Theology, Culture and U2: Session 5

It's been awhile since I posted some content from my U2 class (from the fall semester), but now that the new semester is underway I'm hoping to catch up.

September 26. Innocence and Idealism: Boy, October, War.

Session five included two parts: the first was listening to the Ghettout presentations and the second was listening to and discussing songs from the first three U2 albums.

In 1981 Bono, Edge and Larry were the guest speakers at a Ghettout Music event in England. They gave a presentation to a group of Christian musicians during a break in their Boy tour. In my lecture I comment on nine specific soundbites that we listened to in class. In these segments, Bono and Edge speak extensively on Old Testament passages and on the irrelevance of the Christian subculture (true to form, Larry never says a word).

Here are just a few of my favorite quotes from the Ghettout presentation (remember, Bono is only 20 years old):

I despise religion... because in my country, where I come from, religion is used as a sort of hammer to be hit over each other’s head, be you Protestant or Catholic. As far as I’m concerned anyone that has Christ at the head of their life is part of the church of Christ.

“We weren’t going to tell anybody, we were going to witness by our lives.” After news of their Christianity leaked in an article Bono was terrified: “We’re a Christian band! It’s all over. We’re finished. I thought the witness had ended!”

Commenting on the "Old Time Gospel Hour:" When I see Christians getting involved in politics to the extent of making their hour, which is supposed to be dedicated to Christ,...which gets involved in the politics in America (which we know is completely crazy – I mean they really do get on with it – all the flags and everything), I see a real danger. Christianity is getting a peculiar name.

We are three Christians who believe we are doing the Lord’s work.

If we have anything to say, it’s that all this flesh... is going to fade away and it’s not that important; and the only thing that people have to grip onto is the word of God. And I hope that that is the overall message that comes from U2 in a few years.

See Scott Calhoun's very helpful article at @U2 for more information on the Ghettout presentations.

The second half of the class session was devoted to listening to selections from Boy, October and War.

For more detail you can get my lecture notes here, and my PowerPoint presentation here.

Comments

[Robyn]

I believe it took Bono a lot of guts to say what he did at the tender age of 20, and maybe because he came out to give God the glory is why the band is where it is today.
God Bless,
Robyn

[Jeff]

I find it interesting that Bono made those comments at that age. I believe it was roughly the same age -- in my early 20s in college -- time that I began having similar thoughts about evangelical Christianity of which I was a part.