Whiteley, Raewynne J. and Beth Maynard, eds. Cambridge, MA: Cowley
Publications, 2003. 212 + xvii pp. $14.95 (USD). ISBN: 1-56101-223-8.
[1]
I took Get up off Your Knees and several undergraduates
on an overseas service project. As a lifelong U2 fan, I
was simultaneously surprised and gladdened when students vied
for the book during our long flights and bus rides. Their
enthusiasm was not based on familiarity with the whole “U2
Catalog” but with recent U2 material, current covers of
older U2 songs, and the use of U2 music in congregational worship. This
last concept, though initially startling, is no less surprising
than Whiteley and Maynard’s collection of sermons based
on U2 lyrics. Student reactions were helpful in preparing
this review since they were more comfortable than I am with the
homiletic hodgepodge, and were better able to see the similarities
between the editors’ eclectic approach and the random album
art of U2’s Achtung Baby. Likewise, students
were more fair to the collection since they had no previous interpretations
of lead singer Bono’s lyrics. Students and I generally
agreed that Get up off Your Knees demonstrates how
U2-based sermons can be effective, though some individual
attempts founder.
[2]
The Foreword by Eugene Peterson welcomes U2 into the “company
of prophetic voices” (xiv), and defends the preachers’ right
to appropriate popular culture. Whiteley and Maynard then
provide an introduction that explains the rationale for their
project, though it does not bring coherence to what follows. The
bulk of the volume consists of sermons, organized into seven
enigmatically titled parts. The book ends with three valuable
appendices: (a) an apology for the homiletic use of pop culture;
(b) a spiritual history of U2; and (c) a recipe for a six-week
adult study using U2 music and DVDs. Regrettably, there
is no index.
[3] The collection is at its best when it examines
the band members’ faith narratives and when it defends
expressions of lament or spiritual anxiety. One contributor
explains that the near despair of songs like “Wake up Dead
Man” is a necessary precursor to the faithful exuberance
of songs like “Beautiful Day.” Another contributor
advocates the value of allowing artists to explore the dark side
of faith and bringing audiences along on the ostensibly dangerous
journey. Others show that seemingly un-spiritual songs
can be means of grace and often provide the greatest insights
into the human spiritual condition.
[4] Few will be surprised
to learn that this compilation of work from 24 contributors
is uneven. However, the inconsistency is excessive in spots. Particularly
annoying is the tendency of some preachers to make repeated and
superficial references to the shop-worn hits, especially when
those hits have explicit religious content. In several
places, one wonders whether the inclusion of a passing proof-text
from “I Still Haven’t Found what I’m Looking
for” qualifies as “Preaching the U2 Catalog.”
[5]
The parochialism of some selections is also excessive. For
example, a contribution based on a Calvin College chapel service
contains references to people and events familiar only to the
Calvin College community. Another contribution uses U2
tangentially to address the agenda of a Princeton Theological
Seminary conference. Nonetheless, the weaker and inapt
sermons do not negate the achievements of contributors who dig
theological gems from the more obscure and melancholic songs.
[6]
To the extent that the editors’ intend to demonstrate the
utility of popular culture for theological reflection, they succeed. Thus,
despite the concerns mentioned above, I recommend Get Up Off
Your Knees for two audiences: those who want to learn
how to integrate popular culture with homiletics, and those
devoted members of U2 fandom who resonate with the band’s spiritual
sensitivity. The former may support the idea of engaging
with popular culture but lack examples of how to do this in practice. The
latter can hardly resist this collection since, granting the
postmodern tenet that we are unable to detach ourselves from
cultural contexts and past experiences, they will have committed
to join Bono’s quest to “fill that God-shaped hole” long
ago.
Jeffrey Mallinson
Colorado Christian University
jmallinson@ccu.edu
