John Cooper raises alarm about America’s “dangerous ‘rift’.”

By Leah MarieAnn Klettdeputy editor Saturday, November 2, 2024

John Cooper, Skillet’s lead vocalist and bassist, is no stranger to using music as a platform for persuasion. But with the release of the band’s latest album, Revolutionhe is more passionate than ever and is raising the alarm over what he sees as a pivotal moment in American history.

“America is on the verge of something very, very bad and very dangerous. I don’t think any policy can save it,” the 49-year-old artist told The Christian Post.

“The revolution is not militaristic… it is a spiritual revolution that we need. If we do not turn to God, we will find ourselves in a very bad place. I truly believe this with all my heart… unless we turn to God and make a spiritual revolution, a revolution of repentance, a revolution of love for the Kingdom of God.”

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For Cooper, the dire state of teen mental health is a wake-up call; cited the US Surgeon General’s recent findings on the “loneliness crisis” among young people.

“We are seeing the highest levels of teen suicide and depression in history,” he said. “What would it be like if the church in America were so full of righteousness, peace and joy that we began to be a beacon of light to a dark world? That would be an amazing thing; “It’s all about revolution, and that’s why I find it so poignant.”

Revolution is the eleventh studio album by Skillet, formed in 1996 in Memphis, Tennessee, and the group’s first independent venture after two years at Atlantic Records. The two-time Grammy-nominated group Skillet has sold over 12 million albums and has earned more than a dozen RIAA certifications for gold, platinum or multi-platinum status.

The album’s lead single “Unpopular,” which premiered in August, serves as a call to reject social pressure to conform — a theme Cooper says resonates deeply in a time when personal beliefs are under constant scrutiny.

“We are not afraid to say things that may bother some people. But I say no, you have to be brave in your faith,” he said. “Do not be ashamed of Christ. And right now the lack of shame for Christ has some side, difficult consequences. People will hate you. This is the world we live in now. People will call you a mean person. This is the world we live in now. But this is what it means to follow Christ.”

As Cooper calls for this faith-based “revolution,” he finds himself increasingly caught in the crossfire, facing criticism from both secular and Christian circles. His uncompromising stance has earned him the label of “alarmist” or “extreme” to many outside the Church.

But Cooper says the criticism coming from his community hurts more. “What really pisses me off the most is when the voice comes from us,” he said. “People say I’m ‘too extreme’ or ‘unloving,’ but Jesus didn’t mince his words either. Sometimes I think the Church confuses living for Jesus with just being polite.”

One key track on Revolution“Everything that matters” echoes this stance in lyrics that encourage listeners to consider the sacrifices necessary to achieve true peace. The lyrics include the lines: “Don’t get me wrong/I’m not a pacifist/For peace I have to pay the price/And I will defend what’s mine/I’m fighting for what I love/Help me God from above/All it takes is one.”

True peace, Cooper said, cannot be achieved through compromise or passivity.

“Many Christians confuse living for Jesus with being kind. And I think this is a huge mistake. “I won’t even go into details about when Jesus was not kind,” he said.

“I don’t like confrontation, which is quite funny because I’m a person who likes contact with people and I care about them a lot. I think (people) have a hard time reconciling that with someone who boldly says, “I will defend the unborn.” Taking the life of children in the womb is absolutely immoral. They can’t reconcile it.”

In describing the church’s reluctance to engage on controversial social issues, Cooper referred to a sense of complacency that he believed had crept into American Christianity. He lamented that the absence of the Church in some cultural dialogues, especially on topics such as gender and education, had left a void filled with secular ideology.

“Christians do not realize that these freedoms – freedom of speech, assembly, the right to raise children – are being eroded. “In 2020, churches were closed and strip clubs and casinos remained open,” Cooper recalled. “We need to see what’s going on and understand what’s at stake.”

Cooper is aware that his stance is rare in the Christian music scene, which he admitted operates in a highly polarized industry. He noted that Skillet derives most of its income from the mainstream rock world, freeing the band from the financial pressures faced by many other Christian artists.

“Imagine if 100 percent of your income came from the Christian market and half of those people thought you were too political. If you start talking, you risk your entire career,” Cooper explained.

While he sympathizes with artists who hesitate to tackle polarizing topics, Cooper said silence is no longer an option. He cited research from Barna Group linking the rising rates of depression and suicide among young people with the decreasing presence of a Christian worldview.

The data, he said, confirm what he has been warning for years: that a generation is growing up without a sense of purpose, being told that life is a series of accidents with no ultimate meaning.

“We have no idea what demonic activities are entering people’s minds through pornography and phones with all the incredibly hellish content on the Internet. We have no idea what is going on and then we wonder why these children are sad, depressed and committing suicide in the highest numbers ever recorded. We have to do something about it,” he said.

Motives Revolution reflect Cooper’s belief in the restorative power of faith with the song that begins, “We’ve lost generations to come / We can’t communicate face to face / And we can’t tell the truth from make-believe / Wasted lives and innocent lives.”

Through these lyrics, Cooper hopes to counter the sense of nihilism he sees in contemporary culture. As for what Skillet hopes to achieve Revolutionthe album seeks to defy social divisions and encourage listeners to “stand up for what we believe in – even though it may be unpopular.”

“We have raised a generation of people in a world that tells them there is no God. This means that there is no ultimate purpose for your life, they are a cosmic error, or they fill in the blanks with any word. instead of ‘Darwin’s Evolutionary Error’ to say it’s just survival of the fittest or it just happened,” Cooper said.

“We need a spiritual revolution,” he repeated. “I just want them to know that in the first step, you are important because God exists. He created you. He created you in His image. It means you are important. We start from there and then we build.”