I post this not because I think it's so exciting every time a celebrity professes faith in Christ, or even when a secular rock star does, but because I am struck by how straightforward and effective Bono is in asserting it. I've seen pretty well-known preachers stumble over the same question because they seem too concerned about how the interviewer will react. Not Bono. Here is what I believe. Do what you will:
I suppose you could argue Bono has an advantage that your average preacher might not have, which is that no one can really question Bono's "cool" bonafides in a cultural sense. I mean, he might not be some people's cup of tea - I'm not a big fan of U2's music myself - but I can scarcely deny that Bono is well established as a compelling cultural figure that people consider cool.
So maybe that's why he's comfortable being unapologetic and confident.
You gonna call me a dweeb for believing in Christ? I'm Bono. Who are you?
Still, it's enjoyable to hear a case for Christ's divinity that comes from a guy who a) has examined the Scriptures and isn't just going on his gut; and b) isn't lacking for noteriety and clearly doesn't
need to express this for his own sake.
It's not as if Bono's self-identification as a Christian is a huge mystery. We've heard about it before. And a lot of our audience here surely appreciates Bono's willingness to embrace George W. Bush and defend him against some of the more deranged charges made against him. I'm not suggesting anything earth-shattering was revealed here.
But I just enjoyed how confidently and comfortably Bono let the interview know: Yes, I believe in Christ. Yes, I pray to Christ. Yes, he rose from the dead. I'm sure some of you may weigh in with problems you have with Bono, but hey, there are problems associated with everyone. He did a nice job here, and he deserves credit for it.
By the way, over on my site, I took a look a few days ago
at the question of cool as it pertains to Jesus Himself, and came to the conclusion that we tend to sell Him very short. Maybe Bono is also seeing the cool too many miss.
