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5.19.2008
update
A reader has emailed to point out that the audio of the Dylan review in the previous post is no longer available on YouTube.
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5.15.2008
"I thank thee, O Father, because thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes."
Hat tip to the @U2 blog for pointing out some recent posts to YouTube that document a very early phase in U2's history, radio interviews from before Boy. In addition to the one mentioned on their blog, the same user has posted the show where listeners are invited to pick the single for U2:3 -- as well as a two-part 1981 audio post which readers of this blog will also doubtless be motivated to check into. In it, Bono plays and reviews tracks from what was then Bob Dylan's new Christian album, Shot of Love with great enthusiasm and interest.
To a listener in 2008, it is hard not to notice that the themes of rebirth and starting over which are so prominent on U2's most recent album were already eliciting great energy from U2's lyricist in 1981. Part 1 of the Dylan review is here.Labels: 80s U2, audio, general faith/culture
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5.12.2008
Africa update
There's an evocative and informative video of an interview with Bono (and Jamie Drummond) about the DATA agenda and its many successes in Africa over the past few years on the Guardian site, along with an article that profiles Drummond (more video on him here) in very interesting detail. The video's filmed during the liturgy at what one guesses is either a Catholic or an Anglican church in Tanzania (Tanzania has 9 million Catholics and 4 million Anglicans, so let's say, a little better than a 65% chance the place is Catholic).Labels: ONE
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5.09.2008
Beliefnet does some googling
I'm not sure how long this has been there, but someone has pointed out to me that Beliefnet has a U23D related feature: a gallery of film stills combined with what they identify as "our favorite spiritual quotes and lyrics from the band" (the quotes are actually all, unfortunately, from Bono. Come on, guys. There are four of them. It's not that hard). The site also offers a link to Bono's Beliefnet interview from 8 years ago, which at the very least offers a head-spinning reminder of how much such interviews have changed since the year 2000.Labels: articles on U2
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4.29.2008
"Contentment and moderation have no place in this story."
Tim reflects theologically on the meaning of the current USA "economic stimulus payments" (a topic he's been posting some important and thoughtful stuff on the past several days - check out his other posts) with the help of "Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car."Labels: 90s U2, song analysis
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4.21.2008
Lyrics to life
Those of you who read @U2 will have noticed in yesterday's Off The Record a comment about the author's pastor using "Beautiful Day" in a sermon. Sherry Lawrence, who wrote the piece, was kind enough to send along a link to the church's site, where you can hear the sermon (the link is only good this week), which alludes briefly to the song and then moves on to talk about the Biblical character Naomi.Labels: sermons
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4.15.2008
Bible Lectures at Pepperdine University
For anyone who'll be in the Malibu, California area in late April, Pepperdine University's 65th annual Bible Lectures will feature a class called My Faith Journey With U2 (How a Rock Band Bolstered My Faith, Broadened My Compassion, and Deepened My Ministry). The speaker, Andy Wall, is from the Conejo Valley Church of Christ and has some comments on U2 on their site as well.Labels: colleges, lectures/studies
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4.10.2008
"Wave of Sorrow" & the Ethiopian Famine of ‘84
From last month... Quaerentia posts a fine reflection on U2’s "Wave of Sorrow," including musings on the various Biblical references behind the song. Features pictures from the Ethiopian famine that is the lyric's historical context.Labels: 00s U2, U2 Bible references
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3.29.2008
Staley lectures
Steven Harmon from Campbell University Divinity School, whose work on U2 has been linked here more than once, emailed to say that he delivered the Staley Lectures Mar 24-26 at Campbell, where he used U2's "One" to talk about ecumenism. The flyer doesn't seem to be available online, so I'll give you the titles:
"Here to Play Jesus: Why Ecumenism Isn't Dead (John 17:20-23)"
"One, But Not the Same: Ecumenism 101"
"One Life with Each Other: The Theology of Ecumenism (Ephesians 4:1-6)"
"Leaves You If You Don't Care for It: 10 Things Young Christians Can Do for the Unity of the Church"Labels: colleges, lectures/studies, song analysis
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3.19.2008
Like a Song: Streets
Some perfect Triduum reading: @U2's latest installment of Like a Song, which reflects on death, new life, and community where the streets have no name.Labels: 80s U2, articles on U2, song analysis
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3.17.2008
The Testimony of the Stones
A Palm Sunday reflection from our contributor Brian Walsh, in which the stones along the roadway as Christ passes on his way into Jerusalem speak.Labels: contributors
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3.16.2008
Image considers "singing a new song"
Keying off a recent Popmatters article on the decline of rebellion in rock, this post from the relatively new Image blog muses on "Redefining the Christian Musician," with, of course, a U2 reference or two along the way.Labels: general faith/culture
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3.10.2008
TASO
Readers of Get Up Off Your Knees may remember that all its royalties go to The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) in Uganda. The ONE Blog today has photos from TASO, along with a petition to the Senate to restore at least part of their recent cut of $4 billion that helps support TASO and organizations like it from the International Affairs 2009 budget. You can sign the petition here: http://www.one.org/2009budget.Labels: TASO
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3.04.2008
YouTube - A Conversation with Eugene Peterson 2007
HT to Dave for this wonderful half-hour conversation with Eugene Peterson 2007 video from a writers' conference. Very interesting, and I can get away with putting it here because there is quite funny U2 content after about 11:50 (though I can't imagine anyone wanting to watch Peterson just for the U2 content.) At one point the interviewer is asking how he could possibly have turned down Jack Heaslip's invitation to come spend a few days with U2 during the Elevation Tour, and Peterson just gives the best answer imaginable to the exclamation, "Come on... it's Bono, for crying out loud!" (Whereupon the interviewer sort of turns into Chris Farley for a moment.)Labels: contributors, general faith/culture
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3.01.2008
U2 and Nietzsche battle it out on the big screen?
The relatively new IVP Academic book Faith, Film and Philosophy: Big Ideas on the Big Screen has an essay by Douglas K. Blount from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary called "Rattle and Film: U2, Nietzsche, and Salvation in the Blues." It looks as if the author also presented a version of the paper at the Evangelical Theological Society meeting in Nov 2007. Kind of pleased by Blount's notion that for U2, "all roads to the Gospel lead first through the blues... gospel without blues leads to self-deception."Labels: 80s U2, articles on U2, general faith/culture
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2.20.2008
Ist U2 wirklich ihre Religion?
There's a relatively new scholarly book by Brigitte von Dorner called "U2 ist ihre Religion, Bono ihr Gott: Zur theologischen Relevanz der Rock- und Popmusik am Beispiel von U2." Obviously, it's in German. Table of contents here. It deals in general with rock music's connections with spirituality (drawing on Rene Girard) and then turns especially to U2 in its last half with a few song analyses, a chapter on Bono, and coverage of the Vertigo Tour.Labels: general faith/culture, other U2 books
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2.15.2008
Theo 215 syllabus: Christian Morality
Interesting to note that last semester at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, "Christian Morality," a course which describes itself "as an introduction to the principles, methods and topics of Christian theological ethics," the professor used U2's spiritual and political commitments as "an ongoing case study concerning the relationship of Christian faith to popular culture." (Fresno Pacific is still the only school I know of to have offered a full-semester course on U2.)Labels: colleges
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2.13.2008
UK invitation
UK reader Rev. Graham Peacock from Hutton Rudby Methodist Church in North Yorkshire (some very alert readers might remember his having been mentioned on the blog before in connection with his MA mission and evangelism thesis on U2) writes to invite readers to a U2-themed worship evening on Feb. 24th at 7 pm, working with non-usual-suspect songs like "Please," "The Saints Are Coming," "Drowning Man," and even the unreleased "Mercy" in video, images, and congregational discussion. He'll be on BBC Tees with Mark Turnbull this coming Sunday to talk about U2 as well.
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2.10.2008
"the most highly paid theologian in America"?
Any fans of the Boss out there? A Unitarian Universalist blogger links to us and proposes a book similar to Get Up Off Your Knees incorporating sermons using the music of Bruce Springsteen, whom he calls "the most highly paid theologian in America." (If you didn't see it, check out his amazing induction of U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame here - part 1. Their joint performance of "Still Haven't Found" that evening is also good.) I'm betting Mary Hess at Luther Seminary would welcome such a project.
I've used Bruce once in a sermon -- a sermon in which I also used U2. In a very age-mixed congregation, I wanted to begin by evoking pop culture tie-ins for the idea of longing for "something more." I quoted a verse out of one song from each of three decades: "Born to Run" represented longing for transcendence in the 70s, "Streets" in the 80s, and for the 90s I used a song that has not at all held up, but in the week I was preaching was all over the radio, "Higher" by Creed.Labels: general faith/culture, preaching
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2.08.2008
The Delete Bin
The Delete Bin has an interesting and creative list of 10 Songs About God. The U2 entry is "Wake Up Dead Man," but there are several other noteworthy recommendations.Labels: general faith/culture
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