Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: U2: Rock ‘n’ Roll to Change the World
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://timothyneufeld.com/
CITY: Fresno
STATE: CA
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://timothyneufeld.com/about/ * https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-neufeld-21595b42/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: n 2016043233
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n2016043233
HEADING: Neufeld, Timothy D., 1963-
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100 1_ |a Neufeld, Timothy D., |d 1963-
670 __ |a Neufeld, T. U2, 2017: |b ECIP t.p. (Timothy D. Neufeld) ECIP data sheet (b. 2/24/1963)
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PERSONAL
Born February 24, 1963; married; two sons.
EDUCATION:Fresno Pacific College, B.A.; Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, M.Div.; Fuller Theological Seminary, D.Min.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Fresno Pacific University, Fresno, CA, professor of Christian ministries and program chair, contemporary Christian ministries.
AVOCATIONS:Playing guitar and mandolin.
RELIGION: ChristianWRITINGS
Contributor to periodicals, including Mennonite Weekly Review, Christian Leader, and Fresno Bee, and Web sites, including AtU2.com.
SIDELIGHTS
Timothy D. Neufeld is a professor of Christian ministries at Fresno Pacific University in California and a devoted fan of the rock band U2, which incorporates Christian spirituality and social justice themes in its music. He teaches a class called “Theology, Culture and U2,” which he designed in 2006 to encourage students to bring theology to bear on their thinking about political and social issues. His passion for U2 originated in 1985, when a high school student he was mentoring brought him the U2 album Under a Blood Red Sky. “This remarkable foursome played rock ‘n’ roll, sang in Latin and used Scripture for lyrics,” Neufeld wrote in a post on AtU2.com, a fan site to which he contributes frequently. “I was hooked.” Two years later, he attended his first U2 concert in Los Angeles. “It was the first time I’d been to church in a stadium,” he observed in the same post. “I became a follower.”
Neufeld explores the band’s work in U2: Rock ‘n’ Roll to Change the World. He traces U2’s evolution over its forty-year career, beginning when drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., bassist Adam Clayton, guitarist Dave Evans (who would become known as the Edge), and vocalist Paul Hewson (better known as Bono) came together in Dublin in 1976. After years with a small but enthusiastic following, U2 achieved global superstardom in the late 1980s, thanks to its 1987 album The Joshua Tree and its acclaimed concerts. Hewson, Mullen, and Evans are committed Christians, and U2’s music reflects their faith along with a progressive worldview, as well as the oppression and strife that have shaped Ireland. The band’s 1980s work invoked activists such as Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, in addition to struggles in El Salvador, South Africa, and elsewhere, Neufeld notes. In the 1990s, U2 began to explore more personal themes, calling out greed and hypocrisy, and in the twenty-first century, the band has continued to address social problems and experimented with musical styles while remaining one of the world’s most successful rock groups. Neufeld concludes his chronicle with U2’s 2015 tour. He also includes an annotated list of all U2 albums and concert films.
Some critics thought Neufeld did a creditable job of explaining U2’s appeal and significance. “Despite some bombast, Neufeld succeeds in his goal of showing how pop musicians can help shape culture,” reported a Publishers Weekly reviewer. June Sawyers, writing in Booklist, added that the author’s “thoughtful account” is “a must for U2 fans.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, April 1, 2017, June Sawyers, review of U2: Rock ‘n’ Roll to Change the World, p. 10.
Publishers Weekly, February 13, 2017, review of U2, p. 67.
ONLINE
AtU2,com, https://www.atu2.com/ (November 12, 2017), brief biography.
Fresno Pacific University Website, https://www.fresno.edu/ (November 12, 2017), brief biography.
Timothy D. Neufeld Website, http://timothyneufeld.com (November 12, 2017).*
Timothy D. Neufeld is a professor at Fresno Pacific University where he is chair of the biblical and religious studies department and teaches practical theology. One of his favorite classes to teach is Theology, Culture and U2, a course he designed in 2006 as an effort to help students think theologically about current global issues. He has presented papers, chaired panels and published articles related to U2 for the Pop Culture Association National Conference, two U2 Studies conferences, the North American Association of Christians in Social Work, the Pacific Journal, as well as other academic and popular organizations. He is a frequent blogger and a news writer for @U2 (atu2.com), the longest-running fansite on the internet, and is also the creator and host of a U2 fan community on Periscope called The Crystal Ballroom. Tim is a licensed pastor and lives in Fresno, CA, with his wife and two sons.
Tim Neufeld, D.Min.
Professor of Christian Ministries
Program Chair, Contemporary Christian Ministries
Education
D. Min., Missional Leadership, Fuller Theological Seminary
M.Div., Church and Family Ministries, Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary
B.A.,Biblical and Religious Studies, Fresno Pacific College
I love teaching at FPU because it is a community of learners. When I enter the classroom, I attempt to create a space for learning in which everyone is responsible for the learning process. I enjoy teaching about ministry, but I also want to be a student of my students. I realize that each student at each desk has something to contribute. My job isn't just to give answers, but to pose questions and welcome insights.
Publications & Presentations
"Missional Church Leadership," presentation at MB Biblical Seminary November 2009
"Teaching U2: The Classroom as Theological Learning Space," presentation at the Academic Conference on the Work and Infl uence of U2, Durham, North Carolina, October 2009
"Leading Through Listening: Discerning How God's Spirit is Moving among Your Students," article in the Journal of Student Ministries, Summer 2009
"God's Christmas Graffiti," for FPU Scholars Speak, December 19, 2007
"The Dropout Cop-out: Community, businesses can help students succeed," with Larry Wilder in The Fresno Bee, December 9, 2007
"Can Christians support Buddhist monks?" for FPU Scholars Speak, October 1, 2007
"Poverty deserves to be treated with serious dignity," in The Fresno Bee, May 12, 2007
"The Ted Haggard scandal: implications for the church," for FPU Scholars Speak, November 21, 2006; in Mennonite Weekly Review, December 4, 2006; and in Christian Leader, January 1, 2007
"Family Feud: How to Handle Conflict in the Family," in Christian Leader, September 2003
"Postmodern Models of Youth Ministry," in Direction, Fall 2002
Book review of Building Together: Developing Your Blueprint for Congregational Youth Ministry, by Carol Duerksen, published by Faith & Life Resources, 2001, in Direction, Spring 2002
"Change the Methods, Not the Message," in Christian Leader, March 1999
Quoted in Sidelights: "This remarkable foursome played rock 'n' roll, sang in Latin and used Scripture for lyrics," Neufeld wrote in a post on AtU2.com, a fan site to which he contributes frequently. "I was hooked." Two years later, he attended his first U2 concert in Los Angeles. "It was the first time I'd been to church in a stadium," he observed in the same post. "I became a follower."
TIM NEUFELD
In 1985 I was mentoring a group of high school students. One of them brought me an album of this cool band that was quickly getting the attention of his generation. The album was Under a Blood Red Sky. This remarkable foursome played rock 'n' roll, sang in Latin and used Scripture for lyrics. I was hooked.
In 1987 I went to my first U2 concert at the Los Angeles Coliseum. I sat at the top of the stadium watching in awe. Out of the darkness came the sound of an organ. As it grew in intensity, the Olympic torch on the Coliseum burst into flame, then came the unmistakable 6/8 rhythm of Edge's guitar, the pounding of Larry's kick drum and toms, Adam's driving quarter notes, and by the time Bono sang "I want to run" we were higher than the stadium itself. It was the first time I heard 90,000 people sing together. It was the first time I'd been to church in a stadium. I became a follower.
Fast forward to present day. I'm a professor of biblical and religious studies at a Christian liberal arts university in California where I get to teach a course called "Theology, Culture and U2." It's a joy and an honor to watch college students catch a passion for a band that has committed itself to so much more than just music.
I'm a husband, a father of two boys (who always accuse me of saying that every U2 song is my favorite), a musician (I play guitar, mandolin and a few other things you can thump, pound or strum) and people are genuinely irritated by all of my talk about U2. One good friend even called me a U2 evangelist.
But what I really love about being on the @U2 staff is that I get to interact with so many other wonderful people who also have eyes to see and ears to hear the deeper truths in U2's work. Now I don't feel quite so crazy or alone in the world.
Quoted in Sidelights: Despite some bombast, Neufeld succeeds in his goal of showing
how pop musicians can help shape culture.
11/6/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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Print Marked Items
U2: Rock 'n' Roll to Change the World
Publishers Weekly.
264.7 (Feb. 13, 2017): p67.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
U2: Rock 'n' Roll to Change the World
Timothy D. Neufeld. Rowman & Littlefield, $40 (208p) ISBN 978-1-4422-4939-4
First-time author Neufeld, a professor of biblical and religious studies at Fresno Pacific University, maintains that
through an "ever-changing interplay of artistic expression and social engagement," U2 has blended "spiritual faith and
social activism since its 1980 debut album." Going from the band's early days in 197Os Dublin to its 2015 tour,
Neufeld provides a detailed history of the band members' growth as musicians and their various attempts at political
and social activism. Sometimes, his observations are aptly concise: "While U2 in the 1980s had been consumed with
global justice and conflicts in distant places such as El Salvador and South Africa, the U2 of the 1990s focused on the
inner demons of greed, list, addiction, and hypocrisy." At other times, Neufeld is unrestrained in his belief in U2's
spiritual importance: "U2 has developed a unique integration of faith and culture that transcends traditional approaches
to popular religious music by engaging the world." Despite some bombast, Neufeld succeeds in his goal of showing
how pop musicians can help shape culture. (Apr.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"U2: Rock 'n' Roll to Change the World." Publishers Weekly, 13 Feb. 2017, p. 67. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA482198223&it=r&asid=f4a687dab5750cd58c117ebc3df35320.
Accessed 6 Nov. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A482198223
Quoted in Sidelights: thoughtful account
A must for U2 fans
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U2: Rock 'n' Roll to Change the World
June Sawyers
Booklist.
113.15 (Apr. 1, 2017): p10.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
U2: Rock 'n' Roll to Change the World.
By Timothy D. Neufeld.
Apr. 2017. 208p. Rowman & Littlefield, $40 (9781442249394); e-book, $39.99 (9781442249400). 782.42166092.
In 1976, four Dublin teenagers formed a band and changed the world. Thanks to the humanitarianism of their front
man, the Irish band U2 is as famous for its political activism as for its music. Neufeld examines these and many other
angles in this thoughtful account, tracking the lives of Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, and natural
showman and leader Paul Hewson, who soon earned the sobriquet "Bono." Neufeld describes their experimentation
with different sounds and the success of their passionate live shows. Early on, their music championed equality and
social-justice issues, fused with a profound commitment (by three of the four members) to the Christian communal
movement. Neufeld examines the effect of Ireland's complicated political and religious history on the musicians; traces
the growth of the band; follows its various musical shifts as band members reacted to the world's changing political
landscape; and, finally, finds the band searching for relevancy in the early years of the twenty-first century. The book
concludes with an annotated list of U2's recordings and concert films. A must for U2 fans.--June Sawyers
Sawyers, June
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Sawyers, June. "U2: Rock 'n' Roll to Change the World." Booklist, 1 Apr. 2017, p. 10. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA491487822&it=r&asid=d8c974e0f215b7b2ab2fd5cce0689d23.
Accessed 6 Nov. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491487822