An intro

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

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 the 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."

What I have up here is only the directly u2 relevant part of discusion...but i plan to put the whole article up on my site soon...