Sinner's Creed Paperback – October 18, 2013

Growing up in the 80’s and 90's with two older brothers, it was impossible not to develop an appreciation for rock ‘n roll. While I have dipped my toe in the pools of other genres from time to time, thankfully rock has always been my favourite. I’ve always loved rock music. I’ve always loved Jesus. I’d never imagined the two could merge until one day back in 1999 when my brother Christian brought home the CD Human Clay, by a band called Creed. He walked into my room, said “Listen to this”, and played me the song Higher. The opening riff had my hooked already and by the time the drums kicked in I had a huge smile on my face. I was in love with the song before Scott Stapp even started singing. Then came the lyrics. I looked at my brother and said “It sounds like he’s singing about Heaven”. Chris replied “He is singing about Heaven”, and a whole new world was opened to me. I had never heard music about God in the Rock genre before. (I’m not saying it didn’t exist, I had just personally never heard it before). At the age of 14, Creed introduced me to the new medium combining two great loves of my life, and changed the way I looked at music. For that I will always be thankful, and for this reason Creed will always hold a special place in my heart. To this day Higher is one of my all-time favourite songs.Never could I have imagined that behind the man responsible for some of my favourite song lyrics ever, was a world of hurt. In Sinner’s Creed, Scott Stapp shares the story of his life. A story filled with rejection, depression, betrayal and addiction – but also a story about the grace of God, the gift of redemption and the joys of unconditional love.Sinner’s Creed is a memoir you truly have to read for yourself, so I won’t say too much in the way of spoilers. Scott starts his tale as a young boy with an absentee father, soon introduced to the man who would become his stepfather. The injustices committed against Scott by a man who should have protected him and shaped him, caused me so much anger. It’s unthinkable how one man’s warped perception of God can damage others, especially children! Some of the things he said about God…Scott had many bad experiences with so-called believers throughout his life. He was even unjustly punished for confessing a mistake he had made and for telling the truth. It’s truly terrifying how Christians can be responsible for sending other Christians running from the church. Having finally found a church where I feel welcome and at home, I have come to realise anew how important fellowship with other believers truly are. It’s a miracle that despite some of the things other believers have said and done, that Scott never gave up on loving God even though he ran away from the church. The loving God his grandfather told him about is the One he held onto and it saved his life – a great piece of advice for parents! The foundation you lay for your child CAN be strong enough to withstand the storms of life.Scott furthermore shares stories of how he got screwed over (to my mind, at least) by everyone from his family, friends, his band members, his managers… it was quite disheartening at times to realise how much he had to go through and how unappreciated all his efforts were. Yet Scott never points fingers at others; he simply tells his story and shares how all of that led to feelings of abandonment and betrayal, which led to even bigger problems. Furthermore, Scott doesn’t pretend to be a blameless victim – he comes clean about his own mistakes and takes responsibility for his actions. The reader gets an inside look at the pressures of being the frontman of a successful rock band, and the pitfalls of fame and fortune.What saddened me most is that Creed was labelled uncool because of the Christian imagery in their music. To me, this was the very thing that made them cool!While Sinner’s Creed is a dark read at times, as it always does the light overpowers the dark. Ultimately it portrays how turning to God can save your life, and your spirit.

I've been a fan of Scott Stapp and Creed since hearing their first album back in college. I loved the cutting of Marks guitars, the passion of Scott's vocals, and the honest lyrics of the songs. As a Christian myself, I am always on the lookout for a legitimate rock band that doesn't compromise on the message and the way they live their lives. Unfortunately, Creed only lived up to half of that. They were certainly a legitimate rock band, but while their lyrics held significant Christian imagery and asked lots of the hard questions, the band members themselves lived lives that in no way honored the God their songs talked about.It was extremely disappointing to me to buy album after album, paying for concert tickets, and buying t-shirts only to watch the band spiral further and further from what I hoped that they would someday become. After the band broke up, I read many things in the news about what had happened, who was at fault, etc. When Scott's solo album came out, I was hoping that there would be a return to the Christian foundation that started my love of Creed in the first place. Par for the course, the album looked and sounded Christian, but Scott's actions and antics after its release did not. Another album, another fifteen bucks, more disappointment.I purchased "Sinner's Creed" because as many times as I've been burned by Scott Stapp's personal actions, I still want to believe that he's the man I hope him to be. Despite the way he has lived his life, I know that those song lyrics have to be coming from somewhere, and that's the person I want to hear from. I connect with those lyrics. I see the truth in them. He's a brilliant songwriter and I keep hoping that one day those beautiful lyrics will accompany a life that is lived in an equally beautiful way.This book provides much insight into not only Scott, but also Creed as a whole. I found myself reading the book, and then going back and listening to the albums in between. As Scott lays out what was going on in his life, and what was going on with the band, the songs take on new meanings. Lyrics that were somewhat mysterious before become illuminated in the light of the situations they were forged from. Scott's childhood and past help explain a lot of the questions brought forth in his music. His continued battle with depression and substance abuse change the perspective of a lot of the songs that I've listed to for years. After reading this book, I'll certainly not be able to listen to Creed's music again in the same way that I had before.My heart broke for Scott as I continued to read and realized that all Scott really needed through much of his struggles was someone to point him in the right direction, to be his friend, and to hold him accountable. It's a sobering reminder that each of us have people in our lives that are battling their own demons and just need someone to stand beside them and lift them up through the dark times of their lives. "Sinner's Creed" is a heart-felt, eye opening peak into the life of Stapp and to a lesser degree, the other members of Creed. It's an interesting read for any music fan, but will be most enjoyed by Creed fans who want "the rest of the story". The book hides nothing, as Scott bares his soul to the reader. He makes no excuses for his behaviors and gives God all of the credit for his continuing recovery. The book is not as inspiring as it is heartbreaking, it does however have an ending that is optimistic and hopeful. Hopeful that Scott will continue to learn to be the man that God has called him to be, and hopeful that we've not seen the last of Creed.Here's to hoping......

Not a great book but just ok. As a massive CREED fan i was a bit dissapointed with the content as most of it was just song lyrics. Rest of the book seemed to be taken up with Scott just having a general moan about things. Sorry, I wanted to like this book but it is just "ok", thats all.

Just a fan of Scott/creed and love the book. Honest, frank and fast paced! A great read for fans or just if your curious about the man himself

This book has been an amazing read, it brings new meanings to the songs...... Listening to Creed will be a whole new experience !Thank you for great music and sharing your experiences!!!!

awesome book loved it

Man muss schon ein glühender Fan von Scott Stapp sein, um dessen in Worte gefassten jahrelangen Kampf um seinen Glauben und Nähe zu Gott besser bewerten zu können. Ganz nebenbei erfährt man einiges über die Anfänge von Creed, und zwar aus der Sicht des Leadsängers. Europäer stoßen sich an in der Regel an der für die Amerikaner typischen fundamentalen Christlichkeit. Streckenweise wirkt das Buch eher wie der Aufruf den Glauben an Gott nicht trotz der aller Versuchungen nicht zu verlieren und weniger wie die Biografie eines der besten lebenden Rocksängers. Selbst wenn man den religösen Teil ausblendet bleibt die Biografie mit Sex, Drugs & Rock n' Roll eher mittelmäßig.Summa summarum: Für Hardcore-Creed oder Scott Stapp-Fans ein Muss ... für alle Anderen mittelmäßige Lektüre