- [Bill Hybels] Bono is here because he knows influence. He uses his to help the poor and those with AIDS, which is unusual.
- “I [Bono] always thought smack in the middle of a controversy is a great place to be” (re being a Christian and a rock musician)
- There is no tension in Christianity
- Gospel music is like writing a lie: it’s who you want to be rather than who you are
- The characteristic that great art shares with Christianity is that the truth will set you free
- Discovered that Africa pays us [the Western world] more than we give them; this wasn’t a charity, this was justice issue
- Campaigned for debt cancellation
- Celebretyism upends God’s values. “But hey, it’s currency, and I decided I’d spend mine.”
- Great ideas have the same clarity and memorability that a great melody does.
- Why is the church so behind the curve?
- The church is always behind the curve (civil rights, etc.)
- Fear of getting involved in politics (but this isn’t about politics)
- Judgemental about AIDS—these people have been living sexually impure lives
- If you come across a car crash with a stink of alcohol, do you say “he had it coming” and drive off? Jesus doesn’t let you do that.
- Second only to redemption, the message is to love the poor. There are 2003 verses about this.
- Judgement was based on whether you loved Jesus when he was poor.
- People say there are no clinics. Well, open the doors of your churches and make them clinics.
- Your [our] charity is important, but even more important is your desire for justice.
- www.one.org
- Hybels: we will give an account to God for how we treated the poor
- AIDS is the single-most important humanitarian crisis in our age.
- Doing nothing is not an option.
- We need to be educated because most of us do not know enough to be concerned.
- Do something.
- Senior pastors/leaders HAVE TO travel to continents ravaged by the disease. Just put it in your budget.
- Stearns: World Vision
- Seven African nations have 20% infection ratios.