Chris Tomlin: Gifted or Formulaic Songwriter?

Chris Tomlin's new CD "See The Morning" comes out today, so I headed over to a website called Jesus Freak Hideout, which is a great site for music news and Christian album reviews. I figured that after Tomlin's last CD was reviewed so favorably, that this would be the same. I was surprised to find this scathing review:

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See The Morning: 2 1/2 stars (out of 5)

With most of his well-known songs firmly entrenched within church services nationwide, it seems that Chris Tomlin has stumbled upon a songwriting formula that thrives on predictability and conformity, rather than innovation. Tomlin's songs are so ubiquitous and inherently formulaic that hearing an entire album of all-new material still rendered me with an uncanny sense of familiarity. Although innovation might have been too much to ask of this project, this sense of formulaic unoriginality, combined with consistently unexceptional songwriting, was more than enough to sink See The Morning.

As a worship album, See The Morning is unassuming at best, and downright predictable at its worst. The songs on the album sound pleasant enough at first listen, but soon all blend together due to their unwavering adherence to existing formulas. Since they all rise and fall out of the same mid-tempo worship mold, there is nothing here that will stick out after one or two listens. Some songs are also unnecessarily repetitive, as "Glorious" and "Glory In The Highest" rely a bit too heavily on their title refrains to carry the chorus forward. While Arriving was blessed with a handful of amazing singles, there isn't anything as powerful as "How Great Is Our God" or as captivating as "Holy Is The Lord" on this album.

Lyrically, See The Morning is likewise unremarkable as Tomlin spouts out undistinguished refrains of awesomeness and glory towards our Creator ("Our God reigns," "How Awesome is the Lord Most High," etc). The fact that most songs can be encapsulated neatly within their titles says a lot about the level of lyrical depth within this album. The bottom line is, we've heard this all before. Worship music isn't especially known for its creativity, but the problem with repetition this blatant is that See The Morning loses its impact with each successive listen. That Chris Tomlin resorted to giving his listeners uninspired (and seemingly re-written) versions of the same songs is disappointing to say the least, and frustrating when you know that he is capable of more.

Ultimately, this is the sound of the reigning Dove artist of the year resting on his laurels and refusing to expand beyond the predictable formula that has garnered him success (including five Dove awards) in the first place. Disappointing as it is however, this album will still no doubt still be consumed by most worship music fans looking for something safe to place in their CD players long after their copies of Arriving have been set aside due to overbearing familiarity.

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Wow. Here's the thing: I respect what Chris Tomlin does, and I wish I could write worship songs like he does. Yet at the same time, I agree somewhat with the reviewer. However, I think you have to review Chris Tomlin's material in two different ways. On one hand, Tomlin does an excellent job of writing worship songs that are easy to sing and that will resonate with congregations. One of the difficulties of being a worship leader is to pick songs that are interesting enough lyrically and musically to play, yet are "simple" enough for a congregation to pick up the worship song easily. Tomlin's songs are generally simple and easy to follow. On the other hand, if I'm looking for worship songs that are going to challenge me, inspire me mysically, and make me think, Tomlin isn't the one I choose. David Crowder appeals to me much more in that way. But Crowder's songs are harder to introduce to the church: his lyrics can be cryptic, and the musicianship of his CDs is hard to imitate.

After listening to the brief snippets of Tomlin's new CD, it almost sounds like I'm listening to his last CD, Arriving, again. One song (Uncreated One) sounds like "Mighty Is The Power Of The Cross" part 2, yet at the same time, none of the songs hit me with the same force as "How Great Is Our God" did the first time I heard it. I'm sure, however, I will buy the CD, and soon you will hear songs off of See The Morning being sung by our church and other churches across the world. What's funny is that I am introducing "How Awesome Is The Lord Most High" this Sunday to my church, which is off of See The Morning (although first heard on the latest Passion CD). Time will tell whether Chris Tomlin will be revered as someone who introduced a ton of new worship songs to churches everywhere, or reviled as one of the worship leaders who dumbed down worship for the masses.

Dan Kimball's The Emerging Church, Part One

I've been reading over the last couple of weeks the book "The Emerging Church" by Dan Kimball, who is the pastor of an emerging church in Santa Cruz, CA called Vintage Faith Church. His name is one of those that is recognizable within the Emerging Church movement, and although I have read his great book "Emerging Worship", I finally picked up this one. Almost every book that I've read on the emerging church movement or the missional church movement have resonated within me in certain ways, and this one is no exception. Kimball does an excellent job of laying down the foundation of the emerging church (or at least what it should be). There are two things that Kimball does in this book that are most intriguing and interesting to me. One is that he has guest "opinionators" (for lack of a better term) who obviously read the book before it was published and commented on certain parts. Kimball includes these comments on the sidebars of the pages. It's interesting to read especially Rick Warren's take on certain aspects of the books, especially because Kimball talks about the move away from "seeker-sensitive" styles of church to this emerging, missional style.

The other thing about this book that might not be as impressive as the first thing - but I think has really helped me in my thinking of the shift from the modern church mindset to an emerging church mindset - are the tables that he has in the book, usually in each chapter, that help show the different ways that the emerging church is shifting philosophically/strategically/missionally from the modern church. They are all great, but the one that has really hit me the most is actually the last one, which talks about the shift in leadership styles between the modern church and the emerging church. I'm not a Star Trek fan, but I like how Kimball uses the two main captains you think about when you think of Star Trek - Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Jean-Luc Picard - as an illustration of the differences between modern church leadership and emerging church leadership. The table above really helps me understand the differences and makes me really excited for the future of leadership within the Church. When you have been a "church leader" for a long time and have felt pigeonholed into the modern church leadership mindset, it's really freeing to see that there is another way to lead people in your church and in your ministry. My personal prayer is that God would work on my heart to form me into a leader that has the values and heart of the emerging church leader.

Jesus Camp: The Movie

There is a fascinating documentary-type movie coming out soon, called Jesus Camp. It's a depiction of what is taking place in churches and church camps all over America, and how it is the goal of many Christian leaders to indoctrinate at the earliest age possible supposedly "Christian" behavior and attitudes. To me, it looks like they are trying to recruit these kids into a certain political party at an early age, but that's just me. I hope it comes this way, I really want to see it.

You can see the trailer by going to this link, click on downloads, and go to video.

100 Ways To Take The Yawn Out Of Your Relationship With God: 26-50

The list continues...

26. Do a Bible study of a character you admire but don't know much about.

27. Visit a church that has traditional stained glass windows. Study them until you understand both pictures and symbols. (NOTE: Cross View Christian Church in Waynesville has stained glass windows. Saw them when I was videoing a wedding.)

28. Write personal definitions for Christian words. Start with God, salvation, Heaven, Satan, grace, resurrection.

29. Learn to play a favorite praise song on the piano. Even if you pick it out with only one finger, make a joyful noise.

30. Converse with a friend who has a slightly different theological perspective from your own. Listen - really listen - to why he or she believes that way.

31. Keep a spiritual diary. Include daily paragraphs on what God is saying to you and what spiritual disciplines you are practicing.

32. Write a thank-you note to three people who mentored you in your Christian walk when you were a young Christian.

33.Take a Bible class for credit at a Bible college or by correspondence.

34. Memorize a chapter in the Bible.

35. Take notes during the sermon. On Sunday afternoon, go over them and ask yourself, "What did God want me to hear this morning? How does He want me to respond?"

36. Praise God by writing an acrostic around one of his n ames. In an acrostic, the first letter of a word starts the first sentence, the second letter, the second sentence. For example:

Great and wonderful You are.
Oh, how my heart praises You.
Dear Savior, You are worthy of all my love.

37. Buy picture postcards of the places you visit on business/vacation. Send them to people who need mail. Even fifty words of encouragement can mean a great deal to a lonely person.

38. Study a portion of Scripture. Using symbols, words, and doodles, draw what the section is saying to you. Compare your drawing with another Christian's who is using the same study method.

39. Play the "God Hunt" game. Each day look for God in the ordinary things that happen to you. Each evening share with your family where you saw God at work. For example: "I spied God at work today when I was able to avoid that accident."

40. Allow yourself some daydreaming time to think about what you could do for God if you had no time or money limitations.

41. Read a devotional book by a Christian who lived at least one hundred years ago.

42. Attend a Quaker meeting. Use the quiet time to pray.

43. Figure the different it would make to you - and God's work - if you gave God a pre-tax tithe rather than a post-tax tithe. Remember to figure in the return on tax-deductible gifts.

44. In an effort to build friendship and trust, teach a teen some skill you'd like to pass along - tuning an engine, baking a cake from scratch. Fit God naturally into your conversation.

45. Do a word study throughout the Bible. Start with a word like faith, family or love.

46. Pray daily for someone you don't like. Pray for that person, not just your relationship with him or her.

47. Participate in a short-term missionary experience. Pay your own expenses. For example, serve for a day at a soup kitchen or sign up for nine months as a house parent for missionary children at boarding school.

48. Invite Christian friends to watch and discuss a movie with you. The Mission and Babette's Feast are two excellent discussion starters.

49. Take a walking tour of your neighborhood. As you walk by each house, pray for the people who live there.

50. Read Scripture aloud to yourself. Pause frequently to think about what the words mean.

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50 down, 50 to go.