Carol at She Lives had some links about Bono from U2 on her blog that got me to thinking. I was hoping to spend some time developing this post more but I don’t see that happening in the near future, so in the interest of timeliness I’ll just say a few things.
Now, I’m not a huge fan of Bono but I did catch him on an interview a few months back on Fox News (maybe with Bill O’Reilly?) and was impressed with his eloquence and his passion for humanitarian work. Bono has a real heart for the continent of Africa and I appreciate his efforts to use his celebrity status to try and improve the situation there.
So I was interested to read the articles that Carol had linked to regarding Bono’s speech at The National Prayer Breakfast. In that speech Bono quoted some scripture (not sure that he is a believer, maybe still a seeker) and particularly mentioned how often the Bible speaks of poverty. I guess I was struck by this since this was a more recent revelation of my own in doing some research around giving. God has a lot to say about the poor, let’s take a look:
Leviticus 19:10
Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 23:22
" 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.' "
Leviticus 25:35
" 'If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you
Deuteronomy 15:11
There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
Proverbs 14:31
He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
Proverbs 17:5
He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 19:17
He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.
Proverbs 21:13
If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.
Proverbs 22:9
A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.
I haven’t even made it out of the Old Testament, but in the interest of time I’ll continue with more verses in another post. Take my word for it, there are a lot of verses concerning the treatment of the poor.
The poverty, disease, and constant turmoil in Africa breaks my heart. It’s never seemed right to me that we in America can live in such luxury while other human beings in the world can live in such darkness. I’m glad that Bono mentioned in his speech the involvement of the church in this crisis and it’s convicted me to look for more ways to contribute.
But are we doing enough? This is something I’d like to explore a little more at a later date.
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3 comments:
I appreciated your thoughts on this, I'm one who has never followed Bono, U2 or cared to know anything about them. I've heard a lot about him in Christian circles lately but for lack of knowledge have really no opinion about him.
Shortly after I posted the links re: Bono I came across a blogger whose opinion of him is pretty low. I tried to go back and find the post to share with you, but alas...I can't find anything with this new computer.
I think the gist of what she was saying is that his theology is awry. I agree. But we have to remember he's Irish Catholic and has only returned to his faith in the past few years. Even so, he is living out Christ's teaching regarding love and caring for those in need.
Nobody has it all 100% correct. Grace makes up the difference.
I seem to remember him also quoting the Koran (Qa'ran?) in the same speech which I wasn't too happy about and yes, his understanding on Christianity seems limited. But you're right Carol, he's living out the caring of the needy which I think is commendable. I guess I have such a low opinion of most celebrities that it's easy to impress me.
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