Sinner's Creed, by Scott Stapp

I was only vaguely aware of the rock group Creed before I picked up Scott Stapp's book, Sinner's Creed: A Memoir.  According to Stapp, Creed was, at least in 2006, "one of the most popular rock-and-roll bands in the world."  Sinner's Creed will certainly be of interest to Stapp's fans, and it does offer some insight into the life of a rock singer who shot to fame.  But readers seeking something more substantial than a decent celebrity biography will be disappointed by the book's cultural, spiritual, or literary contribution.

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.

His stepfather gets the worst of it.  A controlling, fundamentalist Christian of the worst kind, Stapp's stepfather verbally and physically abused Stapp, his siblings, and his mother.  From Stapp's telling, his stepfather was a deeply troubled man who, in my opinion, should probably have been sent to jail.  He lied to Stapp about the offers he had received for scholarships to top-tier universities and pressured him to go to Lee.  Later, after years of no contact, he and Stapp's mother pressured their successful rock star son to give them hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay off their debts.  Clearly his relationship with his parents and siblings is strained at the time of this writing.

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!