U2 Blog

U2: A Christian Band?

U2 is a Christian rock band. Or not.

So are they or aren’t they? The truth seems to lie somewhere in between.

There’s no denying that U2 songs have, for decades, popped up on contemporary Christian stations throughout the world, because their messages are so consistent with the Christian message. In fact, U2 lyrics can even be heard coming from Sunday school classes and church sanctuaries. You’ll also hear them in Jewish temples.

Not surprising, since the “secular” rock band which probably has the most spiritual themes and biblical allusions is U2. Some church leaders have even begun conducting classes centered around the messages in U2 songs.

So U2 must be Christian, right? Well–sort of. It’s an absolute fact that members Bono, Larry Mullen Jr. and The Edge come from Christian backgrounds and were part of the same conservative Christian youth group when they were teens in Ireland. However, the members left this youth group — and organized religion — behind after they disagreed with church leaders over whether Christians could play and sing rock and roll.

But even when they left, the three did not leave their faith behind. They routinely made it a regular part of their music. Indeed, they give a musical recitation of Psalm 40 in their song, “40.” And in their recent release, “No Line on the Horizon,” there are a whole slew of biblical images. For instance, “White as Snow” gives the biblical metaphor of a lamb which is white as snow.

There are other songs that specifically refer to Jesus and God and the failures of the modern-day church. So if they sing about the church’s failures, that should be a turn-off to Christian churches, right? Not at all. Many modern-day churches are introspective in much of the more mainstream “Contemporary Christian Music’ and welcome music that it is not meant to be judgmental of the church, but longing to fix those things which are wrong. And that, they say, seems to be the spirit behind U2′s message.

In fact, many churches use U2′s music to draw people into their services. One Episcopal church created a service that they called U2charist, in which the band’s music is presented and congregants are urged to give offerings for eradicating disease and poverty. And one United Methodist Church held a similar service and gave away tickets to a U2 concert.

Want to check out the spiritual message of U2 for yourself? As always, the best tickets at the best prices are available here: http://u2tickets.com