Bono's renewal of baptismal vows , officiated by an unlikely pastor; Part 1 (thanks to Angela Pancella)

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Having been a  fervent follower of U2 since 1980, upon hearing "I Will Follow" on the amazing WPLR New Haven  (Thanks to St Stoneman) I did (follow)...

And  having been a fervent follower of Jesus since Spring 1983..

..when I  had the chance, just days after signing on to that second followership, to see/hear/experience  U2 at the New Haven Coliseum--a concert that was so historic and Holy Spirited that the leitourgia had no name, and inevitably they later had to literally blow up the arena (watch it here!), as no act  could possibly top U2 (or even their alarming opening act)...

           I decided to follow both Jesus and the band (the worship band formerly known as the Hype) even more heartily..

As one with wholly/holy obsession with said band , and an unrepentant bibliophile, these three books are among my favorites...and I own a few...

                                                                            thousand.

Scot Calhoun, who directs the U2 Conference, has edited and curated these three voluminous (and luminous) volumes.  Academic books about U2, including one on religious impulse?  Order them yesterday.

• Exploring U2: Is This Rock and Roll? (Rowman & Littlefield, 2011)
• U2 Above, Across, and Beyond: Interdisciplinary Assessments (Lexington Press, 2014)
• U2 and the Religious Impulse: Take Me Higher (Bloomsbury, 2018)

Today the spotlight is on Angelia Pancella's chapter in the third volume, "U2 and the Religious Impulse.".  

Part of an AI-created collage about me

Here's what hit me on a recent re-read of this loaded chapter (which  helpfully interacts with my friend Tim Neufeld's seminal  "Crystal Ballroom" Periscope community/communitas  of U2 followers, see pp. 166-168). The chapter is titled  “Like Faith Needs a Doubt”: U2 and the Theist/Nontheist Dialogue.

Oh,  before you go any further, soundtrack this coming conversation  about Angela's observations with  an opening act/prelude: the classic interview  excerpt of Bono on Gay Byrne's  "The Meaning of Life"; you can watch it below. See you after the break. You might even sense the religious impulse to be baptized/renew your baptismal vows after viewing this short clip...which may be precisely the the point.

Part of an AI-created collage about me

The  short section I have in mind  starts at 1:55 (though do watch the first section as well, as Bono masterfully adopts/adapts the classic C.S. Lewis trilemma apologetic  ( popularly called the "Liar, Lunatic, or Lord" apologetic).

Wow.. I hear that hushed silence from you after the video ended.

When I show this clip in class, it inevitably happens, even from non U2 fans!

 

That short section has moved me for years, not  just because it is a  humble, diplomatic but direct confession of Christian faith from the singer, but this particular exchange  has often given me the chills and holy hush; it  always felt deeply mystical...even liturgical..in a way I could never quite put my finger on..

Until now, thanks to Angela, who says on p. 162:

A video of an interview of Bono with veteran Irish broadcaster Gay Byrne, from his program "The Meaning of Life," includes an exchange oddly echoing the renewal of baptismal vows that take place in some Christian churches at the Easter:

Bono: I find it hard to accept that all the millions and millions of lives, half the earth, for two thousand years, have been touched, have felt their lives touched and inspired by some nutter. I just —I don't believe it.

Byrne: So therefore it follows that you believe (Jesus] was divine.

Bono: Yes.

Byrne: And therefore it follows that you believe that he rose physically from

Bono: Yes. I've no problem with miracles. (Laughs] I'm livingaround them. I am one.

Byrne: So when you pray, then, you pray to Jesus.

Bono: The risen Jesus.

Byrne: And you believe that he made promises which will come true.

Bono: Yes . I do.

-U2 and the Religious Impulse: Take Me Higher (Bloomsbury Studies in Religion and Popular Music), Scott Calhoun (Editor)

Ah, of course, As the aforementioned Tim once said about me, " Dave, you know what I like about you? You always push toward the unobvious! You are gifted at seeing what others miss."; I now pay that compliment foward to Angela, for helping/empowering me to put language to what I felt. It was so obvious/unobvious . What a gift.

The simple call and response. The rhythmic cadence. The simple but heartfelt "Yes" of Bono's answers the the questions of the host/inquisitive inquisitor/pastor Byrne. And even though the interviewer has been characterized as an agnostic/atheist, Byrne didn't see himself that way. He was more of a struggling Catholic. Someone 

called him "a loyal if questioning Catholic  later in life."

 His genuine interest in Bono's responses are based on decades of friendship . I felt he was even rooting/praying for Bono to confess in a very Christ-honoring and orthodox way.

At the funeral Mass for the late Gay Byrne on Friday, the principal celebrant, Fr Leonard Maloney SJ said those who knew the broadcaster well knew him as “a man of faith”.

In his homily at St Mary’s Pro Cathedral in Dublin, the Jesuit provincial said Byrne’s faith was not the kind of faith that has all the answers. “It was the kind that asks all the questions. link

Bono's "yes" answers called to mind the many riffs and improvisations on the word I have heard over the years as a pastor officiating baptisms/ renewals. Sometimes it is said tearfully and barely audibly ; sometimes shouted as if from a rooftop. A student of mine's recent response was (video here)

But something about Bono's quiet, confident "yes' resonates with me...and I know it spoke to Gay Byrne like no armtwisting evangelistic sermon could.

"All the promises are yes," as St Paul asserted . . A confession of faith in summative one-word microcosm.

"Let your yes be yes," as Jesus preached.

'Oddly echoing the renewal of baptismal vows," Angela so articulately commented.

Yes, that's what I had felt but had no language for.

Echoes are important.

Here is one version of the renewal of baptism vows:

V. Do you reject Satan?

R. I do.

V. And all his works?

R. I do.

V. And all his empty promises?

R. I do.

V. Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth?

R. I do.

V. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?

R. I do.

V. Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?

R. I do.

V. God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and forgiven all our sins. May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ for ever and ever.

R. Amen.

link

YES? One can say more; but cannot say less.

Also, don't get me started on the two words in the sample ceremony above; and Bono's last and final answer, where it felt right to "say more" and add only two words: "Yes..I do"

Wedding language. Covenant echoes.

When I heard my parents say to each other "Yes..I do" upon my asking them if they renews their wedding vows on their 50th? Sacramental. Priceless. Spiritual.

They are still going strong as they near their seventieth.

May it be with all who we baptize, marry and speak to.

And interview about the meaning of life.

Amen,

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

"In  his interview in ‘The Meaning of Life’  Gay said this to Martin Sheen: ‘Suppose it’s all true, and suppose you get to meet God at the pearly gates. What will you say to Him?’After hardly a pause, the seasoned actor said: ‘Deo gratias. Thanks be to God.’”

“Say no more,” Gay responded. 

“That’s a perfect ending.” link

Bonus :Here is the entire episode with complete Bono interview:

That U2 hit single "Out of Range"

Just one of the hundreds of songs that we'll never hear...or that morphed into something else?
Snapped from Bono's laptop  (see five min mark in video below)

the strange loop/truce/helix of Myers-Briggs: I am my opposite, of course

I have often though, said and taught that this (the  Myers-Briggs phenomenon Priebe talks about in the article I will link) happens, but not due to reading anyone else making a logical case for it, but because I intuitively felt that it did..,

--which I realized makes sense, as I am  off the charts "intuitively feeling" (NF) on Myers-Briggs.

That means I can trust my NF...

                                                   ..unless I can't (:

I have often suggested that if each pair  of preferences is a pictured as a spectrum,
imagine folks who are strong on one "end"  looping around to act like their "opposite."

True also of fundamentalisms of the left and right..

Is that "surrational," Mark DeRaud?
Is that loopy?


You know, I sometimes picture the "line" as more of a mult-loopy helix (Hegelian?) helix..like this diagram of sex(uality) from the cover of Foucault's :"The History of Sexuality">>

I don't see anywhere in the book where this diagram is explicitly explained, but if Rob Bell is right..


For many, sexuality is simply what happens between two people involving physical pleasure. But that's only a small percentage of what sexuality is. Our sexuality is all the ways we strive to reconnect with our world, with each other, and with God." (Rob Bell, "Sex God," p. 42).

...it's inevitably also a   picture of life. let alone our personality preferences.

In Myers-Briggs, it seems that  when one person is  E or I, not matter how far in one direction,   their "vertedness" loops and weaves.


Or  check out like Kegan's developmental chart, "a helix of evolutionary truces"















I can't help it.  I just intuitively feel that life itself is a
  holy helix.

 













Anyway..the article, with an example:

------------------------------------------------------------



"How  Each Myers-Briggs Type Contradicts Their Own Stereotype" by Heidi Priebe.
Full article here

Excerpt about my type:
..because it's all about me! (: 

INFP

Stereotype: INFPs are fragile emotional snowflakes who cannot deal with facts or hard logic.

Reality: Though INFPs certainly prefer using emotion over logic, they are more than capable of getting things done when they need to. This type can actually be incredibly resourceful and organized, as they will go to any lengths necessary in pursuit of what they believe is right. As a highly pensive type, INFPs are quite focused and often even mistype as judgers.

"Drawing Our Fish in the Sand: Secret Biblical Allusions in the Music of U2"

"Drawing Our Fish in the Sand: Secret Biblical Allusions in the Music of U2" by Deanne Galbraith in   Biblical Interpretation 19 (2011) 181-222

Abstract:

Confronted with a popular music subculture which is predominantly antipathetic to Christianity, the charismatic-evangelical members of rock band U2 double code their lyrics in such a manner that Christian references are hidden from mainstream listenersa nd media while being readily recognizable to their Christian fans. The device of allusion is especially amenable to this end, as the meaning of an allusion can only be considered by a reader or listener who possesses the requisite competency in respect of the evoked text(s). Through  their  utilization of biblical allusions, U2 therefore construct two different, perhaps even irreconcilable, groups of listeners—a knowledgeable Christian in-group and an unknowledgeable non-Christian out-group. With detailed reference to U2’s songs, this paper examines the covert tendencies of allusion and the manner by which it is able to engage the listener’s intertextual imagination. The paper also distinguishes a secret or hidden allusion from a generic allusion on pragmatic and socio-cultural grounds, and demonstrates the potential of secret allusions to increase semantic indeterminacy. Lastly, the paper examines some examples of the reception of the U2 song ‘Magnificent’ which demonstrate the effectiveness of U2’s secret biblical allusions in creating two largely discrete groups of listeners.

---- 

Paper  is here

 Bono:

"We've found different ways of expressing it, and recognized the power of the media to manipulate such signs. Maybe we just have to sort of draw our fish in the sand. It's there for people who are interested. It shouldn't be there for people who aren't." -- Bono on faith, quoted in U2 at the End of the World 

 

U2's claw as organic architecture

Liz suggests that the U2 Claw (clawthedral) fits  every criteria of the charter for organic architecture and design.

Let the design:

• Be inspired by nature and be sustainable, healthy, conserving, and diverse.
• Unfold, like an organism, from the seed within.
• Exist in the “continuous present” and “begin again and again”.
• Follow the flows and be flexible and adaptable.
• Satisfy social, physical, and spiritual needs.
• “Grow out of the site” and be unique.
• Celebrate the spirit of youth, play and surprise.
• Express the rhythm of music and the power of dance    LINK
• 
  

Related:

• Holy heteroclite:: Clawthedral from the skies
• holy heteroclite:: Making of the Clawthedral.

• holy heteroclite:: taking attendance at U2church..tag yourself
•  let your spire so shine...so they can see it at ...
• 
  

  holy heteroclite:: The Claw's "Surrealism, Sci-Fi, and the Sacred"

• 
  

  holy heteroclite:: cathedrals

Meeting God in the Sound

 A good section of Deanne  Galbraith's  "Meeting God in the Sound"  is available to read on Google Books, pp. 120-126 here  . 

 It's a chapter in  The Counter-Narratives of Radical Theology and Popular Music: Songs of Fear and Trenbling (MIke Grimshaw, ed.)

(HT: Beth Maynard's post, Sacralizing the profane and profaning the sacred)

The headings are:

• U2's Two Audiences: Two Hearts Beat as One
• Immersion in a Sonic Baptism
• Performing Future Hymns in a Stadium Rock Cathedral

"Kite" in Sydney

How did I ever miss this unique  Sydney  version of U2's "Kite"?
It was released as a b-side to the "Window in the Skies" single.
So many things to comment on, but I'll stick to
     just the beginning
            (anyone familiar with the sing will realize something is up after listening to the first minute)
                                           and the ending 
           ( start at the 5 min mark, and wait for an Edge-prayer!)

official audio:

fan video:
:


Later edit:
Thanks to the great fan community on the atu2 forum.  They tipped me off to some other versions and info...HT Meximofo for the Melbourne version:

First, Sixpence convicted him; then U2 did, now Pastor Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters move him all the way to tears: "a psalm of David Letterman"

The Sixpence story is here.
                  The U2 story is here.
                                     The Foo Fighters video is below; and backstory is here

--Related:

holy heteroclite:: watching Letterman getting convicted ...

holy heteroclite:: Letterman's not laughing at God

following "I Will Follow" : backdropped by stalking agape

In a post on the Hurst Review, several U2 fans post on the "Celebrating U2" theme, including this item by Beth Maynard on "I Will Follow."

(related:  see Two posts on Bloody Sunday)_

One of my fantasies for some time has been offering a retreat based around how U2 have worked and reworked “I Will Follow” over their career. Their 29 years of changes to this song track a classic spiritual pilgrimage: from seeking to fervor to sending to struggle to reconciliation.  The constants have been the chorus and verse structure,  Larry’s drums, Edge’s relentless two-string assault, and Bono’s stalker chant: a minor third in the verses and one obsessive note in the chorus. But so much else has morphed from year to year.

The lyrics are an obvious example. As the seasons of U2’s work pass, is it a “mother” or “lover” in verse 2?  “They pulled the four walls down,” or “you tore my four walls down”?  Is the narrator’s predicament being “lost,” “caught at a stoplight,” or “chased by amazing grace”?  And does the story end neatly with him “found,” or is the verdict Popmart’s trapped, angry “you took the soul from me/you put a  
hole in me”? (Or do we even sing the song at all?  Not on ZooTV we don’t.)

Then there’s the mood of the center bridge.  The original on Boy to  
me comes out eerie and maybe even a tad frightening.  (“Your eyes” — they fascinate me, I can’t stay away, but when I do “go in there,” what am I getting myself into? )  In the later 80s it’s a more trusting encounter, and the transition out of it turns exultant.  But the whole section is summarily cut for the Pop era: not quite able to meet those eyes just now?  After 2001, the bridge returns, often with an extended numinous improvisation, band and crowd hovering in the moment as at the Elevation show in Turin: “Let the Spirit descend on this place/let the lines disappear off my face.”

Or finally the ending.  “I Will Follow” concludes with a high-energy drive to the final note, but on the studio version  20-year-old Bono delivers his last word as if sleepwalking, almost as a question: “…follow…?”  However, listen to a live performance just a year or so later, and caution is gone as he’s shouting “I will!” The band rush the tempo.  It’s a vow.  In Popmart, he’s age 37, “I Will Follow” has become a cry of mother-loss paired with “Mofo,” and the end is broken and desperate: “Don’t walk away!” And post-midlife, during the Vertigo tour, sometimes the song actually winds up in Koine Greek: “Agape, agape.”

Stalking agape, or facing the reality that it will never stop stalking you, or renewing your vows to it as in a lifelong marriage – those kinds of relational negotiations backdrop all  the different versions of “I Will Follow.”  If it’s in the setlist for the upcoming tour, I’ll be looking for it to reveal yet another nuance of how four artists are living a life in love with Love.

Beth Maynard

U2sermons.blogspot.com

--
Re: The quote at Turin mentioned above: variations:

PS an interesting exaltation i noticed during I will follow in the elevation san remo concert..."let the lines disappear on my face, let the spirit descend on this place..our spirits will never grow old..."also..i noticed a different intro than usual on the oakland Nov 15 concert to streets...."Who's gonna fall in front of Thee...Who's gonna fall in front of Thee...You have my heart. You have my heart"  link