John Cooper, the lead vocalist and bassist of Skillet, is no stranger to using music as a platform for conviction. But with the release of the band’s latest album, Revolution, he’s more impassioned than ever, sounding an alarm over what he sees as a pivotal moment in America’s history.
“America is on the precipice of something very, very bad, very dangerous. I don’t think any politics can save it,” the 49-year-old artist told The Christian Post.
“The revolution is not militaristic … it’s a spiritual revolution that we need. If we do not turn back to God, we are going to be in such a bad place. I really believe that with all my heart … if we don’t turn back to God and have a spiritual revolution, a revolution of repentance, a revolution of love of the Kingdom of God.”
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For Cooper, the dire state of mental health among teens is a rallying cry; he cited recent findings by the U.S. surgeon general about a “crisis of loneliness” among young people.
“We’re seeing the highest levels of teen suicide and depression in recorded history,” he said. “What would it be like if the Church in America was so full of righteousness and peace and joy that we just began to be a beacon of light for a dark world? It’d be an incredible thing; all of that is entailed in revolution, and that’s why I think it’s so poignant.”
Revolution marks the 11th studio album from Skillet, formed in 1996 in Memphis, Tennessee, and the group’s first independent venture after two years with Atlantic Records. A two-time Grammy-nominated group, Skillet has sold over 12 million albums and earned over a dozen RIAA certifications in recognition of gold, platinum or multiplatinum status.
The album’s lead single, “Unpopular,” premiered in August and serves as a call to reject societal pressures to conform — a theme Cooper said resonates deeply at a time when personal beliefs are under constant scrutiny.
“We don’t shy away from saying things that might bother some people. But for me, I’m saying no, you need to be bold in your faith,” he said. “Do not be ashamed of Christ. And right now, to be unashamed for Christ has some residual, difficult effects. People are going to hate you. That’s the world we’re living in right now. People are going to call you a mean person. That’s the world we’re living in right now. But that’s what it means to follow Christ.”
As Cooper calls for this faith-led “revolution,” he finds himself increasingly in the crossfire, facing criticism from both secular and Christian circles. For many outside the church, his uncompromising stance has earned him labels like “alarmist” or “extreme.”
But Cooper says the critiques from within his own community sting more. “What really gets me is when it’s coming from our own side,” he said. “People say I’m being ‘too extreme’ or ‘unloving,’ but Jesus didn’t mince words either. Sometimes, I think the Church has confused living for Jesus with just being polite.”
One key song on Revolution, “All That Matters,” echoes this stance with lyrics that challenge listeners to consider the sacrifices necessary for true peace. Lyrics include the lines “Don’t get me wrong/ I ain’t no pacifist/ For peace, gotta pay a price/ And I’ll defend what is mine/ Fight for what I love/ Help me God above/ All it takes is one.”
True peace, Cooper said, can’t be achieved through compromise or passivity.
“A lot of Christians have confused living for Jesus with being polite. And I think that is a huge mistake. I won’t even get into all the times Jesus wasn’t polite,” he said.
“I don’t like confrontation, funny enough, because I’m a people person, and I care for people deeply. I think [people] have a hard time reconciling that with somebody that comes out bold and says, ‘I will stand for the unborn. It is absolutely immoral to be taking the life of children in the womb.’ They can’t reconcile it.”
In describing the Church’s hesitance to engage with contentious social issues, Cooper addressed a sense of complacency he feels has crept into American Christianity. He lamented that the church’s absence from certain cultural dialogues, particularly on subjects like gender and education, has left a void filled by secular ideology.
“Christians don’t realize that these freedoms — speech, assembly, the right to raise our kids — are being eroded. In 2020, churches were closed while strip clubs and casinos remained open,” Cooper recalled. “We have to see what’s happening and understand the stakes.”
Cooper is aware that his stance is uncommon in the Christian music scene, which he acknowledged operates within a highly polarized industry. Skillet, he noted, derives most of its income from the mainstream rock world, freeing the band from the financial pressures many other Christian artists face.
“Imagine if 100 percent of your income came from the Christian market, and then half of those people think you’re too political. You’re risking your entire career if you speak up,” Cooper explained.
Though he empathizes with artists who hesitate to address polarizing topics, Cooper said silence is no longer an option. He cited research from the Barna Group linking rising depression and suicide rates among young people to the diminishing presence of a Christian worldview.
The data, he said, confirms what he’s been warning for years: that a generation is growing up without a sense of purpose, told that life is a series of accidents with no ultimate meaning.
“The demonic activity that is let into people’s minds, from pornography, and from these phones with all the incredibly hellish stuff online, we have no idea. We have no idea what’s going on, and then we wonder why these kids are sad and depressed and killing themselves at the highest rates ever recorded. We have to do something about it,” he said.
The themes of Revolution reflect Cooper’s belief in the restorative power of faith, with a track that begins, “Lost the future generations/ Face-to-face can’t communicate/ And we can’t tell the truth from faking/ Lives and innocents wasted.”
Through these lyrics, Cooper hopes to counter the sense of nihilism he sees in modern culture. As for what Skillet hopes to achieve with Revolution, the album strives to stand against societal division and encourage listeners to “stand up for what we believe in — even if it might be unpopular.”
“We’ve raised a generation of people in a world that tells them there is no God. That means there is no ultimate purpose for your life. They are a cosmic mistake or fill-in-the-blank with whatever word you want to say instead of ‘mistake of Darwin’s evolution,’ it’s just survival of the fittest, or it just happened to be,” Cooper said.
“We need a spiritual revolution,” he reiterated. “Part of what I just want them to know is, step one, you matter because God exists. He created you. He created you in His image. That means that you matter. And we start from there, and then we build.”
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
