in not only awakening the world but also the church to the liberating message of Gods grace and its manifestation in social action. At the same time, the tensions between being ‘the greatest rock band in the world’ and the call to radical discipleship are plainly obvious to both the author and the band.

Steve Stockman is right to question our judgmental and culturally conditioned attitudes to not only the religious views of U2 but also the essence of genuine discipleship. Yet, in doing so, the reader is sometimes aware of a certain amount of special pleading, most notably in a passage in which he more or less tells Bono what he believes contrary to what Bono says: ‘Like his critics he misses his committed and radical following of Jesus…’. Furthermore, the example of Bono and what he says constitute the main evidence used to demonstrate the radical Christian commitment of the band. Whether Bono’s views constitute the settled convictions of the rest of the band is an important question to ask, and while I think that they in large measure do, there is a bigger issue as to the content of those beliefs. I do not doubt that their Christian pronouncements and social concern are fired by sincere religious convictions, but are they exclusively Christian? In other words, is Christ the only source of grace and way to God for the band or merely a unique spiritual experience that may come to others through different channels? Has living in a music world awash with moral and spiritual relativism for over twenty years diluted the exclusivity of the gospel?

In one sense, the question seems unimportant for if their faith is merely what is good for them, it has nevertheless inspired the band to champion imminently worthy causes such as Jubilee 2000 and Amnesty International to the benefit of untold individuals. Social action and concern are after all, not the sole preserve of the church. The matter becomes more important, however, when we consider the use to which the author uses their beliefs and example. The book reads well and is convincing because Stockman so obviously shares U2s social concern and obsession with grace. Therefore, the band and their music are used as a forum in which he sounds off about issues that relate to the evangelical subculture with which he is connected. One indication of this is his constant referral to the bands beliefs as being ‘evangelical’. Just what precisely this means is unclear, though it is obvious that the author uses the band’s beliefs as a counterpoint to what he sees as failings in contemporary evangelicalism. For example, there are a number of well-deserved sideswipes at the ghettoisation of the Contemporary Christian Music scene, but less than judicious opprobrium aimed at those evangelicals who voted ‘No’ in the referendum for the Good Friday Agreement.

The main problem, however, is that Stockman obviously sees U2 as an ideal model for an authentic Christian engagement with the world, especially in the arts. He rehearses the well worn, though not wholly deserved view that Protestantism has not been supportive of those within its ranks possessing artistic gifts. For Stockman, art gives meaning to life and allows believers to take a fresh look at reality and faith. All this is good and true, but is U2 an adequate model? As Stockman himself admits in Chapter 6, their lack of commitment to a local church fellowship is a major issue arising from both their peculiar circumstances and the nature of mainstream evangelicalism more generally. Yet, though evangelicalism is chronically deficient in this regard, surely such a context is necessary to have personal faith sustained and artistic visions maintained. Has the lack of such a context meant that the Christianity of U2 has been emptied of its exclusive content? Is there a danger that if we adopt the attitude of U2 to the world and involvement in the church we, at the same time, will capitulate to the ideals of the world? What is more, are all of us called to push the envelope in the imaginative ways U2 have done?

I offer these comments not as criticisms, but as personal reflections upon an issue that has profound implications for evangelicals. Steve Stockman rightly sees U2 as a challenge to the church. They display a heartfelt honesty in dealing with spiritual questions arising from the harsh realities and contradictions of modern life. They provoke us to examine our modernity infested and culturally determined beliefs in the light of a radical discipleship predicated upon grace and love for others. It seems to me that the example of U2 encapsulates the tensions involved in any Christian engagement with the world and the danger of drifting from communities of faith. In that context, the questions asked about U2 should not focus upon their personal faith, but the more important issue of whether or not we should follow their example of engagement with the world.

This review was by Andrew Holmes, the only man who could make a PhD in Presbyterian belief and practice in the 19th century seem sexy.

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