Is Bono better than Jesus?

Ok, I'm sticking my neck out here by what I'm about to say, but if we're encouraged to question everything then it's only fair to question those who ask the questions. Bear in mind also that, like everything else I write, this is a reflection of who I am. We see the world not so much for what it is but for who we are. Our views tells others more about us than the world around us. I'm sticking my neck out here because I have some thoughts that are in the minority about a well-known celebrity. I am the pigeon that's about to poop on a pop-culture icon who's put on a pedestal. I've had conversations about this fellow with a couple of young adults from my church who think he's the greatest thing since sliced bread, so I know I'll be ruffling a few feathers. Who am I talking about here?

Bono.

Yes, Bono. As in the lead singer of U2, arguably the biggest rock band in the world. Now I have to say that I like Bono. Not a lot, but I do like him. I listen to U2 and my favorite Christian rock band, Third Day, has been greatly influenced by their music. I hear re-makes of U2 songs on Christian radio, and Bono has spoken out on social issues for years. He's had the ear of many powerful people, so to say that U2/Bono has impacted the world is an understatement. Having said that I have to say that there's something about Bono that just doesn't sit well with me. But why? He works tirelessly to make people aware of Third World poverty and debt; he meets with world leaders to press his cause and he's rightly given the church a kick in the pants about it's indifference to AIDS in Africa. This happened a few years ago when Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Church, interviewed Bono. Here's the interview:



Fast forward to last Friday, the last day of the Willow Creek Leadership Summit in South Barrington, Illinois. I was at a satellite conference site, as a follow-up interview was beamed down to us folk who couldn't make it to Willow Creek Church. Bill Hybels asked Bono what he thought about the church's involvement with the poor, and Bono's reply was, "You know, I get off gett'n off about the church and you've completely ruined it for me... I said that the church was a sleeping giant, but I never knew that the giant could run." What Bono referred to was the tremendous response to his call to action. Since that first interview churches in the developed world gave generously to poverty relief in Africa, which seemed to take Bono by surprise. It's ironic that it took a rock star to prompt Christians to give, but God uses whoever's available to serve His purposes.

Ok, I'm getting to the point here. Hybels, towards the end of the interview, says something like, "You're a Christian and yet you won't commit yourself to a church, and that really bugs me." When Hybels said that everyone both at Willow Creek and the satellite site , including me, cheered. Afterwards Hybels gently chided us for doing so. But here's why I (and probably everyone else) cheered: Bono is a rich entertainer who "gets off gett'n off about the church" about poverty, and yet sits on the fence when it comes to the church. And I honestly don't know what he himself has done to help the poor. He comes across (to me at least) as judgmental, and if he's a believer (which I believe he is) then he's a part of Christ's church, thereby judging himself as well (Mathew 7:1-3). I understand his point of view about the church. Growing up in Ireland with one parent Protestant and the other Catholic has made him fearful of denominationalism (his words, not mine here). He has a lot of reservations about the church, and I don't blame him. I've felt hurt, disappointed and let down by the church too. But I'm still a part of it because I need the church. Apparently Bono doesn't. At least he goes around attending services, Catholic and Protestant, wherever he goes.

It's tempting to go on and on here, but I'll end with a few final thoughts. Jesus didn't shy away from denominationalism when he was here on earth. He made it his custom to go to the Synagogue every Sabbath, in spite of the divisions in Judaism and the hypocrisy of the people. Bono's no better than the rest of us and certainly no better than Jesus. Bono sees the church through the eyes of Irish sectarianism, and while understandable it keeps him from experiencing a deeper relationship with Jesus. But when we commit ourselves to a church we can form deep relationships that form the life of Christ in us. Maybe I'm wrong about Bono. Maybe he's not just an entertainer, asking us to help the poor while being chauffeured or flying around in a private jet. I want to be wrong.

So Bono, if you happen to be reading this (which I highly doubt), maybe tone down the rhetoric, take a year off from your touring schedule and spend some time and money on the ground, doing hands on stuff with the poor. Maybe The Edge and the other lads would pitch in too. If you have, then I apologize. But actions do speak louder than words, and I just can't relate to wealthy Christian celebrities who lecture me about the poor and don't put roots down in a congregation. You know, we all have a hand in making the problems of the world, and like it or not the church is the only life boat for a sinking world. So why rock the boat just because you don't like the company?

'Nuff said.