I didn’t get to read it all, my comp review copy of One Step Closer: Why U2 Matters to Those Seeking God by Christian Scharen. I did skim every chapter, and read paragraphs here and there. And I found the One Step Closer blog and the book introduction PDF (courtesy of Yale Center for Faith and Culture).
The book is not filled with typical rock-star groupie stories and color commentary from the band. It’s mostly a Biblical and theological reflection on select passages that the U2 band have written songs about. Not what I expected, and it seems to me to be very apt for a classroom setting, and a teacher that wants to teach on a certain passage and it just so happens that U2 wrote a song about it.
Plus, if you’re experiencing too much of Bono and/or U2, www.bonofatigue.com may very well offer some cathartic relief for you.
Hmmm. Why is the link to the One Step Closer blog redirecting to http://www.w3.org/Protocols/ ? Or maybe it’s just my wacky computer.
Thanks for the link to Bono Fatigue. That alone is worth the price of admission to your site!
AC
BTW, have you read Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog? One of the editors, Beth Maynard, has a nice blog related to the book.
AC
Have you read “Walk On” by Steve Stockman? How does OSC compare to WO?
I’m a huge U2 fan but I always cringe when mainstream culture tries selling the Christian faith by packaging it as the “Theology of U2″. My fear is that discussion migrates from “U2 is singing about this. Where in the Bible is this discussed? What does the Bible have to say?” to “The Bible mentions _________. What does U2 believe and have to say about it?” I know it’s subtle but what is glorified in the end of each scenario is very different.
Definitely would like to check out this book when it comes out, though.