U2 as a Model for Pre-Evangelism: Reflections on a Lecture from Steve Turner

Steve Turner, author of U2:  Rattle and Hum and Hungry for Heaven:  Rock and Roll and the Search for Redemption, gave a lecture on U2 where he analyzed the band's popularity and said many things that would teach us how U2 is an example of how we ought to engage the world around us.

Reasons for U2's popularity:

1. They accurately describe the good and bad in life. Joy and pain, frustration and healing, suffering and salvation, discord and love.
2. When they describe the problems of life, they describe themselves as being part of the problem, not separated from it.  
3. They deal with issues that are human, not just Christian, so ALL people can relate to them--both Christians and non-Christians.  
4. They spend most of their lyrics identifying with experiences, and are not compelled to offer simplistic solutions too quickly.  

Combine this with the following quote by CS Lewis:

"There is a distinction between communicating with a society that hears the gospel for the first time and one that has embraced and then largely rejected it. A person must court a virgin differently than a divorcee. One welcomes the charming words; the other needs a demonstration of love to overcome inbuilt skepticism."

This approach to our world is very informative. U2 does what many call "pre-evangelism." They are able to stand in the world and express empathy with pain, suffering, and frustration. This builds credibility with non-Christians and gives them a platform to be heard in matters of the gospel. Many Christians tend to forget this step.

In our zeal to announce the good news of the gospel, we sometimes over-emphasize the blessings we receive in this life without being honest about the difficulties we continue to face. We sometimes describe ourselves as above or unaffected by the difficulties of life. This keeps people from taking our message seriously, and they conclude that they simply cannot relate to us because we are living in a world drastically different from theirs.

The U2 song, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," does not describe an unbeliever seeking to find what only Jesus can deliver. Rather, this is a song describing Christians who are lamenting that even as believers, this life is not all there is. They are crying out for the perfection of the New Heavens and New Earth and are crying out for the everlasting happiness that cannot be found in this life, no matter how hard or how wide someone looks. Again, this is something that both Christians and non-Christians can identify with. This is an example of how in connecting with the non-believing world, U2 emphasizes what we have in common with the world (dissatisfaction with the fallenness of this life) instead of where we are different. I think this is wise.

In saying this, I thought about the New Testament's presentation of the gospel. When you read it, it seems very much to focus on the amazing, cataclysmic blessings that have come in because of the resurrection of Jesus. Because of the resurrection, stars have fallen from the sky, the sun has been darkened, the moon has turned to blood (read Acts 2:16-21). World powers have been overthrown, Satan has been bound, he's no longer deceiving the nations (Rev 20:1-3). The gospel is discipling the nations:  people from every tribe, tongue, and nation are being brought into God's kingdom! Jesus is now Lord, Caesar isn't (Phil 2:5-11). All earthly powers are being subjected to the one who is seated at God's right hand. Believers have been set free from slavery to sin, they have been freed, they too have died and been raised with Jesus (Rom 6:1-14), and they are now new creation (2Cor 5:17)--new creatures who live like Jesus himself. This is tremendously positive. It's a strong dose of the present reality of the kingdom. Yes, there are even more blessings to come, but what has come is revolutionary and universally powerful.

So does U2's emphasis on the "human" experience of frustration rather than the "Christian" experience of triumph contradict NT teaching? No, for two reasons:

1. U2 is "ministering" to a world that has heard the gospel and largely rejected it, whereas the apostles and first century church were preaching the gospel to people who had never heard the good news. The emphases employed by both wisely fit their respective audiences as CS Lewis describes in his explanation of the difference between the virgin and the divorcee.  
2. The Scripture writers held a decidedly realistic view that the cosmic and cataclysmic and rennovative language of the New Testament is going to be applied in the world incrementally. It is true that sin, Satan, and the kingdom of darkness have been overthrown, but the church has the responsibility to implement these blessings by faith, and that takes time to grow and to be worked out in individual lives, in the community of believers, and in the world. The Scripture writers are well aware of the struggles of believers, but they also know that it is the strong and powerful teaching of the results of the resurrection that will enable believers to work these things into their lives.

Here are some implications for us:
1.We must enter into the pain of the world and be honest about its existence and the struggle that comes with experiencing it.

2.We must do much to understand the specific struggles of life of the people around us. Only if we demonstrate loving understanding of the pain of others will they listen to us if we get the opportunity to offer them an answer.

3.We must work hard against giving "Christian pat answers." Pat answers are belittling and often reflect a heart that doesn't understand the person we're talking to. Pat answers are typically overgeneralizations and usually don't specifically apply to the person's problems. It's like offering a message to someone who has an itch they can't reach.

4.When we've done the hard work of truly understanding what people are dealing with, we can then apply the specific blessings of the gospel to them in a way that demonstrates specifically how God has solved the problem and how he applies the healing balm of the gospel to us in this life.