THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 1

Jake Dimas

A Senior Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for graduation

in the Honors Program

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 2

David M. Hahn, D.M.A.

Clifford E. Lambert, II, D.W.S.

Committee Member

Christopher Nelson, MFA

Assistant Honors Director

Date

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 3

Abstract

Music affects people deeply. Because of this, Christian songwriters have a responsibility to write

songs that are theologically accurate. To provide a comparison to the experiment that took place

for this paper, Chris Tomlin’s biography, songwriting influences, and music are presented and

songs produced by the songwriters were then analyzed, being compared with one another and

with the other songs that were produced from the other prompt. These songs were then also

compared with Tomlin’s music.

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Theological Songwriting

There are many mentions of music within the Bible. The first instance of music in

Scripture is stated in Genesis 4:21: “His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who

play stringed instruments and pipes.” Throughout Scripture, music is used for a variety of

Israelites were able to take over the city. In Matthew 26:30, Jesus showed the importance of

music as He sang a hymn with His disciples right before they went to the Mount of Olives,

where Jesus would be taken by the Jewish leaders and eventually sent to the cross. Music is also

seen in 1 Samuel 16. In this passage, King Saul had an evil spirit tormenting him, but whenever

David would play the lyre in Saul’s presence, the evil spirit left Saul and he felt better. This

“neuroscience research suggests that music can be biologically powerful.”

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Music’s effects can

be observed not only in professional musicians, but in ordinary people who listen to it, and it can

have lasting effects on abilities such as language or attention throughout one’s lifetime.

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Music

can also have an emotional effect on human beings. It can change a listener’s heart rate which

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93.

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makes the brain experience the emotion that is appropriate to the new heart rate.

affects how people interact with the world. William Beeman described artistic communication as

“the means—perhaps the principal means—through which people come to understand their

world, reinforce their view of it and transform it on both small scale and large scale.”

with songs and music such as in Psalm 105:2 which states, “Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell

of all his wonderful acts,” and Psalm 150:1-5 which states,

“Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise

him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the

sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and

dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise

him with resounding cymbals.”

6

states that we should sing “a new song, always new; keep up the freshness of your praise. Do not

drivel down into dull routine….We have new mercies to celebrate, therefore we must have new

3

Sounds. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2017, 54.

4

University Press, 2002, 95.

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songs.”

them to bring glory to Him.

According to Willie Stroud, the goal of a Christian songwriter should be to evangelize,

encourage, and inspire the congregants.

By evangelism, Stroud means to share the gospel

true about Him.

Chris Tomlin, a famous Christian songwriter, stated in an interview that a large

number of songs that have had longevity have come from Scripture because one of the best ways

to worship God is through the way He has described Himself through His Word.

argues that all worship music is separated into “praise” music which describes God’s character

and qualities, and “worship” music which discusses what God has done, and that both types of

7

Enduring Word, Last modified 2020. https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-96/.

8

Can Aid as a Method in the Creative Process of Songwriting and Self Efficacy. Lynchburg, Va: Liberty University,

2020.

9

10

The Christian Post, November 10, 2014, Youtube video, 12:32, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62rgCN2cqZE

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combines melody and rhythm, with each part getting processed in different areas of the brain.

This multisensory processing in emotion, movement, and memory increases the chance of

remembering song lyrics.

When songwriting, songwriters can either write about God explicitly, meaning having

listener does not know who the singer is singing to or singing about. Songwriters need to be

careful in what they write; if they are unclear in their songwriting, their audience may be led to

think something that the writer did not intend for them to think.

According to Lenge, one of the

ways to write better songs is to read the Bible daily.

This is because reading the Bible daily will

allow songwriters to better evaluate their life experiences, identify specific times when God is

modified May 25, 2023. https://www.miragenews.com/why-you-remember-song-lyrics-but-forget-math-1013727/.

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church staff.”

This is because songwriters in a church can create worship music specifically for

their congregation. This lets the songwriter meet the congregation where they are and create a

space for them to respond to how God is moving and working in their lives. Songwriting also

transforms the people who are writing the song as they often spend a lot of time reflecting on the

Chris Tomlin was born on May 4, 1972, in Grand Saline, Texas.

Christian home and cannot remember a time in his life when he did not believe in God.

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he was 9 years old, Tomlin went to a southern gospel concert and committed to follow Jesus.

After that, he talked to his pastor about his commitment and was baptized the next Sunday.

Tomlin’s musical life also started at a young age. Tomlin was taught how to play the

19

Cook, 2020, 19.

20

Indonesia." Religions (Basel, Switzerland ) 12, no. 10 (2021), 873.

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2003. https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/music/chris-tomlin-the-man-behind-the-music-1179758.html.

23

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to country music.

As a high school senior, Tomlin became a traveling evangelist and met the

musicians who eventually formed the Passion worship group.

Tomlin was also a worship leader

with a campus Christian group called Breakaway and began attending Bible study sessions with

Louie Giglio, who was leading a Christian group called Choice at Baylor University.

Tomlin

was Tomlin’s first album, was released in 2001 under the label.

Tomlin stated that Giglio was

his role model and mentor, and that he made sure that Tomlin wrote music that would make an

impact on others.

Tomlin’s Music

Throughout his career, Chris Tomlin has had 56 songs in Billboard’s Hot Christian

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chris-tomlin-mn0000100575/biography.

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for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is

intended to lead you to repentance?” Similar to “Kindness,” “The Wonderful Cross” discusses

Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross and God’s love for His people. “Be Glorified” talks about wanting

God to be glorified through the singer’s life, and it also discusses God’s love and grace.

America and also asking God to move. The song seems to be partly inspired by 2 Chronicles

7:14 which states,

“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my

face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive

their sin and will heal their land.”

“Need You Now” discusses feeling lost without God and wanting to live life how God wants the

Arriving

In 2004, Tomlin released the album Arriving. The song “Holy Is The Lord – Arriving

Album Version” is about praising God for who He is, especially because He is holy. “How Great

Is Our God” is also about praising God for who He is, though “How Great Is Our God” focuses

more on the greatness of God. “King Of Glory” also talks about the holiness of God, though it

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 17

does not change and that He has unfailing love. The song also discusses how the singer has given

their life to God. “The Way I Was Made” takes the opposite approach of “Unfailing Love” in

that “The Way I Was Made” is about the singer’s desire to live like God wants them to instead of

already living in surrender to God like the song “Unfailing Love” does. “Mighty Is The Power

states, “For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” “On

Our Side” discusses how God is always with believers, and because of that fact, life will be O.K.

In this album, Tomlin chose to focus once again on God and His attributes such as His

goodness and holiness through songs like “Holy Is The Lord – Arriving Album Version,” “How

Great Is Our God,” and “King Of Glory.” Tomlin also talked about God’s love in “Unfailing

The Ultimate Playlist

In 2016, Tomlin released an album titled The Ultimate Playlist. This album features

many of his previously released songs in addition to some new ones. The song “Our God” talks

about how God is greater than everything as well as God’s power and strength. It also discusses

how God is always with believers. “Whom Shall I Fear (God Of Angel Armies)” similarly talks

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 18

God’s ways are good. “White Flag” also discusses surrendering everything to God. “Made To

Worship” also talks about surrendering one’s life to God but it addresses the topic from the

approach that believers are made to worship God and because of that, believers should surrender

their lives to God. The song also discusses how God is worthy of worship. “Lay Me Down” also

how God loved Tomlin when he was an unbeliever, and how God loves him now. “Waterfall”

discusses God’s love and how God’s grace covers Tomlin’s life. “Famous One” talks about how

God is glorious and beautiful. “Sing, Sing, Sing” is about giving praise to God for what He has

done.

In the album Arriving, Tomlin often discusses the idea of surrendering one’s life to God.

Armies).” Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross was also a common theme in this album, being talked

about in “At The Cross (Love Ran Red)” and “Jesus Messiah.”

Overall Analysis

The songs that Tomlin wrote while using the Bible centered around themes such as

worshipping God, as seen in “We Fall Down,” “Forever,” and “Holy Is The Lord,” and God’s

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 19

in Tomlin’s music such as God’s love and power were not featured in the songs that were written

with Scripture being used in the process.

Tomlin has also been proficient in creating songs with clear lyrics. Most of the songs in

the albums The Noise We Make, Arriving, and The Ultimate Playlist have very clear and concise

Sample

Data for this experiment was collected from adults who met the following criteria: stated

that they were a Christian, stated that they were not a Mormon, stated that they were not

Catholic, and had written more than five complete worship songs. The reasoning for these

could not participate due to not meeting one of the criteria.

Instruments

Questionnaires were used throughout the research experiment. The screening questions

had the potential subjects answer by placing an “x” on the line indicating a “yes” or “no” to the

questions that were asked to determine eligibility to participate in the study. These questions

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 20

After the screening questions, the participants were then asked to fill out open-ended

questions about their faith, beliefs about certain subjects, what Christian artists they listen to, and

the frequency with which they spend time reading or studying Scripture.

The questions were as

follows: “What denomination is the church you go to?”, “Why do you go to the church you go

believe supernatural gifts such as tongues, prophecy, and supernatural healing are active in the

church today? Why?”, “How do you become saved?”, “What Christian artists do you listen to?”,

and “How often do you read the Bible/study Scripture?”. Also, during this initial questionnaire,

the last question asked whether the participant would want their name published in the paper or if

they would like for a pseudonym to be used. After a participant wrote a song, they were given

Data Collection Procedure

The potential participants in the study were first sent the screening questions. After the

participants sent the form back and had qualified to participate in the study, they were then sent a

consent form. Once the consent form was signed electronically and sent back, they were sent the

initial questionnaire. This initial questionnaire had open-ended questions that participants were

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 21

listen to, and the frequency with which they spend time reading or studying Scripture. This initial

questionnaire also gave the participants the option for them to use their actual name within the

study, or to use a pseudonym. Those who wanted their actual name to be published in the study

were Andrew O’Harrow, Daniel Jones, Achsah Martin, and Jonathan Turner. All other names

prompt represented by heads and the second song prompt being represented by tails. The first

song prompt was “write a theologically accurate song without using the Bible in your

songwriting process,” and the second was “write a theologically accurate song using the Bible in

your songwriting process.” After the coin was flipped, the song prompt was then emailed to the

participant with the request of being sent a recording in return. Once the recording was sent back,

recording of the song prompt that they had been given, a three-week timer was started. This

allotment of time was given so that the participants would not be as greatly influenced when

writing the second song by the song that they had just written. Once the three-week timer had

ended, each participant was sent whatever song prompt that they had not received first. Like the

first song, once the recording was received after writing the second song, each participant was

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 22

Discussion

Using The Bible

Andrew O’Harrow wrote a song based on the Psalms centered around a sentence in

Psalms 46:10 that states, “Be still, and know that I am God.” O’Harrow wrote about needing

is one of the reasons he wrote the song. This reasoning is similar to Tomlin’s as when writing,

Tomlin thinks about if the songs he writes will be received well by the general public. When

writing, O’Harrow found it helpful to use the Bible as it reminded him to be intentional about the

theology of the song and integrating Scripture into it.

Anna Bakerson wrote a song about the parable of the prodigal son from Luke 15. In the

Jonathan Turner wrote from Galatians 4:4-7. Turner stated that he picked this passage

because it is a favorite passage of his. Turner wrote about how God redeemed believers through

Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross and through God’s grace. He also talked about how believers are

adopted, forgiven, and are heirs. Turner thought the instruction to “write a theologically accurate

song using the Bible in your songwriting process” was too broad. He also stated that he often

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 23

Olivia Sparker wrote from Revelation 4 and 5, and discussed the holiness of God, the

throne room in Revelation, and how God is worthy of worship. Sparker also wrote about how

Jesus is Lord. Like Turner, Sparker thought the topic was general, but Sparker enjoyed only

using Scripture as she likes to have the Bible open while she writes songs. Sparker wanted to

using the Bible was helpful as she sought to write a song about a character from the Bible.

Hernst’s song about Esther was interesting, but it seems unlikely that it would be sung on a

Sunday morning at church. This is because of the narrative nature of the song with few repetitive

stanzas, whereas songs that are typically sung in church on a Sunday morning have simpler and

repetitive stanzas. The song’s lyrics were also sung at a quicker tempo than a typical worship

Robert Smith also took a more narrative writing approach, similar to Hernst. Smith wrote

from Matthew 5-7 about the Beatitudes. In the song, Smith talked about how the kingdom is for

those who mourn, those poor in spirit, and those who are meek or weak. Smith also discussed

how those who are faithful “suffer unjustly” and that “the righteous are reviled falsely,” but they

will be blessed. Like Hernst, Smith’s song did not have many repetitive stanzas which makes it

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 24

was helpful as he used it to ensure that he “correctly remembered all the Beatitudes to

incorporate into this song.”

Daniel Jones wrote not from a specific Scripture passage, but “chose the crucifixion to

tell a story and to connect all the gospels together.” He did this by discussing Jesus’s last week

was not very complex. In the chorus, Jones talked about how Jesus is alive and that He is coming

back soon. Jones also discussed how he himself is free from sin since he has been born again.

Though Jones said he did not use any specific Scripture, it seems that he used John 14:6, which

states, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father

except through me,” since one of Jones’s lyrics is “He’s the way the life and the truth.”

whom else would I go” which is from John 6:68 which states, “Simon Peter answered him,

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Martin liked being able to use

the Bible when writing as it helped her “write and structure the verses” by looking “through the

gospels for examples of what Jesus did in His ministry.”

Using the Bible led to two different approaches, the first being to write a more typical

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a Lamb looking like He’s been slain with seven horns and seven eyes” in her song. Hernst wrote

about the story of Esther in her song, and Smith wrote about the Sermon on the Mount in his.

Even though Sparker used phrases that are not typical for a worship song, having them in the

verses with a simple and repetitive chorus was effective and not as distracting as if there were

varied. Turner and Bakerson both talked about Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross and how believers

are God’s children. Martin also talked about Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross in addition to various

other actions that Jesus has done. O’Harrow discussed needing God in life, how God is in

control, and how God is loving. God being in control is a similar topic discussed in Sparker’s

song which mentioned how Jesus is Lord. Sparker’s song discussing the holiness of God is also

songs that Tomlin wrote when he used Scripture. Notably, O’Harrow’s song differed from

Tomlin’s songs that used Scripture as O’Harrow talked about his life and how he needs God in it,

whereas the songs that Tomlin wrote when using Scripture all discussed God and His attributes

rather than talking about Tomlin’s life.

Not Using The Bible

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 32

Nordhoff, Krissy. Writing Worship: How to Craft Heartfelt Songs for the Church. New York:

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 33

Patel, Aniruddh D. “Music, Biological Evolution, and the Brain.” Emerging Disciplines, March

26, 2010, 91–144.

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Appendix

Chris Tomlin’s Album Releases (2001-2022)

The Noise We Make (2001)

“The Noise We Make [feat. Chris Tomlin]”

“Forever”

“Need You Now”

“This Is Our God”

“Forever (Radio Remix)”

“We Fall Down”

Not To Us (2002)

“Everything”

“Enough”

“Not To Us”

“Wonderful Maker”

Arriving (2004)

“Indescribable”

“Holy Is The Lord (Arriving Album Version)”

“How Great Is Our God”

“Your Grace Is Enough”

“Unfailing Love”

“The Way I Was Made”

“Mighty Is The Power Of The Cross”

“All Bow Down”

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 35

“Made To Worship”

“Let God Arise”

“Everlasting God”

“Glory In The Highest”

“Awesome Is The Lord Most High”

“Glorious”

“Uncreated One”

“Jesus Messiah”

“You Lifted Me Out”

“God Of This City”

“I Will Rise”

“Love”

“Praise The Father, Praise The Son”

“God Almighty”

“My Deliverer”

“With Me”

“Exalted (Yahweh)”

“Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger Ground)”

“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”

“My Soul Magnifies The Lord”

“Joy To The World (Unspeakable Joy)”

“Glory In The Highest”

“O, Holy Night”

“Come Thou Long Expected Jesus”

“Light Of The World”

“Winter Snow”

“Born That We May Have Life”

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 36

“No Chains On Me”

“Lovely”

“The Name Of Jesus”

“All To Us”

“Faithful”

“Jesus My Redeemer”

“Awakening”

“How Great Is Our God – World Edition”

“Our God”

“Forever”

“The Wonderful Cross”

“Famous One”

“We Fall Down”

“Indescribable”

“Holy Is The Lord – Arriving Album Version”

“Enough”

“Made To Worship”

Burning Lights (2013)

“Burning Lights”

“Awake My Soul”

“Whom Shall I Fear (God Of Angel Armies)”

“Lay Me Down”

“God’s Great Dance Floor”

“White Flag”

“Crown Him (Majesty)”

“Jesus, Son Of God”

“Sovereign”

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“Waterfall”

“At The Cross (Love Ran Red)”

“Jesus Loves Me”

“Boundary Lines”

“Almighty”

“The Roar”

“Fear Not”

“He Shall Reign Forevermore - Live”

“Adore - Live”

“Midnight Clear (Love Song) – Live”

“Noel - Live”

“Hymn of Joy - Live”

“Silent Night - Live”

“What Child Is This? - Live”

“It’s Christmas – Medley/Live”

“A King Like This - Live”

“Bethlehem - Live”

“How Great Is Our God”

“At The Cross (Love Ran Red)”

“Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)”

“I Will Follow”

“Indescribable”

“Jesus Loves Me”

“Holy Is The Lord – Arriving Album Version”

“I Will Rise”

“I Lift My Hands”

“Jesus Messiah”

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“White Flag”

“Sing, Sing, Sing”

“Made To Worship”

“Enough”

“God Of This City”

“Lay Me Down”

“Waterfall”

“God Of Calvary”

“He Lives”

“Glory Be”

“Come Thou Fount (I Will Sing)”

“Yes And Amen”

“All Yours”

“First Love”

“The God I Know”

“God And God Alone”

“Kyrie Eleison”

“The First Noel - Live”

“Hymn of Joy - Live”

“Silent Night - Live”

“Perfect Light - Live”

“What Child Is This? - Live”

“It’s Christmas – Medley/Live”

“A King Like This - Live”

“Bethlehem - Live”

“A Christmas Alleluia - Live”

THEOLOGICAL SONGWRITING 39

“Adore - Live”

“The First Noel - Live”

“Angels We Have Heard On High”

“Silent Night - Live”

“O, Come All Ye Faithful”

“Hymn of Joy - Live”

“What Child Is This? - Live”

“Winter Snow”

“A King Like This – Live”

“Bethlehem - Live”

“Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger Ground)”

“A Christmas Alleluia - Live”

“My Soul Magnifies The Lord”

“Come Thou Long Expected Jesus”

Holy Roar (2018)

“Holy Roar”

“Is He Worthy?”

“Forever Young”

“I Stand In Awe”

“Praise Is The Highway”

“How Sweet It Is”

Holy Roar: Live From Church (2019)

“Is He Worthy? - Live”

“Holy Roar - Live”

“Goodness, Love And Mercy - Live”

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Instrumental Songs of Worship (2019)

“Good Good Father”

“What A Beautiful Name”

“How Great Is Our God”

“This Is Amazing Grace”

“10,00 Reasons (Bless The Lord)”

“Even So Come”

“Good Good Father – Radio Version”

“Our God”

“Nobody Loves Me Like You”

“How Great Is Our God”

“Whom Shall I Fear (God Of Angel Armies)”

“Is He Worthy?”

“At The Cross (Love Ran Red)”

“Home”

“Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)”

“Indescribable”

“I Stand In Awe”

“Holy Is The Lord – Arriving Album Version”

“Good Good Father”

“Jesus Messiah”

“God’s Great Dance Floor”

“How Sweet It Is”

“I Lift My Hands”

“Is He Worthy? - Live”

“Build My Life – Live” by Pat Barrett

“Lord I Need You – Live”

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“Everlasting God”

“Jesus”

“Praise Him Forever”

“Lay Me Down”

“Enough”

“We Fall Down”

“God Of Wonders – Live”

“God Of Calvary”

“Not To Us”

“Sing, Sing, Sing”

“Here I Am To Worship – Live”

“Unfailing Love”

Chris Tomlin & Friends (2020)

“Thank You Lord (Intro)”

“Thank You Lord feat. Tomas Rhett & Florida Georgia Line”

“Reaching For You (Feat. We The Kingdom)”

“Gifts From God (feat. Chris Lane)”

“Forever Home (feat. Florida Georgia Line)”

“Together (feat. Russell Dickerson)”

“Tin Roof (feat. Blessing Offor)”

Miracle of Love: Christmas Songs Of Worship (2020)

“Miracle Of Love”

“All The World Awaits (Hosanna)”

“Christmas Day”

“His Name Is Wonderful”