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I like the title of Jon Sweeney’s book Born Again and Again, reviewed in this issue along with three other memoirs dealing with fundamentalism. My own religious experience includes several trips to the altar as a youngster, one in a Baptist church, another in a revival tent. The evangelists’ case was compelling, smoothly and persuasively delivered, illustrated with colorful flannel board displays, accompanied by sweet music and the usual “As we turn the lights down, and every head is bowed and eyes closed . . .” It was irresistible. So I went to the altar—several times.

As chief spokesperson for the One Campaign, U2 rock star Bono asks fans not for money, but for a personal commitment to taking a stand against poverty. The campaign, founded by Bread for the World, CROP, World Vision and other organizations, has 2 million U.S. members.

When it emerged in the 1980s, the Irish rock group U2, with its lead singer Bono, displayed a spiritual passion that countered the big-haired, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” synthesizer pop of that era. The band was sincere and idealistic, and its lyrics sidestepped the standard topics of sex, parties and relationships. The band consciously rejected the detached “cool” that most rock stars sought to embody, exploring instead what Bono refers to as “the nature of awe, of worship, the wonderment at the world around you.”