All of this can be yours

As Lent Year C begins and liturgical Christians reflect on the narrative of the temptation of Jesus in the desert from Luke 4, here's John van Sloten from New Hope Church in Calgary preaching on "U2 - Vertigo and God" using the same Gospel. This sermon dates from 2005; thanks to the reader who pointed it out. There is a PDF of his notes as well as some MP3s of varying quality. Some may remember I linked a more generic U2 sermon from this same church quite some time ago.

"right there is nowhere for them"

In this unsigned article by someone associated with North Hills Community Church in Claremont CA, the writer reflects on the song "When I Look at the World," relating it to the story in Mark 9 of a man whose son is overcome by an evil spirit.

Nuclearity Podcast

I mentioned a while back that I had been interviewed for the podcast Nuclearity, which is doing an episode on Africa and Bono's work with the CCM community. That episode is up today. Featured (besides me) are Michael W. Smith, Steve Taylor (who talks about his own experience of adopting a child in Uganda), Wes Stafford of Compassion International, and writer Adam Palmer. If you listen you will enjoy hearing me steal a lot of lines from ONE speeches.

Their description: U2's singer Bono traveled to Nashville to meet with a group of Contemporary Christian Musicians. Find out why this singer, who has avoided the "CCM" label for years, was motivated to make this trip. Discover what Michael W. Smith saw backstage at a U2 concert. Hear how a trip to Uganda changed Steve Taylor's life forever.

Off topic, on YouTube

I suppose I could say that my very minimal excuse for linking this here is that this guy is a student pastor. Or maybe I can tell myself this is for readers who play in worship bands. At any rate, folks with some musical training or interest might want to head over to YouTube to give at least a glance to the "U2 tutorial" videos being posted by a young man in Seattle. I don't want to think about how many hours he's spent figuring out the delays and technique, but he has filmed himself doing some astoundingly accurate renditions of the guitar parts to a number of U2 songs. Some are more "instructional," others full performances with a backing track.

In particular, I recommend this video of "Streets" (if you watch through the verses); the song is so well known that I think most listeners will recognize everything they hear, and yet still be surprised at how much is not being played and how many conscious decisions lie behind the several different ways in which the structure is articulated.

"not just a private matter"

Christopher Dodson, Executive Director of the North Dakota Catholic Conference, has sent along a link to his U2's Bono Challenges the Faithful, which looks at similarities between Roman Catholic social teachings and some of Bono's public statements.

"...always reaching out for people who you least expect to be your friend."

I'm not sure how I missed this at the time, but the recent book Mandela: An Authorized Portrait contains an essay by Bono that will probably be of interest to readers involved in social justice ministry. You can read it on the site of Borders Australia.

U2: Rockers Finally Speak Out About Their Rumored Faith

Thanks to Matt for giving me a heads-up that CCM Magazine has made available online the text of the U2 1982 CCM interview, done during the US leg of the October tour by a young Terry Mattingly and heretofore pretty impossible to get a hold of (although most of the significant quotes have long been in circulation). 25 years later, much of the material has now become standard fare in U2 interviews where the question of Christian faith is evoked: ambivalance about the "Christian" label, a distinction between Christianity and religion, "we don't have all the answers"... The strong theology of the Fall at the end is no surprise.

It's also fun to imagine that at the time, what are now (as U2log calls it) "Promo Bono" cliches probably sounded quite fresh: "garage band from garageland," "anti-guitar hero."