In a recent blog entry, Tyler highlighted an excerpt from a newly released book of conversations between journalist Michka Assayas and U2 lead singer Bono. I encourage you to read the excerpt and even buy the book. To give you a taste, this is the Q&A that caught my attention:
Assayas: What about the God of the Old Testament? He wasn't so "peace and love"?
Bono: There's nothing hippie about my picture of Christ. The Gospels paint a picture of a very demanding, sometimes divisive love, but love it is. I accept the Old Testament as more of an action movie: blood, car chases, evacuations, a lot of special effects, seas dividing, mass murder, adultery. The children of God are running amok, wayward. Maybe that's why they're so relatable. But the way we would see it, those of us who are trying to figure out our Christian conundrum, is that the God of the Old Testament is like the journey from stern father to friend. When you're a child, you need clear directions and some strict rules. But with Christ, we have access in a one-to-one relationship, for, as in the Old Testament, it was more one of worship and awe, a vertical relationship. The New Testament, on the other hand, we look across at a Jesus who looks familiar, horizontal. The combination is what makes the Cross.
That's an interesting take on the relationship between the testaments. While I might quibble a bit with the dichotomy that Bono implies, he presents his ideas well and, for the most part, advances a very useful perspective. More than that though, I'm impressed by his rejection of a namby-pamby sort of definition of love. Not often a celebrity shows some theological muster. Moreover, the rest of the excerpt is similarly insightful and interesting. Bono really impresses me for the person of Christ he honestly seems committed to be. I sincerely pray that God richly blesses this man's ministry.