Adam’s Review:
By Steve Stockman
Stockman is an Irish Presbyterian minister who works at Queen’s University in Belfast. Those proud to bear the name “Presbyterian,” however, would be wise to warily approach Stockman’s “post-evangelical” approach to Christianity. That warning being said, however (and elaborated on later), Walk On should be a very helpful and informative read, especially for the curious U2 fan.
I, for one, was extraordinarily delighted to receive this book as a gift, and I found it to be a quick read, even in the midst of my overwhelming schoolwork. Stockman follows the band chronologically following the albums as they appeared, beginning in 1980, with their debut album, Boy. Fascinatingly, we learn that this album was still being produced while Bono was in high school (at the time, named Paul Hewson). The real gimmick of the book, which others seem to miss out on, is the following of the spiritual dimension in the lives and music of the band members.
Stockman seems, in his semi-biographical account, to have a great deal of firsthand quotes and accounts from friends of U2 during their early years at the “Shalom” Christian Fellowship, and that is good. However, his account of the later albums from 1995- seem to be nothing more than lyrical analysis. This isn’t necessarily bad, however, and it is not always the case, but the firsthand quotes simply seem to be lopsidedly sparse in some places.
Some of the highlights, for myself, in the book, include Stockman’s brief recounting of what compelled the boys to get involved in the Shalom community. One day, while sitting in McDonald’s, they saw a Hare Krishna accosting and “abusing” a man who was reading the Bible. The boys became friends with the man and went with him to his Shalom Christian fellowship. I won’t recount it here, but the Shalom community seems to have been very important to the boys in their Christian growth. During their years with Shalom, one can see a much more scriptural emphasis to their songs, from Boy through October (probably their most religious album yet) through War and that album’s capstone, 40, a musical version of David’s 40th Psalm. These were (in this reviewer’s opinion) the days of U2’s most profoundly Christian lyrics.
After the release of their album, October, a member of the Shalom fellowship claimed that God spoke to him, and he said that God wanted U2 to give their music up as a sacrifice to Him. The boys, however, were not convinced that this was a true prophecy, and furthermore, they seemed to feel that giving up their rock ’n’ roll lifestyle was not necessary in order to be committed to Christ. As such, a falling out between the boys and the Shalom fellowship occurred. Once, looking back, Bono pointed at the old building where Shalom would meet and said, “I used to go to revival meetings there…the place would be on fire! Studying the Bible, that kind of stuff. I miss it…”[1]
One quote from Edge (the guitarist) which I really found fascinating was one where he recounts the struggles in their personal life during this time. “I had been through this thing of really not knowing if I should be in the band or not…It was reconciling two things that seemed for us to be mutually exclusive. We never did resolve the contradiction. That’s the truth. And probably never will.”[2] Bono, again, when talking about his time at Shalom, says,
…When we first started exploring the teachings of Christ and studying the Scriptures, we got involved in something that on one level was opening minds to a wider reality but which on another just closed us off to certain experiences…I suppose we’ve changed our attitudes a lot since then. The central faith and spirit of the band is the same. But I have less and less time for legalism now. I just see that you live a life of faith.[3]
I have emphasized this first part of Stockman’s book, probably, because I think it is the best part. This is mostly because the first chapters of the book are more informative than commentative in nature. This is the strength of the book, when the book is strong. On the flipside of this, however, the book’s weakest moments are those when Stockman himself shines through, and those moments are many. Largely, his writing seems to take the band and steer them along a path that suits Stockman’s own postmodern theological agenda.
At first, I found Stockman’s approach refreshing and different, since I myself am very critical of the Contemporary Christian Music movement, and I see a largely commercialized, dishonest, and whitewashed type of music which is denuded of the anger, frustration, and self-loathing that the Psalmists demonstrated. When Stockman speaks in this way, I cry out, “Amen!” Yet his postmodern approach is so obvious that he almost seems to be saying, “believe nothing, have a community, even at the cost of contradiction!”
As an example of his post-evangelical perspective, Stockman recounts the release of the Pocket Canon series of books of the Bible that were published as individual books with introductions written by a number of celebrities such as Nick Cave, Blake Morrison, Doctor Ruth, as well as Bono. Many of these authors were admittedly non-Christian, and some even admitted to having read the book for the first time in their lives when preparing to write the introduction. Stockman writes, “The fundamentalist end of the Church was unhappy that the introductions were not always glowing in their support of Scripture.” His use of language here betrays a certain bias which is obvious to both the casual and the astute reader. Then, Stockman shines his true colors on the issue when he writes the following:
What the opposition to the Pocket Canons exposed was a lack of faith among those who claimed faith. If, as many of these fundamentalists believed, God’s Word was unique and special, holding with it some kind of authority beyond any other literary work, then there seems to have been nothing to fear in having it thrown into discussion, discourse and even disagreement. It is a surprising outworking of a belief in an all-powerful God to be so defensive and protective of Him and His word.[4]
Stockman’s logic here is so bad that I am tempted to question whether he even thought about this paragraph before he wrote it. If I understand Stockman correctly (and I think I do), he reasons the following: (1)If God is all powerful then God would not let something damaging happen to the church; (2)God is all powerful; therefore, (3)the release of the Pocket Canons is not something damaging to the church. In agreement with this logic, Stockman mocks the church for standing up against those who deal lightly with the Scripture. Obviously, if all “fundamentalists” (ooh, I hate that word) held the logic that Stockman seems to put upon them, the fundamentalist has no way of explaining why a Reformation was necessary, or why God permitted Queen Mary to slaughter the Protestants who stood for sola fide to their death. On the contrary, many things happen which are damaging the church, and they happen every day. To think that nothing should be fought against because “God’s working it all out” is not only naïve, but it is theologically reckless, since not only are the ends ordained, but also the means which bring about that end. Stockman, as a Presbyterian, may say he agrees with the Westminster Confession, but one wonders when was the last time that he read Chapter 5, Section 2 of the confession.
The question, which seemed most to grip me as I read this book was that of the salvation of U2’s frontman, Bono. As someone who has listen to their music which has spanned over 25 years, now, I have always felt a type of kinship with Bono on some level, and from a Christian perspective have hoped and prayed for the faith of Bono a time or two (incidentally, only one who has a Reformed perspective can do this consistently). Is Bono a Christian? Well, the simple answer is, I don’t know. This is because salvation consists not in the outward actions, but in faith, which is unseen. The best way to know if someone has faith is to ask them, though even then, all one will receive is that person’s profession, and not a true look at the inward man. Since this is the case, and Bono does (along with all his bandmates, except Adam Clayton) profess to have faith in Christ, then perhaps the best question is, does Bono’s tree produce fruits which demonstrate that his is a tree planted in the soil of Christ, rather than the soil of self? That may, on the surface, be something we can make an educated guess on, but we cannot know in the epistemological sense, since knowledge of even our spouse’s salvation is something we make an assumption on rather than something we know.
Ultimately, I found Stockman’s recounting of the spiritual journey of my favorite band to be a welcome and refreshing read. Interestingly, I am now more wary of the theology of Bono than I was before, though surely Stockman desired the opposite outcome. The primary reason for my wariness comes from a combination of Stockman’s own spin that he puts on the U2 story, as well as Bono’s own “loosey-goosey” theology which sees more social dimension in Christianity than spiritual dimension. Ultimately, Walk On is a great and informative read for the average U2 fan, but only if the reader is discerning enough to be able to tell biography from commentary. 3/13/05
Adam Parker is currently a Philosophy student at Grand Canyon University, in Phoenix, Arizona. He has a wife and a baby girl in the way, God-willing.