You don’t have to know me well to know how avid a U2 fan I am. I have followed the band and listened to their music since I can remember. I own every album they’ve ever released. I have always enjoyed their musicianship, perhaps as much as the message they sing through their music.
Several years ago, my sister-in-law gave me Walk On by Stockman for Christmas, and being the reader I am, I finished it on December 26. Last summer, I read an extended interview with Bono written by Michka Assayas while I flew around Eastern Europe. I thought that was a great read on the music my favorite band, and I still do. But I was at a conference recently and saw One Step Closer by Scharen on a publisher’s table and simply could not pass it up.
It took me three days to read it once I started it, and I found it incredibly insightful and powerful. I enjoyed the author’s distinction between the Theology of Glory vs. the Theology of the Cross as well as his citations of specific songs in regards to the Biblical genre that it reflected – be it Psalms, Wisdom, Prophecy, Parables, or Apocalypse.
If you dig the band, read the book. If you’re a non-believer who simply enjoys the music of U2, but are curious about the driving influence of their music, read the book. If you’re a pastor, artist, musician, minister, or a storyteller who desires to seek new (and yet old) ways to share the powerful message of the Gospel, read the book.
