Bono on Grace and Karma

Posted by on 24 Apr 2007 | Tagged as: thoughts on god.

BonoShortly after the Madrid train bombings of March 2004, Bono and French music journalist Michka Assayas had a series of conversations. Here is a selected excerpt:

Assayas
: I think I am beginning to understand religion because I have started acting and thinking like a father. What do you make of that?
Bono: Yes, I think that’s normal. It’s a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.
Assayas: I haven’t heard you talk about that.
Bono: I really believe we’ve moved out of the realm of Karma into one of Grace…You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics–in physical laws–every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It’s clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I’m absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that “as you reap, you will sow” stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.
Assayas: I’d be interested to hear that.
Bono: That’s between me and God. But I’d be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I’d be in deep s – – -. It doesn’t excuse my mistakes, but I’m holding out for Grace. I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don’t have to depend on my own religiosity.
Assayas: The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.
Bono: But i love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there’s a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let’s face it, you’re not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled…It’s not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.
Assayas: That’s a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it’s close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has his rank among the world’s great thinkers. But Son of God, isn’t that far-fetched?
Bono: No, it’s not far-fetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn’t allow you that. He doesn’t let you off that hook. Christ says: No. I’m not saying I’m a teacher, don’t call me teacher. I’m not saying I’m a prophet. I’m saying: “I’m the Messiah.” I’m saying: “I am God incarnate.” And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You’re a bit eccentric. We’ve had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don’t mention the “M” word! Because, you know, we’re gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you’re expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he’s gonna keep saying this. So what you’re left with is: either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase. I mean, we’re talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. This man was like some of the people we’ve been talking about earlier. This man was strapping himself to a bomb, and had “King of the Jews” on his head, and, as they were putting him up on the Cross, was going: OK, martyrdom, here we go. Bring on the pain! I can take it. I’m not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that’s farfetched …

Bono: If only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed. …When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my s – – – and everybody else’s. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man? And was He who He said He was, or was He just a religious nut? And there it is, and that’s the question. And no one can talk you into it or out of it.

what are thoughts on Bono’s thoughts?

21 Responses to “Bono on Grace and Karma”

  1. on 25 Apr 2007 at 12:31 am 1.Michael J. said …

    I never knew Bono was a Christian… hmm… I love his take on grace. I’ve been looking into morality a lot lately and it’s just amazing how our earthly morality ends up so twisted and disgusting compared to what God has defined as good, but it’s so amazing to know that God’s grace covers our crap-understanding and cheap imitation of what Christ lived.

  2. on 25 Apr 2007 at 10:26 am 2.Todd Helmkamp said …

    I do like his take on grace. However, I do not like some of the decisions he makes on vocabulary. I don’t think that’s a very effective witness for the Gospel. What do you guys think?

  3. on 25 Apr 2007 at 11:22 am 3.nathan said …

    i would agree, i’m not a big fan of language, but in reality, his potty mouth is very good for the line of work he’s in…a lot of people in his shoes (perhaps the biggest rock star in the world) have very foul mouths.

    i’ve heard it suggested that a foul mouth disqualifies someone as a Christian. Is a foul mouth means for a sentence to Hell? What is?

  4. on 25 Apr 2007 at 12:26 pm 4.Todd Helmkamp said …

    Its interesting; we discussed profanity in my language and culture class just last week.

    Words, although often expressions of thoughts, only have the power we choose to give them (as a society, and personally).

    That being said, using profanity does not automatically sentence you to hell, any more than saying “What the cow!?” does. (Of course, if you Jesus Christ as your Savior, you really don’t have to worry either way).

    I choose not to use profanity (although I slip up) because many of the people I’m around are offended by it (it doesn’t matter why; what matters is that they are, and I respect them enough to respect their wishes-a novel concept in today’s society), its unprofessional, and it may cause a brother or sister to stumble if it reminds them of their life pre-Christ.

    Also, some of the terms refer to illicit sexual practices, or negative terms for the body that God created.

    Of course, taking the Name of the Lord in vain is a totally different matter.

  5. on 25 Apr 2007 at 12:54 pm 5.joe said …

    I agree with Todd’s original statement that Bono’s language is not a good witness for the Gospel. I would also respond to Nathan’s question about language disqualifying someone as a question by saying: “That’s rubbish. Whoever came up with that idea should be smacked (just kidding, but the concept just isn’t true.)

    However, I do think that the minute we justify our shortcomings, for instance making a potty mouth OK because we are in the music industry, we are justifying sin!

    I guess when we are talking, as Christians, we should consider if the things we are saying, including any possible foul language, build other up, or does it tear them down (Ephesians 4:29)? Does it full of thankfulness, or is it filthy and crude (Ephesians 5:4)?

    Wayne Grudem has a fantastic response to Christians using foul language over on John Piper’s site, Desiring God. Check it out.

  6. on 25 Apr 2007 at 2:12 pm 6.nathan said …

    So, where is the line?

    I say ‘sucks’. some people may find that offensive. Should i stop saying ‘sucks’ because one may find it offensive?

    What about the word ‘gosh’, which some would argue is derived from ‘God’ and therefore is equal to using God’s name in vain.

    What about saying ‘poop’ because it means the same thing as other offensive words?

    what about other substitutes: shoot, jeez, golly, etc.

    Where is the line?

    Is it wrong to give the peace sign? is it wrong to give it in a different culture where the peace sign means naughty things? What’s the difference?

  7. on 27 Apr 2007 at 11:22 am 7.Adam Diehl said …

    FIRSTLY, the most important thing to think about is what’s in your heart. Gotta look at the heart FIRST. I had a job once where I had to fill out incident reports, and sometimes I had to write an exact quote of what someone said – even it included profanity. I don’t think that was sinful.

    SECONDLY, is the need to consider what effect your actions have on others. This is still super important, but not as important as your heart.

    Example: A man in our church was on a missions trip to Brazil (where a thumbs up is equivalent to our middle finger). He slipped up and gave someone a THUMBS UP to signify is approval of what they had told him. In his heart he was innocent. But this wasn’t a very good witness for Christ.

  8. on 30 May 2007 at 3:50 pm 8.Jambo said …

    i agree with adam in that no. 1 you have to look at the heart first. obviously grace is no excuse to swear but there is no point getting hung up on it because who and what defines a swear word? – is it what offends someone or what society deems acceptable..in that case, in a few years words that aren’t allowed on television now will be socially acceptable then. my point is lets not get hung up on if bono swears or not but lets look at wat an awesome roll model he is, yes he slips up but we all do, i think we should be discusing what an amazing way he describes grace and tries to define something that words can never do justice! bono ur a good lad

  9. on 30 Jul 2007 at 11:19 am 9.Jared said …

    Ok.

    The bottom line is this – when we hurt ourselves – God doesn’t want us to yell a cussword for satisfaction – whatever the word may be – he wants us to hold our tounges so we can show others (as well as ourselves) that we have self control even under pain. It’s all about the loss of self-control. And when we use foul language – we lose it.

  10. on 26 Oct 2007 at 1:03 am 10.care said …

    I remember the day that I first knelt down before my God and He made me white as snow. I walked out of the sermon I had just attended knowing that I was a new person…that I was born again.

    I more than likely went home that night, smoked pot, listened to Metalica, and cursed up a storm with the only friends I’d had at the time…all non-Christians.

    And I remember later that week when I returned to the campus that I was saved and met with a group of fellow believers, more mature than I in the Lord. I couldn’t wait to tell them about the experience that I had with God. But instead of excitement, I was met with judgment. I was asked to leave because of my clothes and the music that they had heard coming from my car, and possibly from the language that I used. Right then and there I knew that the rejection that I felt from that group of Christians was NOT like the new found love from my Father that I now held so close to my heart. I knew that I needed to escape that judgment and hate before it devoured what had been so freely given the week before. I never went back to that campus, my life and actions DID change over time, and I did find a loving and patient group of Christians to grow up in. Thank God.

    It is a matter of the heart, of yours and mine.

  11. on 24 Mar 2008 at 11:59 pm 11.Red said …

    I know this is an old post article so, I hope someone reads this…

    Let’s take the two questions one at a time.

    1. Does cursing prevent someone from going to heaven? Well, any sin can keep one from going to heaven. That’s the reason why Jesus came and Bono’s point about grace. Grace is grace. It covers all sin. So, no matter what the sin is…cursing, lust, greed, racism, anger, lack of self control, whatever… it all can keep you from heaven. It’s the gift of grace offered by God through Jesus that saves us from that sin and spiritual death. (Rom 6:23, Rom 5:8)

    2. Where do we draw the line? Is “darn” a curse word? Obviously the Bible isn’t going to cover every vernacular in every language to tell mankind which words are curse words and which aren’t. What is sin is determinable in two ways: First, when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, we inherited that knowledge. Meaning: we know right from wrong. Secondly, the Holy Spirit convicts us as we sin to help us understand when God isn’t happy with our actions and the need for repentance. This conviction isn’t to condemn (at least not now) as much as it is to keep us from leaving Him. He uses conviction to draw us closer to Him…not push us away. So, in a sense, we know what is sin and what isn’t. Just because the Bible doesn’t explicitly state it, doesn’t mean we don’t know it. Oh — and it doesn’t change per person. God’s laws are absolute and don’t change. What is sin for one, is sin for another. God’s judgment isn’t relative, otherwise, we would have no assurance of salvation.

    Having said all of that, the question I hear most often in conjunction with Bono’s comments are, “why are we condemning him when he does so many good things? Shouldn’t we overlook his cursing for the good things he does?”. Well, God can no more overlook cursing than He can any other sin. But, living in grace doesn’t mean we are sinless. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We are all sinners (Rom 3:23). But grace means that we are forgiven for that sin and still be assured of salvation. The gospel theology allows for people to condemn sin whenever/wherever it is, and at the same time, allow for salvation through grace. So I am able to recognize Bono’s cursing as sin…while at the same time recognizing he is clearly going to heaven. His actions are probably not dissimilar from my own, in that, I have sin too, and yet, still believe in Christ as my Savior. So, I can no more condemn Bono to Hell than I could anyone else who believes in Christ and has received grace. The cursing is simply one more sin that Bono will receive grace for when judgment day comes.

    Now, does that mean that we shouldn’t feel bad about sinning and let grace increase? By no means! We should strive to be as blameless as possible so that God can see our commitment and love for him by keeping his commands…and…to help our fellow man see the love of God by living that love daily.

    How do I receive this grace? Simply ask for it from God. If one confesses Jesus with their mouth and believe in their heart, they are saved. (Rom 10:9-13).

  12. on 05 Apr 2008 at 9:35 am 12.Neil said …

    I just wanted to leave my two cents. I belive it was Todd who said that we give words the power. Those words were made by us and are just words, albiet not the best. I think I would rather be around people who curse than people who judge. We all slip up and I am not talking just about cursing. I am sure that all of you have a sinful thought throughtout the day, I am guessing more than one. And as far as Bono goes when was the last time one of you stood and gave an interview for the whole world to read about your love and appreciation for Jesus Christ? In the entertainment business you don’t get a lot of people so readily giving their confessions of faith, but Bono does so in a manner that seems very nonchalant. I find it mind boggling that you all have taken an article that helps the Christian faith and turned it into a debate about Bono using curse words. How about saying thank you. Thank you Bono for having the courage to proclaim the name of Jesus regardless of what people think of you. Thank you Jesus for putting Bono on this earth to not only put out some of the best music the world has ever heard, but also for the great humanitarian he is. Thank you Jesus for allowing us to post your name on the internet without worrying about retaliation. Should we use words that are hurtful, no. Does it make you less of a Christian, absolutely not and if you believe so you have been greatly misled. God Bless you guys. Peace and Love

  13. on 05 Jul 2008 at 9:54 pm 13.John said …

    Neil wrote, “I find it mind boggling that you all have taken an article that helps the Christian faith and turned it into a debate about Bono using curse words. How about saying thank you. Thank you Bono for having the courage to proclaim the name of Jesus regardless of what people think of you.”

    Neil, the presence of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life will make us feel uncomfortable when somebody uses profanity. I track with what you are saying about Bono being straitforward about his faith, but if he is a Christian, he should have the understanding that curse words like that have no place in a Christian’s vocabulary. I understand that Christians who swear use Martin Luther as their example, but, we can surely agree and respect Luther’s theology without imitating his shortcomings. After all, Christ is the goal of our sanctification, not Martin Luther.

    James 1:26 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

    As a side note, I have been a U2 fan for decades. I’ve seen them many times in concert, got Bono’s autograph, and spent a lot of time and money collecting and listending to their songs. I became a fan during the release of their War album and was impressed and encouraged at the amount of Scripture that saturated their music. However, after the success of their Joshua Tree album, it seems that Bono began changing his persona in the media and really letting his curse words fly. He admits that he does not attend church services, believes that abortion is a woman’s right to choose, and that love is the greatest things, be it hetero- or homosexual love. Bono himself would tell you that he is not the model of what a Christian should be. I cannot say if he is a true Christian believer, only the Lord knows. I know that he has a made a profound profession of such and with that I will trust that God knows His elect.

    John

  14. on 22 Jul 2008 at 11:07 pm 14.Jon said …

    I agree with Neil. The focus of the article is whether he said s— or f—. Frankly, I don’t think it matters what you say. We all think it. So what’s the difference? We can train ourselves to not say the “wrong” words, but what’s going to help us to reconstruct our heart of selfishness or foul thoughts? Criticizing Bono for using profanity is so hypocritical. Jesus ate with sinners and that was technically “sinful” under the Jewish law. So was he a bad Christian?

    I leave you with a quote from a book called, “What’s so Amazing about Grace.”

    “Author Tony Campolo, who makes a regular circuit as a chapel speaker on Christian college campuses, for a time used this provocation to make a point. ‘The United Nations reports that over ten thousand people starve to death each day, and most of you don’t give a shit. However, what is even more tragic is that most of you are more concerned about the fact that I just said a bad word than you are about the fact that ten thousand people are going to die today.’ The responses proved his point: in nearly every case Tony got a letter from the chaplain or president of the college protesting his foul language. The letters never mentioned world hunger.”

    I don’t use profanity often, but I have more respect for people who do than those who don’t and judge others in their hearts, especially those who quote do so while hitting others over the head with a Bible.

  15. on 03 Sep 2008 at 3:34 pm 15.Tim said …

    most of the responses here are part of what discourages and disheartens me about evangelicals. Bono is witnessing to this guy and says amazing Christ centered things about ethics, karma, grace, the need for a savior.
    But the response from the religous is, “oh goodness, he said “shit”. I fear this is because most believers don’t even understand the context of Bono having a conversation with an unbeliever. Imagine this, Bono was probably also having a beer while talking.
    When we religious people let go of our prideful religiousity we’ll be amazed to see that the only thing separates us from those “potty mouths” is the blood of Christ. Shit is actually a good word to describe our pride and the way it separates the religious from those in need of His Grace and Mercy.

  16. on 10 Oct 2008 at 5:27 am 16.AfricanBlueBird said …

    “I have three things I’d like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don’t give a shit. What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night.” Tony Campolo.

    Have to agree with Tim. Bono talks about the greatest thing in the universe (God’s love and salvation) and yet people can’t see past a few swear words. Culturally it seems to offend Americans and is a yardstick of someone’s salvation.. that is outrageous. In Africa some of the most wonderfully Godly people I know will say “shit” or “piss” (even ministers) without any negative conscious – they would though view watching soap operas and wearing shortish skirts or slightly revealing clothes as abhorrent.

    One thing I would say though having had some small dealings with U2 while making a short film is that Bono’s evangelism and spirituality amongst his piers is without question. There are literally loads of people that have come to find Christ or moving in that direction because of Bono’s ‘personal’ evangelism. I have a great story about renowned Atheist Woody Harrison and Bono.

  17. on 22 Jan 2009 at 7:20 pm 17.Gef Dickson said …

    Would you guys just listen to yourselves. Here we have a Rock artist who openly talks about his Faith and shares the Gospel and all you guys can talk about is some of the words he used !! Get a life! Get in touch with the real issues which people have to face up to day by day; forget the nitpicking; Christ was against that. What about the big issues Bono has tried to do something about? Any of you lot done anything big and meaningful recently? Until you do please give up the nitpicking. Go do some work among the poor in Guatemala and then come back and share your perspective on this insanely petty string.
    Anyway, have you any idea of the real language used by Jesus in his communications? Of course not: it’s all been sanitised through the medium of Greek and translation. I’m not sure either, but I’d like to bet it was pretty down -to -earth language as he spent most of his time with pretty poor and ordinary folk. You guys done much of that recently?

  18. on 04 Feb 2009 at 3:05 pm 18.Christian Hemberger said …

    Thank you Tim & Gef… And Bono!!
    And most of all, JESUS.

    Bravo!!

  19. on 07 Feb 2009 at 12:22 pm 19.Soekie said …

    HOW IRONIC!! the article is about God’s GRACE!!! Something Bono obviously understands!
    For an understanding on God’s grace, do yourselves a favour and google Rob Rufus from city church international’s teachings on this topic of grace. It is amazing, life changing and will definitely set you free!
    You go BONO!!!!!

  20. on 09 Feb 2009 at 12:45 pm 20.Todd Helmkamp said …

    While I think it’s wonderful that Bono, as a pop star, is willingly to speak publicly about God’s grace, that doesn’t escape the fact that we’re commanded in the Bible to watch what comes out of our mouths.

    See Ephesians 4:29, Titus 2:6-8, and Colossians 3:8.

    Now, before I get a bunch of people flaming me, let me state again: I think it’s great that Bono has the courage to publicly talk about the grace of God. And just because he uses “curse words” doesn’t mean that a) God can’t use him, and b) He should be silenced. He is doing a good thing.

    But the fact remains that we are told to avoid such things when we speak. I personally believe it’s because so many non-Christians believe it’s wrong to speak that way that it creates a bad witness.

    And at the end of the day, using “curse words” adds nothing to the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and may actually make it less attractive to some people. So maybe it would be best to err on the side of caution?

  21. on 10 Feb 2009 at 4:10 pm 21.iZZy said …

    I really can’t agree more with Tim. The fact that this conversation is going on about using a cuss word really is rediculous to me. The bible says that we should watch the words that come out of our mouth, but it is in the content that i believe God is concerned. Society is who determines which words are “cuss” and which words aren’t. And so we are mindful of what is acceptable and what isn’t. But to again see peopel who are striving for perfection instead of growing in faith hope and love is really disturbing to me. Just remember the words of Jesus who more than one time reminded us to examine our own lives before we critique others. And yet still many Christians are more concerned with everyone elses lives except their own.

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