‘Christian Artists Are Going To Have To Say Something’—John Cooper Addresses ‘The Rot in Christian Music’

“What concerns me the most is that large portions of the church in America just don’t really mind that these artists are trying to make their way into the Christian market,” Cooper said.

Cooper asked, “How do you expect Christian artists to hold the line on anything when you got J.D. Greear, the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, quoting evangelical leader Jen Wilkin saying the Bible shouts about materialism but only whispers about sexual immorality?”

“There are influential leaders like Jen Hatmaker, who praise the LGBTQ community; David French, who calls drag queen story hour a ‘blessing of liberty’; and multiple Christian influencers who instruct us to use ‘pronoun hospitality’ for trans-identified people,” Cooper added.

These are people who influence pastors a great deal, Cooper said.

“What it really tells me is that the church is so far behind because our Christian leaders are not willing to really speak truth about these sinful immoral things if it offends the world,” Cooper argued.

He then said, “So what do you expect musicians to do? All they’re going to do is do what they see their pastors and their leaders do.”

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“So the point is that we are so far behind because we have just decided that worldview doesn’t matter,” Cooper said. “Basically, what really matters is trying to keep up with social justice and portraying an image to the world that we are actually really good people—we’re just like them—and we love people just as much as they do, and we’re on their side. And the church has decided that this is how we will be relevant.”

Cooper expressed sorrow at what he sees as church leaders, Christian influencers, and Christian publications attempting to “truncate the offensive parts of the gospel.”

“They look for Bible verses to justify the truncation that makes it to where we can have peace with the world,” he said.

Cooper said he believes that “for the first time, I think, in American history, we’re to a place when you are not going to be allowed to be a true follower of Jesus and have the world think that you’re a great person…we now have two different definitions of morality and justice.”

Is It Time for Christian Artists To Start Speaking Out?

ChurchLeaders asked Cooper if he believes Christian artists should speak out against other artists who are using the Christian label but live in opposition to God’s morals.