Bono vs. the church

This past weekend, a Willow Creek Leadership Summit featured an interview between Bill Hybels and Bono. Hat tip to Jeremy Del Rio and the U2 Sermons blogs for eventually bringing this to my attention. My quote is ultimately from here.

Hybels: Why is the church so late to help in Africa?
Bono: "The church has historically been behind the curve...I think it's because the church is afraid of politics and I understand because all kinds of people have tried to use the church...but we're not about politics...that's what the ONE campaign is all about.

This has been my sociological gripe about the church. Late to the table in speaking on the fruits of original sin. But it's actually worse. Sometimes I feel there's two camps of Christians out there:

• Wavers of the flag of orthodoxy who are doing a fine job of holding to the tradition of the church historic-- the kinds of folks you want to run your kids' catechism class, but who have indifference and or sarcasm to the church speaking out "early" on things that touch the heart.
• Those who wear their heart on their sleeve, in being at the cutting edge of things like calling racism a sin long before it is acceptable to do so. They are the folks who in a sense perform an apologetic service to the church over the course of centuries. It is also the case when they say, "Conservatives worship at the graves of dead liberals," they are talking abou these folks. However, too many in this camp are the last ones you'd want to teach the fundamentals of the faith.

I should stress that not every person in one camp is a cruel meanie nor is every person in the other a flaming heretic, but the trends are there. Ask Bono! You might say that one camp needs their hearts in the right place and one has their heads in the right place. I say they need each other and the church needs both of them.