Ep 1281 | Satanic or Sanctified? Skillet Gets Real About Christmas Controversy | John Cooper

Dec 19, 2025

John Cooper, the frontman of Skillet, shares his journey from legalism to rock gospel, revealing how music serves as a powerful tool for evangelism. He discusses the backlash against Skillet's heavy metal rendition of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," addressing misconceptions about its meaning. John recounts a touching story of how a TV commercial featuring his music led to two adults in the industry discovering faith. With themes of redemption and genuine worship, he emphasizes that the message of Christ transcends music genres.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Raised Against Rock, Then Drawn To It

John shared childhood memories of being punished for listening to MTV and rock music in a strict Southern Baptist home.
He described being told Christian rock was worse than secular rock and labeled 'devil's music.'

ADVICE

Don't Abandon Christ Over Church Hurt

Don't deconstruct from the Bible or abandon Jesus because of church hurt.
Remove extra legalistic rules but keep faith in Christ as your foundation.

ANECDOTE

Loss Shaped His Musical Calling

John recounted his mother's cancer, her final weeks of faith practices, and how her death at 15 shaped him.
He said Christian music sustained him during grief and inspired his desire to write for suffering kids.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app