January 31, 2023 Ok, a friend of mine has asked me to pinch hit on a Sunday School class this week, so my attention will be a little pulled by that. So instead of [two thousand words on 2 Corinthians](https://write.as/spaceraser/the-ministry-of-reconciliation), I've got a list of links for you that represent maybe the only time in my recollection of **_“The Algorithm”_** giving me exactly what I wanted without me asking for it. So there's this rock star, Irish lad named Bono. He sings for [a band called U2](https://www.u2.com/index/home), you should check them out if you've never heard of them. U2 is something of a fixture in my wife's family, my in-laws have been to several of their shows, including the [big anniversary tour they did for The Joshua Tree](https://www.u2.com/tour/id/79). Big deal. I had almost no exposure to U2 before this, other than thinking Vertigo was a pretty good single [(still is)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98W9QuMq-2k), knowing they were “a big deal”, and knowing that some people in my circles didn't like Bono because of his “attitude”. I didn't know what that attitude even was. Presumably it had something to do with always wearing sunglasses. So I'm a bit of a latecomer to the U2 fold, but the more I listen and the more I read, the more I begin to recognize something special here. I learned what the “attitude” people didn't like was (_broadly_, [debt forgiveness](https://www.advocacyinternational.co.uk/featured-project/jubilee-2000) and [AIDS](https://www.one.org/us/) [activism](https://www.red.org/) that leads him to shake hands and work with people who are _definitely not punk rock_) and decided that I definitely _did_ like his attitude, I loved his art, and I appreciated the fact that his faith was there, for those with ears to hear. To that last point, and by way of introduction, I feel like the introduction of Chekov's **_Algorithm_** is appropriate here. [Christianity Today](https://www.christianitytoday.com/), a publication of decidedly Evangelical persuasion, likely provided the inciting incident here with their publication of an [interview with Bono](https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/december/bono-book-interview-cover-story-u2-hope-punk.html) as the cover story for the December issue. He has an anecdote that drives to the middle of what I mean, that his faith is in his art for those that have ears to hear. Bono relates a conversation he had with Franklin Graham, who picked him up from the airport on his way to meet with and receive a blessing from Billy Graham. Franklin wasn't quite sure of his cargo... > “You … you really love the Lord?” > “Yep.” > “Okay, you do. Are you saved?” > “Yep, and saving.” > He doesn’t laugh. No laugh. > “Have you given your life? Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?” > “Oh, I know Jesus Christ, and I try not to _use him_ just as my personal Savior. But, you know, yes.” > “Why aren’t your songs, um, Christian songs?” > “They are!” > “Oh, well, some of them are.” > “What do you mean?” > “Well, why don’t they … Why don’t we _know_ they’re Christian songs?” > I said, “They’re all coming from a place, Franklin. Look around you. Look at the creation, look at the trees, look at the sky, look at these kinds of verdant hills. They don’t have a sign up that says, ‘Praise the Lord’ or ‘I belong to Jesus.’ They just give glory to Jesus.” I really enjoyed reading the article, and when I visited it from a couple computers it seemed to me that they don't have it paywalled. The author, [Mike Cosper](https://mikecosper.net/), is the host on the famous-in-certain-circles podcast, [The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill](https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill/), and he was good enough to post [the audio of the interview](https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/bulletin/special-edition-bono-interview.html) up for us to listen to on the feed for his news commentary podcast, [The Bulletin](https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/bulletin/). I've enjoyed the Bulletin more than I thought I might, for a show that's about as Evangelical as I am not. Bono's deliberate carefulness, thoughtfulness with theological matters was surprising to me, in his speech and manner. Listen for treats like “That's a beautiful phrase you might have coined, just that behind Lament often lurks Hope. The grief becomes a kind of invocation, isn't it, to be filled. The emptiness, your emptiness, is this... prayer to be filled. Punk rock prayers.... yeah. That's probably what they were.” So I listened to the interview, loved it, passed it on and then forgot a bit about it, until I was reminded that **_The Algorithm's_** panopticon captures all. Turns out, about six years ago, [Fuller Theological Seminary's](https://www.fuller.edu/) [media studio](https://fullerstudio.fuller.edu/) arranged a meetup and conversation between Bono and the author of his favorite tranlation and interpretation of the Bible, Eugene Peterson, [to talk about the Psalms.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l40S5e90KY) I didn't know this existed until YouTube served it up for me and made sure I had the opportunity to watch it. Very special conversation for fans of either man. To wrap up, I'll end with a recommended reading section. The whole conversation with Bono on the artist's waiting and reaction and expression of the move of the Spirit is very much on the wavelength with [Makoto Fujimura's](https://makotofujimura.com/) work in [Culture Care](https://www.ivpress.com/culture-care) and in describing the [Artist's role in Faith, and Faith's role in Art.](https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300254143/art-and-faith/) Do yourself a favor and check him out. Lastly, I'll give a link to Bono's memoir, [_Surrender_](https://surrendermemoir.com/), the likely inciting incident for the whole enchilada here. It's a big ol brick of a work, and I haven't read it yet myself, but I likely will. Also, here I'll include a parting plea. Buy your books from people who want to sell books, not people who want to colonize the moon. Support your local independent bookstore. [#links](https://write.as/spaceraser/tag:links) [#linklist](https://write.as/spaceraser/tag:linklist) [#100DaysToOffload](https://write.as/spaceraser/tag:100DaysToOffload) [#bono](https://write.as/spaceraser/tag:bono) [#u2](https://write.as/spaceraser/tag:u2) [#surrender](https://write.as/spaceraser/tag:surrender) [#EugenePeterson](https://write.as/spaceraser/tag:EugenePeterson) [#MakotoFujimura](https://write.as/spaceraser/tag:MakotoFujimura)