u2 hymns

whats up with this?

LONDON (Reuters) - For Anglicans who still haven't found what they're looking for, the Church of England is staging its first "U2-charist" communion service -- replacing hymns with hit songs by the Irish supergroup.

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"Rock music can be a vehicle of immense spirituality," said Bishop of Grantham Timothy Ellis, announcing plans for the unique service in the central English town of Lincoln in May.

A live band is to play U2 classics like "Beautiful Day" and "Mysterious Ways" with special singalong lyrics displayed on a giant screen. Seating for the 500-strong congregation is to be re-arranged so everyone can dance and wave their hands.

The service is to focus on the Millennium development goals -- U2's lead singer Bono is a leading promoter of the targets to alleviate world poverty.

amen!

it's popular to give credentials to celebrities just because they claim to be christian. (although bono doesn't even claim Christ as Savior)

it seems popular to get the teens exposed to someone who we think they will see as cool or hip to try to win them to Christ.

when i was a young person in the world i did not come to Jesus because of some rock star or youth ministry that looked like and acted like the world.....i needed to change not something just like i already had.

in fact, the preacher who won me to the Lord was atleast 60 gray hair and he was not the picture of coolness!

but he loved God and he genuinly loved me.

thats what people are looking for no matter what there age or background===they are looking for someone to care about them and show them the love that they feel so desperate for.

they know they need to change and they need more then what they have now....someone different someone like Jesus will win them.

Amen again.

I recently listened to a sermon by Voddie Baucham in which he describes "the dance." It's basically the modern formula for evangelizing youth. It goes like this: First, some 40-year-old dressed like a cool dude sells his relevence with youthful phrases and such. Then he pounds them with emotionally hyped legalism to get them full of fear. Finally, he casts the widest possible net to pull them down the magical aisle where they repeat a magical prayer and are told, "you are now saved."

I used to take youth groups to evangelism conferences just like that! I used to be so deceived by and immersed in the modern gospel methodology that I can totally see myself ten years ago thinking that U2 would be a great way to reach out to young people.

I am so thankful to God for people who showed me my errors and taught me THE Gospel.

Thankfully,
C.M.

Amen again.

I recently listened to a sermon by Voddie Baucham in which he describes "the dance." It's basically the modern formula for evangelizing youth. It goes like this: First, some 40-year-old dressed like a cool dude sells his relevence with youthful phrases and such. Then he pounds them with emotionally hyped legalism to get them full of fear. Finally, he casts the widest possible net to pull them down the magical aisle where they repeat a magical prayer and are told, "you are now saved."

I used to take youth groups to evangelism conferences just like that! I used to be so deceived by and immersed in the modern gospel methodology that I can totally see myself ten years ago thinking that U2 would be a great way to reach out to young people.

I am so thankful to God for people who showed me my errors and taught me THE Gospel.

Thankfully,
C.M.

Amen again.

I recently listened to a sermon by Voddie Baucham in which he describes "the dance." It's basically the modern formula for evangelizing youth. It goes like this: First, some 40-year-old dressed like a cool dude sells his relevence with youthful phrases and such. Then he pounds them with emotionally hyped legalism to get them full of fear. Finally, he casts the widest possible net to pull them down the magical aisle where they repeat a magical prayer and are told, "you are now saved."

I used to take youth groups to evangelism conferences just like that! I used to be so deceived by and immersed in the modern gospel methodology that I can totally see myself ten years ago thinking that U2 would be a great way to reach out to young people.

I am so thankful to God for people who showed me my errors and taught me THE Gospel.

Thankfully,
C.M.

oops. sorry 'bout that

it seems popular to get the teens exposed to someone who we think they will see as cool or hip to try to win them to Christ.

I think it was Ravenhill who said, "God's definition of 'cool' is lukewarm."

Bono is definitely a cool dude!

Don't get me wrong, I love U2, in fact that is what I am listening to right now. I went to both their concerts, I reckon they are the best band in the world.

However, I reckon they can be idolised, and their songs are no replacement for worship songs.

But on the other hand, I don't think any of you guys have really, and I mean, really listened to some of U2's songs. From their first album, to their latest, they have put faith statements in them.

Bono doesn't act like a Christian should in many ways, and I am not saying he should be an exception, I wish he would pull himself into line in so many ways. However, to say that all the members in the band aren't saved, is a pretty bold assumption. I have read some auto biography material by Bono, and I am convinced that he has given himself to Christ, but has fallen off the rails and has drifted.

Michael

I have to say that Krispy has spoken truth concerning this band. I like U2 as a music group, they are easily the best band around very artistic and not cheap lyrically. However i do not believe they are christian the fruit is missing. My vex is not with them however but with the church scene in britain, they are spiritually bankrupt destitute of any Holy appeal and have become the mockery and derision of a secular atheistic society. I want to say that Britian is in the grip of a terrible wave of antichristian skeptism. I was recently checking out the BBC website for religion and it is a classic example of the state of christianty in this nation, it is in a STATE! the site was overrun by atheist, skeptics and mockers and the christians on there were totally lukewarm, lethargic and unable to respond to the battery of desrisory questions and scientific twistings of the God haters. The UK church scene is interested in only one thing staying secure and undisturbed from goverment and social interference and is willing to pay any price to keep the peace. Yet society is becoming more intolerant of christians here and will not rest until the church is removed from all social influence. It is sad to say that the church scene in the UK is an embarrassment, it stands for nothing and has a voice that is weak and ignored. Backsliding and apostacy is the norm, saints are proud of their unbelief and stubborness more interessted in searching the scriptures for loopholes and excuses rather than Gods promises. So to come accross this article on U2 is beyond belief. U2 wont save the church, we haved Dawkins and Hawkings intellectualizing the absurdity of belief in God with a passion we have a goverment bending over backwards to elevate the rights of the homosexual agenda, we have the highest drug abuse levels in all of europe, the highest teen pregnancy rates in all of europe a rapid growing alchohol, gambling and STD problem and what do we present to our generation as the answer? U2 hymns, sorry if i sound emotional , but i am, this is disturbing, the church has lost its voice what does God have to do to wake up our churches to start revival praying? the apathy here is appalling please pray for britian we desperatly need a spiritual awakening. But as long as the church can has a burden to appear cool instead of Holy I fear we have a long wait coming.

Well... given what I have read in published interviews with the band and such, I can't say that we can flat out say that they aren't Christian, and Krispy has jumped that conclusion.

Fruits can exist to a different extent, think about it, say you get a Christian who was a heavy drinker of say, 20 beers a day (in theory), and since conversion has bought it down to 10 a day and is slowly coming off it, I would say that is a fruit there, but some may claim that because he can't stop cold turkey that fruit doesn't exist.

Bono said that he struggles sometimes with folloiwing his faith, an interview taken in 2006 by a person in Australia called Andrew Denton.

I for one have never heard them curse God's name on stage, they have written some very deep God related songs, even though they can be ambigious.

I have heard them sing praises to God during their concerts.

Before the start of Streets with no name, they have gone,

"Oh Lord, what can I give back to God, for the blessings he has poured out on me, what can I give back to God, for the blessings he has poured out on me, I lift high, the cup of salvation as a toast to my father, for following through on the promise he made to me... from the heart."

In another concert, they have sung,

"Bow to the almighty, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah", on and on at the end of the song Walk On.

Read the lyrics of the song "40".

"I have waited patiently for the Lord, he inclined then heard my cry, lifted me out of the pit, out from the mirey clay, how long to sing this song..."

Their song, Tomorrow

"Open up, open up to the love of God.
To the love of He who made the blind to see
He's coming back
He's coming back
I believe Him
Jesus is coming"

In Gloria,

In te domine...exultate...miserere" -- The first words in Latin of three Psalms--30 (31): "In Thee O Lord do I put my trust...", 32 (33): "Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous..." and 50 (51): "Have mercy on me, O God." "O Lord, loosen my lips"--Psalm 50 (51): "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise
There is evidence of faith there.

The First Time:

"Gave me the keys to his kingdom coming" -- Matthew 16:19: "[Jesus said to Peter] 'I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.'"

"He said 'I have many mansions/And there are many rooms to see' " -- John 14:2: "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

Yahweh:

The title is the name of God.

"A city should be shining on a hill" -- Matthew 5:14: "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid." (submitted by Robin)

When Love Comes To Town:

"I was there when they crucified my Lord/I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword/I threw the dice when they pierced his side..." -- Matthew 27:35: "After they had crucified him, they divided his garments by casting lots."

Surrender:

"If I wanna live I gotta die to myself someday" -- Luke 9:24-25: "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?"

Until The End of the World:

"We ate the food, we drank the wine...I took the money, I spiked your drink...In the garden I was playing the tart, I kissed your lips and broke your heart" -- see Judas and Jesus in Matthew 14-15, 20-29, 47-49

I believe their faith is there.

I am not in here batting for the band, or going along the lines of, "Oh no! you can't say that about my favorite celebrities", because I agree with quite a bit of what you guys are saying. But the fact is, we will never know until the day we are in Heaven, as to whether or not they are or are not saved.

The second you start thinking of them as celebrities, I reckon is when you start idolising them.

You said, "U2 wont save the church"... I entirely agree with that, I don't see how Beautiful Day or whatever, is a worship song. Our church has used it as an item song sometimes for a bit of fun, because lyrically it is clean, the same with Still Haven't Found, and a few POD songs, but by far, we have never used it as a worship replacement.

Michael

Meriwether wrote:
I used to be so deceived by and immersed in the modern gospel methodology that I can totally see myself ten years ago thinking that U2 would be a great way to reach out to young people.
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you know it!!!

if it takes magic and games and hype to win them it will take that to keep them.
but when we are begotten by the Word of God that Word will be more than anough to keep us.

The New Testament Church in the book of Acts did not use gimmiks, rock stars and "worldly influence" to turn the world upside down with the Gospel. They were filled with, and completley dependent on the Holy Ghost....maybe thats the problem!

I must admit I have never listened to U2 and most likely never will. I only want to listen to what is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

I did see Bono on an interview and must say I did not see the light of Jesus coming from his life. My spirit did not mix with his spirit because light has not fellowship with darkness.

Bono needs salvation.

Do not be fooled! Go to this link and watch the short video about U2.

http://goodfight.org/goodfight.org/u2.wmv

Just because a group uses scripture and talks about "god" in songs doesn't mean anything. Satan knows scripture and God.

I know how seducing music can be. I was once in it very deep including U2, ever since the early 80's before they were realy famous.

Please watch this clip!

In Him,
geddingsm

I've seen that too.
As far as I can tell, the motive behind it is to look at your similiarities, and not to keep fighting over your differences.

However, I also don't reckon that he has any right using the headband and singing to the coexist thing either.

Also jimdied2sin...

Bono wearing a headband on stage with the symbol of the cross, the star of David and an islamic symbol chanting "we are one"....

He never says "We are one", He goes "Jesus, Jew, Mohamed, It's true, all sons of abraham..."

Now, I am still not justifying it, as I cringed when I saw him do it in concert.

Who are you implying is a weak Christian, me or Bono?

Michael