People seem to have a lot of opinions about Bono from U2. I personally like him. I think he has a lot of good stuff to say. He’s not perfect. He’s a little too honest with his imperfections for most Christians to like him, and he’s too religious for non-Christians to like him. There is now a video online of his recent speech at the National Prayer Breakfast:

He makes an interesting point about the crisis in Africa – does anyone really care? There are as many people dying everything month in Africa as died in the South Asia Tsunami. But very few seem to want to do anything about it. And the thing that really got me was the fact that people dying in Africa (for the most part) are dying from preventable diseases.

I think this is the best quote of the speech:

“Stop asking God to bless what you are doing. Get involved in what God is doing, because it is already blessed.”

Bono didn’t say who told him that quote – he attributed it to someone else. And I think that I have heard pastors echoing the same sentiment. But it is still a great thought.

I also think that the words from the U2 song “Crumbs from Your Table” are extra powerful:

“Where You Live Should Not Decide … Whether You Live or Whether You Die”

These words are kind of the foundational theology behind organizations like the ONE Campaign and others like it.