Faces
U2, other popular band lyrics for you too C
hristian Scharen was sitting in a church parking lot listening to “Peace on Earth” when it occurred to him that this U2 song made him think about the first Sun- day of Advent and a Bible passage: “Tear open the heavens and come down” (Isaiah 64:1). Scharen then realized U2 was saying a lot of things the church should be saying—as well as other popular bands, many of which con- nect strongly with young people. That moment inspired Scharen, an assistant professor at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., to write One Step Closer: Why U2 Matters to Those Seeking God (Brazos Press). The 2006 book is part of his ongoing efforts to help increase engagement for Lutheran youth.
“I honestly think it was a combi- nation of my love of music and my efforts to teach confirmation,” said Scharen about his first efforts to use modern music in his ministry. “I real-
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Christian Scharen prepares to go shark watching in South Africa. The professor at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., also keeps watch on popular culture and music to increase youths’ engagement in the church.
ized that I connected with young people through our passion in music. I’ll never forget when one young woman said to me, ‘Our parents worry that we’re doing bad things online, but really we’re just looking up song lyrics and talking about their meanings.’ ” Songs, Scharen said, help a lot of young
people make sense out of some questions in their lives—frequently these are spiritual questions.
Even if you are unaware of current music, Scharen said the important step in building a generational bridge is to ask questions. “Ask, ‘What are you listening to, what moves you, and why does it matter to you?’ ” Scharen said. “In many cases, they don’t even think there’s a possibility of being taken seriously. But the next step after asking the questions is to follow through. Actually listen to the music and read the lyrics.” Eve n if it may not seem like it, Scharen said you can find the Spirit in unlikely areas, including pop music. “If God created the heavens and the seas and all that is in them, then we need to ask where God is already present in our culture. If we ask that question then we have a humility and curiosity, and we get engaged in the current culture, whatever it is.” But Scharen does more than keep watch on popular music. He is currently in the middle of a five-year Lilly Endowment funded research project on what shapes good ministry, how pastoral imagination is born and how wis- dom for ministry grows over time. The Learning Pastoral Imagination Proj- ect (
www.luthersem.edu/lpi) responds to the question: “How is pastoral imagination formed through practice in ministry over time?” To learn more about Scharen, visit
http://christianscharen.com.
Jeff Favre Favre is a contributing editor of The Lutheran.
February 2012 43
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