#3 Why I let Bono out of my Box

On being a disciple and/or being a Christian

There is no doubt that he is one of the most famous rock stars in the world. I just never really took much notice.

That all changed when my University lecturer shared the U2 Zoo TV Tour as a case study on outstanding graphic communication. Bono’s stadium gigs back in 1992 were groundbreaking attempts to induce sensory overload in their audiences through colourful words and images. Giant multimedia screens displayed flashing slogans like;

IT'S YOUR WORLD YOU CAN CHANGE IT.

EVERYTHING YOU KNOW IS WRONG.

DEATH IS INEVITABLE.

CALL YOUR MOTHER.

These were memes in the days before memes. And their influence shaped 1990’s pop culture and beyond.

Bono was nothing if not original. Entertainer? Absolutely. Role model? Well, that depends on who you asked.

Image: © U2.com

Talking of the 90’s…

One of my enduring memories from back in the day was a desperation for ‘Christian things’ to permeate pop culture in order to prove that God was relevant to my generation. Ask any British teenager how they felt when Delirious? released the single Deeper in 1997 and it peaked at No. 20 in the UK charts. Charismatic Christendom literally thought it would usher in the second coming! 

At school I would cunningly play the song on my walkman and ask my friends if they liked it. To any who dared to say yes I would pounce back with ‘aha, that's Christian you know!’

10 Points to Jesus! 

Perhaps this was the song that would make us history makers?

It’s funny how we think that God needs us to make him trendy, isn’t it? Maybe in hindsight it felt easier to focus on cultural relevance rather than demonstrate personal obedience? 

Not Bono-fide enough

Since I was so obsessed with Christianity somehow conquering pop-culture, you might assume that a faith-professing celebrity, like Bono, would have resonated with me more as a teen. But his significance largely passed me by. I guess I had this sort of underlying feeling that an Irish rock singer dressed in leather didn't really count. 

Bono’s reputation amongst the faithful was mixed (and still is); whether it was his perceived liberal lifestyle, his apparent lack of proper church attendance, his potty mouth, or his style of music. All the signs pointed to this verdict;

Bono just wasn’t ‘Christian’ enough.

Nowadays Bono regularly picks up on this tension whenever you hear him interviewed about his faith. His interactions with Christians often left him feeling like they were testing him to see whether he was qualified enough to be part of their club.

He shares one such example in a Christianity Today interview¹ recalling a time he was picked up by Billy Graham's son from the airport. As they are driving along, Franklin Graham, engages in a conversation with Bono about faith;

“Have you given your life? Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour?”

To which Bono responds:

“Oh, I know Jesus Christ, and I try not to use him just as my personal Saviour. But, you know, yes.”

Now there's an answer worth pondering on.

After I heard this story, I realised I had written Bono off a little too soon. In hindsight, this was probably because I was measuring him against external religious criteria, rather than recognising him as a fellow pilgrim on a journey towards surrender.

Now I am on a Bono binge! You might even say I’ve found what I am looking for.

I am listening to all the U2 classics afresh and their live medley of Yahweh and 40 is an emerging favourite. This past month, I have been reading Bono’s autobiography, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, and have been encouraged by his honest wrestling with God. He speaks frequently about knowing and seeking to follow Christ in his life. Yet he refuses to be pigeonholed by religion.

He wants more than just ‘believing the right things’ to be the end goal of his faith. 

“At a certain point, I just felt, you know, God is not looking for alms, God is looking for action.” Bono

Image: By Steve Kalinsky

More than just being in the club

In this respect, Bono’s journey reminds me of an exchange between two characters, Todd Anderson and Neil Perry, in the classic film Dead Poets Society. (Another 90’s banger). Inspired by their teacher John Keating to form a poetry club, Neil fires this at Todd when he senses he is sitting on the sidelines; 

“You're in the club! Being in the club means being stirred up by things! You look about as stirred up as a cesspool!”

“So - You want me out?” responds Todd.

To which Neil retorts back “No! I want you in, but being in means you gotta do something. Not just say you're in.”

This throwaway exchange stands out amongst all the other quotable moments in the movie (Carpe diem and all that). What being in the club really means is still a challenge for us all. To Bono, it is about so much more than just saying he is in, but rather allowing himself to be stirred to action.

Right now the Church at large is still reeling from the latest shocking statistics about declining church attendance and the dwindling numbers of those who say they believe in God. But perhaps it is worth reminding ourselves that being a church attender, or even being someone who believes in God, are not always the same thing as being a disciple. 

If you think about it, we already have over two billion believers already.

The world should be turned upside down by now.

But as Church of England Priest, Cris Rogers, says in his book Making Disciples,

“At its heart, the church has to be disciple making, not just believer making. Jesus is not just looking for more believers, he is also looking for people who will give everything of themselves to His mission to change the world.”

What if the tension here is a contrast between saying we are a Christian and actually being a disciple? What happens when we struggle to spot the difference between the two? When do we settle for merely being ‘Christian enough?’

I guess the conclusion of the matter is this: Why try to figure out whether Bono, or anyone else for that matter, fits our personal criteria for what we think is a legit Christian? Why not just focus on personally following Jesus ourselves?

Achtung Baby!

Picture Caption: Give a dog a bono

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Ps. Thanks so much for reading PARALLEL. If you enjoyed this post could I please ask you to share the link on your social media today? This will really help more people begin to decode discipleship. Thanks!

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1. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/december/bono-book-interview-cover-story-u2-hope-punk.html