Stapp takes us on a tour of his life, telling the story of how different people and experiences shaped him. One thing that kept bugging me was the stories he told on other people. Stapp's tone isn't malicious, but he paints some ugly pictures of people in his life. He talks about his Christian school, where there was little academic curriculum, just admonitions to pray for hours. He doesn't name the school, but surely it can be identified. When he went to Lee University, the dean expelled him after he confessed to the dean that he had smoked pot. He did not tell the dean that the pot was provided by none other than the dean's son, who stayed in school. He only uses the dean's first name, but again, surely he and his son can be identified as well.
Scott Stapp, superstar. |
Fame and success presented Scott with temptations, and he lived the stereotypical life of a rock star. Alcohol, pot, and prescription drugs kept him going on long tours. One question that I would like to have seen explored a bit more is the struggle of being a Christian in rock music. He was the only Christian in the band, but he was the principle song writer. His Christian struggles and background come through, leading some to label Creed a Christian rock band, even though they were on a secular label. So they were faced with the "uncool" factor (cool people don't listen to Christian rock). Plus, his lifestyle brought accusations of hypocrisy from Christians. I'm not sure he ever resolved this, although he has cleaned up his life (while still struggling with alcohol abuse).
It has always bothered me a bit that if someone is a Christian and an artist, they are expected to produce and present explicitly Christian material exclusively. No one expects a Christian lawyer to only represent churches or ministries, or a Christian financial planner to only talk about tithing, or a Christian architect to only design churches. Yet if you are a singer, novelist, movie director, or in some other creative field, but especially music, you are expected to include a Christian message. Just try to get a song on Christian radio that does not have an explicitly Christian message. I think Stapp has faced some of this attitude.
I am quite certain that Stapp is a great guy and a talented musician, but I was frankly a little bored with his story. Even so, his honest account of his struggles and his ultimate reliance on God will encourage many readers.
Thanks to the Tyndale Blog Network for this complimentary review copy!
No comments:
Post a Comment