Grace Over Bono
by Greg West
Hands down, the most popular post on The Poached Egg is a portion of an interview
with U2's Bono, entitled: Grace Over Karma. Every now and then, someone will run across this post, share it on Facebook or Twitter, and my hits will explode (this is happening right now even as I’m writing this). This is a good thing. Although The Poached Egg is mainly an apologetics website, I also like to post things that illustrate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a manner that will reach out to the widest possible audience. And in the case of this particular Bono interview, Bono paints for us a picture of the meaning of the Gospel as well as any scholar.
In today’s culture, people tend to be somewhat overly obsessed with celebrity, and since U2 is arguably the world’s most popular rock and roll band, just about anything posted about them is bound to garner some attention. So if Bono will get people to discover The Poached Egg, that is a-okay with me. I always hope that by exploiting the popularity of any given something, that maybe God will use it to speak to someone’s heart; maybe by getting them here, someone will discover apologetics for the first time, or better yet, begin to get a grasp on what the Gospel really means.
Now, that having been said, there are inevitable repercussions to posting something like the Bono interview. Almost without fail, every time this post gets shared, I will receive several messages in my inbox from well-meaning believers warning me of the folly of associating Bono with Christianity. These messages usually contain statements like “Bono is not a Christian; Bono drinks beer; Bono smokes; Bono cusses; Bono endorses Islam; Bono said this or that; yadda, yadda, yadda.”
I usually ignore these kinds of comments, because first of all, I’m not here to defend Bon’s beliefs and I just don’t have the time to respond to those kind of things as they usually don’t care what I say anyway, and sometimes end up ‘unfriending’ me. Secondly, it is obvious to me that they have missed the point of the article entirely. Go back and check the title; it’s called ‘GRACE’ Over Karma, not ‘Bono’s Faith on Trial’!
If we, as Christians, do not have any idea of the meaning of ‘grace’, we need to shut our big yaps, go back to theology 101, and start over. When the Bible talks about grace, it’s not talking about being a good dancer or not tripping over things. The biblical definition of grace is this (now pay attention, class; drumroll please; stage set; cue curtain…), the biblical definition of GRACE is… God’s “UNMERITED FAVOR!!!”
Did you get that? Please say you did. Please? Because you see, on a good day, I might make it till 10 a.m. without sinning in thought, word, or deed. There is nothing I can do to earn God’s unmerited favor and there is no sin big enough to have it taken away. If there was, then it would not be ‘unmerited’ now, would it? If it were not for grace, there would not be one single Christian on this planet; because being a Christian means having an intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe, and because of our natural sinful state of rebellion towards God, none of us deserve to have that!
Is Bono’s theology always right on target? No, probably not. But then again, I don’t think that even C.S. Lewis, the most quoted theologian of the 20th century, is always 100% accurate in his theology, and of course, neither am I. But through studying the Bible, prayer and meditation, sound teaching, reading theology and other Christian literature, maybe I’ll get there someday.
Now, back to ‘grace’. I’ve already given you the biblical definition of grace, but now I’d also like to give you a mental picture of what grace is: Picture in your mind Bono’s endless lobbying for debt relief and aids relief for Africa; picture Mother Teresa embracing a person whose body is being ravaged by leprosy; picture a couple who is willing to adopt a child that has severe down syndrome; picture relief workers in Haiti handing out bottles of water in the wake of the earthquake; picture someone giving a sandwich to a homeless person, or emptying their pockets of change to give to a beggar; picture Jesus hanging on a cross, bearing the sins of the world, and paying the penalty for our rebellion towards God so that we can be brought into a right relationship with Him. That’s grace, my friends. None of us deserve it, but God has given it to us freely, for which I am eternally grateful!
God, thank you for ‘Grace’. And Bono, thank you for ‘Grace Over Karma’. Rock on, dude!
No. Grace is when we DON'T do the things mentioned in the last paragraph, because Grace covers our sins. (I John 1, Ephesians 2:8-9).
Posted by: Mike | 01/09/2012 at 05:19 AM
thanx 2 our heavenly father, Jesus & the holy spirit that the message of grace is going out 2 the world :) n thank u Greg 4 sharin this message 2...
Posted by: wendy | 01/09/2012 at 03:18 AM
4 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
James Ch. 2.
Give Bono a pass. He has done more with his faith than most believers.
Posted by: Doug | 01/08/2012 at 07:48 PM
Well I was going to share this on Facebook because I thought it would be a good follow-up on the original article for my non-christian friends. But because of some of the ungracious comments that follow it, I don't think I will. Bono gets Grace; too many church people don't. I need it or I'm lost, however accurate my theology may be (& like some of the pharisees here who "tie up heavy burdens & lay them on men's shoulders" I'm guessing mine will not be accurate enough for you)!
Posted by: Matthew Bell | 05/13/2011 at 01:28 AM
Nice one Greg! I like your article, and the Bono interview. Very well said. Interesting that Bono's answers line up very closely to the same argument used in CS Lewis' "Mere Chrisitianity".
Don't really like the judgmental comments by some of the readers though - shame on you!
Posted by: Joe | 03/03/2011 at 02:18 AM
To the people of his time, I'll bet Jesus was more known for his good deeds than his forgiveness and grace. He was popular and famous in certain towns, but for his good works - healing the sick, feeding the hungry, bringing the dead to life. But that does not diminish the fact that he was more concerned with their hearts than their bodies. Bono is known for his deeds (both good and bad), but as he talks I get a sense that he too is becoming more and more concerned with the state of people's hearts, specifically their knowledge of who Christ is. Good works done in the name of Christ are a pretty good sign that they have a saving belief in their hearts, n'est-ce pas ?
Posted by: Benjamin | 03/02/2011 at 04:53 AM
To judge the quality and sincerity of others love for God is false pride and vanity.
Posted by: Catherine | 03/02/2011 at 04:26 AM
I will take the Bono's of the world any day as opposed to the Joel's. I'll take reality any day over perception. We love to categorize and number our sins based on how good or bad they are, in our own minds. As such, my adultery is worse that your idolatry. Or, my drinking would be worse than your overeating. Tired of believers throwing each other under the bus.
It's part of why the church buildings are emptying and the real church (people) is uniting. I'll take the flaws any day over the affluent folks floundering in "Churchianity." We are an exclusive group because of Christ, not because of any good we do of ourselves. None of us are worhty...remember that.
Posted by: Don | 02/28/2011 at 06:03 PM
Specks and logs. To be critical of someone with the public exposure of Bono is easy. He acknowledges that he has plenty of imperfections, and he does not hold himself out as an exemplar of an exegete, but instead simply tells of his own faith and understanding. If he were perfect in this regard, I think we might find him, instead of fronting a band and giving inspiring interviews, in and of the pages of Scripture. But no, he's human, and struggling, with the help of and by the grace of God, to be who and what he has been called to be. So am I. I find the interview inspirational, and will now likely give U2 a listen on the way home.
Grace to all is my prayer.
Posted by: Perry Clark | 02/28/2011 at 05:03 PM
A comment to Don. All of our beliefs are between each of us and God - but God has chosen to work in our lives through the Church - His Body. If you stick around long enough, I believe God will show you through His Word (the book He wrote through many hands many years ago) that while the basics ARE simple, they still require the Holy Spirit to illuminate and quicken them to us. I believe you will also find that while God makes our ministry to our neighbors in touching physical needs and wants important, ultimately our neighborliness must minister knowlege of Him and we begin to see that the physical is always a parable of the spiritual, not an end in itself. You have a good grasp of the simple truths, but the complexities of God will require an eternity to begin to comprehend - an eternity in close relationship with God. For right now, He chooses to use others in our lives as means of beginning to grow us beyond the milk of infants to the meat of those growing in maturity. He uses those same instances to help those helping you to themselves grow as they have to rely on Him to provide wisdom an understanding to present an apologetic others can grasp - to make knowledge acceptable (a good scriptural concept - look it up!). God bless you in your growth from His simplicity in the basic Gospel to His richness and depth, illustrated in the complex relationships found in His Body - the Church.
Posted by: Dennis VanLiere | 02/27/2011 at 09:47 PM
I've been using the Harvard Business School case study on Bono and U2 in faith-based college clasrooms for years to demonstrate what is possible on a large scale when Christian faith is combined with expertise, God-given gifts, trials in life, creativity and business savvy. I am always searching for role models, and Bono is one of the best I have. I think the people who think Bono isn't "Christian" must be like the people in his early Bible study group who told him he was going to have to give up this whole music thing to stay with the study group because his music wasn't compatible with Christianity. And you know what? He gave it up. He was ready to walk away at that moment until his manager talked him into honoring the contracts that had already been signed, and by the time he did that, it was evident that he was really being called to go on rather than quit as his Bible study group had urged him to do. But he was willing to give it all up, having no idea what was in front of him. Kudos to you, Bono. You're one of my heroes.
Posted by: Laura | 02/27/2011 at 08:53 PM
Jeff, you received some good rebuking already so I'll go easy on you. The RCC is the original Christian church. I don't have my bible with me at the moment but what did Jesus say to Peter: You are Peter, the rock. Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Peter wasn't perfect but he was chosen.
The RCC is not perfect, it is composed of sinners, as are all Christian denominations, but it is full of the truth and GRACE of God. There are many educated theologians who have converted to Catholicism once learning the teachings more thoroughly. I believe that it is important that one believes and God will show him/her the way.
Based on your words, your determination of who is and who isn't a Christian, you should again be reminded of the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. God favored the humble, repentant publican over the over-confident Pharisee. Bono is not a perfect example, but in the interview he humbly and beautifully expressed his faith. May it resonate to his many fans.
God bless you, Jeff. "God bless us, everyone" (to quote Dickens.) Ideally, that is what God wants, the faith of as many as possible. We are in a spiritual war, after all, but not against flesh but principalities and powers.
Posted by: rosee | 02/26/2011 at 12:59 PM
I realize Bono has said things over the years that make people question his faith, but the excerpts in this "Grace over Karma" article sound like more of "confessing with your mouth Jesus as Lord" than the vast majority of Christians will ever do. Talking openly about Christ for millions of people to read is pretty ballsy for a celebrity and shows more integrity than 99% of your celebrities out there that want to please everyone all the time and not upset any fans.
There are plenty of misguided Christians out there who are not following all of God's commands, but they are still Christians if they have believed in their heart and confessed with their mouth Jesus as Lord. As far as daily living out that obedience to God, there is a big difference between theory and application, like in most areas of life. He still has a ways to go on the application end, but so do I, and Jesus still gave me that unmerited gift of salvation, so I'm not going to say that Bono hasn't also received the free gift of God. If any of you are really that troubled about Bono's faith or lack of faith as you see it, then by all means, pray for him!
As for Catholics, yes, there are some of their rituals and dogma that I do not believe are supported by the Bible. However, I think I will likely find some of my catholic friends in Heaven when I get there because they believe the core principles of Christianity regardless of whatever extraneous "stuff" their church piles on top. Some of you will probably consider this heresy and want to crucify me, but I even think there are some mormons that will be in Heaven because, regardless of their cult's doctrine, there are still some that profess the core beliefs of Christianity. They maybe shouldn't be mormons because their beliefs don't really match up with mormonism, but they are because their parents were, or they like the people there, or any host of other bad reasons. Strip away everything else, and it really comes down to whether a person has a relationship with Jesus, not how much doctrine they know, which church they attend, or whether they use the right terminology. Just my 2 cents.
Posted by: Jason McCool | 02/26/2011 at 10:34 AM
I love Bono. I love him with his rebel heart that I can so relate to, and that he knows fully well that without grace, the unmerited favor of God, he and I and all the rest of us hopelessly flawed sons of Adam and daughters of Eve might as well throw in the towel. I thank God daily for His attitude of grace toward me, and for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which is the source of all my hope. I've seen a lot of posts judging whether Bono knows the Lord. Pretty sure judgement is not our job. I know that the one thing Jesus said over and over and over again is to "Love one another". And, as to the question about comparing Bono with Jesus? Isn't Jesus who we are supposed to emulate if we love him? To be like him?
I love Bono, and I love that he uses his power for good, and his fame to stand up for the "least of these".
Posted by: Rebecca brown | 02/25/2011 at 07:44 PM
My father's frequent parting words to us were, "Be good, sweet, kind, and gracious". I have been trying to better understand grace. The above article helped a lot. Thanks!
Posted by: sheila | 02/25/2011 at 07:03 PM
Hello everyone. Just a bit of thought from an outsider.
My life is a gift from God. How i live it is my testamony. My church is the people around me, not "in buildings made of stone and wood". My bible was not written by many hands thousands of years ago. My bible is right outside my front door. Jesus didnt carry a book around with him, he WAS the book, and in my opinion still is. The holy spirit is my guide, Jesus is my savior and God is my father. It's really as simple as that and that is what I believe the good news is. Keep it simple. Jesus said live, love, be neighborly and don't be a fool. That sounds pretty simple to me. Bono also said "that's between me and God". So there you have it. Mine is between me and God. Jeff, yours is between you and God. Greg, Doug, Becky and all the rest...yours is between you and God as well. Keep it simple. Aint my business. My only business here is can i be a friend to you, what can i do to be neighborly today, and how can i show my love for my father. Simple. May Gods countenance shine upon you all.
Posted by: Don | 02/25/2011 at 04:29 PM
Jeff I find it ironic for you in all your self-righteousness to condemn Bono's proclaimed Christianity while you apparently pride yourself on yours. Your verse Proverbs 17:15 could just as easily apply to yourself for condemning the just; how do you know Bono is not a Christian? Why have you taken it upon yourself to judge his spirituality? Your quote, "It is great to give a child a bowl of rice and bottle of water, but they will be hungry again tomorrow. Unless they are shown the bread of life, Jesus Christ, then no amount of food or water will be enough to truly save them," is true-- but how do you know that Bono, or other Christians who do charity work, does not minister to children as well? Just because Bono interacts, and in some cases may support, certain organizations that are not specifically Christian, that does not make him a fake Christian. Jesus himself chose disciples who were among the monst hated members of society, yet that does not detract from His holiness. Living in our sinful world it is impossible to avoid contact with nonbelievers, and Jesus even encourages contact with them to witness. I also disagree with you attacking Bono's statement about calling God love. God Himself states that He is love; Bono wasn't exposing a false view of God
by only mentioning one attribute-- he was talking about God's self-proclaimed main attribute, love. Don't be so quick to judge him just because you do not agree with everything he does.
Posted by: Jacob | 02/24/2011 at 11:28 PM
Relationship with God, Grace, the Cross, all these have been mentioned as critical to a sincere faith in Christ Jesus, however, in all this I believe two very important points have been left out. The power of the resurrection and the power of the Holy Spirit. Bono touched on the Holy Spirit, which indicates to me, as with all of us, the Spirit of the Living God is still working in Bono's heart too. First, the resurrection. That is the center for the Christian faith, not the cross alone. Christ could have gone to the cross and died and had been no different from other "great" men or women dying for what they taught and believed. But JESUS, by the POWER of God went to the cross, died and rose from the grave. Let's NEVER leave that part of the story out. Second, the power of the Holy Spirit. Back off and let the Spirit do His job. Jesus told us to stop judging and criticizing others or it will come back on you. (Luke 6:37) And we know that the Holy Spirit has come to convict the hearts of humans. This was not comissioned for us to do. There will always be that unrest with people who are not doing "good" for the right reasons. There will always be a void. That void can only be filled when each person makes his/her choice to totally surrender thier lives to the only one who gives that "unmerrited favor" called grace through faith. With that, I can focus on making sure I take care of the "why" I'm doing what I'm doing and pray for the others I find myself being concerned for and not judging them.
Posted by: Bryan | 02/24/2011 at 11:59 AM
Jack, it seems you may be looking for answers or perhaps not. I would find it hard to believe that you do not understand sin, you do understand right from wrong, you understand guilt as it is something that you acheive as a child. DNA or evolution does not produce this feeling. You just know! Yes some ideas of right and wrong are a result of society, but some are not. You can choose to call the wrong anything other than sin, and this is a choice you are given. Regardless of your belief or unbelief you are surrounded in evidence of God's existence, even if you choose not to accept it. Someday you will get to meet God, we all will, even if we do not believe in his existence. It will be at that time He will be able to help you with all the answers that are necessary, not necessarily the answers to all your questions, but you will not leave His presence confused or unsure. I have a friend whose beliefs are very in line with yours, we've had many discussions, debates, and almost arguments about our differences, but I finally came to the realization that there was no proof I could offer him that would change his mind to see things as I see them and believe them to be the truth. So I pray that God would bring about any event that would allow his denial to change. There are many who are confused and choose the road of denying the truth of the bible. I hope that someday you will be provided an opportunity to see things from God's perspective, not mine. But if that day never comes or you choose to not except it, then I wish you a happy and fun life here as you live on Earth. Because when death comes, and it comes to all of us, this life will be the best life you will have ever had. I'm not threatning you with Hell and damnation, because it is Love that draws us to Christ not punishment. But the fact is the truth is absolute and I'm passing it on, whether you except it to be truth from your view point. I do not expect or need you to respond to my comment as I do not wish to debate or argue this point, nor do I expect anything I say to change your mind, it would be awesome if it did. For now we will continue to have different beliefs, its a gift we both have been granted called CHOICE. I wish you a great life. GOD Bless
Posted by: john | 02/24/2011 at 11:31 AM
Jesus sat with the tax collectors and the sinners. The Pharisees called him a drunkard and a sinner for doing so. The greatest threat to undermine the true Christian zealous faith is the spirit of the Pharisees. The Devil switches back and forth between this and liberalism (the Sadducees) to undermine the work of the church. We must never limit someone from salvation based upon their actions and be like a Pharisee. However, we must never believe that there is no damnation for those who do not repent and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their depraved and dead hearts like the Sadducees.
Posted by: Mike | 02/23/2011 at 11:02 PM
Ahh Jeff...kudos to Doug & Dave...Faith without works is????The RCC not Christian....interesting notion...the book you quote comes from the greek word biblos...meaning collection of books...just what entity decided to place your books into the collection you use? You might check around 400 AD during Vatican I....that these books even existed for the 400 yrs prior we all owe to the diligent hand copying by Monks that were practitioners of the RCC...That it has been translated from spoken Aramaic to written Greek, to Latin to English at the whims of Henry VIII is the basis of your English Language understanding and context. If you are judging Bono because of what he is not...that is a fundamentalist of U.S. origin, consider that Bono and his band were born and raised in war torn RCC Ireland and comes out of it with an understanding of Grace over Karma is empowering... The RCC is not infallible, it's foundation is built upon the same Peter that denied knowing Jesus 3 times...So Jeff, Please seek a continued life of education based on facts, as those are works that faith needs...for faith without works is....????? Jeff, you can no more judge Bono for his Roman Catholic upbringing than you can judge Jesus for his Jewish faith. GOD BLESS YOU BONO!
Posted by: Teacher | 02/23/2011 at 02:56 PM
He question is..... do any one of you commenting onBono,s beliefs know him personally? If not, you have no place to judge his heart or motives. I believe that there may be several people in heaven we may be "surprised " to see and some we are "missing"we are should be there. That's the idea of grace. God's unearned favor. His grace has nothing to do with us besides our willingness to accept it. Sown you time and efforts lifting other us and maybe saying a prayer for those who need to have a better understanding andaccept His grace.
Posted by: Becky | 02/23/2011 at 02:23 PM
Wow, Nice guys. Did you not read what was just said about Grace? By Grace we are saved, not of ourselves but it is a GIFT from God. He, the Almighty Creator, decides who is IN or not. Not you. I am excited to see where Bono is in his journey. I bet the Holy Spirit is at work in his heart. But it is not for me to decide, I just need to do what God calls me to do and stop playing judge. We have a Righteous Judge, our Savior who KNOWs the hearts of men. Have a little Grace with your Humble pie.
Posted by: Evelyn | 02/23/2011 at 01:40 PM
Did someone just post that the Roman Catholic Church is "not christian?"
Really?
Oh my.
Posted by: Dave | 02/22/2011 at 11:45 PM
"Thanks, Jeff, for doing my job and judging my child's heart." -God
Posted by: Tony | 02/22/2011 at 07:03 PM