Skillet frontman John Cooper recently shared how Marxism and ideologies related to it have crept into the church.
Cooper, the lead singer of the Christian band Skillet, has been around for quite a while, but young people and young adults pay attention to his music and his articles because he calls out the culture and does so from a biblical perspective.
Be informed, not misled.
"I'm seeing a lot of Marxism and its offshoots," Cooper told The Christian Post in an interview at the GMA Dove Awards, citing that Critical Race Theory and "ideologies break us into groups — white Christians, black Christians, women Christians, men Christians."
"That's a form of Marxism, and it's not good," he said.
According to "Crosswalk," Cooper said this ideological division is a symptom of a larger cultural shift toward secularism, where morality is defined without reference to the Bible or God.
"There's this idea that we can create a good and just world without the Bible, without God. That's basically what secular humanism is," Cooper explained, noting that many churches, even well-intentioned, are embracing secular ideas to show empathy or relevance.
"These secular humanist ideas always lead to really bad outcomes," he said.
For instance, he pointed out that there has been a growing normalization between homelessness and drug use in cities.
"There's this notion that we're caring for the homeless by creating places where they can shoot up drugs safely. It's not good for them — it's terrible," he said, adding that it is reflective of a broader "culture of death," where states in the US and Canada have moved toward legalizing euthanasia, even for teenagers suffering from depression.
Cooper, preparing to release Skillet's first independent album, Revolution, in November, underscored several subtle ways churches might capitulate to dangerous ideologies. For instance, one of the early warning signs is language reflective of secular social justice movements.
"Even if churches don't mean it the way the world does, they adopt the language of solidarity," Cooper said, adding that terms like "racial justice," which, while seemingly harmless, can be filled with ideological implications that contradict biblical teaching.
"They'll be like, guys, we're going to have a seminar on racial justice. They'll use the terminology. It could be that they even say a lot of things that I would be like, 'I agree with that,' but sometimes the terminology seeps in, and words are power."
"The progressive Left has been very successful at redefining language to create new realities," Cooper noted, citing Saul Alinsky's book Rules for Radicals, which highlights how language can be weaponized to shift cultural values. For example, the term "reproductive justice" can be used to reframe the debate on abortion.
"Christians hear these phrases and think, 'Well, that sounds good,' and they take it in. You'll see signs when they start using those words. But we need to ask, 'What do you really mean by that?'"
Meanwhile, another sign would be when churches critique conservative positions on issues like immigration or wealth redistribution despite claiming they are not political.
"They say they're not political, but you'll only hear them bashing conservatives," Cooper said.
"They'll say, 'We're not political at all, but blah, blah, blah, but we have to care for justice, and so we need wealth redistribution. They do socialism through the back door by saying they're not political at all, but they will bash conservatives over immigration policy or something like that."
"Consequences of an anti-biblical worldview.”
CBN says:
The analysis comes at an interesting time, as it’s no secret Americans are struggling with mental health issues, with 23% of adults suffering from some related ailment.
And the statistics are even more disturbing among young Americans. Just consider: 33% of Millennials and Gen Zers are estimated to have “one or more diagnosable mental disorders,” according to Barna.
With these statistics in mind, Barna proclaims in his most recent research that depression, fear, and anxiety issues might be rooted in something deeper. The researcher was careful to note not all mental health problems are caused by worldview matters, though he explained how various perspectives could potentially impact such issues.
“The research instead indicates that those are often symptoms of an unhealthy worldview that produces and reinforces the emergence of anxiety, depression, fear, and even suicidal thoughts,” the results read. “Instead of turning to mental health treatments, the best prescription for millions of Americans is to embrace a more reliable and proven worldview.”
Ultimately, Barna, who uses data from the American Worldview Inventory conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, argues in his latest research that “worldview is … partly responsible for mental health.”
He found something quite fascinating: “Individuals who lack a biblical worldview are more likely to struggle with” issues, including “frequent presence of anxiety, depression, or significant fear.”
Barna found that 56% of Gen Z reported experiencing regular battles with anxiety, fear, or depression in the past year. Unsurprisingly, this generation has the lowest prevalence of biblical worldview.
And other young generations are experiencing similar patterns.
“Roughly half of Millennials (49%) have frequently entertained anxiety, depression, or major episodes of fear, while only 2% of that generation holds a biblical worldview,” Barna’s report reads.
Beyond that, Barna’s research determined some common beliefs the researcher said can produce frequent battles with anxiety, depression, or fear.
These issues “conflict with biblical teachings” and focus on a number of factors, including a rejection or apathy toward God, feeling no purpose in life, and the rejection of absolute morality and truth, among others.
Barna also noted, "These beliefs, among others, contribute to some of the aforementioned issues. However, gratitude and acknowledgment of God seem to be some of the most important factors at play."
“Individuals who are less likely to suffer from those challenges are substantially more likely to consciously make time to thank, praise, and worship God every day, to attend church services every week; and to commit to knowing and doing God’s will each day,” the report reads.
Be Informed. Be Faithful. Be Thankful. Be Prayerful. Be Vigilant.