The Christian rocker, known as much for his passion for apologetics as for his powerful rock anthems, says he feels called to defend his faith and encourage believers as they navigate an increasingly secular world. John Cooper is the frontman of the Grammy-nominated band Skillet, who recently released their latest album. rotateand new single, ash in the winddebuted at number 1 on the iTunes All Songs Chart. The album will be released following Cooper's 2023 book The Weak, the Underdog, and the Awakened: How the Truth Can Save America from the Destruction of UtopiaThe book itself was a sequel to a previously published apologetics-themed book, 2021. Awakening and Living the Truth: Finding Truth in the Chaos of a Relativistic World. But Cooper wasn't always known as an outspoken apologist. For most of the band's history, beginning with the release of Skillet in 1996, Cooper stuck to the music. He published his first book around the same time he debuted his podcast. cooper's.
“God began to plant a seed in my heart around 2014. That's when I realized the world was changing. To be honest, I didn't understand,” Cooper told Cross. Speaking to Walk Headlines, he touched on his desire to speak out about Christianity and culture. problem. “I started the journey of “What’s going on?” and by 2017, I knew God was calling me to be a person of faith and upholding Christian morals. And it was around 2019 that I finally decided: I have to do this. ”
The deconstruction of Joshua Harris and several other prominent Christian leaders confirmed for Cooper his new calling. Harris was the author Kissed goodbye on a date (1997) and several other books.
“And I thought, Okay, I wanted to speak up about what's going on and make a really clear statement. Because in my generation, there's a huge influence on Joshua Harris. I think there are many Christians who have received this.” [and] Then they said, “If Joshua Harris doesn't make it, what does that mean for the faith?”
“And I wanted to say: Stand firm in God's word. God's word never changes. The grass withers and the flowers fade. Our God's word lasts forever. You. can rely on it.”
Ten years ago, Cooper said, “everyone took for granted that if you called yourself a follower of Jesus, you were adhering to certain moral principles.” One of those is the pro-life position, he said.
“So musicians like me didn't always have to say,” he said. “And as I saw more and more Christians on the other side, whether it was the church or theologians or influencers, I started saying, 'Oh, my God. Maybe we need to start being clear about those positions.’ And now that’s why I did it.”
Skillet is the headline act for this season's Winter Jam, a popular multi-act Christian concert tour.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Ethan Miller/Staff
michael faust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His articles have appeared in the Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Chronicle, Toronto Star, and Knoxville News Sentinel.
