(see bottom of post for link to U2 Euch info)I wonder:
How many of you would advocate for a U2 Eucharist based on their admittedly quasi religious stances over the most "vanilla" of Eucharist you can conceive?
Have you seen their live Zoo concert video where Bono dresses up in a "devil's costume"?
And though some of U2s music is loosely based on Christian themes, by and large, it is never something I want to encounter in Church. (btw, I can't believe that I'm advocating for a traditionalist position. Surely Jesus is coming soon...)
And here is the issue: On the whole these types of Eucharists are not much more than pandering to age groups and demographics. They do not inspire worship of the True King or speak to the transendance of our God. Instead they come off as cheap gimmicks leaving worshippers wondering why they bothered to come or worse yet, why they didn't just bring their own ipod to rock out to the music of their choice. Gen Xers and Gen Yers (or Millennials) are born skeptics and sniff out this kind marketing with a vengeance.
My generation was raised on commercials and have grown up seeing marketing everywhere. And when the church tries it, my generation shake our heads and wonder if there is anything sacred left. And right then, any and all possible benefits a U2 Eucharist might build across generational barriers comes crumbling down due to the insincere marketing it smacks of.
And though I haven't seen the U2 Eucharist, it seems like another incarnation of the Clown Eucharist. I've been around the block enough times to know when I'm being marketed to. Clowns, U2, Desperate Housewives... whatever.
But here is the honest truth that might shock most folks: For this 30-something (and many others that I know), we'll take a well done Rite 1 any day over a U2 Eucharist. It's honest about who I am and who God is. It speaks the truth and besides, that prayer of confession rocks my socks off. It's real and in a world besieged by false images, I want as much real as I can get.
Jonathan+
P.S. If I were to design a pop culture Eucharist (which I won't), I would be more inclined to use artists like Coldplay and Alanis Morissette. They're raw, real and speak of a world I see and have experience.... which is, oddly enough, why I like Rite 1 too. Hopefully I'm consistent....
U2 Euch links here and here.
The Confessing Tiger
2 comments:
Hey man,
I can say that I wouldn't advocate for a "u2charist" over the most vanilla service-thought it's value no doubt far exceeds the "women's Eucharist" service that floated around a few years ago, and no doubt much of the fluffy stuff coming out of the left wing of most old-line Protestant churches these days. I had one of these services inflicted on me during my EFM training, and I'm still suffering from Bono Fatigue as a result...
As for being consistent... maybe you're just gettin' old ;-)
Jody..did you say you'd prefer a vanilla Ice Eucharist? I must have been reading too fast.
D+
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