The video below is of Bono accepting the honorary Chairman’s Award at the NAACP Awards last Spring. He finishes an inspiring acceptance speech with as much fire and passion as any African-American preacher.
Preach it!
Bono gets black
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September 29, 2007 at 11:32
C’mon now! Preach it! Great clip, thanks Mike.
September 30, 2007 at 07:56
This man speaks the truth so simply and eloquently. Without all the flourish we expect and almost require. Jesus does not ask for a particular arm or leg to show his love to the world. He justs asks us to be available.
Preach on Bono!
September 30, 2007 at 08:39
Thank you for sharing this clip. I watched it and felt intense, sometimes extremely opposite emotions. My theologies of suffering and of fighting to relieve and end suffering do not synchronize very well. And living with that dissonance is part of God’s gift (and sometimes it feels like a curse) to me, I think.
As conflicted as I sometimes feel about the methods used to attack/counter poverty, famine, AIDs, etc., I must say that as I watched this video the song that kept running through my mind was one by Scott Krippayne, “God has a wild imagination, at work in ordinary lives. Come and see, come and be surprised.” And so, I celebrate the wild and surprising way that Bono excites people about fighting poverty just as I celebrate others who intervene on behalf of the poor and needy in quieter, practical ways, sometimes coming at it from opposite ideologic ends, yet, amazingly, together being the hands and feet of God to hurting people.
September 30, 2007 at 09:14
Thanks for posting this. It’s not often that a “celebrity” chooses to speak out with the power Bono did here and has before. I’m growing in admiration for the man.
J
September 30, 2007 at 17:45
Wow, absolutely amazing. God is so good, just by Bono repeating Gods name i felt his presence.
October 1, 2007 at 02:04
I’m not going to judge anyone, because God is the only one who truely knows what’s in the hearts of men. If Bono is as good as other men says he is, then more power to him. However I’m uncomfortable with celebreties who continue to take drugs, who do the World Aid and Global Warming concerts and arrive in their own private jets and not just one for the band – one each for the band. And on top of that, still get paid to do the concert (eg Paul MacCartney). Have I become cynical? After many years in show business – perhaps. It’s estimated that it would take a mere(?)$20 billion to solve the worlds health and poverty crisis. I would suggest that all these ‘great’ people donate all except $1Million of their own bank accounts and really convince me of their genuine concern. (I guarantee they could knock up a few billion between them.) It reminds me of the lady who gave two ‘talents’ because that’s all she had and Jesus explained how she had given more than all those who had more to give. I apologise for being so cynical but I say to those ‘great people, – “Put you money where your mouth is”. I so much want to see these people in Heaven so really pray that Bono is genuine and not just tickling the ears of men. God may it be so because the world needs so many Godly courageous warriors like this.
P.S. Please pray for all the people who work for “Grace Works” a christian organisation that have been arrested recently in Burma and are as we speak being beaten and tortured.
October 1, 2007 at 10:32
And he was able to do it without using the “F” word even once!
October 2, 2007 at 08:42
Wow. Amazing, how a very inspiring video from a man that has changed the way we look at poverty is attacked and judged. I tell you this much… Works speak louder than words. We are all fragile human beings and judging someone’s contributions or work because he has “millions” is really uncalled for. I bet we all have some “luxuries” in our homes that you overlook just because you are not a “millionaire”. The fact is… we all have things we wanted, not just things we needed. and everything above “need” is a luxury, whether you are a millionaire or a lower class American citizen. Talk about shooting the wounded. But rest assured, God is the only righteous judge.
October 2, 2007 at 16:45
Watching this video gives me very mixed emotions. Because yes, God is with the poverty- stricken and more should be done for the suffering and hungry of this world. But Bono, like so many others, heaps judgment on affluent white Americans and ignores some basic facts about how white America gives – as Christians, as an affluent nation, as an entirely different culture reaching out to suffering people, and not only on the African continent. I would like to see him espouse Christ in these Muslim dominated African countries without retribution. I would like Bono to go to the Hutus and tell them that loving their “brother” tribe is a command instead of an option. I would love for him to go to the tribal leaders and tell them they will suffer legal consequences if they do not stop mutilating little girls sexually and marrying these poor girls when they are not even teens. If only Bono could talk to the men of these cultures and remind them that they should not have sex outside of marriage, then maybe AIDS would decrease dramatically (don’t laugh – this happened in Uganda by Christians teaching abstinence – and it worked). Then again, it’s kind of hard to lift up Prince on the one hand, sexual purity on the other.
I guess what I am trying to say is that the United States is, although still admittedly flawed, part of the answer. The U.S. has shown itself time and again to be part of the answer, shining the light of Christ and His truths, even ready to spill its own blood to rectify racial injustices. But no celebrity seems to be speaking up about the real religious & racial problems. I’ve never seen the NAACP distance themselves from the likes of Louis Farrakhan or even call him out for the racist he is.
Bono does seem to have one thing right: many of the pulpits of Black America are on fire with a holy zeal for justice. May white pulpits blaze with God’s righteous indignation as well. (And Korean, and Chinese, and Hispanic…)
October 4, 2007 at 00:29
Well said Christiane. Moe, matey, I did not judge him because he has “millions” as you say. In fact I have not judged him at all. I merely reserve my ‘unreserved’ admiration because TALK is cheaper than ACTIONS. It’s easy to bang on about what we should do than it is to actually do anything. It’s also easy to have your own publicity team follow you wherever you go and tell the world what a great bloke you are.
The proof is in going up to the “enemy’s” face and putting it to him.
To paraphrase Christiane, Bono and his ilk should actually go to the hard places. It’s way so easy for a celebrity to fly in their own plane with their own body guards in their own bullet-proof vehicles and their own top shelf meals with all that particular countries dignitaries and talk, talk, talk about poverty etc. What I’d like to see is these caring people live with the people they care so much about for say, how about 12 months, and dig wells, plant crops build houses etc and use their own bank accounts. I know a number of very wealthy people who actually do this type of thing, but because they don’t have a publicity team bleating about how great they are nobody knows them.
Yes people should indeed be recognised for their achievements but for too long have we applauded the already famous and ignored the humble.
While you have a go at me for having doubts about celebrity benefactors, as Christiane mentioned, this same gentleman puts down other affluent ‘white’ folk yet you let him be double minded. ?? Like I said I really do hope he’s fair dinkum because we need more like him. Do you agree?
October 8, 2007 at 22:02
Not to be daft, but how does one go about “getting black”? Has this now become something that can be done? Hmmm, I’ve read this entry time and time again and have tried not to be offended, but for the past week or so when I stop by, it continues to irk me.
I’m saddened that I was the first to address this, I guess this is where we are now…
October 9, 2007 at 12:19
Hi Jessie: I can see how that title could be misconstrued. What I meant was that in this video Bono essentially starts bringing the Word like a black preacher. It was powerful and exhilirating, like the African-American ministers I’ve heard before. That was the connection…
mikey
October 9, 2007 at 20:12
Thanks Mikey,
I see now, I was just looking at from a different view point. But now I understand exactly what you were saying!
Thanks again!