Wimpy, Weak, & Woke: How truth can save America from utopian destruction

by John L. Cooper

The increasing conflicts in America today are often referred to as “culture war.” But what is truly happening is a war between gods – the living God and the god of Man. Wimpy, Weak, and Woke uncovers the philosophies behind utopian dreams that become dystopian nightmares, and presents a positive vision for how we can thrive and flourish. The false promises of Man lead to destruction; God’s ways lead to life.Author L. Cooper, frontman of the multi-platinum band Skillet and host of the Cooper Stuff podcast uncovers the prevailing lies that are destroying America and shows how the truth of the Bible can save us. Topics Marxism, utopianism, Freud, critical theory, the sexual revolution, Hegel, postmodernism, critical race theory, critical social justice, and woke Christianity.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Christianity, Christian, Social Justice, Christian Living, Christian Non Fiction

506 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 14, 2023

Reviews

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

On November 14, 2023, Wimpy, Weak, and Woke: How Truth Can Save America From Utopian Destruction, written by Skillet frontman, John Cooper, hit the shelves. Within a few scant hours, several one-star reviews appeared on Amazon. Since I had already read one-third of the book and benefited from Cooper’s content, I posted a short line on Facebook in a show of support for the book:

Disregard all the petty and cowardly reviews of the new John Cooper book. Wimpy, Weak, and Woke is an important book for followers of Christ to digest and meditate on.

Almost immediately, leftists assaulted my Facebook wall with inflammatory language, targeting both John Cooper and me. Within 48 hours, I received almost three hundred negative responses to my post.

What is that draws the ire of this small army of protesters? Several themes emerge in Wimpy, Weak, and Woke. First, this book is unashamedly biblical. John Cooper is a man of the Book. He is unwilling to compromise the truth of Scripture. Page after page, he articulates a Christian worldview that is faithful to the testimony of Scripture. For that reason, his critics mock him with vicious criticism and scathing reviews.

Second, Cooper’s writing is bold. This writer pulls no punches. He is quick to tell the truth and is unafraid of confronting the wolves. His writing is reminiscent of J.C. Ryle, who wrote:

Strive to live a courageous life. Confess Christ before men. Whatever station you occupy, in that station confess Christ. Why should you be ashamed of him? He was not ashamed of you on the cross. He is ready to confess you now before his Father in heaven. Why should you be ashamed of him? Be bold. Be very bold. The good soldier is not ashamed of his uniform. The true believer ought never to be ashamed of Christ (Holiness, 302).

Third, Wimpy, Weak, and Woke expose the lies of the enemy. Mr. Cooper addresses the social justice movement. He confronts cultural Marxism and gnosticism. And he deals with sexual sin directly. He clearly states at the beginning of the book, “This is the woke gospel: salvation through virtue signaling.”

Fourth, this book uncovers the truth about postmodernism and "progressive Christianity." The ugly underbelly of each movement is revealed, which is moral relativism made popular in our generation. Cooper writes, “Christians have embraced progressivism as a counterfeit way of expanding what they believe is the gospel of the Kingdom. Progressives are attempting to build their perfect world - utopia. When Christians cannot discern the difference between the Kingdom of God and utopia, they get duped into building a secular utopia, which often makes them the tip of the spear against utopia’s number one enemy - traditional Christianity.”

John Cooper put everything on the line in this book. Clearly, he understands the stakes. He writes, “These days it is the person who is devoted to biblical truth who is accused of being divisive. Those who hold fast to the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God are treated as outdated and retrograde. We are viewed as the religious leaders of Jesus’ day who rejected Him.”

I commend Wimpy, Weak, & Woke to the next generation of Christian leaders. John Cooper will encourage you to be faithful in the Christian life. He will encourage you to stand strong when the persecution is fierce. And he will inspire you to march steadily to the shores of the Celestial City.

[Mathew Upchurch · Rating 3 out of 5]

firehose of information

Ignore the one stars…. They didn’t even read the book. I think some better editing could make this book flow better, it is still full of truth and information. I think this book would have been five stars if ohm had written this in a series. There are a lot of topics and a lot of information. It can be a bit dense at times. That said it is still a good read. The content here is great.

[Briar · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book to try to understand a different perspective. I got dog whistles and half explanations. Cooper did discuss problems but did not discuss the root of it. Unless you count sin. Which I don't. Lots of buzz words and (borrowing from Hans Rosling) lonely numbers. Meme level understanding of the 'woke' would be a charitable phrasing of how he poses the views that are not his version of Christian.
I started this book as a fan of Skillet. I could not stay that way after the introduction.

[Dr. Steve Pollock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

This is a challenging book because there is a lot of confusing language in our culture, and the author spends time showing and explaining the sources. However, the challenge is worth the effort! My favorite part of the book is this quote:

“It is my firm belief that if Christians would live consistently with what the Bible says, there are more than enough of us to change the nation. Not by force! But by the Spirit of God.”

Yes! Freedom in the Word and Spirit, not by governmental decrees.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

[Autumn Maisy Raquet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to put this in My Library in Chennye Wyoming Love Skillet's Songs And Music 🎶
Don't stop speaking the word of Truth

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of Hegel, Marx, Freud and others that were difficult to digest but he broke it down well.
This world is changing. God's word is the only way. Ideals. Mans ideals. Will get us nowhere.

[Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a solid book. I thought it was so well written and well researched. At times it was a little hard for me to understand the philosophy parts and I found myself having to re-read sections so I could make sure I was getting it and even then I'm not sure if I understood all the philosophy! But I think it was so important to be in the book. I've never heard before about the reason we are where we are today and reading about these philosophers from generations ago that have shaped our current culture was really interesting and enlightening. I loved how much Scripture there was which is so important as I agree 100% that what we do and how we think needs to be grounded in Scripture.
I highlighted so many things, here are just a few things that really stood out for me:
"Everyone wants to be a victim in the 2020's. It's a race to the top of the ladder of victimhood, and the prize is...wait for it...a lifetime of paralyzing bitterness." When life is viewed through the filter of being a victim I think it changes our interactions with those around us and we begin looking for ways people have offended or hurt us.
"What makes woke-ness problematic is when we buy into the secular humanistic origin story and telos of man, that his biggest problem is trauma inflicted on him by his fellow man, nature, psychological harm, etc., and that man can fix his own problems without God's ways. The Woke are obsessively overtaken by social justice." We should love others and if we love God that will come out in our actions but our actions need to be rooted in His words.
"This liberating tolerance also means that we should tolerate speech from the political Left because it is progressive, and only progress can liberate. We should not tolerate speech and ideas on the Right because conservatives want to uphold the status quo, meaning they are against liberation. This radically changes the definition of tolerance because there is no compass for morality." I get so frustrated with people preaching tolerance but they aren't willing to listen to what I have to say if it doesn't line up with what they believe.
"We become extremely generous to the poor and to those who cannot help themselves. We teach people God's Word so that they may obey. We show the world how to work hard, to live ethically, and to live by God's commands - this is how to flourish." Enough said.
"We are called to speak the truth and let the testimony of our lives be the proof of the everlasting Word of God that never fails, that empowers and brings life..."
"Hold fast to the unchanging Word of God."
"If an ideology or belief system denies the sinful nature of man, or denies God's created order, then it must be rejected from the start." We ARE sinful people and only by God's grace are we saved.
"Be loving, be gracious, but speak the truth."
"Yet there is hope for America if we will turn our hearts to God's truth."
There is absolute truth out there and we can't live just based on our emotions. We need to go back to God's word.
There was some sexual language and description of things that are happening in the world that were disturbing and made me uncomfortable but I think it was necessary to include because these things are happening and we can't put blinders on, especially to things that are happening in the schools with children. Everything was backed up by footnotes so you can read the original articles.
This is not the easiest book to get through because of the philosophy but the author did his best to write it as simply as possible and I think this is a must read for all adults. We need to be courageous enough to speak the truth in a society where the "truth" is constantly changing.

This book was reviewed on the Literary Club Podcast episode 88
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1984185

[•Amelia (Elizabeth Taylor’s version)•]

OH MY GOSHHH
I literally need this. I just saw my dad reading it and looked it up and WOW. This is exactly the kind of Christian book I wanna read. Especially since it’s by John Cooper. I love Skillet 🤭

[Brian Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Skillet for years and I honestly wish I had known about them sooner so I could use the word “decade.” I’ve been to 2 concerts with them and have been blown away both times. The fact that John Cooper and I share the same faith only adds to my enjoyment of their music. When u heard he was coming out with a new book (I will also be writing about the first at a later date) I jumped at the chance to get a copy. This was the first time I actually preordered a book.

With all of that the non-biased review ship has probably sailed. Take it for what you will going forward. As I do when I review a movie, my intention is to not provide an exhaustive commentary on the book but to highlight areas that I find significant and provide my reader with enough information to decide for themselves whether to read it or not.

We have all heard of the term “Woke.” ( If not then I’d like to know what rock you have been hiding under so I can join you.) normally this is applied to many of the wacky things that go on in our culture. As a Christian it is very easy to write this off as simply the world being the world. When it creeps into the Church it raises eyebrows. John Cooper has done more than just raise eyebrows. He’s written an entire book.

That being said, this book does a wonderful job in laying out the situation in which we find our culture, the major historical events and philosophies that got us here, and offers a Biblical response to all of it. If you are anything like me then you are probably following the news and social media the last couple of years and wondering what happened and where all this come from. I honestly don't know if Wimpy, Weak, and Woke is 100% right on all of the analysis but it makes a compelling case.

Pros:
• A thorough, well researched, and informative analysis of the situation in which we live.
• Very Biblical in the response to our culture.
• Bold in proclamation of difficult topics.
• The last chapter. I won’t spoil it but after going through all the problems in the preceding chapters, getting to the last which contains the Gospel response is a breath of fresh air.

Cons:
• Very thought provoking. Not an easy read in any way. It is not fair to criticize a thought provoking book for being so but if you are looking for an easy read this is not it.
• I would have preferred if the Biblical passages cited had the translation identified. Admittedly this is a personal preference.

Here is the question: Should you read this book? My short answer is yes, absolutely. The reasons for it may differ depending on the audience:

• For the Christian, this is important information to have as you engage the culture around you which is what we are called to do.
• For the Non-Christian, you should know where we are coming from before you simply write us off as "religious zealots." Don't take mine or Cooper's word for it either. This book is well-documented and footnoted. See for yourself.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m familiar with Skillet and like them well enough, but can’t really name any of their songs. I was not familiar with John Cooper as an author and podcaster. I ordered this book thinking it would be a quick, light read, a polemic by a Christian rockstar throwing out a lot of buzzwords as red meat to a cheering crowd.
All I can say is, boy was I surprised. If you’ve ever wondered why objective reality has been replaced by subjective feelings, this is the book for you.
This is an incredibly thorough look at the intellectual and philosophical underpinnings of our current state of post modernism, where subjectivity has replaced objectivity and group identity has replaced individual identity, and how it has infected the church. Even for someone like me, who got a Certificate in DEI from an Ivy League university to better understand what was going on around us, and has fought CRT in the public school system, it was revelatory.
Cooper takes us on a deep dive into the works of Hegel, Marx, Freud, Foucault, Derrida, and others and explains how their thought has influenced our culture. Even if you are not a Christian, this is an incredibly useful book to understand how we got to where we are today. This book is incredibly detailed, informative, insightful, and well documented, to the extent that it has 30-40 pages of end notes. And it’s not just quoting Wikipedia articles…he dives deep into primary sources to prove his points. e.g. he doesn’t just quote Karl Marx from Das Kapital, he dives deep into Marx’s personal correspondence to bring things to light that are very illuminating but not common knowledge. The chapter on Marx alone is about 25 pages with over 50 footnotes. Deeply researched, and deeply important.
I will skip the book summary as I’m sure you can find plenty of them elsewhere. I will say I read a lot, and this is hands down the most underlining I have ever done in a book. This is not an easy read, because many of the concepts are complex (although explained well for the layman), profoundly important, and honestly, distressing. While Cooper ends on a note of hope, this book is deeply disheartening. As I mentioned above, this is a topic I know something about, yet it was eye opening to me how thoroughly the toxic ideology described here has infected our culture, our media, our educational system, our interpersonal relationships, and our churches. This is not just an ideology that is at war with the one most of us grew up in – it has won.

[Sue Morris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pathetic. Just pathetic.

As an avid reader and advocate for compassion and kindness, I had dread about reading Cooper's "Wimpy, Weak, and Woke." My initial misgivings quickly turned to complete shock and disgust. This book not only preaches bigoted ideas but also criticizes basic human decency as being detrimental to society. It's very alarming to think that such harmful and oppressive ideas are still being promoted in the 21st century. To make matters worse, Cooper is promoting this hatred and wickedness in the name of his religion, Christianity, and in the name of American patriotism.

The title of the book itself should have been a red flag. The word "wimpy" suggests a lack of strength, while "woke" implies a sort of stupidity. Cooper uses these terms to criticize and dismiss those who value empathy and understanding, suggesting that they are "weak" and inferior to those who are selfish, have machismo, are deliberately cruel, are heartless and ruthless, and lack human decency. It's clear from this book that Cooper's intentions in life and in his work intentions are horribly misguided, and that his message is one of divisiveness and hatred.

John L. Cooper condemns the idea of political correctness and suggests that those who promote it are responsible for the downfall of society. He claims that being compassionate and kind towards others is a sign of weakness and that these qualities lead to a lack of achievement in life and will ruin America. This is not only offensive, but it's also an extremely harmful line of thinking that is among a chorus of damaging far-right rhetoric. Promoting the idea that empathy, compassion, and kindness equal "weakness" is a reflection of a deeply flawed and arrogant worldview.

Cooper's work is rife with bigoted ideas. Cooper suggests that certain groups of people are not deserving of empathy or human grace and that their struggles are not important or worth consideration or accommodation. This type of rhetoric is dangerous and perpetuates ignorance and hatred. His arguments are not only unfounded but are also irresponsible and ethically unsound.

Dealing with Cooper's work and writings can be a disturbing experience. The lack of basic empathy, kindness, and compassion in the pages he writes is alarming and deeply concerning. Instead of promoting unity and understanding, this author spreads messages of divisiveness, toxicity, and hate. It's disappointing to see a book have such a negative impact on the United States.

I don't recommend "Wimpy, Weak, and Woke" to anyone at all. It's imperative that we reject and criticize books like this, and instead promote messages of compassion, unity, and understanding. We must strive to be educated and informed citizens who reject bigotry and hate, and instead work towards creating a society that is inclusive and empathetic.

[Kristi Drillien · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Skillet lead singer John Cooper dives into philosophies of the past that have led to the various mindsets of today, in which Christianity is reviled and immorality is revered. The amount of research and work put into this book is impressive, and I wish I could understand it better. As he says himself in the book, it's deep stuff, but I was able to glean enough to follow his connections between ideas put forward by people like Hegel, Marx, and Freud and ideas that pervade society today. I wonder if some of what is in the book could have been summarized more, but Cooper does follow almost every direct quote with a more plain-speak paraphrase of what is being stated.

Most of what I took away from this is that people who hate God will try to justify their sinful lives by making up outlandish, unfounded ideas about reality, nature, and the very existence of man. And other people who also feel that God or "religion" is too restrictive are all too happy to follow along with these ideas that to a rational thinker make absolutely no sense.

The truth is that there is no "good" without God. There will be no perfect happiness on this earth, and denying that absolute truth exists that that the Bible provides that for us doesn't make it not true. Trying to establish a life or civilization on shifting truth is lunacy, and it will not last long before everything crumbles. That's what we're dealing with in America now (probably other places too, but I'm not qualified to speak on that), and it can be a little scary if we don't remember that God is in control, is never taken by surprise, and will absolutely win in the end.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow John!!!

John L Cooper is officially the greatest philosopher of our time. His theology is on point, but more than that he has a way with words. The man is a true artist in all of his writing, from 'Hey You I Love Your Soul' to now 'Wimpy, Weak and Woke.' This was somewhat of a difficult read in that it was a lot of educational information. Chapter 8 was extremely difficult as he addresses the touchiest of subjects, but necessary. I suggest praying on your face before you get into it, especially if you are sensitive to discussions of a sexual nature. The whole book was biblically sound, as is his music and his podcast. God is at work and I am so deeply thankful for men like John who encourage us and give us hope to keep fighting on our knees. He is truly doing God's work and leaving a great legacy in living for our Redeemer! You must read this if you declare yourself a Christian! It is a transformational read!

[Becca Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just started into this book, and it's fire! John shares that he was being pressured from all sides to speak out and told he wasn't allowed to stay silent. Well, he's speaking out, and now, everyone is hating on him because he's not saying what they want him to say. Yeah, that figures. After all, how dare he have the audacity to believe something different, much less say it? How dare he disagree with the mob mentality of this current society? He loves and respects people no matter who or what they are; he's not about hating anyone. But he's also not about just swallowing what everyone says and regurgitating it without thought; like he says in the intro, there's a word for that: coward. John Cooper's not a coward, and he's gained more of my respect, not less. It's philosophies and ideologies he's attacking and calling out here, not people.

[M.C. Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's funny how some people push and push and push to know the views of certain public figures and when those individuals finally have enough, break their silence. Then those same people want to silence them. This is John speaking out on the bitter truth about what he sees happening in the world and refusing to be muzzled any longer. It's a lengthy read to be digested slowly with an open mind and has met some controversy. From a personal and unrelated experience, he's correct about utopia not being what most dream it to be. I've learned freedom always comes with a price. When you think you've reached it (utopia), you realize it's been nothing but a lie. He's right that in order to overcome it, the mindset of finding utopia, it must be broken by burning the idea of its existence in order to save the world.

[Erin Seeders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not a light read! Cooper thoroughly delved into the wicked ideologies that our society is deceived by and propagates- very detailed information on the history of Marxism, Utopianism, critical theory, postmodernism, and the social justice campaigns that the world and Christians alike have bought into- just to name a few. I’m impressed at the amount of research he put into studying the origin of these now prevalent worldviews that stand against everything God has designed and said is true.

[Chris Moates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kudos for John L. Cooper to take a deep dive into the critical elements of Marxism and utopianism, the delusion of merging certain Marxist and racist elements of social justice with Christianity and the fallacy in general of woke Christianity. Cooper takes on some tough subject matter and tries his best to communicate to the audience. He definitely reads like he sounds on his podcasts, so many readers will struggle a bit. But it's well worth the time and it's great to see someone who has both a Christian and secular audience out on the front line.

[Maverek Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a fantastic read, but it contains a lot of heavy philosophical ideas that can be hard to wrap your mind around at times. If you are not super well versed in philosophy I highly recommend taking extra time to ensure that you understand the idea before moving onto the next part. That being said, John Cooper does a fantastic job of breaking down each idea into manageable parts and presenting it in a way that is fun and engaging.

It was very interesting to see how each philosophy played a part in the next chapter and how all these different worldly philosophies essentially take the previous work and do some “slight rebranding” of the former. He did a great job of ensuring that each idea discussed is taken to its logical conclusion before getting into the next.

the only real critique I have is that I think the final chapter definitely could have been longer. In light of the depth of the rest of the book it seems like there was not very many application or “next steps” points to sum up everything that was talked about. All in all it was very well constructed and thought out, especially considering the depth of each topic that is discussed. It can feel like drinking from a firehose at times, but I think all points are very well covered. I believe that he truly understands the times that we are in and what needs to be done.

[Nicole Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very eye opening. Definitely recommend, thoroughly enjoyed! Not sure why so many negative reviews, but I'm assuming that specific people have an agenda to ruin the ratings as Amazon is filled with 1 star reviews from people who never even purchased the book, so much so that Amazon mentions this suspicious activity on the books page. Don't listen to whoever these people are, check this book out. Our household liked it!

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book delves into historical philosophy as it explains how Christians have become "Wimpy, Weak, and Woke", while also explaining what it all means. John L. Cooper has does his research (and lots of it). He proves he's still human by using personal accounts and pop-culture references to further help explain what he's talking about. While using the Bible as his beginning and foundation, Cooper speaks truth. This is a book that takes time to read and worth digesting.

[Andrew Nast · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a while since it took me this long to read 335 pages. It was a slog, but well worth doing. Mr. Cooper has done his research very well and I know more now about the motivations and history of the churn of the modern world. I consider this a good book for updating the curriculum from my 2004 stint at Summit Ministries and am interested in how I'll be led to put it into action.

Utopia must burn.

[Acacia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a book years ago that had a quote about how some books were meant to be gobbled up and others were meant to be chewed and digested thoroughly. (That analogy was meant to be about books and bookworms. Gross.) This is a book that requires time to sit with and digest it. There’s a lot of ideologies and philosophies in here, but it’s broken down simply and it’s easy to understand.

[Eliza Mila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lengthy one that will need to be digested slowly. Utopia, paradise, is mentioned at the end of each chapter as a lie and the idea needs burned in order to save the world. Many will be offended, especially the ones who don't want you to think for yourself. A roller coaster of raw emotions in speaking out what's clearly been bottled up for too long.

[Chad Braswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read if you want to understand our current culture. John does a good job of explaining the ideologies in a format that is easy to understand. After reading this book, I have a much better understanding of the ideas shaping culture and how we got here. Highly recommended!

[Lorinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally understand Hegel's dialectics somewhat through this book.

[Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book savaging Marxism and utopianism.

[R.G BROWN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, thought-provoking book! It helped me understand the concepts and history of our corrupt America, and what the Bible says regarding such. I loved the application at the end!

[Rachel Shallenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic. John really did his research and explained some really big topics on philosophy, epistemology, and society. Definitely recommend it. Great topic coverage and lots of sources. 🙂

[Josh Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Love Skillet and learned some from this book. However, I feel like he tried to overexplain some things that were simple or simplify things that were complex similar to my high school.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am only on page 73 but what a wealth of information. This book offers an exhaustive look on how we got to a counter culture ideology. It did not happen over night. The more I read this book the more I understand how far culture has fallen. Our world has become so self-centered, so me - I am important, what I believe is truth, my ideology is my ideology and you must accept it. We got here through unbelief of the Truth. The only truth and that is God Himself. Those of you who gave this book a low review you have missed the point and I would suggest you reread it with more an open mind.This book is worth the read but read it slowly with the intention of learning about fallibility of man made ideology and much more.

I have now finished! I stand by my review. This was a great read and would recommend to anyone who wants to understand how our country has gotten where we are and how we can save America!! Thanks John, your book was very insightful.