Reread, “Bono—In Conversation with Michka Assayas,” this weekend.  The book traces an atheist (Michka) interviewing Bono in various settings over a period of nearly two years.  A fascinating bunch of pages, to say the least.   

 

At the end of the book, Michka asks: “What do you fear the most inside yourself?” 

To which Bono replies: “Hmmm…Losing perspective.”  

He goes on to define this as “not seeing things in their proper shape.”  And then, requesting that he be a bit more intimate, he explains that, “When I wake up in the morning, I sort of put my hand out—spiritually—and I reach for what you might call God.  Sometimes I don’t feel God, and I feel lonely.  I feel on my own, and I wonder where God is.

I wrote this article as a guest post for Josh Griffin's blog More Than Dodgeball.  You can read it there at this LINK.  Or you can read it below.

The Call to Cause 

This year alone Corporate America will spend 1.6 billion – yes billion – on marketing programs all designed to convince you and I that they care about cause.  Pepsi pulled their Super Bowl ads this year and invested the money in the Refresh campaign.  Chase and Target ask their consumers to help allocate millions of dollars each month to charity.  Virtually every brand you use has some charity affiliation – all because now more than ever – cause matters.  Teams, bands, clothing, restaurants, movies, and stars all align themselves with causes hoping that we will do that same.  Whether you know it or not Cause is Calling You.

Right now if I asked you what a white or yellow wrist band meant, I bet most of you would answer ONE and LIVESTRONG.  Not so many years ago it was WWJD that banded our wrists, but if popular behavior is any answer, these days What Jesus Would be Doing is wearing a wrist band or a lapel pin or a facebook badge.  We are living in an era when “doing good” isn’t just something for the few social activists in the crowd or the people looking to bolster their college applications or resumes – it is the expectation of everyone – everywhere – including the church.

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A few years ago, I was speaking at a college event in New York City and I was introduced as being a 'Christian activist'.

This gave me pause and made me think about a variety of nuances on the topic of activism.

For example, can you be a Christian and not be active? Is there such a thing as a Christian 'non-activist'?

Of course, being introduced as an 'activist' sounded better than being introduced as a non-activist, but what is activism?

So, the -ism for this week is activism and it's in the news in a myriad of ways. In a recent op-ed piece in the New York Times, Bono, co-founder of the advocacy group ONE and (Product)RED, writes these words:

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Time magazine famously announced that “God is Dead” on April 8, 1966. While their cover story captured the zeitgeist percolating through university classrooms and philosophical debates, Time failed to anticipate how grassroots the religious impulse remains. Mainline denominations caught in the theological currents of the sixties (Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians), did experience significant decline. But the evangelicals who stuck to their core convictions during a time of great upheaval saw profound growth over the following forty years. God joined Mark Twain in suggesting that “The tales of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

Now, during another Holy Week and Passover observation, a national newsweekly has announced “The Decline and Fall of Christian America.” Jon Meacham’s argument in Newsweek doesn’t put God or Christianity on trial. He wrote an additional piece to clarify his intentions (beyond a brilliantly timed strategy to drive sales and light up the blogosphere during Holy Week). Instead, Meacham points to the rising tide of individuals claiming no religious affiliation in the 2009 American Religious Identification Survey. Those who consider themselves outside of faith have doubled since the 1990 survey, from roughly 8% to 15% (with another 5% refusing to even answer the question). Dispute that rising tide, America remains comprised of a remarkable number of Christians. But those Christians must figure out how to navigate a world in which their morality may no longer be a majority.

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It feels like Christmas in the music world right now. Radio stations, blogs, myspace pages, newspapers, and magazines are all chomping at the bit preparing for the official arrival of U2’s long awaited new album, No Line on the Horizon. Facebook statuses were a flutter early last week with fan opinions thanks to the full stream made available on U2’s myspace as well as various mp3 leaks…

… and the buzz keeps building.

So how good is No Line on the Horizon? While Rolling Stone gave it a rare impressive five star rating, some fans still say the verdict is out as they consider just how much change they can take from the iconic four piece.

Aided by long time producer, Brian Eno (tack Eno onto any project and it’s bound to sound better), No Line grooves and punches more than Atomic Bomb managing to balance that fine line between preserving an iconic sound and emerging with something fresh.  Adam Clayton’s bass lines are distinct, creative, and shine boldly among the other three members. The Edge plays a little with the fact that his once-scoffed-at textural style has become the pop norm copied by countless amateurs and professionals alike. He mimics himself on tracks like “I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” and “Moment of Surrender,” classic throwbacks to the days of Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. Bono’s vocals are at their rawest, most honest, most powerful level on every emotion-driven track. After all, if any one is in a position to take risks it’s him.

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