U2 Frontman Bono Reveals Lessons Learned After Reading Psalms
Reading the book of Psalms from the Bible has been an enlightening experience for U2 frontman Bono. Because of it, he learned a lot about himself and God, and even found several ways to improve himself.
Bono shared his revelations to David Taylor, assistant professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. In the video series, Taylor asked Bono what he was able to learn about God after reading the Psalms.
"He listens," Bono said, and in comparison, "I don't listen enough."
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However, the singer had to admit that the most "troubling and difficult" realization he had to come to terms with was the need for "honesty."
Bono then recalled the Bible passage John 8:1-11, which tells the event when Jesus Christ went to the Mount of Olives and wrote on the ground with His finger. Bono said it's important for pastors nowadays to pay attention and "look for the drawing in the sand."
"I say this because it's my own aspiration to listen more, to be silent more. To both draw in the sand more and to look for the drawing in the sand more," he said. "I don't know why we don't know what Jesus wrote in the sand. It's telling that we don't know. The privacy of that moment is sort of rich. In a world where there is no privacy, that's [a] rich moment."
Meanwhile, Bono also discussed the "prophetic" nature of his work, and said that art is usually indicative of "the state of the soul [and] the soul of the city."
"If we want to know what's really going on... you've got to really go look at the art," he said. "Go look at the art, go look at the graffiti, go listen to the hip-hop coming out of the ghetto blasters [boomboxes]. Some of it is strong stuff but it's honest. It's reflecting the real state of the soul."
The "With or Without You Singer" earlier discussed the book of Psalms during an interview with the Christian conservative organization Focus on the Family. He said that he was deeply inspired by David, the author of the Psalms, and he really wanted to be like him.
"And what's so powerful about the Psalms are, as well as their being Gospel and songs of praise, they are also the Blues. It's very important for Christians to be honest with God, which often, you know, God is much more interested in who you are than who you want to be," he said.
