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U2 Fans Cautiously Welcome
New Interest in Bono and the Boys
(And … Movie Fans Seek “Ocean of Pearls”)
WE RECEIVED QUITE A RESPONSE to our coverage of “The Gospel According to U2” this week. (Part 1 contained three inspiring gems from U2. Part 2 is an interview with Greg Garrett on his new book for small groups about the band’s spiritual message.)
FIRST: The leading U2-and-preaching blog, “U2 Sermons,” gave us a gracious nod—and a Web link—even though our approach to U2 was described as “simplistic and generic,” compared with the more substantial work true U2 spiritual scholars have been doing for years. That comment may sound like a slap—but, remember, the folks at “U2 Sermons” have been following the band for years and they produce national conferences on this theme. They’ve mined far deeper insights than we touched upon in our introductory stories this week. (In fact, stay tuned! We may share a few future recommendations from “U2 Sermons” in coming weeks, including news about an October conference on the band.)
I have to agree with the assessment of the U2 Sermons experts. They wrote: “Judging from the tone of the interviewer there are still people to whom the basics are quite fresh.”
That’s right, actually. Our approach at ReadTheSpirit is to introduce our readers around the world to a huge array of spiritual themes—from the latest news on foreign films exploring post-World War II themes, to our story about the courage it sometimes takes to pray for a turbulent urban neighborhood, to news about the “first” Sikh-American feature film that’s just popping up in a few cities this summer.
So, yes, we were sharing with you a “quite fresh” snapshot of the richly rewarding insights you’ll find in U2’s body of work. If you haven’t really been following the band, through the years, now is a great time to dive in. That’s our message.
Then, a “Thank You!” goes to “Megan,” who carried on the conversation about Greg’s book—and our stories—over on the “U2 Sermons” page. Megan has read Greg’s book as well and liked it. She wrote: “I think that the book does a very good job of talking about the
Christian walk and uses U2’s music and life as a supplement, rather
than starting with U2’s music and supplementing it with christian
theology.”
Now, Mary also raised 1 Question—and if our readers know more—send us an Email and help us answer this question:
We said this: “Three of the four members would think of themselves as Christian but
they have not been part of a formal Christian organization for more
than 30 years.” Clearly, the band members have taken part in various forms of worship over the years. There’s press coverage of Bono and others doing that. But our understanding is that they’re not regularly practicing members of any specific church or denomination.
If that’s wrong—or has changed—please, let us know via email?
WANT TO READ MORE ON THE BAND, right now? Canadian writer David Buckna sent us a couple of cool links. First, if you’re among the thousands of small groups out there looking for good discussion material—David recommends a book-length interview with Bono. Here’s a review of that Bono/U2 book that David recommends.
Following the comments from “U2 Sermons,” we’re aware that some of you may be very serious U2 fans and you’re craving opportunities to jump into the deep end of their legacy. Well, David Buckna specializes in writing online trivia quizzes—and he’s got a 30-question U2 quiz that’ll quickly separate us newbies from you true fans.
THEN, on the new Sikh film, “Ocean of Pearls,” which we highly recommended on Thursday:
Patrick O Emailed us from Chicago—pointing out that it’s a little tricky to find where and when this film will be screened across the U.S. It’s a wonderful feature-length drama, but it’s also an indie production slowly building an audience around the world. Finding—and viewing—”Ocean of Pearls” is almost a spiritual pilgrimage. And you can make a real difference by doing just that—going to see it.
We didn’t list showtimes in our story, because we know readers will be referring to this review for a long time—and, instead, we put a link at the bottom of the review to the regularly updated “Screenings” page on the film’s official Web site.
Patrick wasn’t alone. Reader Cindi T from Denver Emailed, “You know there are a lot of us who can’t get to any of the cities showing the movie. It’s the old thing about reading about all the great movies they get to see in New York or LA and the rest of us have to wait, hope or rely on Netflix—eventually.”
Right, Cindi! However, indie film producers always are looking for just the right “connection” to snap into place—an acceptance at a film festival, a distributor spotting a favorable review and catching a screening somewhere—or perhaps local fans starting enough of a buzz that a local theater will book a showing.
So, check out our review, if you missed it. We’ve published key links to the film’s Web site, including a trailer for the movie. And, as always, tell us what you think.
WOW! How can you ask for more?
Desperation, Drama—and a Song from Mister Rogers!!
“Spiritual Wanderer” in Layoff Land …
THIS GUY MAKES ME NERVOUS and that’s what I love about him. He’s honest. He’s funny. And, like the characters in the new Judd Apatow comedy, “Funny People,” the Wanderer invites us along on his journey—which usually becomes our journey.
I can’t even begin to describe his latest story from his real-life experiences Wandering in Layoff Land. A friend called me after she read it and asked, “Do you think he’s in trouble?”
I said, “Yeah. Aren’t we all?”
She said, “No, I mean, should somebody take him out for a few beers regularly?”
I said, “Yeah. But, sorry, I don’t drink. I do drink coffee—and I’ve actually ‘done’ coffee—and Indian food, too—with the Wanderer.”
She cut to the chase: “Did you ask if he has firearms in his home?”
“No,” I said. “But, don’t worry about guns. He’s got something far more dangerous—his laptop.”
So—go on! Read the Spiritual Wanderer’s latest! And don’t miss the final lines. If you click there, you’ll hear Fred Rodgers sing the song that’ll warm any troubled heart! HERE’S THE LINK: It’s headlined “Blatant Attempt to Get on ‘Marketplace'”
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(Originally published at https://readthespirit.com/)
