Skillet Raises the Battle Cry

Skillet raises the battle cry

If you think that bands write music simply to make money, “make it big”, and have fun, then you’ve got another thing coming when you meet Skillet’s John Cooper, Korey Cooper, Ben Kasica, and Lori Peters. Now I’m not saying they don’t like to have fun; they are some of the most laid-back people I’ve met, and there was definitely a lot of laughter even amidst our interview. But the heart of their music goes much deeper than fun and volume, deeper even than their amazing lyrics and unique sound. It’s the band’s desperate desire to reach this generation that sets Skillet apart from others in their genre. They don’t just sing what “feels” right; they listen to what God is speaking into their lives and weave His heart into the very core of their music.

During my interview with them, their heart for youth was so potent that even Korey, who usually lets John take the wheel when it comes to interviews, couldn’t help but burst in on the subject, “It’s easier just to say that Jesus is the answer without any practical application for their lives. And then the kids are like, ‘I don’t have any idea what that means. It’s not applying to my life.’ They don’t understand.”

Devotion echoed in her voice as she continued.

“And it is true, big picture. But you’ve gotta make it to where they can relate it to their lives, otherwise it’s just this nebulous thing. And then you’ve got so many kids that are in the church, they’re not Christians, they know ‘Jesus is the answer’ they know that’s what you’re going to say to them. They don’t know what that means. And they could care less. And there are so many people out there that are like that. They’re jaded by the church. And I’m not even talking about the ones that were judged, or that saw hypocrites. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the ones that it just didn’t work for them because they didn’t know how to apply it. And there’s tons of kids out there like that.”

If I had ever doubted Skillet’s devotion to their audience, this interview blew those doubts to bits. To them, an audience clearly is not just the undulating and pulsating mob that fills their concert venues. It is the girl crying on her bed and contemplating suicide at night because her father doesn’t care. It is the young boy who drinks his problems away because no one has given him a better answer. It’s each individual - each person. And it is evident that God’s love for these people, these precious and hurting people, has overflowed and flooded into the hearts of John, Korey, Lori & Ben.

“When we started talking about this record, we just started noticing that God was really speaking to us about loving the world. Loving sinners in a more passionate way,” John began, glancing over at his wife, Korey. “And maybe we’re not doing the best job we can as Christians, and as the church at large, to reach those people. You know I think that was one of the big things that was a result of reading Ron Luce’s book, Battle Cry for a Generation. It was a real wake up call to me. It was something God was already speaking to me, but when I read that book it really just broke my heart. Especially the parts where they’d have a diary entry of someone who would email in and say what they were going through. All of a sudden I felt like I had no idea what people were going through, and no idea about all the issues of our day. So I just began praying that God would give me things to say. To speak to those people who are going through all those hard times. And to not just have the same Christian lyrics about being radical for Jesus and all these good things that I’ve been singing about for a long time. But maybe something a little more practical. Singing about the issues of our day so that people can respond to them and hopefully some of the people that have no hope could have a seed of hope, maybe for the first time.”

John Cooper’s run-in with BattleCry didn’t stop with a heart-check or even the realization that this generation is in peril. The impact of the facts mapped out in Ron’s book combined with the heart for youth that God had already planted inside the Coopers to birth a song on their new album:

“One of the big songs on the record that stemmed from [the realization of what today’s teens face] is called ‘The Last Night.’ It stemmed from this whole cutting thing, and [Battle Cry for a Generation] talks about that. I began saying things at concerts about cutting and suicide. And we noticed all these young people coming to us after concerts with scars on their arms. It was a hidden thing in their life that no one knew about. They’re Christians, they go to church, they go to youth group, they wear Christian T-Shirts, listen to Christian music, but they have this hidden life of hurt. And that’s when I really began to realize that we’re really out of touch with what’s going on, but God can use us in a big way. So there’s a song I wrote about it on the record called ‘The Last Night,’ and it’s a duet with me and Korey. In the song Korey is someone who’s wanting to kill herself, and has been cutting herself. She comes to me, and my role is like God in the song, and she is like, ‘Hey I just wanted to say goodbye.’ And God is just saying, ‘If you will just come to Me, you won’t have to spend another night alone, I’ll be there, it doesn’t matter what your parents might say, or what people are saying about you, they don’t know you like I know you.’ And I think that’s the thing is people don’t know how passionate Jesus is about them, that they’re not a mistake, that God loves them just the way they are, and that’s what the song is talking about.”

And that’s the cry of Skillet’s heart: a desperate call of love from the Savior to His children. They want this generation to know God in a practical way that connects to their life and that heals the damage caused by the world. The realities faced by today’s youth hit Skillet’s hearts with full force – and where they could have just stood by and gone ahead with their normal routine, they have chosen to take up arms and become engaged in the battle. They’re using their music, the tool God has blessed them with, to reach the lonely, the hurting, and the wounded, to rescue them out of their comatose state, and to introduce them to the love that this generation is dying for.

Be sure to check out Skillet's new album, "COMATOSE," available in stores on October 3rd. For more information, check out their website at www.skillet.com.

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