FSM Blogger

I think this addresses the issue of do our actions speak louder than our words? If we sit in church on Sunday mornings and we have pure speech and do what is right, but we never reach out to anyone or do the things that Jesus has asked of us, are WE true Christians? Even Jesus said that there was more to it than following commands.
 

Wow, so much I want to say here. The scale with which U2, and particularly Bono, have used their fame, prominence, and money to help the poorest of the poor is unequalled in politics, business (except for Bill Gates), or entertainment. Even if you have done a cursory reading about Bono's involvement in debt and AIDS relief for Africa you know that he just doesn't show up for the photo-op. He knows the minutia of health policy, economic incentives, debt cancellation, etc. He has stated that the church will be seen as irrelevant if it doesn't stand up and demand help and justice to the millions who are starving, suffering, and dying in Africa. He is every bit a prophet telling the children of God to wake-up and take a look out the window of our SUV's and see what the world really looks like and what little it would take from us to help keep 30,000 children from dying everyday.

I praise God that he hasn't bought into the pharisaical notion that because he is a rock star, or swears, or drinks, or probably had pre-marital sex that he couldn't speak on matters of faith and the teachings of Jesus Christ. God's truth doesn't require it's deliver to be perfect, just willing to deliver the message. I think Bono and U2 are authentic in who they are as seekers, human beings, and believers. Just listening to their music will tell you that. Look at the lyrics to Yahweh or One Step Closer they are ripe with the feelings we all have if we take our faith and devotion to God seriously.

Chris, your questions are great. I think that people view them as being more Christian than, in some cases, the church. Bono talks at length about faith, music, and the state of the world in his interview with Jann Wenner for Rolling Stone. Click on this link to be taken to the podcast via iTunes. It is awesome.
 

I appreciate learning about U2 from your post and the comments. I've never known anything about their music. For some weird reason I was thinking about them last week, thinking about the name U2 and "getting it" after all these years, even though the significance of their name was probably obvious to everybody else but me. Back in '81 I loved the movie EXCALIBUR. Cheri Lunghi played Guinnevere. Some years later I saw her in a U2 video. She and Bono were in an elevator. That struck me. I don't know what the song was. After that, I never listened to U2, or if I did, I didn't know it was them. Now today I'm reading the words to YAHWEH and crying. Powerful words.