Faith and U2

 

A couple of weeks ago my mom called me on Sunday afternoon wanting to know if I had ever heard of a guy named “Beau-no…Bono…Boe-no…Bono?” I laughed a little and said “Yes, mom, I’ve heard of Bono.” I explained that I had been listening to U2 and Mr. Bono for nearly 20 years. I didn’t go into detail with her about it, but U2 played a huge role in my teenage years. The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, and The Unforgettable Fire in particular comforted me and kept me company during those hard times that every unsure of himself teenager goes through.

I wrote about those albums on a previous blog of mine. Click HERE if interested.

Apparently, my parent’s church watched a 30 minute video about Bono that Sunday in church. It sounded like the usual stuff…Bono talking about the One campaign and about social responsibility in general. I think it’s great that a man spent so many years building a platform and is now using his fame and resources to make a difference in a culture  dominated by a “me-first” and “the rich get richer” mentality. Bono is using his voice to fight global poverty and AIDS. He’s bringing Africa to the attention of the rich with idle wealth. This is a poor kid from Ireland trying to change the world.

It’s not just my parents non denominational church that has taken notice of Bono and the music of U2. Episcopal churchs in particular are using the music of U2 to bring young people into the church. Is that a bad thing? Traditionalists might say yes. I believe its a good thing. However you can bring people to Jesus, short of bombing them into religious submission, you should do it.  U2’s music has been overtly religious in a secular industry for decades. It’s nice that people are starting to take notice.

Read this interview with Bono for more on his view of Jesus Christ and religion.