A Month in the Life

I Think it Was the Praise and Worship Craze. . .

I was formally introduced to this august audience as an "OT scholar and U2 fan"; while some may consider that an ignominious epithet-yea, verily, an insult, I take an adverse pride in the wonderfully puzzled looks generated by quoting Bono in class! Heeheehee! What wicked glee!

I've really been thinking hard over the last week or so about when my "U2 craze" started. Let me be honest; "craze" is too strong a word. I'm very intrigued by their music, but it's not become some sort of "I had Bono autograph my newborn's forehead with indelible ink" thing.

But what started me down the road was the whole worship album craze that, I think, has reduced the CCM world to "Chorus 1, Chorus 2, Bridge, Chorus 1, Bridge 2, Tag Line, Tag Line 2, Bridge Tag Line" or something all-too-close to that formula. Now, some if not most of the praise and worship music is great: PC&D, Smitty, Chris Tomlin-I really do enjoy it. But, c'mon, how many acoustic remixes of "Heart of Worship" does one religion need?

Part of it might be my raising; I grew up where if it ain't country, it ain't cool, So, I like songs that tell stories, not songs that repeat the same lines a bajillion times. The other thing is: so, our God is "awesome"-what does that mean exactly? God's like this video game you played the other day, which you described as "awesome"? In the attempt to write worship music in the common vernacular, are we actually reducing the glory of God to being comparable to that "awesome cheeseburger and fries" we ate yesterday?

I Heard it First in Seminary; Guess Where I Heard it Next?
Ok, so my seminary is strange. I took a class from a professor who's one of the top Psalms scholars in the United States (flat out brilliant!). His little hobby is theology in pop music; every chance he got, he had us listen to Rob Thomas or Supersprout or Bruce Cockburn or David Wilcox or U2 and ask what sort of theological themes were being developed. Very interesting exercise. Well, he had us listen to Bono's song 40, which is actually taken from Psalms 40.

Fast forward a few days. I'm at home watching Smitty's Worship Live video; the last song is . . . did you guess? 40! So, I frighten my wife by bolting out of my seat, shouting, "That's a U2 song!"

How to Dismantle a Nuclear Bomb Equals "How to Hook an OT Scholar"
Fast forward a few months; I'm passing through Target and spy U2's newest album. I pick it up and glance at the track list. The very last song is entitled "Yahweh". Well, as the say back home, that's like "sick 'em to a dog", so I bought it. Just for that song.

Take these shoes
Click clacking down some dead end street
Take these shoes
And make them fit
Take this shirt
Polyester white trash made in nowhere
Take this shirt
And make it clean
Take this soul
Stranded in some skin and bones
Take this soul
And make it sing

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I'm waiting for the dawn

[Last verse]
Take this city
A city should be shining on a hill
Take this city
If it be your will
What no man can own, no man can take
Take this heart . . .
And make it break

Those lyrics still move me. I love that song, that pure cry for salvation to come and touch our hearts with compassion for others. If this were that Psalms class, I'd discuss the various biblical allusions present, but they're pretty obvious-I'll leave that to curious readers. I totally encourage you to at least (legally) download this song, if not buy the album. By the way, PluggedInOnline's review said there was no "objectionable content". Read the review here, if you are curious (the reviewers aren't big fans of U2's later work).

For me, the jury's still out on Bono; that's kind of what keeps me interested. He has this "I love Jesus but I hate what the Church has made Him look like" attitude; I am sadly forced to admit he does have a point. Whatever his status, he is searching for the right path and his music, if heard rightly and carefully (read "prayerfully"), can provoke thought about what it really means to be a "Christian" today.

But one thing is certain! Without Bono, we wouldn't know cool sunglasses.
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!