This just came in as a comment on a previous post, but hey… I think it deserves a post all its own.
I’m copying and pasting it here uncut, without alteration:
I don’t believe Bono is a christian at all. the bible warns us of wolves in sheeps clothing, and with all that profanity in the article, wich the bible also tells us not to use. A true born again christian does not use that type of language.I know people who think God and Jesus curse and think it’s ok to do so. Not true how can you win a sinner to Christ if your doing the same things as the sinner. The Bible says to come out from among the world and be ye seperate. Sinning to win the sinner just don’t work. Bono may be a good person and help alot of people but that’s all. If Bono is a Christian Madonna ,Michael Jackson, Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels, And alot of other would be to because they give to good causes. but You can’t get to heaven on good works.
don’t forget Cher!
But…but…Charlie Daniels released a gospel CD and appeared on the 700 Club!
Sad this writer didn’t provide any Bible verses to back up his case. This person has fallen into a cultural bubble, in which one must perform the work of not cussing in order to be saved, while stating that one is not saved by works.
Well I guess, according to your theory, that King David must not be a man after God’s own heart because he committed adultury! And I guess Paul, who wrote 3/4 of the New Testament, is not a Christian either because he once persecuted Christians. And St. Peter is surely not going to heaven since he denied Christ three times!
No man has the right to be judged by any other man concerning religious issues because noone knows deep down how The Lord is dealing with anyone else. God is a very personal God and loves and accepts anyone unconditionally. If God can use a donkey to speak his message (like he once did in the Old Testament) then he can also use anything else he chooses.
Bono is not a perfect person, but neither are any of us. It is enough that he is making this world a better place and he is doing it in the name of The Lord. On every single U2 album, there is always one tune dedicated to Jesus. I would rather hear them preach Christ than to have them preach materialism, secularism and satanism.
Bono is our brother in Christ and he is following Christ’s command to love the Lord God and to love his neighbor, and most of what he does is in the name of love. Last time I checked, God is love also.
Don’t be so judgemental, my friend, and you will find that people will stop being so judgemental toward you.
Peace.
Troy
Houston, Texas, USA
Just what I needed after a long day of work…a chance to defend one of the hardest working true life Christians out there!
Sorry, but I’ll pass today. If you can’t see that Bono simply bleeds the Fruit of the Spirit and is a Christian according to every “test” that is listed in Scripture…
Then you are a blind fool.
(Feel free to delete this comment if u’d like)
Bono is not a wolf in sheep’s clothing simply because he swears. His lyrics, his humanitarian work, and his verbally testifying to his faith in Christ all point to a man who is passionate about Christ and the life this demands of us, and it also reminds us that even the most passionate follower of Jesus is not free of weakness and sin. I think it would be preferable if Bono could manage his language more. He is, after all, in the position of being a representative of Jesus Christ (whether he likes it or accepts or not). That said, sanctification is a lifelong process of learning to cooperate with the work of the Spirit in one’s life. Bono’s example is exemplary insofar as he has cooperated in areas that are far more substantial by bringing the plight of AIDS and debt to the church’s attention. There are many believers who outwardly appear to be holy and righteous, but ignore the “least of these.” Avoiding certain behaviours does not qualify someone as a follower of Christ any more than engaging in certain outward behaviours disqualifies you. And in the end of the day, we don’t know Bono’s heart; only God does. While his public example does, at times, fall short of the standard we see in Scripture, I would argue that the same is true of all of us. But as a community of the “saved by grace” our attitudes ought to be tempered with mercy and patience, the same qualities by which we ourselves have been saved.
Derek almost said it all, but as the commenter rightly noted, you cannot get to heaven on good works. This includes the good works of leading a perfect life vis a vis your speech and conduct of life. The commenter seems to expect that these good works must be manifest, indeed mustered up, for someone to be a Christian.
Christ bears the penalty of our sins and Christ’s righteous works and conduct while he was alive meets the standard of good works which are, indeed, required to go to heaven.
That does not mean that we should not cooperate with the Holy Spirit in becoming sanctified i.e. in looking more like Jesus.
With regard to Troy’s comment, I think we are to make judgements regarding religious and moral issues (or rather to affirm God’s judgements on specific issues), yet how we communicate, being careful that the right to talk has been earned and that grace and mercy are offered as well, are vital in articulating God’s true words about an issue.
Besides, he’s an Irishman.
I wonder if this person knows how much the President swears.
Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be in line for that one.
I was wondering your thoughts on the new Rodriguez/Tarantinto outing. Are they the same as your thoughts about “300”? I agreed with you on “300”, but have a desire to see “Grindhouse” just because Tarantino is involved and I think he’s a great writer. You think its just another goreno flick?
Enjoyable review, Jeffrey. This is the second time I’ve heard David Morrissey compared to Liam Neeson. The thought never occurred to me. Do they really sound that much alike?
One small typo in the review, though. The screenwriters were Chad and Carey Hayes, and at least one of them is a Christian. Too bad they couldn’t transmute their faith into an interesting screenplay!
Maybe their next project (an adaptation of Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw) will fare better.
Huh, there are a lot of articles calling him Casey (do a Google search and you’ll see), but you’re right… the official site says Carey. My bad.
Yeah, it looks like Emanuelle Levy, The Hollywood Reporter and Yahoo! News got it wrong, too. Weird.
Totally unrelated note (well, hopefully):
You can check out the myspace blog of Michael Rinaldi, the gentleman working on the screenplay of “Screwtape Letters” at: http://www.myspace.com/dissonanceisbliss
Best!
Josh