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Sat, 24 Oct 1998 05:17:26 EDT
Fence sitting.. music and faith in culture.
Beyond the confines of what has been traditionally called "Christian
music" lie a number of artists who have sparked discussions of the Christian
faith in broader venues, but in more subtle ways. Looking back over the pages
of CCM mag, you'll notice news items, reviews, and features from acts who fit
the "artist who are Christians" label much more comfortably than the
"Christian artist" tag. U2, Whitney Houston, Bob Dylan, Bruce Cockburn,
Innocence Mission, Moby, Midnight Oil, Over the Rhine and many more have fell
under this mag's scruntiny. In direct and indirect ways, these
artists--though of different musical and theological stripes--have
participated in an ongoing conversation about Christianity in the world at
large.
Lifestyles on the Edge lol...
The controversies surrounding music and faith in culture don't always
revolve around lyrical content or musical style. Many Christians rather
question individual morality, finding fault that spiritual truths emerge from
artists that struggle--often unsuccessfully--with the trappings of life on
earth. On the other hand, non-believers aren't quite sure what to do with the
religious leanings of otherwise trendy rock n' rollers.
This conflict is embodied most profoundly in U2, one of the most popular
bands of teh past two decades. 3 of the band's members--Bono, The Edge, and
Larry Mullen--are reportedly Christians. Generally gracious to U2, the
mainstream press has struggled as many conservative CHristians have with the
union of Christian faith and rock'nroll lifestyle. When artists like Bruce
Springsteen "Ghost of Tom Joad", Van Morrison("When will I Ever Learn to Live
in God", The artist formally knows as Prince("The Cross" "God"( John Hiatt or
Eric Clapton suggest a spiritual theme in their music, it's often been
ignored. But U2 has stayed closer to the surface to the surface, much to the
chagrin of some Christians and some rock fans.
The Rolling Stone review of U2's latest offering, Pop, noted: "There's a
marked throwback to Bono's soul-searching of yore. References to God and
Jesus abound. U2 may have given themsleves permission to guzzle Don Perignon
and cavort with supermodels, but Bono badly wants us to know that he's still
perturbed by the ruin and spiritual decay of the world"
Throghout the 2 important books on the band, Unforgettable Fire by Eamon
Dunphy and U2 at the end of the world by Bill Flanagan, issues of faith and
meaning collide on every page. In Flanagan's book, Edge admitted the struggle
to keep members' Christianity out of the public eye as early as teh 1981
release of October. "I was still very nervous about teh Christian Label," he
said. "I have no trouble with CHrist, but I have trouble with alot of
Christians" About the tensions and expectations associated with persons of
faith and jobs as rock stars, Edge acknowledged the conflict. "It was
reconciling 2 things that seemed for us at teh moment mutually exclusive. We
never did resolve the contradictions. That's the truth. And probably never
will. There's even more contradictions now."
Those contradictions have been noted by often puzzled Christian fans.
U2's early albums were carried in some Christian retail stores, until owners
and fans were repelled by scenes of band members consuming alcohol, smoking
and using vulgar speech in the movie Rattle N' Hum. Others, compelled by the
band's creativity, complexity and willingness to struggle in public have
folllowed U2's music, seeing the struggle to live with the contradictions as
an expression of the battle to be in , but not of, the world.
Flannagan quoted a letter Bono wrote to his father in the band's early
days, which stated "All God wants is a willing heart and for us to call out to
Him. Being young and troublesome can be an advantage..I keep making
mistakes...but I am trying and God is great." Flannagan concluded, "Perhaps
U2 has not lost their sense of God's plan for them. Nothing they've done has
contradicted their early faith, though they may have become less obvious in
professing it, and yeah, even walked a long way into teh shadows to see if
they could find their way back to the light."
in the name of hope love and u2,
Megan
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