By what standard?

[MoreCoffee]

When asked "Is Bono a true Christian?" what standard of judgement would you use to answer the question or would you prefer not to make a judgement about his profession of faith?

I chose Bono because he is widely known but you can substitute any name you like in the place of his name.

 

[tango]

When asked "Is Bono a true Christian?" what standard of judgement would you use to answer the question or would you prefer not to make a judgement about his profession of faith?

I chose Bono because he is widely known but you can substitute any name you like in the place of his name.

Assuming you mean Bono of U2 fame I wouldn't make a judgment call one way or the other. If he makes a claim to be a Christian and I see no particular evidence that would point one way or the other there's no particular reason to believe or disbelieve his claim and frankly it makes little difference to me whether he is a Christian or not.

If he were pushing teachings I'd look to see how his teachings aligned with Scripture; if I had chance to see the fruit of his life I could see how they aligned with the fruit of the Spirit. But since I'm not aware of him teaching (to be honest I don't follow him at all, because I have little interest in statements from celebrities relating to faith, politics, economics etc) and will probably never see anything other than a stage managed public front, I have no way of knowing how his life compares to what I'd expect of a Christian. So on that basis I'd just decline to judge at all, citing lack of information.

 

[psalms 91]

It is not up to me to judge

 

[Alithis]

It is not up to me to judge

not entirely correct .. if one claims to be a disciple then they claim to be of the body of christ . such a claim must be weighed against the truth of the word of god by the body.
we dont judge the world .. but the body we are to judge and set those who go astray back on the straight narrow way again

 

[psalms 91]

not entirely correct .. if one claims to be a disciple then they claim to be of the body of christ . such a claim must be weighed against the truth of the word of god by the body.
we dont judge the world .. but the body we are to judge and set those who go astray back on the straight narrow way again

This is true and we can also use discernemtn but those in the world we are not to judge

 

[MoreCoffee]

Bono (the famous one who sings for the band U2) says he is a Christian. This thread is not about the world.

 

[psalms 91]

Then we look at his fruits and take him at his word unless his actions prove otherwise

 

[tango]

Then we look at his fruits and take him at his word unless his actions prove otherwise

... except the chances of us being able to see his fruits are pretty small.

We might see his public face, we might see what his agent wants us to see, but the chances of seeing the real Bono are very small. The chances are we will never see how he treats a slow checkout assistant, we'll never see how he treats his family, we'll never see how he treats the driver who cuts him off in traffic, etc. So unless we happen to know him personally we won't have anything we can actually use to judge him.

Hence, like with so much else that on the face of it requires a "yes" or "no" response, mine is to take the third option "I don't know".

 

[psalms 91]

True but we can get an idea I think

 

[tango]

True but we can get an idea I think

How would you get an idea how he acts behind closed doors when nobody except his immediate family can see?

 

[Lamb]

When asked "Is Bono a true Christian?" what standard of judgement would you use to answer the question or would you prefer not to make a judgement about his profession of faith?

I chose Bono because he is widely known but you can substitute any name you like in the place of his name.

Since we are not God, we can go by his confession of faith since only God can know the heart. Sure, we can look to his actions but we are all sinful human beings so who feels comfortable throwing the first stone?

If Bono decided to condemn the Savior, then we might have an idea but even then we don't know if God is still working in him.

I knew an atheist on another board who openly spoke against the Savior but then privately told me he was beginning to believe but was afraid what others would think she he was so verbal against God.

 

[psalms 91]

Yes and that is part of why we should show love to all, plus we are commanded to