Christian Tomlin Hello Love Christian Music

Christian Tomlin Hello Love

January 23, 2009 – 8:09 pm

Christian artist Chris Tomlin has seen his music make an impact in a very 21st-century way.

His fifth and latest album ” Hello Love ” a collection of praise-and-worship lyrics set to modern, often rocking music, reached No. 1 on the iTunes Christian & Gospel Albums chart and hit No. 2 on the iTunes Top Albums chart, making it the highest-charting debut for any Christian album.

But he’s also seen it make an impact in an old-fashioned way — being sung by people in church.

“I’ve been very humbled and honored to see how these songs have made their way into people’s lives that I will never see or never know,” Tomlin said.

Tomlin performs with Israel Houghton and New Breed tonight at Hershey’s Giant Center to kick off a 35-city tour.

Q: Many have called you a leader in the praise-and-worship movement. What exactly is that?

A: It isn’t anything different, it’s just a style of music of today. People have coined this [term], but that’s what I’ve been doing since I was in high school. I started writing songs in that way to give a voice to people to worship God in a modern style of music. I had no idea I was in the midst of a tidal wave, that it was going to explode around the world.

Q: Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?

A: My dad taught me to play guitar on Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash. That’s the music I knew and loved, but I also loved the music in the church and I loved people singing.

Q: You talk about the idea of reintroducing ourselves to love with this record. Why now?

A: When you boil life down, when you get life down to the essence of what it is, it’s love. What you worship is what you love. It may be your job, it may be money, it may be a person or hopefully it is God.

Jesus said, ‘Love and worship God with all your heart, your soul, your mind, your strength AND love your neighbor as yourself.’ You can’t love people without having a love of God and you really can’t love God without loving his people.

Q: You’re involved with the group onemillioncan. com, which promotes causes like clean water in Africa. Can you talk a little about the group?

A: Onemillioncan is basically what can $1 million do in the world. They have raised about $1.3 million to date. There are seven causes — one or two may be something you really relate to — and you can click on them and give toward that cause.

With the help of the Internet and the way the world is today, you can really do some things quickly and get help to people quickly. It’s a fun, easy way people can get involved with what’s going on in the world.

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