What Would Jesus Say to Bono (Part Two)

What would Jesus say to the self-described "Imelda Marcos of Sunglasses"? What would he say to the 2005 Time Magazine person of the year (along with Bill & Melinda Gates)? His music has earned him legends of fans. His humaniatarian work has earned him the respect of world leaders and other dignitaries. The most pressing question though is what would Jesus say to him?

I suppose Jesus might say...

"Great job putting your faith into practice."

In James 2, the brother of Jesus argues that we can tell genuine faith by how it impacts our life and how we demonstrate that faith on a daily basis. He gives the example of seeing a hungry, naked person and telling them: "Praying for you." What good does that do? Did that solve their hunger pains? Did that warm them up? No. Real faith would not merely utter words, but live it out in a "let's go to Cicis and get you some pizza buffet and stop at Target before we do that (you know: no shoes, no shirt, no service might be a problem). 

Faith is not merely coming to church for a service on Sunday. If the only evidence of your faith is your attendance on Sunday morning that is not faith; it is a hobby (thanks Ryan for the help with that line). As Bono has said, "Love thy neighbor is not advise. It is a commandment."

After a 1985 trip to Ethopia sponsored by WorldVision, Bono's world changed. He could no longer ignore the cries of hunger from Africa. He could no longer drown out the cries of the orphaned children grieving the loss of their mother to a virus that also infected them. He had to do something. He had to put his faith into practice. He helped launch a variety of NGOs to address the issues of the forgotten continent: DATA, One Campaign, and Make Poverty History. I think Jesus would commend these efforts.