On June 25th, the mega-rock star leader, Bono, was interviewed on Focus on the Family. In the interview, Bono stated that he believes Jesus is Lord. A review
of that interview (see below), written by Religion News Service is titled "Bono: David sang the blues and Jesus did some punk rock." According to the RNS document, Bono told Focus on the Family's Jim Daly, “And I believe that Jesus was, you know, the Son of God.”
of that interview (see below), written by Religion News Service is titled "Bono: David sang the blues and Jesus did some punk rock." According to the RNS document, Bono told Focus on the Family's Jim Daly, “And I believe that Jesus was, you know, the Son of God.”
We are not here to dispute whether Bono believes that or not, but a Scripture comes to mind when reading this: "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble" (James 2:19). Bono may or may not believe; but he has been sending out a very confusing message as you can see in Joe Schimmel's documentary The Submerging Church (see trailer below) where Schimmel devotes an entire DVD to discussing Bono.
Does it even matter, some may ask, what Bono believes or doesn't believe? It matters greatly because Bono is a major influence to millions of young people (and many of them proclaiming Christians) around the world. What leaders (and yes, Bono is a leader) say or do has the potential of changing the views and behaviors of countless youth. It could even alter elections as we have shown through our own documentation in our booklet tract They Hate Christianity But Love (Another) Jesus – How Conservative Christians Are Being Manipulated and Ridiculed, Especially During Election Years.
In Berit Kjos' new book, How to Protect Your Child From the New Age & Spiritual Deception, she has some interesting things to say about Bono:
Few entertainers have more effectively confused young minds and corrupted the Gospel than Bono, the ultra-famous star of the Irish rock band, U2. Playing the devil, twisting God’s Word, and mocking genuine Christianity, Bono has tragically led many Christian youth into the dangerous world of occult music.
Bono’s great leap forward came in the early nineties, when he claimed the persona of MacPhisto: "the devil."1 With his red horns, whitened face, bright red lipstick, black hair, and golden suit, his message grew more outrageous. But the celebration of evil—joined to an enticing illusion of "good"—enlarged the crowds and helped popularize the emerging, unrestrained "Christianity" that’s becoming a norm today.
Back in 1989, he was asked in a Mother Jones interview, "Do you still believe that Jesus is the way? Doesn’t that biblical injunction deny that followers of other religions can enter paradise?" Bono answered:"I don’t accept that. I don’t accept that fundamentalist concept. I believe, what is it? 'The way is as narrow as the eye of the needle,' and all that. But I think that’s just to keep the fundamentalists out. . . . (laughs) I never really accepted the whole 'born again' tag."2U2’s 2005 tour was aimed at joining all religions into a unified global spirituality. To emphasize the coming solidarity, the word "COEXIST" was featured on a giant screen. The capital "C" pointed to the Islamic crescent, the "X" symbolized the Jewish Star of David, and the "T" was a reminder of the Christian cross. Bono led massive crowds in a vibrant chant: "Jesus, Jew, Mohammed—It’s True!"3Not everyone approved. Singer/songwriter Tara Leigh Cobble said, "He repeated the words like a mantra, and some people even began to repeat it with him. I suddenly wanted to crawl out of my skin. . . . Was Bono, my supposed brother in Christ, preaching some kind of universalism?"4"I felt like I was witnessing an antichrist," said her friend.5In one song, "God’s Country," Bono belts out the words, "I stand with the sons of Cain."6 The Bible tells us that Cain "was of that wicked one, and slew his brother" (1 John 3:12), not exactly someone who a Christian would want to be found standing in agreement with.Are Christian leaders speaking up and warning others about Bono? No, on the contrary, reveals one Christian journalist:"One of the leaders being promoted today by those purporting to be officiating the way for our young people—to include Bill Hybels, Brian McLaren, Rick Warren, and Rob Bell—is 'Christian' Rock star Bono of U2, whom many emergents view as their 'prophet' and the main icon of their movement. In Bono’s rendition of Psalm 23, he alters the entire thrust and message of this beautiful psalm to something that sounds nothing less than blasphemous. For example . . . he alters the wording to say 'I have cursed thy rod and staff. They no longer comfort me.'"7 [This rendition of Psalm 23 is documented in The Submerging Church DVD.]And in the summer of 2005, Rick Warren attended the Live 8 Concert with Bono where he was made the official pastor at the event.8 Rick Warren did not issue a warning at the event about Bono, leaving the impression on thousands of young people’s minds that Bono is OK. (from chapter 17, HPC)
- Bono being interviewed by Focus on the Family's Jim Daly
Something else Joe Schimmel brings out in The Submerging Church is that Bono has been considered by many emergents, like Brian McLaren, to be a leader or "prophet" of the emerging church movement. Bono's influence on youth can certainly be substantiated, not just by comments from emergents themselves but other sources as well. In a 2009 Christian Post article, it stated:
"Across the nation, young evangelicals are naming Rick Warren or Bono as their role model for social engagement, rather than a Christian Right leader, says Michael Gerson, senior research fellow in the Center on Faith & International Affairs at the Institute for Global Engagement."(9)
It's worth noting that both Rick Warren and Bono, named as the "role model[s]" for young evangelicals have the trait of speaking out of both sides of their mouths when it comes to the Christian faith and causing much confusion. This is where 2 +2 do not add up to 4. Saying one thing to one audience and another thing to another - well after awhile, no one knows what to think. It reminds us of when Rick Warren told the liberal think tank, the Pew Forum on Religion, in 2005 that the 5 fundamentals of the faith were "legalistic" and "narrow" but then later in front of another audience said he believes in the 5 fundamentals of the faith. Such maneuvers have people's heads spinning. Will the real Rick Warren, will the real Bono please stand up?
In a June 25th Focus on the Family article by Jim Daly (a follow up to the Bono interview), "Why Orthodox Christians Should Appreciate an Unorthodox Bono," Daly states, "What sometimes gets lost in the mix, however, is the motivation behind Bono’s work. It’s his very real Christian faith." This is suggesting that regardless of how one lives his or her life or regardless of how one represents the Christian faith, if the motivation or intent is "Christian," then that person should be taken seriously or "appreciated." But that line of reasoning is precarious and can lead followers down many deceptive paths. That is like saying that because Bono professes the Christian faith, he should not be scrutinized for any inconsistencies in that faith or representation of that faith. It's a basically everything goes, all is OK kind of attitude - an attitude that has gotten the evangelical church into a lot of trouble in recent years.
In the follow-up article by Daly, he quotes Bono as saying that "Jesus wants us to engage our world." We know that the Bible is very clear that Christians are to help the poor and care for the needy (something those who have a relationship with Jesus Christ have been doing since the beginning of the church because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit), but when emergents, like Bono, say "engage our world," they mean much more than helping the poor and needy - they mean becoming absorbed into the culture and becoming unified in purpose with all people. Roger Oakland talks about this new kind of missiology in his article "The New Missiology: Doing Missions Without the Gospel." It's a little scary when the president (Jim Daly) of one of the largest most influential evangelical organizations ends his article by saying, "All this because real people joined together for the common good." Sounds more like a socialist pep rally than an interview that shows listeners how vital the preaching of the message of the Cross is to the world's poor and needy (the main thing that the poor and needy - and the rich - need).
Speaking of social justice, SoJourners magazine, the social justice (i.e., socialist) publication of liberal/emerging Jim Wallis, has also given Bono a platform, like in an article titled "Bono Preaches the Gospel of Social Justice at Georgetown," where Bono is quoted as calling Obama "an extraordinary man" and in many many other articles in SoJourner that have helped turn Bono into practically a household name - for the emergent households anyway.
In the Christian church today, many things are not adding up as a mystical eastern-style spirituality and the accompanying ecumenical emerging "theology" are gaining momentous ground, and Christian leaders are running toward the beat of a different drum than the biblical Gospel. When organizations like Focus on the Family give Bono a platform and credibility, a lot of people are going to take notice. If Bono is heading in the right direction, as Focus on the Family seems to be saying, then we have nothing to worry about. On the other hand, if he is going in the wrong direction, we have plenty to be concerned about. Either way, he'll be taking a whole lot of young people (and maybe some older ones too) with him. Let's make sure we have gathered all our facts, however, before assuming that what appears Christian because of its own proclamation is weighed out with the evidence and the fruit. Ironically, Focus on the Family has traditionally stood for conservative Christianity; by many indicators, Bono is an emerging/new spirituality guru whose significant influence will sway the spirituality (not to mention the votes) of millions of youth from Christian homes. The outcome could be disastrous from more than one front.
If you have not yet seen The Submerging Church DVD, we encourage you to get a copy. You can watch a trailer of the DVD set or order it by clicking here. Two other items we'd like to recommend at this time are "Sojourners Founder Jim Wallis’ Revolutionary Anti-Christian “Gospel” (and Will Christian Leaders Stand with Wallis?)" and "Ingrid Schlueter/Lighthouse Trails Editor Radio Show on Those Who Claim Orthodox Christianity But Promote Emerging/Contemplative."
The trailer of The Submerging Church: (click here if you cannot see the video below)
"Bono: David sang the blues and Jesus did some punk rock" (Religion News Service)
by Sarah Pulliam Bailey
by Sarah Pulliam Bailey
(RNS) U2 frontman Bono exchanged Bible references and bantered about music, theology and evangelicals’ role in AIDS activism in a recent radio interview with Focus on the Family President Jim Daly.
Growing up in Ireland with a Protestant mother and a Catholic father, Bono imitated C.S. Lewis in “Mere Christianity,” where Lewis argued that Jesus was a lunatic, liar or Lord.
“When people say ‘Good teacher,’ ‘Prophet,’ ‘Really nice guy,’ … this is not how Jesus thought of himself,” Bono said. “So, you’re left with a challenge in that, which is either Jesus was who he said he was or a complete and utter nut case.” “And I believe that Jesus was, you know, the Son of God,” Bono said, according to a transcript provided to Religion News Service. “I understand that for some people and we need to … if I could be so bold, need to be really, really respectful to people who find that ridiculous.” Click here to continue reading.
Notes:
1. "MacPhisto, Who the Devil?" (http://www.canadanne.co.uk/
2. "Bono Bites Back" (Mother Jones magazine, May 1989, http://www.motherjones.com/
3. Elliott Nesch, "U2 Frontman Bono: Christian or Antichrist?" (August 12, 2012, http://www.holybibleprophecy.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Cited from The Submerging Church: DVD 2 by Joe Schimmel. A trailer of this can be seen at: http://www.lighthousetrails.
7. David Dombrowski, "In View of the Recent Tragedy, a Timely Message"(Lighthouse Trails blog: http://www.
8. Marc Gunther, "Power Pastor: Will Success Spoil Rick Warren?" (Fortune Magazine, October 2005, http://money.cnn.com/
9. Michelle A. Vu, "Evangelical Movement at ‘Head-Snapping’ Moment, Says Scholar" (Christian Post, http://www.christianpost.com/
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In our previous post about Jim Daly, successor to James Dobson at Focus on the Family, we reported on the Martin Bobgan analysis which revealed both men's psychoheresies and apostasies:
Also see Americans For Truth About Homosexuality's article "Is Jim Daly Emasculating Focus on the Family?":
Also see World Net Daily article:
