I came across the following article today, and I would be interested in getting feedback from all you great thinkers!
I’m pretty sure I won’t get much opposition if I say that U2 is the greatest rock band of all time. When I scored two great seats to one of the shows at Madison Square Garden last month, I thought my life had reached its pinnacle.
It was a euphoric experience. During the first few songs, I stood, along with the rest of the stadium, as we pumped our fists into the air and sang along with every word. The energy in the air was emotionally overwhelming. And if you’ve never been to a U2 show, let me tell you that it was everything you’d ever expect it to be.
But it was also much, much more.
About five songs into their set, Bono stopped the show and strapped on a headband with writing on it. I stared up at the JumboTron to see that the handwritten lettering said: COEXIST.
Coexisting sounds like a great idea. I fully support the peaceful philanthropy that Bono has encouraged, and this seemed like another way that he was trying to spread the message.
Except, it started to feel like more than a political message. The “C” in “coexist” was the Islamic crescent moon, the “X” was the Star of David, and the “T” was the cross of Christ. Bono pointed at the symbols on his headband—first to the cross, then to the star, then to the crescent moon—and he began to repeat:
“Jesus, Jew, Mohammed—all true. Jesus, Jew, Mohammed—all true.”
He repeated the words like a mantra, and some people even began to repeat it with him. I suddenly wanted to crawl out of my skin. Was Bono, my supposed brother in Christ, preaching some kind of universalism? In just a few seconds, I went from agreeing with him about Christ-like “coexistence” to being creeped out by the ungodly, untrue thing he was saying. What’s going on here? What if he believes that all ways are the same, and he just thinks of Christianity as his particular way? Aren’t universalism and true Christianity mutually exclusive?
I’ve heard the urban legends of amazing things Bono has said about his faith, I’ve read the books, and I’ve peered deep into everything he’s said hoping to find something that makes his beliefs clear. For years, I’ve adored him and clung to the notion that he is believer, too. After all, he identifies himself with Christianity, doesn’t he?
When he stated that lie so boldly, it devastated me. It was, without question, the most disturbing experience of my life; I felt like I’d been covered in bile. As I looked around, I saw all the people standing and chanting with him—it was disgusting and beautiful all at once. Unity can be so enticing. It made me think of the one world religion and how that will probably look benign and beautiful from the outside, too. I even started to wonder if universalism just might be poised to be that religion. All these things were running through my head.
After the show, I ran into a friend who had been sitting in the back row of farthest. “What did you think of that headband thing?” I asked. “Well, I couldn’t hear what he was saying because it was bouncing off the wall behind me, and I couldn’t read the headband, because I wasn’t near a JumboTron. But honestly, I felt like I was witnessing an antichrist.” I stood frozen as she spoke.
I’d had the same feeling.
Let me be clear: I’m not saying that Bono is the Antichrist. Perhaps he’s just guilty of being overzealous about his politics. But I hope that if he is a believer, the Holy Spirit will convict him that equating Christianity with other religions is false prophecy. II Timothy 3 tells us to avoid people who have a form of godliness but deny the true power of God. And I believe that the most deceptive thing of all is to identify yourself with the truth and preach a lie.
For a long time after the show, I couldn’t talk about it. And I still don’t know what to think because I don’t know Bono’s heart. All I know is what he said from that stage and how it shook my footing. God used that to show me something ugly in myself that needed to be fixed. It felt like He was saying, “If you’re looking to Bono, you’re looking to the wrong place.”
The reality is that Bono held too high a place in my heart. And I don’t think I’m alone there. I’ve wrongly held him up as the heroic ideal—the cool representative for Christianity; he may have been my “Christian idol,” but he was my idol nonetheless. And that’s not okay. Yes, it should bother me to think that Bono might not be a believer; but it should not bother me any more than if a random guy on the street does not believe.
I pray for Bono more lately, and I pray for the hearts of the millions of people that he impacts on a daily basis. He is, without question, the most influential person in the world, and he has an unparalleled opportunity to speak the truth to the lost world. This year alone, he was nominated to be the president of the World Bank, and he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. And by the time the Vertigo Tour ends in April, it will have grossed twice as much as any political campaign anywhere, ever. If Bono has a saving faith in the one true God, I can only hope that he would speak the Truth without ambiguity. I pray that the name of Jesus would grace his lips, without being equated with Judaism or Islam or any other religion. And I’m praying that God will help me to put things in the right place in my heart.
8 comments:
I don't know why people think that Bono is a Christian. To my knowledge, he has never publicly proclaimed that he is trusting Christ alone for his salvation. If so, his life is a contradiction. John 14:6 is meaningless to him. Some like to label U2 (or Creed, Lifehouse, the Calling, etc.) "Christian" to justify their own idolatry of these bands and the culture they create. If you like their music, fine. But let God judge their hearts and you can judge their music.
don't put lifehouse in the same category please. jason wade has proclaimed Christ as his savior. and don't judge peoples heart by calling it idolatry if they like a band, and wonder where the band's passion comes from.
sounds like you too should leave the judging to God alone.
check out the 12.20 podcast on www.relevantmagazine.com for more feedback on this article. many people felt he was saying "it's true - all sons of abraham" basically calling for peace.
fyi - bono has publiziced and raised millions for some of the worlds biggest issues esp. AIDS. He's done more to help others as one person than anyone I personally know.
Christians want heroes, they need famous people to be christian it makes them feel comfortable about there faith. Instead of looking to Christ, there faith is enhanced by others. Just like this writer did, Bono has never come out and said he's a Christian; much like other people we've associated with the christian faith. It's not a sin, however it does show your maturity of faith, that you need to associate every good and famous person with christianity.
Proceed with caution, I've been tweaking this for 1 - 1/2 hours...sz
In Christianity Today, (March 2003 pp 30-44) Bono is quoted as saying, " I'm a believer, I don't set myself up as any kind of "Christian". I can't live up to that. It's something I aspire to, but I don't feel comfortable with that badge."
The article goes on to say, 'It's no denial of Christ. And Bono is not trying to play hide-and-seek with his Christianity, he wants to avoid becoming an idealized poster child for Christ, when people should be looking to the Savior, not some rock star, for their example.'
The fact is, the world does look to Bono; influence for which God holds him accountable. He uses his influence to affect what he calls the "defining moral issue of our time" (AIDS). As Christians, who do we look to Bono or Christ? As it should be the Sunday school answer is Christ. Really? Do we rely on celebrities to communicate the truth, to represent Christ to world? Maybe not, but we sure hope they get it right! Do we hold ourselves to the standard we measure Bono’s actions against? Hmm…
Jesus, Jew, Mohammed - all true.
What is true: They all exist(ed)? True. God Almighty loves Christians, Muslims and Jews? True. All three faiths are paths to God? Hard to say, you see throughout the history of missions there are stories of devout Muslims and Jews who sought God/Yahweh/Allah (pick your language preference) and met Jesus. All three faiths are paths to eternal life? False. Only Christ. I think Bono’s intent is too ambiguous for me to decide what I think about it, but I’m glad I wasn’t there (in regards to good theology anyhow).
COEXIST is really the use of shock value to communicate a message. I believe our concern should not be on Bono or his intentions, but the perception of this message by the world. In a world that does not hold to absolutes, perception is reality.
I was confronted with his thought this weekend shopping on Brady Street. I was holding a T-shirt with the COEXIST design. I let it go and wiped my hand on my jacket because I was so disgusted by the message I perceived. The design displays a disastrous lack of understanding of the relationship between religion and culture. I do not believe these three faiths can coexist: each asserts that it is the path to eternal life, one violently opposes all other faiths, and two are deeply rooted in culture and national identities.
For example, there is no discernable line between culture and religion for Muslims. To be Muslim means you live, culturally, as a Muslim. It is does not mean simply to pray five times a day, and listen to your Imam. Islam defines familial relationships, hospitality, modesty, and more. For a Muslim to reject the fundamentals of Islam for "coexistance" would sacrifice their way of life.
Christianity transcends culture, I think this is what the author of the article meant by a Christ-like coexistence. Christians are free to adopt any culture, Chinese, Ojibwa, Australian, or Indian, with the understanding that they reject ungodly parts of culture such as animism, greed, pride, etc.
If the price of peace is letting go of our convictions, we should reject it. However, if peace costs only that we leave room for cultural understanding, this is a great message, with an ill-chosen design. But how can we have peace if only a few submit to the prince of peace?
I do want to say one thing: it's a bit annoying when everyone commenting is "anonymous". Open discussion implies identity, not just intelligence.
I like a lot of what I've been reading here, and I agree with much and take issue with some. Regarding "Christian" bands, it is a point to make that many bands, when placed inside this etymological "box" become more subject to people's own paradigm of morals; no one definition of the word can truly serve every adherent to Christianity.
As for Lifehouse, the band members were a youth worship band that went pro with their poetry; "Falling even More in Love" and "Breathing" are clearly love songs about God and heaven. Christian labels rejected their metaphorically redemptive music while Christian industry embraced "Lord of the Rings". That seems a little hypocritical.
Anyway, back to Bono. Read the new issue of "Persons of the Year" by Time. Phenomenal cover story on Bono's work, and his influence with world leaders. Also, the New York Times (Statesman) had a great piece on him.*
He is the only major pop culture figure that has been able to walk out of the United Nations building into a Christian magazine, take an interview, visit with George Clooney, do an online chat with people like Moveon . org then go visit President Bush at the White House in one day. And all the while bringing those parties together on one issue: helping the poor, serving the underprivileged, spreading health and wealth and forgiving crushing debt on the poorest nations. I applaud his "heart", though I may differ with his underlying beliefs.
On that note, we must remember where Bono came from. Raised Paul Hewson in the 1960's and 70's in the midst of his hometown torn apart by religious and philisophical civil war (literally bodies in the street), he was raised by a Catholic father and a Protestant mother and embraces many tenets of the faith that Catholicism would deify, however loosely he holds them. From this background, he built a band of highschool playmates and the first thing they told their tour manager in 1977 was, "we're Christians". His four children attend Episcopal school and he believes first in equality and common ground, and keeps his own personal faith very private. While some of his antics are not something I aspire to, his dedication and belief in the power of love and sacrifice to change people IS something I aspire to.
There's the backstory on Mr. Hewson (Bono), but what is at stake here in our discussion is the concept that you can coexist, even blend the ideals of three faiths into one. This is universality, and is considered heresy. However, to discount U2's intentions as "bile" and "antichrist" is going a bit far, I think. Other founders of equality and unity made waves in our world and even our own American heritage. Thomas Jefferson was a Universalist. Ben Franklin believed that biblical morality was the highest order, but embraced other religion as beautiful expression, and a birthright of every human being. Paul Revere was a universalist. Abigail Adams, Daniel Webster, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Woodrow Wilson (WW I president)... all Universalist. We study them, revere them, yet hardly know their faith or morals. Does their lack of biblical purity discount their good deeds? Could God through common grace actually use them to accomplish his greater goal of bringing men unto himself?
Men in their flesh hold high ideals, and we often translate the truth of THE Bible into OUR cultural perspective. And though I respect the 1 1/2 hours put into the previous post, I must correct the assertion that our Christianity can transend any culture, while Islam cannot. While I believe this can be true of Christian faith, we don't really believe that as a Church, do we?
"Islam defines familial relationships, hospitality, modesty, and more. For a Muslim to reject the fundamentals of Islam for 'coexistance' would sacrifice their way of life."
And our Christian faith DOES NOT? Does it not define our familial relationships, hospitality, modesty and more? From what every one is saying here, the fundamentals of biblical faith would reject "coexistence" as well. So be true to yourself when you ponder these things. The blogger made a good point that Bono may have been speaking of the three faiths being representative of the "sons of Abraham", because it's true; they did descend from his seed. And if that's the only point that Bono is making, then I'm cautiously accepting of that thesis. But we do not know; I don't feel I need to.
While I believe that the spreading of the Gospel ought to be purely carried out and the love of Christ alone be taught as the only way to truly lift man out of his depravity, I believe the cause does not rest only in our little "boxes". I believe we do more harm to the cause of the Gospel by judging and throwing away the common grace we see around us.
While I recognize that homosexuality is sin, I do not view it as more deserving of hell than my pride or my hatred. Therefore I will stand in faith, but embrace and accept everyone who the Lord brings into my life. Jesus was a friend first, a healer second, a then a teacher. And you want to talk about ambiguity? The many parables of Jesus sound a lot like the songs we call "vague". He grabbed people's attention with something they could all relate to, then gave them truth. And I feel like the church does itself a great diservice when it pushes the world away and hides in it's corner and declares that we cannot "co-exist" in a world with hedonism, humanism, islam and every other man made religion. Modern Christianity itself was man-made.
When we exit our box, embrace the world as Christ embraced us before salvation, they will see and feel and know the power that changes man permanently. It's become that the American Church believes IT must bring the world to salvation, not God himself. We are to be the salt and light, but disunity and judgement will only assure that history will show the Holy Spirit had to do all the work, because we refused do our part... and tried to do his.
* www.cgdev.org/files/4087_file_nym_9_18_05.pdf
By the way, if you'd like to read more about this topic and discuss it's biblical applications, see my theology blog: STEMgroup.blogspot.com
its funny that a band like lifehouse is called non christian because they are in the main stream.. does that same ridiculous mentality apply to switchfoot?
as for bono, he's a rockstar, with a humanitarian heart. he acts to keep himself in the public eye, being controversial does that. christians like him because we wonder if he's on the front lines with us. muslims, jews like him probably for the same reasons. he may not be a christian, but atleast he is doing something with his celebrity.
i was at that concert, heard his chant, and the crowd blindly followed, and to be honest i was disgusted by his egocentric behavior, but the man has a heart for the the poor, the hungry and the hurting, he puts a lot of us who call ourselves christians to shame.
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