1. U2’s
Thickening Ecclesiology
by Peter J. Leithart 10.2.14
A decade ago, a critic at Christianity Today worried about U2’s
“thin ecclesiology.” Though openly Christian, Bono and his crew have not
associated with any church.
Writing at The New
Yorker, Joshua Rothman argues that the last several decades have
bolstered the band’s theology. He connects their chariness about organized
religion with their Dublin origins and their penchant for searching, doubt, and
not finding what you’re looking for. Genuine as it was their doubt was highly
theatrical: “Bono regularly dressed up as the devil, singing songs of
romantic-religious anguish in costume. . . . there was something unseemly about
his flaunting of faith and doubt. It was a peep show in which, instead of
showing a little leg, Bono teased us with his spiritual uncertainty.” But this
was the secret of the haunting power of their music: “the songs depended for
their power on the dramatization of Bono’s ambivalence about God.”
Rothman argues that the band has now settled: “There used to be something
improvisational and risky about their spirituality—it seemed as though it might
go off the rails, veering into anger or despair. Now, for the most part, they
focus on a positive message, expressed directly and without ambiguity. The
band’s live shows have a liturgical feel: Bono, who regularly
interpolates hymns and bits of Scripture into his live performances, leads
the congregation with confidence.”
In the process, they’ve reconciled with organized religion . . .Read more at http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/leithart/2014/10/us-thickening-ecclesiology
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