It has been awhile since I’ve been able to blog, and I apologize. Homework, essays, and laziness do get in the way of everyday or even frequent posting, I’m afraid. Anyway, enough remorsefulness about the fact that I don’t have unlimited time to blog and to the subject of this post!
Over a month ago (sorry!), I posted my comments and analysis of some of U2’s lyrics from their CD How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. I was particularly interested in lyrics that seem vaguely spiritual in nature. I had heard on several occasions that Bono is a real Christian, but I did not know how to verify whether or not his faith is, in fact, bona fide. Granted, I did know that Bono is actively involved in fighting AIDS and poverty worldwide; I should know, since I own a (Product) Red iPod Nano (which Apple, Inc. produced in order to earn money for the Global Fund which fight AIDS worldwide). I’m not sure about the exact connection, but I know that Bono is in some way connected to and involved with this Global Fund. Anyway, the fact remains that Bono is at the forefront of many charitable causes, yet that does not prove his Christianity.
Imagine my interest, then, when I ran across this post at The Point:
You’ve seen him trotting around shopping for Red products with Oprah. You’ve heard about how the Pope wanted to wear his sunglasses. Now you can read about Bono’s very real faith, a faith which he shares so openly and eloquently that he does the very best thing possible–makes non-believers wish for a God like the one he believes in.
The post describes a little more about Bono’s faith and then links to this very insightful article by Steve Beard that takes a closer look at Bono’s Christianity. I was particularly impressed by the fact that Bono’s father recognized that Bono has a genuine relationship with God, something that his father claims he could never achieve:
At the height of his success and fame, Bono and his father would often go down to a local pub and drink Irish whiskey on Sunday afternoons. On one occasion his father told him, “There’s one thing I envy of you. I don’t envy anything else. You do seem to have a relationship with God.” Bono asked: “Didn’t you ever have one?” “No,” he said. “But you have been a Catholic for most of your life,” Bono responded. “Yeah, lots of people are Catholic. It was a one-way conversation. . . . You seem to hear something back from the silence!” Bono said: “That’s true, I do.”
Bono not only affirms that he does indeed have a personal relationship with God, but in the article he goes on to describe in very clear terms the faith that he has in Jesus Christ. As I read the article, I was struck by the powerful way in which this mega rock star articulates his faith in Christ, probably even better than I do! And, while speaking about Christ’s sacrificial death for our sins, Bono demonstrates that he clearly understands that salvation does not come through good deeds.
It’s not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven.
I feared that Bono — as many rich people do — was seeking to buy his way into Heaven through his charitable works. Reading Mr. Beard’s article, however, showed me that Bono does truly understand Christian doctrine and theology in a way that I would never have guessed. If you still have any doubts about Bono’s genuine faith, I encourage you to take a look at the article I linked to above. It’s good to be reassured that there are real Christians in influential Christian positions — way to go, Bono!