Skillet Frontman John Cooper Reveals Church Hurt Left Him Questioning ‘What Was Real’

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Skillet frontman John Cooper recently shared his experience of church abuse that he and his family faced at their longtime church.

In a recent interview with The Christian Post, Cooper recounted how his wife and fellow Skillet bandmate, Korey, and their children were ostracized from the church they had been part of for the past 30 years after questioning its leadership over some questionable teaching.

"We went through something that you're seeing a lot on YouTube right now with all sorts of testimonies of going through a very bad church abuse situation, where the rug was really pulled out from under our feet," he said. "It was not just a church that we love, but a church that we helped serve in and helped build. Those leaders are also our family, our literal family."

He described the matter as some of “ the hardest years of my life since I was a teenager, since I really, really got to know who Jesus was."

In addition to feeling ostracized by the church leaders, Cooper said they  "lied about" his family and "slandered" them, including being told that he was being used by the devil.

"It makes you feel crazy," he continued. "When it's people that you've known for 30 years who are brothers and sisters in the faith that love God, and they're telling you that you're being used by the devil, you start going, 'Maybe I am being used by the devil.' And I don't know how to discern ... who do I listen to?"

As a result, Cooper admitted to difficulty in praying and reading Scripture because of the horrible treatment he and his family received from church leaders.

"You don't know how to pray, and you begin to read the Bible, and everything becomes confusing," he said. "It was a very dark time. … It just caused me a real depression. I had a mental break where I just didn't know what was real and what wasn't real."

Nowadays, the Coopers have found a new church, and John has expressed his gratitude to the Lord for bringing him and his family out of their dark season.

"I began to read the Bible in a very fresh way, and I began to see how beautiful the Lord is, how beautiful grace is, how beautiful the Gospel is," he said. "Christ doesn't abuse people; He is the Good Shepherd."

"Every time I go [to our new church], and we begin to worship God, I cry," he said. "Every time I go there, I cry. The Holy Spirit moves on me. ... I'm so thankful to the Lord that He rescued me from that and didn't let me go down a bad path."

Cooper’s experience with his old church was the inspiration behind Skilet’s upcoming six-song independent EP titled "After the Storm." The project, which includes the singles "Scream" and "Lift Me Up,” highlights the themes of betrayal, perseverance and hope.

Cooper hopes that listeners would be encouraged to trust in the Lord regardless of their circumstances, and not just listen to it as a retelling of his church abuse experience. 

"Maybe people listening, your own addiction, or your own anxiety or depression, or just life — can't pay the bills, fighting with your wife or your kids are acting crazy, and you don't know what to do with your kids," he said. "Whatever your situation is, Christ will meet you. I can promise you that. But you might have to slug it out. It might take a while, but do not give up because He will meet you."

"After The Storm" will be released in its entirety on Oct. 9.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Ethan Miller/Staff

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.