When someone admonishes Christians about not elevating popular "Christians" too high, ("We must STOP making worship leaders and thought leaders or influencers or cool people or 'relevant' people the most influential people in Christendom," he said, adding, that "yes, that includes people like me!"" but he's attached to the world and the subculture of grunge/alternate/heavy metal rock and looks like this for a magazine...
I'm thinking he has nothing that I need to hear. It's quite hypocritical too, since he's doing the very thing he's rebuking: wanting to be front and center, an "influencer" himself (yup he's been nominated for awards for his "rock").
Evangelicals looking to a heavy mental rock band member for spiritual truth is like asking an actress for wisdom in economics.
Skillet has opened for Creed, Nickleback, Korn and other Grunge, post-Grunge, hard metal rock--so both "Christian" and secular.
Quote:
Cooper said art can speak religiously to him, even if it wasn’t intended that way. The vice versa is how Skillet has reached so many listeners, especially those outside of the Christian community.
Without having bible-verse lyrics, the band’s faith does come through in Skillet’s music. In fact, the Christianity in Skillet’s music is so broad, that some Christians are offended about the band’s lack of the “wholesome look.” The band’s faith thematically shines through Skillet’s lyrics. Principally, through the theme of hope.
“Even when we sing about dark things or struggles in life, there is always a bit of hope, and it can hopefully inspire people to see the brighter side of life, and see their worth as a person,” Cooper said.
“You can listen to Skillet and never have any idea that it was Christian music..."
However, Cooper said Skillet doesn’t feel out of place touring with bands who do behave in the “typical” rock and roll light.
“I’ve been lucky to have a lot of friends that paint me with the same respect of, ‘hey we’re not a Christian band, but we don’t care what you guys believe, we’re going to bring you on tour anyways’,” Cooper said. “I don’t expect other people to live the way that I live, and I don’t judge people for what they do. But I always respected the people that took a bit of a risk on Skillet like that.”
For Cooper, it’s about the music. “That is why we go out with other bands even though they think something different than what we think. It doesn’t matter. They get to sing what they want to sing and we get to sing what we want to sing,” Cooper said. “Music should bring people together, really.”
...Cooper’s new metal side-project, Fight the Fury. Fight the Fury isn’t a Christian band... The band has recently released its debut EP and is touring Russia.
Cooper started Fight the Fury to stick to his metal influences. Fight the Fury explores the darker side Cooper’s music, and reverberates metal powerhouses like Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Korn.
~ https://www.inkedmag.com/.../john-cooper-skillet-interview.
Quote:
In an interview with STLtoday, front man of the band Skillet, John Cooper, went into greater detail about why he and his band prefer to avoid using the word "Christian."
"I just tell people I'm in a hard-rock band. I leave 'Christian' out," he told STLtoday. "A lot of people don't know what Christian rock is, or they think it's only for Christian people. We're not a band that only sings to Christian people. I meet tons of fans, and I've had fans that said, 'I'm an atheist and I love your message.' "
The rocker stated he does not however want anyone to think he is hiding his faith.
"I want to make it clear Skillet is never embarrassed about the fact we're in the Christian music industry or that we're a Christian band," he explained. "Everywhere we play, I talk about my faith. I leave the 'Christian' off because I don't want to alienate."
Cooper told the publication that attracting the mainstream is key for the group, and he stated Skillet is the most openly crossover Christian rock band since Stryper. Although he does not want to use the label "Christian," Cooper believes the Lord called him to tell people about Jesus.
So how can he "led" people to Christ if he doesn't speak of the biblical Jesus? He admits to wanting to blend in with the world and not offend them. He in fact is ashamed. And instead he loves to identify with the world. And Evangelicals are hailing this guy as a someone who's telling the truth and should be lauded?
1Pe 4:15 By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; 16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God.
Then on the one hand Cooper says:
"And will your ideas of what is “good” be different from year to year based on your experience, culture trends, poplular opinion etc and furthermore will you continue year by year to lead others into your idea of goodness even though it is not absolute?
We need to value truth over feeling. Truth over emotion. And what we are seeing now is the result of the church raising up influencers who did not supremely value truth who have led a generation who also do not believe in the supremacy of truth. And now those disavowed leaders are proudly still leading and influencing boldly AWAY from the truth." - August 2019
Yet to People Magazine he said in July 2019 (Note "metaphysical" and "transcendental" and the words to describe FEELINGS and EMOTIONS:
“This has a certain metaphysical element to it — that we are living in the ‘right here right now,’ but then our lives will be over and all that’s left is what we stood for,” he shares. “That’s why I wanted the video to have a transcendental quality and tons of lighting effects to give being a supernatural quality to the song. And tons and tons of energy!”
“‘Legendary’ felt like the right first single because it’s so high energy. It feels like a song that should be played in a stadium while your favorite team is winning,” Cooper says. “It’s energetic, positive, and inspiring. It’s what the world needs to hear right now.”
His supposed church doesn't seem sound as it has multiple sights including overseas, and promotes Alpha Course (mystic heresy) and social justice works.
Jas 4:4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Joh 15:18 "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
Joh 15:19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Joh 15:20 Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
Luk 6:26 "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets.
There's no such thing as a "silent" witness for Christ. That's not evangelism.
Rom 10:14 How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!"
Rom 10:16 However, they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"
Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!"
Rom 10:16 However, they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"
Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
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