Some of you know that my friend Dr. Paul Rowe (Trinity Western University) and I had submitted an abstract for consideration for a conference in North Carolina this October titled, “The Hype and The Feedback: a Conference Exploring the Music, Work, and Influence of U2.”

We’re very excited to let you know that we have been selected to present our paper at the conference.

To check out the conference, you can visit the official site at www.u2conference.com. The Conference is being held at North Carolina Central University.

Here’s our submitted abstract.

“A Preacher Stealing Hearts at a Traveling Show: Bono and North American Evangelicals”

Paul S. Rowe and Matthew A. Kerr

Abstract

At first glance, a beer-swilling, potty-mouthed rock star would hardly be an obvious choice as a transforming figure for puritanical North American evangelicalism. Yet behind the scenes, the flirtation of U2 with Christian themes, their clear aversion to organized faith, their studied use of music as a worship form, and their interest in faith as praxis have all had a profound effect on evangelical churches and politics.

Over the years, lead singer Bono and the music of U2 have had an indelible impact upon worship styles in the church, where their music is often heard in riffs and lyrics. The band has habitually tweaked American culture and American Christianity, publicly criticizing leading American Christians and the deleterious effects of American political leadership. But in recent years, Bono has been brought figuratively kicking and screaming to accept the centrality of the church in transforming American political culture and in mobilizing Americans toward a more global mindset. Associations with European Christian activists, encounters with major American Christian leaders such as Bill Hybels and Rick Warren, and appearances at major evangelical gatherings such as the Willow Creek Leadership Summit and the Washington Prayer Breakfast have all contributed to Bono’s influence on the evangelical scene.

What is more, it is increasingly evident that Bono’s countercultural message is changing the prevailing thinking of Christian conservatives in the United States. It has contributed to moving the old “Christian Right” beyond traditional consumerist neo-conservatives toward a movement that embraces social justice and environmentalism among its key themes. The result is a battle for the soul of social Christianity that mirrors the Christian social movements of early nineteenth century America.

Relying upon new scholarship on the diversity of the evangelical movement in the United States and Canada, this paper will argue that U2 has had a formative role in shaping the culture and worship styles of modern North American evangelicalism and in the process the political themes and goals of social Christianity in that context.