I saw you in the curve of the moon, in the shadow cast across my room.
You heard me in my tune, when I just heard confusion.
-U2, All Because of You
One of my Christmas presents this year was the new CD by the rock band U2, called How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. I have been a fan of U2 since I was in about fourth grade, I have most of their albums in one form or another. Since I first started listening to them I have been aware that the band members share my Christian faith; they publicly profess to be Christian but yet they do not play “Christian” music. With the exception of one song, ’40,’ which is simply the first several verses of Psalm 40 set to music, there are no explicitly Christian songs on any of their numerous albums. However, there are also no songs that use excessive profanity (there are a few that might get a PG-13 rating), there are no lewd sexual references and for the most part the band members live a solid upright life, no drug overdoses or multiple divorces here.
U2 is able to be unapologetic about their faith. Bono (a.k.a. Paul Hewson) is the main lyricist for the band and he writes all his lyrics with a spiritual sensibility that lends depth and beauty to the most secular of song subjects. The faith of the band is seamlessly integrated into their well written, thought provoking and musically inventive songs. This spiritual edge has allowed the band to endure through multiple, major changes in the landscape of rock music over the past two decades. Their long-term success as Christians in the radically secular world of the music industry has given me cause to contemplate the nature of the life of the spirit as we live it out in the secular environment. 1 John 2:15 tells us, “Do not love the world or the things in the world.” But yet Ecclesiastes tells us, “it is God’s gift that all should eat, drink and take pleasure in their toil” (Ecc. 3:13). U2 manages to strike this rare balance in a way that continually holds my allegiance as a fan of their music, from both a spiritual and musical perspective. Their faith is firmly in touch with reality, and the reality of their faith shows through in the depth of their music. U2 does not hide their faith but they also do not wear it on their sleeve. Biblical and spiritual lyrics appear like apparitions that require reflection and attention. The message contained in the music does not crash through the door of your mind rather it knocks and asks you to contemplate the lyric and let it in. The spiritual impact of the songs comes naturally, the faith of the musician informs the music from the inside out.
I think too often we draw an artificial dividing line between our faith and our life. This line should not exist. Our most secular pursuits should be informed by our faith but it need not be forced or contrived. Our faith should flow into all aspects of our life naturally, organically without strain or discord. In the song quoted above Bono sings lyrics that could be construed by the unobservant as written to a lover or an inspirational person, “All because of you, I Am.” The song plays well as a pop song, it has a catchy tune and the chorus easily gets into your head, only the biblically literate would recognize that he is singing to God. “I Am” is a statement of what he is because of God but it is also an address, the divine name that God told to Moses at the burning bush (see Exodus 3:14). We should all sing such songs to God, songs that witness without being shallow and obvious, songs that show our faith without being sappy, songs that sing glory to God who is the source of all art, truth and beauty.
Your love is teaching me how, how to kneel… U2, Vertigo
