Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog [Paperback]

Raewynne J. Whiteley (Editor), Beth Maynard (Editor), Eugene H. Peterson (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2003

Get Up Off Your Knees is a thoughtful and provocative collection of sermons by a group of preachers from across the international church spectrum who have been moved to theological reflection on the art and work of U2. This book will appeal to fans of U2, students of homiletics, and everyone interested in the intersection of art, popular culture, and religion.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Like a cross between a hermeneutical ‘capture the flag’ and a theological ‘Where’s Waldo?’ (The Chicago Sun-Times )

They offer a welcome portrait of what’s possible when you have three chords and the truth. (Books and Culture )

I wouldn’t be at all surprised if after you read a few of these sermons you’ll be hungrier for a more meaningful life. (Scott Calhoun )

What I want to holler is the great news that this book, these sermons inspired by the lyrics of U2, really is a fine collection. Get Up Off Your Knees simply cannot be summarized. Each sermon deserves its own critical and prayerful engagement. (Byron Borger Coalition For Christian Outreach )

What I want to holler is the great news that this book, these sermons inspired by the lyrics of U2, really is a fine collection. Get Up Off Your Knees simply cannot be summarized. Each sermon deserves its own critical and prayerful engagement. (Byron Borger Coalition For Christian Outreach )

Whiteley, Maynard, and company have created a book that could have been subtitled 'A Brief Look at Christianity for Novices'. You might not know the theological jargon, but if you’re a U2 fan you probably have experienced the sorts of things these writers were taught about at their divinity schools. (Angela Pancella )

It will stretch you, inspire you, make you think—but perhaps most important, bring you to prayer in an active and engaged way. . . . Raewynne and Beth have put together a beautifully concise, but well argued rationale for meeting God in popular culture, and provided some ideas of how to go about helping us do it. (Mary Hess Luther Seminary )

About the Author

Raewynne J. Whiteley is vicar of Trinity Episcopal “Old Swedes” Church in Swedesboro, New Jersey. She is the author of many articles and published sermons. Beth Maynard is a pastor and writer from Massachusetts. She has worked in parish ministry, university chaplaincy, and outreach to the homeless, and holds degrees from Amherst College, Boston University School of Theology, and Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. Her other publications include the book Meditations for Lay Eucharistic Ministers and several sermons and articles.

Raewynne J. Whiteley is vicar of Trinity Episcopal “Old Swedes” Church in Swedesboro, New Jersey. She is the author of many articles and published sermons.

Beth Maynard is a pastor and writer from Massachusetts. She has worked in parish ministry, university chaplaincy, and outreach to the homeless, and holds degrees from Amherst College, Boston University School of Theology, and Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. Her other publications include the book Meditations for Lay Eucharistic Ministers and several sermons and articles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: Cowley Publications (November 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561012238
• ISBN-13: 978-1561012237
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #797,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I have found what I'm looking for..., February 5, 2004

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog (Paperback)

`Is U2 a prophetic voice?' This is a question asked by Eugene Patterson in the forward to this book, `Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalogue.' There are many pop stars who can claim the role of `idol' with justification - Elvis and Marilyn Monroe are perhaps the greatest of these images, but in the end they lack the appropriate `ultimate concern' (if one may borrow a Tillichian phrase) because they become the objects of worship themselves - of course, there are some who worship or have worshiped U2, but in fact the strength of U2 lies in their symbolic nature, that they point to things greater and more important than themselves, and through the power of their music, lyrics and personae involve the people in something more ultimate.

One of the strengths of a book such as this is that it pushes the boundaries of ordinary preaching. Both editors Raewynne Whiteley and Beth Maynard have been involved in the Episcopal Church's Gathering the neXt Generation network, a group dedicated to looking for ways to involve more of Generation X into the church - what better way than to go to where Generation X lives, the popular culture, dominated by music.

The book grew out of an initial conversation of the editors and a third person, Mike Kinman, at a conference where Whiteley presented a paper on U2 and preaching to the GenX group. It became apparent that this was not a solitary glimpse, but had the aspects of communal revelation. Through various contacts, Whiteley and Maynard collected homilies preached by fellow ministers that involved key songs or elements of U2. There are 26 sermons in all, organised according to broad themes each introduced by a meditation by Sarah Dylan Breuer. The appendices include a paper by Whiteley on pop-culture and preaching, a brief history (for those who are new) of U2 by Maynard, and a very useful 6-session outline for an adult study series incorporating U2 and this text. This is bound to be of great interest to churches who might want to reach out to the GenX population, and can be a great evangelism tool. The adult series requires extra material (including important pieces of the U2 corpus, music and video), for this kind of study requires more of an MTV approach incorporating different media, but it does not assume that the participants are necessarily fans of U2 beforehand.

Just as U2 speaks with a strong voice and tells various stories of importance, so too do these sermons. These certainly do not read like the sermons from dusty seminary shelves, so-called `classic' sermons that highlight particular preaching methods or hermeneutic devices; these are fresh and vibrant with an energy quite new. With regard to this text, I would never say `I still haven't found what I'm looking for.' Perhaps this will be an answer for whom that lyric still holds true.

So, is U2 a prophetic voice? The authors in this text would say yes. They expose the bad, proclaim the good, call for the acting for good - this makes up the core of good prophecy and good preaching.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for pastors and/or U2 fans, January 27, 2004

By 

nathan hart (Princeton, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog (Paperback)

most of the sermons in this book are very high quality. some are lacking. overall, the book has been very helpful for me (i am a theology student at princeton seminary and a preacher). the history of U2, the study guides, and the introduction/foreword are all helpful additions to these sermons.

i've been using U2 lyrics in my sermons for a while; it's nice to see others have done the same, with expertise and wisdom.

order this book especially if you are Christian and a U2 fan!

Nathan Hart

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read for fans with a thirst for more, March 2, 2009

By 

Emily Anne (Fairhope, AL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog (Paperback)

Long time fans (& new ones too) will appreciation learning the history behind the lyrics and gaining an understanding of how the group is influencing religion today.