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