John Cooper, the frontman for the Christian rock band Skillet, believes that Christians who label hard rock music as inherently "demonic" are misinterpreting the gospel.
"Music does not belong to the devil. Music belongs to God and it's the intentionality," Cooper told Fox News Digital. "It's the lyrics. It's what you do with it. It's not in a sound. It's in a heart posture."
Skillet, which Cooper co-founded in the 1990s, recently achieved a significant milestone when its 2009 hit "Monster" became the first song by a Christian rock band to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify. Cooper stated that this success "shocked" everyone involved.
The band has sold over 23 million albums and garners approximately 12 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The song "Monster" alone has surpassed 4 billion global streams.
Cooper emphasized that the concept of creation is central to his belief system. "God created us in his image, and that part of what that means is that God gave all of us humans, every single one of us, the ability to do something kind of like what he does, which is to create something beautiful," he explained. The ability to write a song, he added, is a "gift of freedom God has given all of humanity."
He expressed his disagreement with the notion that a particular sound in rock music automatically makes it "pagan." "You can have something that sounds incredibly beautiful that is actually offending God in its intentionality, in its lyrics," Cooper said. He posited that if he were the devil, he would make something sound appealing to subtly corrupt listeners, comparing it to a "siren song."
Cooper shared that he grew up in a household where his mother held the belief that rock music, particularly loud guitars and prominent drum beats, was Satanic and a tool of the devil. "She believed that Christian rock music was the devil's tool," he recounted.
Despite his upbringing, Cooper stated he does not harbor animosity towards those with differing views. "I don't hate them. I'm not mad at them," he said, acknowledging his familiarity with their perspective.
When faced with demonstrators protesting his concerts as "servants of the devil," Cooper chooses not to engage. He believes he cannot change their minds and understands they see their actions as a form of love and warning against "Satan's tools."
Reflecting on the popularity of "Monster," Cooper suggested that listeners connect with the idea of feeling like a "monster," particularly teenagers experiencing anger and confusion. "It's a very, it's a simple song. There's not much reason not to like it," he concluded.