What do you think?
Rate this book
Awake & Alive to Truth
Chaos. Violence. Confusion. Anxiety. How do we know what’s true when there are so many differing voices telling us what to do? After traveling the world for 23 years in a rock band, John L. Cooper has noticed one consistent issue: people are desperately confused. Awake and Alive To Truth tackles the reigning philosophies of our day of post-modernism, relativism, and the popular view of the goodness of man-and combats these viewpoints by standing on the absolute truth of the Word of God. Awake and Alive To Truth answers some of the most asked questions in modern culture. We will go on a journey through some of the author’s personal stories, the doctrine of original sin, the authority of Scripture, the danger of trusting your emotions, and end with the greatest news possible: God wants to rescue you from the chaos and the darkness and bring you into His glorious light. (from the website)
Hardcover
First published December 1, 2020
105 people are currently reading
1463 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
January 2, 2021
A little different from what I was expecting; I was hoping for more stories of John's experiences as a Christian musician and cultural influence. This is more of a primer on God's absolute truth in today's secular world, and he is spot in his apologetic and unashamed of God's Word.
If you've grown up in a Bible-based Christian environment, most of this will be things you already know, it would be a great read for a new or young believer navigating the current cultural environment.
All being said, I'm inspired by John's fidelity to the truth when so many musicians under the Christian flag end up straying from the core doctrines of the faith.
If you've grown up in a Bible-based Christian environment, most of this will be things you already know, it would be a great read for a new or young believer navigating the current cultural environment.
All being said, I'm inspired by John's fidelity to the truth when so many musicians under the Christian flag end up straying from the core doctrines of the faith.
September 1, 2023
This book is a conversation. It's a real, honest conversation sans Christianese. It's a conversation where you can ask those uncomfortable questions without judgment and get solid answers with Biblical support. The last chapter is my favorite. Once confronted with the truth, you have to make some choices. You have options, but John's book helps you see which path leads to "joy, peace, and ultimate fulfillment...both today, and for the journey ahead."
I'd say the primary target for this book is someone who is wrestling with truth - where to find it and what it is. It's a great introduction to biblical Christ-following for anyone who may have little or no exposure to the true gospel or a person, even a teenager, who is new to the faith.
I'd say the primary target for this book is someone who is wrestling with truth - where to find it and what it is. It's a great introduction to biblical Christ-following for anyone who may have little or no exposure to the true gospel or a person, even a teenager, who is new to the faith.
March 5, 2021
Skillet has always been one of favourite bands. Their music has been with me through some pretty lonely and hard health issues. I remember back in 2005, just crying to the song ‘You Are My Hope’, while driving every week to the doctor. (Basically anything from the Alien Youth album). And more recently the song ‘Stars’ got me through the darkest moments of my life while recovering from vestibular neuritis. I’d listen to that song every week on my way to bible study just bawling while these lyrics played out: ‘If You can calm the raging sea, You can calm the storm in me’. I still get emotional during that song, knowing that God carried me through that time.
I was super pumped that @johnlcooper was releasing a book. I preordered it way back in the fall. I’ve been listening to his podcast ‘Cooper Stuff’ since the spring. Everything he was talking about just made sense! So to have this book is pretty awesome. John self published this book. You can only buy it on his website. It’s 116 pages and packs a big punch. He talks about Gods absolute truth in a relativistic world. John always mentions on his podcast that he’s not the smartest person, but he’s brilliant. He knows what he talking about and explains it in layman’s terms. He explains the gospel so well. He talks about the doctrine of original sin and the authority of scripture. He also shares some stories about growing up in a Christian home and losing his mother at a young age. This is all around an excellent book. It’s simple enough for non believers to read, great for new believers, and a good reminder to those who are seasoned in the faith. Highly recommend it!
December 28, 2020
Okay. So I’ve been waiting to read this and FINALLY! So here we go. John lays out the message of the Bible in a super simple and beautiful way. The stories he tells of his own life are charming and easily relatable. It’s easy to see his passion for God simple by reading this book. John, who often proclaims to not be one of the smartest people (in his podcast), is incredibly smart. He knows exactly what he’s talking about and has definitely done his research. This is an amazing book with a message that is simple enough for middle schoolers to understand, yet challenging enough for even the wisest scholar to truly live out. All in all, the perfect book for today.
September 24, 2021
Okay, I debated on whether to review this, but I decided to do it because I have a social obligation to prevent others from reading awful things.
I love Skillet. I have always really liked John Cooper. I have a picture with him that I love, and I think his ability to advocate for his faith while not being over-preachy in their music is fantastic. I saw today that his book was added to Kindle unlimited, and it was really short, so I decided to give it a try.
A quick note here, I am agnostic. I shouldn't be picking up books about Christianity. This one was on me. But I have read religious memoirs before and I always thought John had a great way of talking about his faith. Not when it's in book form, apparently.
This is pure drivel. I finished this book in like half an hour because I kept only reading half a page and then skipping ahead. John is completely out to lunch and full of half baked, insane theories. At one point, he stops to define the word "intersectionality" and somehow gets it 100% wrong. The person he quotes the most in the book is Jesus, the second is Jordan Peterson. It's poorly edited and poorly structured. He keeps talking about how straight white rich men are under attack. I cannot find a single positive thing to say about this propaganda booklet. My love for Skillet will remain unaffected, but I'm just going to pretend this book never happened and then never listen to John talk again. 😅
-1/10
I love Skillet. I have always really liked John Cooper. I have a picture with him that I love, and I think his ability to advocate for his faith while not being over-preachy in their music is fantastic. I saw today that his book was added to Kindle unlimited, and it was really short, so I decided to give it a try.
A quick note here, I am agnostic. I shouldn't be picking up books about Christianity. This one was on me. But I have read religious memoirs before and I always thought John had a great way of talking about his faith. Not when it's in book form, apparently.
This is pure drivel. I finished this book in like half an hour because I kept only reading half a page and then skipping ahead. John is completely out to lunch and full of half baked, insane theories. At one point, he stops to define the word "intersectionality" and somehow gets it 100% wrong. The person he quotes the most in the book is Jesus, the second is Jordan Peterson. It's poorly edited and poorly structured. He keeps talking about how straight white rich men are under attack. I cannot find a single positive thing to say about this propaganda booklet. My love for Skillet will remain unaffected, but I'm just going to pretend this book never happened and then never listen to John talk again. 😅
-1/10
October 26, 2022
So cool to see John Cooper speaking truth clearly and writing a book Lord willing many of his fans will read and come to a true understanding of the truth of Christ!
March 2, 2021
A thoughtful book that is straight up and a little in your face...hummm much like the band Skillet, go figure. It is a simple (but not simplistic) presentation of the faith behind the band. A faith that has produced stability and longevity to both Skillet and the every day life of the Cooper family. Refreshing to read something that doesn't just repeat the mantra of popular opinions 'du jour' and points the reader towards timeless truth.
December 30, 2020
Fantastic, honestly this in my opinion would be a good book to give to a new Christian. Cooper points to Jesus through out the whole book and as a result it was so much of a joy to read!
April 8, 2021
With some personal stories, a bit of politics, and more than a dash of theology--this is a good little book by a very genuine guy. Compares favorably to his "Cooper Stuff" podcast.
January 17, 2024
Oof. I used to love Skillet and I still adore their old music, but I’m a little afraid of what the band, particularly John, has come to stand for.
I bought this book a long time ago, back when I was a hardcore Baptist Christian who believed everything that came out of John’s mouth. I never got around to reading the book. Years later, I’m a deconstructing Christian with some deep thoughts about the Bible, and my political views have shifted from very conservative to pretty liberal. So, this is really awkward.
This book was probably self-published, and it shows. It’s hard to get past the typos and lack of editing, not to mention the formatting of the print book. The writing itself was just pretty bad, the tone was all over the place and the wording was often awkward.
Now the content. I’m learning a lot, and there’s still a lot I don’t know. I want to keep studying some of the concepts in this book, but these are my conclusions for now.
I’ll start out with the positives and neutral stuff.
I agree with the fact that our culture relies far too much on our limited definition of happiness and tells us to pursue things that are ultimately harmful. It’s important to see the bigger picture of things and understand the consequences of our actions. John agrees, saying our emotions have become truth.
I also agree that it is possible to be so consumed with pleasing others that we forget what is right. We should be firm in our beliefs and not be fighting for self-righteousness and moral superiority over others. As John says, “There is no lasting joy in self-righteousness” (111).
Then, John makes interesting points about the fact that we are inherently evil. Goodness is not something we can find within ourselves, but through God. I want to research and meditate on this more. This is a philosophical and psychological debate that Aristotle and Freud have made claims about. Are we nothing more than our animalistic desires, and our altruism - which, I guess, is the basis of morality - comes from God? I think maybe morality can’t come from within us, as the only thing we would consider outside of primal desires is the maintenance of society, which is really for our own welfare in the end and therefore not altruistic. I do believe morality - altruism - comes from God. Though, according to John, society believes truth is relative and has different opinions on what is moral and what isn’t, and he contends this belief is flawed because there is objectively only one truth. The question is: what is the Truth?
Now the negatives. Unfortunately, I can’t get past the fact that this book offers ridiculously surface-level advice about life and Christianity. The argument is basically that we cannot trust ourselves since we are inherently self-serving, so anything could really be “true,” and therefore nothing is true. So the only thing that’s true is The Bible !!!
His arguments come off as shallow, spitting the same thing AI-generated sounding material that Christians already know.
I understand non-Christians or deconstructing Christians are likely not John's audience. But then what is the goal for this book other than to serve as an echo chamber? Especially when John provides a CTA to people to turn to Christ at the end of the book. In this case, John can’t just say people in our world play victim too much and modern society doesn’t matter because we should just live by the Bible, as he fails to provide reasons why the Bible is reliable, and I think tackling inerrancy would have made his argument feel more fleshed out.
Getting into the "play victim" thing...
“Whose reality wins? Is it the rich person's reality or the poor person's reality? The man's reality or the woman’s reality?…The Marxists’ influence in postmodernism aims to heighten the voice of the minority (the oppressed) and silence the voice of the majority (the oppressors) to achieve cultural revolution. Who are the oppressed? Every identity group that is not white, male, straight, cisgendered, and Christian. If the powerless can achieve revolution, then they can literally change truth and reality. Yes, you heard me- change truth. Change reality.”
This is sending me. This man calls the fight for equality “cultural revolution,” which doesn’t sound to me like a positive term. Who is trying to change reality? We’re just trying to get people to stop being ignorant. Is he saying that some things aren’t clearly racist or not racist? In that case, it’s called equality for a reason. If you’re treating someone differently because of their race, gender, or whatever, it might be offensive. That’s it! Also, some people are offended by more things than others. Just respect them, and if they’re someone that gets offended over every little thing, they’re probably just full of themselves. In our culture, there are people that take things way too far, and play victim for no reason when they are not one, and this irks me to no end. So yes, we can call these out while also not using those instances to invalidate the real issues.
John says those who ascribe to an intersectional view believe "the male, white, straight, and wealthy person should now be at the bottom of the food chain. The female, person of color, queer, or transgender person should be at the top. For each step you climb higher on the victimhood ladder, your truth is deemed more true. The female has "secret truth" that a male cannot. The person of color has ‘secret truth’ that a white person cannot. If combined, the female person of color gets double points.”
Bottom of the food chain is KILLING ME. 💀 so is “double points.”
Minorities aren’t harboring some kind of secret truth, just different perspectives. And we are trying to highlight minorities’ experiences and opinions over those whose opinions have been acknowledged for many, many years.
The thing about “reality” is that society will try to shove things down your throat, even when your own opinion is really different. “Truth” (What John calls it. I’d just call it society.) is always changing. Nothing is ever really “true” when it comes to things like beauty and cultural norms.
An important note: John is not necessarily saying that people’s emotions can’t be valid, but is likely saying they are not “truth,” they are perspectives. I agree with this to an extent.
Your “truth” is also impacted by culture, which is another factor in the way you go about life.
So yes, we (I guess in his case and mine, Americans) are getting more perspectives and opinions and trying to make the world a fair place for everyone. We stumble along the way and sometimes go too far, but the effort is necessary to make up for the way society was in the past.
And ugh, it keeps going. John says that “Christian values” are in danger because society is trying to “burn down” privileged positions. Whatever that means.
“Anything and everything in history that was built and has lasted must have been built by the powerful...Therefore, it must be torn down! This includes our views on Christianity, the Church, the Bible, the family, raising children-everything.”
It’s just laughable. This feels like a straw man fallacy. It’s so melodramatic and weird. And it gets wooorse.
“Let me ask you, when is the last time you heard someone say that they are leaving the Christian faith because Christians don't care enough about social justice? Or women's rights? Or environmentalism? My guess is that you've heard it in the last month. Why would anyone turn their back on the life-changing truth of Christ, simply due to a lack of social justice emphasis by their local church? The answer is found in these powerfully influential philosophies of our day. The historically powerful (Christianity, in this instance) must be stripped of virtue due to the hierarchy of victimhood.”
What is this man talking about 💀💀 This is so so so bad. I can’t. Why do people want to leave a religion JUST BECAUSE people in the religion don’t care enough about racism and sexism? We have Jesus! GIRLLLLSBHAVAYQVAHWHABAHBQ
If every church you’ve been to, say in the SBC, is not speaking out against the racism and sexism that plagues our country, specifically when instances like Tyre Nichols happen, what are you supposed to do if you’re a person of color who feels hurt by these things? By “subtle” misogynistic behavior, by “subtle” racist remarks. Being the only black person in every room in a church that doesn’t ever speak about racism. Wanting to lead but being scared and timid as a woman so as not to overstep and to know your place. And then, oh, only a real Christian goes to church but you don’t have to but you need to. It's exhausting.
If John were not a white man, he likely wouldn’t be saying any of this. Christians SHOULD care about social justice! And the fact that they see it as not a big deal makes people call into question the religion itself. I think that’s pretty valid.
Why? Because churches are speaking against transgender people and abortion. Many churches I see in the South are saying every Christian should be speaking out against abortion because it’s a sin. Aren’t those social issues? So people being transgender is more important to talk about than racism and sexism in the church??? The women’s issue worth getting mad about the most is the one that involves their unborn babies? I don’t know, man.
And what is this “Christianity is being stripped of virtue” thing? What weird phrasing. I think being Christian can be hard at times, though it depends on where you live, but I don’t see how Christianity is under attack in this way. I just think other perspectives are being more vocal in the U.S. nowadays, and Christians aren’t used to that.
To make matters worse, he later mentions Cassie Bernall, a victim of the Columbine shooting. Her story that she died for her faith - saying “yes” when asked if she believed in God - has been used by Christians as an example of modern martyrdom and shown to young Christians as an example of the extent you must go to as a true follower of Christ. However, Bernall’s story has been proven false for years! The actual narrative doesn’t encapsulate a romanticized view of martyrdom or portray Christians as oppressed, and I think that’s why the real story hardly resonates with the Church. For a book about truth, it’s ironic John didn’t put in the research to avoid spreading this misinformation.
We can learn about the Bible and live for the Lord while also fighting against inequality for minorities. Oh, and acknowledge the Bible was mistranslated in some passages, specifically in the KJV, some verses might be getting taken out of context and used to promote misogyny, etc.
John also says relativism is not an option for Christians. But consider the story of Hagar being raped by Abraham. I consider it rape since she was a slave and, therefore, had no way to consent since she was “given” to Abraham by Sarah. The defense of depictions like this in the Old Testament is that this is just considered the way things were at the time. The Bible does not seem to reflect the idea that Hagar’s rape is wrong. Yet, nowadays, rape is considered objectively wrong, as it should be. Rape has always been wrong, but society was so different at the time, and raping slaves was just the way things were…but why didn’t God do anything to protect these women or punish those that wronged them? Or say anything specifically about it being wrong? I suppose the binding of Isaac could have been the punishment, or perhaps there was none. Or was it something that didn’t need to be mentioned? Or wasn’t worth mentioning? Is rape wrong now due to the New Covenant, freedom from the Law, and changing culture? Or was it always wrong? Is it just “more wrong” now and God thinks punishments should be harsher now? Does the Bible not clearly reflect God’s anger at the rape of female slaves? If it’s just wrong now, then are we meant to reflect on what happened to Hagar and other raped slaves and justify it because of the culture at the time? If that’s the case, then how can we truly believe it’s wrong now if we are justifying it happening in the past? And Abraham and Sarah were half-siblings. Incest is wrong, but just by our modern standards. Then, consider the Euthyphro Dilemma: "Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?" This is used to criticize the claim that God is the source of morality. Is it good because it is loved by God, or is it loved by God because it is good? So, perhaps what is good is what God says is good. But has that standard been consistent? Or is what is “good” relative to culture?
But, yeah, this book feels like the same rehashed stuff you would hear in a youth group lesson. “When others wallow in misery, do you want joy? Then pay attention to Jesus, and build your life on the rock of His truth...You can rest assured that you are destined for glory when others suffer from the dissatisfaction of a destiny unfulfilled” (18).
This prosperity gospel stuff is getting oooold. You’ll always have a deep-rooted happiness as long as you follow Jesus ! He also says we need to wake up every morning and aspire to bring "kingdom rule and dominion" to the world around us, and that doing so will give us overwhelming joy. This idea comes across as gaining happiness from feeling like you have an upper hand because everyone else doesn’t know the truth. This form of dominion theology is concerning. Skillet named their latest album “Dominion,” and now I know that it might be because they want to do away with separation of church and state, perhaps. Good luck with that. It saddens me that John has become a Christian nationalist.
John goes into how we must obey God even when it gets difficult. Then talks about how people who believe the Bible but do not act on it end up feeling worse when they don’t follow it.
Um, of course? If you believe something is wrong and you do it, you're going to feel bad. In the same sense, if you believe you are pleasing God by doing something, you'll be happy.
John says, "Society has altogether moved away from a belief in absolute, objective truth.” Though at first I thought he was being pretty ignorant, I ended up agreeing after studying it a bit more. We should be able to fully believe something as truth without other people getting upset. If not, then how can we say we truly believe in it? This makes sense. However, it’s not an excuse to shove beliefs down people’s throats and be arrogant. After all, as Christians, if we believe that anyone that does not repent and then start living a certain way afterwards is going to hell, then we’re going to want to constantly get them to believe what we believe because we care about them. But if they believe in absolute truth of something else, they’re not going to budge. And we just become annoying and give a vibe of narcissism because we believe we are going to prosper and they will not. I don’t know. It’s interesting to think about.
But John is a total hypocrite considering there are videos of him at Skillet’s recent concerts telling large crowds “We need to tell celebrities and deconstructionists to shut up.” Like, what? He even says in this book that saying Jesus is the Truth has become offensive and that’s a problem, but other people have their own “truths,” and you incite your audience to shut them up? Oh, but John doesn’t believe in “your” truth or “my” truth. And now we’re right back where we started. He’s using it as an excuse to be somewhat of a bigot. However, I don’t think John is really a person that can’t accept others’ opinions in his day-to-day life. After all, he has friends that are atheists and of different religions. I don’t think his passion equates to mean-spiritedness or that he’s as bigoted as he comes across. I hope.
“Do you agree that people seem more divided today than ten years ago? 20 years ago? In an era of tolerance and self-proclaimed love, why are we getting angrier at one another? One big reason is because we no longer have common ground in the truth. One side proclaims Kavanaugh innocent, the other guilty. One side says God is good, the other says God is a construct created to control people. If the truth is relative, there is nothing to keep people from moving to extremes.”
This quote is kind of silly. Sure, our political parties are probably more divided than ever, but as people? We’ve made more strides in equality and diversity than ever before. Are we really getting angrier at each other, or have we just put up with BS for too long, and we’re now calling out problematic things that have been swept under the rug? John even likens modern society to “children throwing tantrums and asserting their own will.” We’re just fighting against injustice. Banning segregation and legalizing interracial marriage didn’t just make everything peachy keen. Microaggressions are still all too prevalent, FYI.
The Bible has been used in the past to persecute and harm others. The Bible was used to condone slavery, fight against interracial marriage. The Bible is STILL used to condone misogyny. So, people have their own opinions about it and will interpret the Bible in different ways. After all, it’s good to see the Bible as a complex text that deserves deep studying. Of course there is only one truth about what the passages truly mean, but I think Christians take different journeys toward that truth.
Preaching to the same choir, making no impact on the ever-growing society that doesn’t believe in God or go to church, and then acting all high and mighty because you’re a true warrior for God who didn’t care that atheists wrote mean paragraphs about you leaves everyone who falls somewhere in the middle of Christian and non-Christian confused and hurt. And it also calls into question what a true Christian actually is, making everyone think all Christians are obnoxious right-wing conservatives because they are the loudest.
Overall, this book comes across as ignorant. Consider one part of the book where John argues that because Americans are marrying and having children less, this proves our society is selfish and losing our sense of love. I mean, really? You’re not taking into account the love you can have for others as a single person with family and friends?
“Modern Americans prioritize their own career over participation in an age-old institution, one that brings stability to society and produces the next generation.”
How is it selfish for you to just make your own decisions? Not every woman can have kids or even want to and that’s fine!
If anything, this book was a reflection to myself on how much I've changed. Someone I once greatly respected is now on podcasts saying he smells "commie poops." What a world.
I bought this book a long time ago, back when I was a hardcore Baptist Christian who believed everything that came out of John’s mouth. I never got around to reading the book. Years later, I’m a deconstructing Christian with some deep thoughts about the Bible, and my political views have shifted from very conservative to pretty liberal. So, this is really awkward.
This book was probably self-published, and it shows. It’s hard to get past the typos and lack of editing, not to mention the formatting of the print book. The writing itself was just pretty bad, the tone was all over the place and the wording was often awkward.
Now the content. I’m learning a lot, and there’s still a lot I don’t know. I want to keep studying some of the concepts in this book, but these are my conclusions for now.
I’ll start out with the positives and neutral stuff.
I agree with the fact that our culture relies far too much on our limited definition of happiness and tells us to pursue things that are ultimately harmful. It’s important to see the bigger picture of things and understand the consequences of our actions. John agrees, saying our emotions have become truth.
I also agree that it is possible to be so consumed with pleasing others that we forget what is right. We should be firm in our beliefs and not be fighting for self-righteousness and moral superiority over others. As John says, “There is no lasting joy in self-righteousness” (111).
Then, John makes interesting points about the fact that we are inherently evil. Goodness is not something we can find within ourselves, but through God. I want to research and meditate on this more. This is a philosophical and psychological debate that Aristotle and Freud have made claims about. Are we nothing more than our animalistic desires, and our altruism - which, I guess, is the basis of morality - comes from God? I think maybe morality can’t come from within us, as the only thing we would consider outside of primal desires is the maintenance of society, which is really for our own welfare in the end and therefore not altruistic. I do believe morality - altruism - comes from God. Though, according to John, society believes truth is relative and has different opinions on what is moral and what isn’t, and he contends this belief is flawed because there is objectively only one truth. The question is: what is the Truth?
Now the negatives. Unfortunately, I can’t get past the fact that this book offers ridiculously surface-level advice about life and Christianity. The argument is basically that we cannot trust ourselves since we are inherently self-serving, so anything could really be “true,” and therefore nothing is true. So the only thing that’s true is The Bible !!!
His arguments come off as shallow, spitting the same thing AI-generated sounding material that Christians already know.
I understand non-Christians or deconstructing Christians are likely not John's audience. But then what is the goal for this book other than to serve as an echo chamber? Especially when John provides a CTA to people to turn to Christ at the end of the book. In this case, John can’t just say people in our world play victim too much and modern society doesn’t matter because we should just live by the Bible, as he fails to provide reasons why the Bible is reliable, and I think tackling inerrancy would have made his argument feel more fleshed out.
Getting into the "play victim" thing...
“Whose reality wins? Is it the rich person's reality or the poor person's reality? The man's reality or the woman’s reality?…The Marxists’ influence in postmodernism aims to heighten the voice of the minority (the oppressed) and silence the voice of the majority (the oppressors) to achieve cultural revolution. Who are the oppressed? Every identity group that is not white, male, straight, cisgendered, and Christian. If the powerless can achieve revolution, then they can literally change truth and reality. Yes, you heard me- change truth. Change reality.”
This is sending me. This man calls the fight for equality “cultural revolution,” which doesn’t sound to me like a positive term. Who is trying to change reality? We’re just trying to get people to stop being ignorant. Is he saying that some things aren’t clearly racist or not racist? In that case, it’s called equality for a reason. If you’re treating someone differently because of their race, gender, or whatever, it might be offensive. That’s it! Also, some people are offended by more things than others. Just respect them, and if they’re someone that gets offended over every little thing, they’re probably just full of themselves. In our culture, there are people that take things way too far, and play victim for no reason when they are not one, and this irks me to no end. So yes, we can call these out while also not using those instances to invalidate the real issues.
John says those who ascribe to an intersectional view believe "the male, white, straight, and wealthy person should now be at the bottom of the food chain. The female, person of color, queer, or transgender person should be at the top. For each step you climb higher on the victimhood ladder, your truth is deemed more true. The female has "secret truth" that a male cannot. The person of color has ‘secret truth’ that a white person cannot. If combined, the female person of color gets double points.”
Bottom of the food chain is KILLING ME. 💀 so is “double points.”
Minorities aren’t harboring some kind of secret truth, just different perspectives. And we are trying to highlight minorities’ experiences and opinions over those whose opinions have been acknowledged for many, many years.
The thing about “reality” is that society will try to shove things down your throat, even when your own opinion is really different. “Truth” (What John calls it. I’d just call it society.) is always changing. Nothing is ever really “true” when it comes to things like beauty and cultural norms.
An important note: John is not necessarily saying that people’s emotions can’t be valid, but is likely saying they are not “truth,” they are perspectives. I agree with this to an extent.
Your “truth” is also impacted by culture, which is another factor in the way you go about life.
So yes, we (I guess in his case and mine, Americans) are getting more perspectives and opinions and trying to make the world a fair place for everyone. We stumble along the way and sometimes go too far, but the effort is necessary to make up for the way society was in the past.
And ugh, it keeps going. John says that “Christian values” are in danger because society is trying to “burn down” privileged positions. Whatever that means.
“Anything and everything in history that was built and has lasted must have been built by the powerful...Therefore, it must be torn down! This includes our views on Christianity, the Church, the Bible, the family, raising children-everything.”
It’s just laughable. This feels like a straw man fallacy. It’s so melodramatic and weird. And it gets wooorse.
“Let me ask you, when is the last time you heard someone say that they are leaving the Christian faith because Christians don't care enough about social justice? Or women's rights? Or environmentalism? My guess is that you've heard it in the last month. Why would anyone turn their back on the life-changing truth of Christ, simply due to a lack of social justice emphasis by their local church? The answer is found in these powerfully influential philosophies of our day. The historically powerful (Christianity, in this instance) must be stripped of virtue due to the hierarchy of victimhood.”
What is this man talking about 💀💀 This is so so so bad. I can’t. Why do people want to leave a religion JUST BECAUSE people in the religion don’t care enough about racism and sexism? We have Jesus! GIRLLLLSBHAVAYQVAHWHABAHBQ
If every church you’ve been to, say in the SBC, is not speaking out against the racism and sexism that plagues our country, specifically when instances like Tyre Nichols happen, what are you supposed to do if you’re a person of color who feels hurt by these things? By “subtle” misogynistic behavior, by “subtle” racist remarks. Being the only black person in every room in a church that doesn’t ever speak about racism. Wanting to lead but being scared and timid as a woman so as not to overstep and to know your place. And then, oh, only a real Christian goes to church but you don’t have to but you need to. It's exhausting.
If John were not a white man, he likely wouldn’t be saying any of this. Christians SHOULD care about social justice! And the fact that they see it as not a big deal makes people call into question the religion itself. I think that’s pretty valid.
Why? Because churches are speaking against transgender people and abortion. Many churches I see in the South are saying every Christian should be speaking out against abortion because it’s a sin. Aren’t those social issues? So people being transgender is more important to talk about than racism and sexism in the church??? The women’s issue worth getting mad about the most is the one that involves their unborn babies? I don’t know, man.
And what is this “Christianity is being stripped of virtue” thing? What weird phrasing. I think being Christian can be hard at times, though it depends on where you live, but I don’t see how Christianity is under attack in this way. I just think other perspectives are being more vocal in the U.S. nowadays, and Christians aren’t used to that.
To make matters worse, he later mentions Cassie Bernall, a victim of the Columbine shooting. Her story that she died for her faith - saying “yes” when asked if she believed in God - has been used by Christians as an example of modern martyrdom and shown to young Christians as an example of the extent you must go to as a true follower of Christ. However, Bernall’s story has been proven false for years! The actual narrative doesn’t encapsulate a romanticized view of martyrdom or portray Christians as oppressed, and I think that’s why the real story hardly resonates with the Church. For a book about truth, it’s ironic John didn’t put in the research to avoid spreading this misinformation.
We can learn about the Bible and live for the Lord while also fighting against inequality for minorities. Oh, and acknowledge the Bible was mistranslated in some passages, specifically in the KJV, some verses might be getting taken out of context and used to promote misogyny, etc.
John also says relativism is not an option for Christians. But consider the story of Hagar being raped by Abraham. I consider it rape since she was a slave and, therefore, had no way to consent since she was “given” to Abraham by Sarah. The defense of depictions like this in the Old Testament is that this is just considered the way things were at the time. The Bible does not seem to reflect the idea that Hagar’s rape is wrong. Yet, nowadays, rape is considered objectively wrong, as it should be. Rape has always been wrong, but society was so different at the time, and raping slaves was just the way things were…but why didn’t God do anything to protect these women or punish those that wronged them? Or say anything specifically about it being wrong? I suppose the binding of Isaac could have been the punishment, or perhaps there was none. Or was it something that didn’t need to be mentioned? Or wasn’t worth mentioning? Is rape wrong now due to the New Covenant, freedom from the Law, and changing culture? Or was it always wrong? Is it just “more wrong” now and God thinks punishments should be harsher now? Does the Bible not clearly reflect God’s anger at the rape of female slaves? If it’s just wrong now, then are we meant to reflect on what happened to Hagar and other raped slaves and justify it because of the culture at the time? If that’s the case, then how can we truly believe it’s wrong now if we are justifying it happening in the past? And Abraham and Sarah were half-siblings. Incest is wrong, but just by our modern standards. Then, consider the Euthyphro Dilemma: "Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?" This is used to criticize the claim that God is the source of morality. Is it good because it is loved by God, or is it loved by God because it is good? So, perhaps what is good is what God says is good. But has that standard been consistent? Or is what is “good” relative to culture?
But, yeah, this book feels like the same rehashed stuff you would hear in a youth group lesson. “When others wallow in misery, do you want joy? Then pay attention to Jesus, and build your life on the rock of His truth...You can rest assured that you are destined for glory when others suffer from the dissatisfaction of a destiny unfulfilled” (18).
This prosperity gospel stuff is getting oooold. You’ll always have a deep-rooted happiness as long as you follow Jesus ! He also says we need to wake up every morning and aspire to bring "kingdom rule and dominion" to the world around us, and that doing so will give us overwhelming joy. This idea comes across as gaining happiness from feeling like you have an upper hand because everyone else doesn’t know the truth. This form of dominion theology is concerning. Skillet named their latest album “Dominion,” and now I know that it might be because they want to do away with separation of church and state, perhaps. Good luck with that. It saddens me that John has become a Christian nationalist.
John goes into how we must obey God even when it gets difficult. Then talks about how people who believe the Bible but do not act on it end up feeling worse when they don’t follow it.
Um, of course? If you believe something is wrong and you do it, you're going to feel bad. In the same sense, if you believe you are pleasing God by doing something, you'll be happy.
John says, "Society has altogether moved away from a belief in absolute, objective truth.” Though at first I thought he was being pretty ignorant, I ended up agreeing after studying it a bit more. We should be able to fully believe something as truth without other people getting upset. If not, then how can we say we truly believe in it? This makes sense. However, it’s not an excuse to shove beliefs down people’s throats and be arrogant. After all, as Christians, if we believe that anyone that does not repent and then start living a certain way afterwards is going to hell, then we’re going to want to constantly get them to believe what we believe because we care about them. But if they believe in absolute truth of something else, they’re not going to budge. And we just become annoying and give a vibe of narcissism because we believe we are going to prosper and they will not. I don’t know. It’s interesting to think about.
But John is a total hypocrite considering there are videos of him at Skillet’s recent concerts telling large crowds “We need to tell celebrities and deconstructionists to shut up.” Like, what? He even says in this book that saying Jesus is the Truth has become offensive and that’s a problem, but other people have their own “truths,” and you incite your audience to shut them up? Oh, but John doesn’t believe in “your” truth or “my” truth. And now we’re right back where we started. He’s using it as an excuse to be somewhat of a bigot. However, I don’t think John is really a person that can’t accept others’ opinions in his day-to-day life. After all, he has friends that are atheists and of different religions. I don’t think his passion equates to mean-spiritedness or that he’s as bigoted as he comes across. I hope.
“Do you agree that people seem more divided today than ten years ago? 20 years ago? In an era of tolerance and self-proclaimed love, why are we getting angrier at one another? One big reason is because we no longer have common ground in the truth. One side proclaims Kavanaugh innocent, the other guilty. One side says God is good, the other says God is a construct created to control people. If the truth is relative, there is nothing to keep people from moving to extremes.”
This quote is kind of silly. Sure, our political parties are probably more divided than ever, but as people? We’ve made more strides in equality and diversity than ever before. Are we really getting angrier at each other, or have we just put up with BS for too long, and we’re now calling out problematic things that have been swept under the rug? John even likens modern society to “children throwing tantrums and asserting their own will.” We’re just fighting against injustice. Banning segregation and legalizing interracial marriage didn’t just make everything peachy keen. Microaggressions are still all too prevalent, FYI.
The Bible has been used in the past to persecute and harm others. The Bible was used to condone slavery, fight against interracial marriage. The Bible is STILL used to condone misogyny. So, people have their own opinions about it and will interpret the Bible in different ways. After all, it’s good to see the Bible as a complex text that deserves deep studying. Of course there is only one truth about what the passages truly mean, but I think Christians take different journeys toward that truth.
Preaching to the same choir, making no impact on the ever-growing society that doesn’t believe in God or go to church, and then acting all high and mighty because you’re a true warrior for God who didn’t care that atheists wrote mean paragraphs about you leaves everyone who falls somewhere in the middle of Christian and non-Christian confused and hurt. And it also calls into question what a true Christian actually is, making everyone think all Christians are obnoxious right-wing conservatives because they are the loudest.
Overall, this book comes across as ignorant. Consider one part of the book where John argues that because Americans are marrying and having children less, this proves our society is selfish and losing our sense of love. I mean, really? You’re not taking into account the love you can have for others as a single person with family and friends?
“Modern Americans prioritize their own career over participation in an age-old institution, one that brings stability to society and produces the next generation.”
How is it selfish for you to just make your own decisions? Not every woman can have kids or even want to and that’s fine!
If anything, this book was a reflection to myself on how much I've changed. Someone I once greatly respected is now on podcasts saying he smells "commie poops." What a world.
February 28, 2021
This book is somewhere between a 3 and 3.5 for me. And for what it is worth, I had really hoped to give it a higher rating! I've been a Panhead for over 20 years, so when I received this book as a gift I was beyond excited to read it.
Awake and Alive: To Truth by Skillet lead singer and bassist, John L. Cooper, is quite short, however it is a book that is packed with a lot of heavy information that it difficult to digest all at once. So, while it is only a little over 100 pages, I wouldn't consider it a quick read. It is definitely something I'd recommend taking your time with to be able to fully process everything he is sharing. John Cooper incorporates his own life experiences and other practical examples to illustrate what Truth is according to the Bible, how our idea of truth has changed as a society, and challenges how the societal views we have come to accept as "good" or "true" are not necessarily in line with scripture. It was a fairly thought provoking book that challenges the reader to take a step back and consider what beliefs they have about love, sin, the Bible, God, and being a Christian that are truly based on Biblical teachings and what beliefs have been molded by current events and what our society is preaching as necessary to be progressive and inclusive in this day and age. And he does this without getting political, which I think is a fairly impressive feat given that everything in the world today seems to be so polarized and politically charged.
The main reasons for the lower rating are largely due to both editing and organization, which impacted the clarity and flow of the book for me. I admit, I feel weird being so critical of this aspect of the book, since I feel the content he is writing about is so important, but as an avid reader and book lover it was also something that I had a hard time getting past. I loved the message, but this book is, unfortunately, poorly edited (irony is this review probably is, as well!). I found the typos and grammatical errors to be somewhat distracting, which I feel is stereotypical of a self-published book (and yes, I do understand that he had barriers to getting a publisher on board with this). I also wish the chapters had been ordered differently and feel that, had several of the later chapters been put earlier in the book, it would have laid a better foundation and provided more clarity for some of the concepts he was addressing, particularly those at the beginning.
Still, this book has a great message for anyone, regardless of where they are in their walk with Christ, who is willing to take a contemplative look at their faith and where the beliefs they adhere to are stemming from. It may not be the in-depth autobiography of the Skillet frontman or a chronicle of the challenges the band has faced in their journey to success that I'm sure many admiring fans might be hoping for, but you do get a very intimate conversation with John Cooper about faith, which is probably the more important message we need right now, anyway.
Awake and Alive: To Truth by Skillet lead singer and bassist, John L. Cooper, is quite short, however it is a book that is packed with a lot of heavy information that it difficult to digest all at once. So, while it is only a little over 100 pages, I wouldn't consider it a quick read. It is definitely something I'd recommend taking your time with to be able to fully process everything he is sharing. John Cooper incorporates his own life experiences and other practical examples to illustrate what Truth is according to the Bible, how our idea of truth has changed as a society, and challenges how the societal views we have come to accept as "good" or "true" are not necessarily in line with scripture. It was a fairly thought provoking book that challenges the reader to take a step back and consider what beliefs they have about love, sin, the Bible, God, and being a Christian that are truly based on Biblical teachings and what beliefs have been molded by current events and what our society is preaching as necessary to be progressive and inclusive in this day and age. And he does this without getting political, which I think is a fairly impressive feat given that everything in the world today seems to be so polarized and politically charged.
The main reasons for the lower rating are largely due to both editing and organization, which impacted the clarity and flow of the book for me. I admit, I feel weird being so critical of this aspect of the book, since I feel the content he is writing about is so important, but as an avid reader and book lover it was also something that I had a hard time getting past. I loved the message, but this book is, unfortunately, poorly edited (irony is this review probably is, as well!). I found the typos and grammatical errors to be somewhat distracting, which I feel is stereotypical of a self-published book (and yes, I do understand that he had barriers to getting a publisher on board with this). I also wish the chapters had been ordered differently and feel that, had several of the later chapters been put earlier in the book, it would have laid a better foundation and provided more clarity for some of the concepts he was addressing, particularly those at the beginning.
Still, this book has a great message for anyone, regardless of where they are in their walk with Christ, who is willing to take a contemplative look at their faith and where the beliefs they adhere to are stemming from. It may not be the in-depth autobiography of the Skillet frontman or a chronicle of the challenges the band has faced in their journey to success that I'm sure many admiring fans might be hoping for, but you do get a very intimate conversation with John Cooper about faith, which is probably the more important message we need right now, anyway.
December 31, 2020
It will help you get on the right track if you are way out there. It has some testimony and autobiography parts that the skillet fans will like. A lot of it seems like the kind of preaching you might get at a mixed crowd event. I didn't get a whole lot out out of it since I've heard those types of speeches plenty of times. It's not a theologically deep or technical book so it. Most of what's in here besides the biographical stuff you can probably find better stuff to read on. But that's more about the state of the church than the book itself. There are way too many christians that are way behind the ball when it comes to the philosophical problems in the world today. That's what gives books like this a place in the world. This is probably the only thing a lot of Christians will read. My favorite chapter was 8 jesus the lion.
February 28, 2021
2 1/2 stars. I like reading books from people I may disagree with philosophically, and I know John and I disagree politically but agree theologically. This book is a call for Christians to return to home base (the theology of the Bible) and away from the prevailing cultural beliefs of the day. John expresses that he sees the world in black and white, and believes the Bible is the same. However, any Christian in today's world understands the complexity of the lives and people we see around us. How do we navigate a grey and complex world with the Bible? This book doesn't offer answers besides reasserting beliefs most Christians are well-acquainted with.
January 1, 2021
I don't understand why Cooper didn't use a publisher - like Tynsdale or Zondervan. As a librarian, I noted some typos and grammatical issues, which I overlooked intentionally so I could focus on his message.
Based on the subtitle, I was hoping for a bit more of a scathing critique of contemporary society and how it contradicts God's Word. I agree that the Bible and God wants us to see things as black and white (or right and wrong), not in shades of gray (relativism). I just wanted a bit more "bite".
However, true Panheads will enjoy this book and its message.
Based on the subtitle, I was hoping for a bit more of a scathing critique of contemporary society and how it contradicts God's Word. I agree that the Bible and God wants us to see things as black and white (or right and wrong), not in shades of gray (relativism). I just wanted a bit more "bite".
However, true Panheads will enjoy this book and its message.
August 6, 2021
Written by the creator of the Christian rock band 'Skillet,' the author is a man with the heart of an evangelist. This book is not a conventional Christian autobiography, as Mr. Cooper spends the bulk of his writing defending the Christian worldview. Recommended!
May 2, 2025
Not what I expected, but still a good read... and much more solid than I expected! John Cooper, leader of the band Skillet, lays out the problems that arise from trusting in the shifting sands of our world's philosophies and relativistic morality - and contrasts it to life lived under the lordship of Christ and self-sacrificing commitment to following the Word of God, no matter what popular culture may say.
It's a crash course for the common person in Christian philosophy and systematic theology, and an open plea for his readers to wake up and come alive to absolute truth - truth that can ultimately be found by following Christ and the Word of God.
Some of my favorite quotes came later in the book, in his chapters on emotions and idolatry:
"The problem is not that we are emotional about our faith, but that our faith is based on our emotions. What happens when emotion wanes? ...No matter how much we shout that we love Jesus, if we do not build our lives upon His Word, we will be shattered by the inevitable waves of our sinful desires."
Is it brilliantly written? Meh. Would it persuade a skeptic of Christianity? Maybe, maybe not. Did I want more of a memoir style storytelling, where he reveals a bit more of his own heart and story? Actually yes.
But it was surprisingly refreshing to see a celebrity (especially a musician) come out swinging so strongly for humility, submission to Christ, and reliance on the Word of God as our source of truth.
As the old hymn says, "On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand. All other ground is sinking sand."
It's a crash course for the common person in Christian philosophy and systematic theology, and an open plea for his readers to wake up and come alive to absolute truth - truth that can ultimately be found by following Christ and the Word of God.
Some of my favorite quotes came later in the book, in his chapters on emotions and idolatry:
"The problem is not that we are emotional about our faith, but that our faith is based on our emotions. What happens when emotion wanes? ...No matter how much we shout that we love Jesus, if we do not build our lives upon His Word, we will be shattered by the inevitable waves of our sinful desires."
Is it brilliantly written? Meh. Would it persuade a skeptic of Christianity? Maybe, maybe not. Did I want more of a memoir style storytelling, where he reveals a bit more of his own heart and story? Actually yes.
But it was surprisingly refreshing to see a celebrity (especially a musician) come out swinging so strongly for humility, submission to Christ, and reliance on the Word of God as our source of truth.
As the old hymn says, "On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand. All other ground is sinking sand."
April 6, 2023
*Audiobook review*
John Cooper,the founder of the rock group skillet wrote and narrated this book. Inside he discusses truth and how a society that views truth a subjective is doomed to fail.
He uses scripture and logic to show how the bible is the only true authority and how following the truth of God's word will bring ultimate freedom.
I feel like this is a necessary apologetics tool, especially for young people today struggling to reconcile their faith with the standards that worldly culture is telling them to conform to.
John Cooper,the founder of the rock group skillet wrote and narrated this book. Inside he discusses truth and how a society that views truth a subjective is doomed to fail.
He uses scripture and logic to show how the bible is the only true authority and how following the truth of God's word will bring ultimate freedom.
I feel like this is a necessary apologetics tool, especially for young people today struggling to reconcile their faith with the standards that worldly culture is telling them to conform to.
March 1, 2021
I bought this book after listening to John Cooper’s podcast, Cooper Stuff (highly recommend). He speaks out boldly on the issues of the day from a biblical worldview, at great personal cost. This book isn’t mind -blowingly profound, but the author’s love for God’s word and his desire to make the Truth known comes through in every page. I just wish he would have gone a bit further (baptism) with his salvation story.
September 6, 2023
Loved reading this! Bought it when Skillet was in my area a little over a month ago. Love seeing that an awesome rock star is a fellow Christian and just reading his views on The Truth.
Thank you John!
Thank you John!
July 12, 2023
“I contend that it is more logical to believe in the existence of God than to believe that humans can offer better solutions than Him.” - John L. Cooper
Fact.
Fact.
January 20, 2024
A MUST read! Convicting for Christians and also excellent for someone who is seeking truth. Share it!
December 27, 2020
My review: My Review
April 7, 2024
I loved this book! He brought out so many good points and shared them in easy to understand ways. Was there anything new for me? Other than seeing a different way to explain something, no, there really wasn't anything new. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
I read through several reviews to see if anyone else had the same criticism I did. But mostly I heard complaints about the insane amount of typos and grammatical errors! (Seriously? There were, like, three.)
The reason I only gave this book four stars is because I cannot recall a single instance where he refers to the resurrection. He consistently refers to Jesus in the present tense, but never focuses on the fact that he was raised bodily from the dead. Perhaps he took for granted that people know, but still.
I read through several reviews to see if anyone else had the same criticism I did. But mostly I heard complaints about the insane amount of typos and grammatical errors! (Seriously? There were, like, three.)
The reason I only gave this book four stars is because I cannot recall a single instance where he refers to the resurrection. He consistently refers to Jesus in the present tense, but never focuses on the fact that he was raised bodily from the dead. Perhaps he took for granted that people know, but still.
February 17, 2022
Every. Modern. Day. Christian. Must. Read. This.
We live in a world that doesn’t know where to draw the line, and even believers are struggling with it because they’re following culture over following scripture. Enough is enough. So glad John used his influence to finally speak into this - plainly and justly.
We live in a world that doesn’t know where to draw the line, and even believers are struggling with it because they’re following culture over following scripture. Enough is enough. So glad John used his influence to finally speak into this - plainly and justly.
November 1, 2023
Not a large book, but it packs a lot in it. I loved the use of stories to highlight/explain a truth. This book reads just the same as hearing John's podcast. The only thing that would've made this book better was had I listened to the audio version, maybe on a reread that's what I'll do.
February 3, 2021
Deep thought book. Agreed with what was stated. Took me a while to process.
October 1, 2024
Skillet lead singer John Cooper presents a thoughtful look at today's culture, both from Christian and secular mindsets. The main focus is on truth—where does truth come from, how do we distort it, and what happens when we let each individual decide what's true for them? With relativism pervading the society around us, is it any wonder so many are unhappy? Broken? Searching? This book provides some insight.
I wasn't really sure what to expect with the book. It wasn't published traditionally, though presumably Skillet's John Cooper could have gotten a publishing deal if he wanted one. As he put it, "I decided to release this book myself so that I would have the freedom to write something that I believe in and know to be true. I didn’t want to be pressured to write the book that someone else wanted me to write, or to write things that I don’t believe in." I respect that a lot; he didn't want to compromise. It seems to be a common theme for him. As a result, it does have typos and errors throughout, but even for someone like me who really picks up on that kind of thing, it isn't enough to distort the message.
I think that what is within this book could ruffle some feathers, but he doesn't pull punches or water down what the Bible says. His lays out some hard truths about today's culture making "love" a god, ignoring parts of the Bible we don't like, and shying away from God as judge. Depending on where you are in your life, you may find this book unnecessary or too shallow. But if you're unhappy with the noise and chaos around you and aren't sure what voices to listen to, this is a great book to pick up. It also has a great message to unbelievers or those undecided about God. The only downside is that this book is not widely available. The Kindle version can be bought on Amazon, but if you want a physical copy, a search online might produce some indie bookstores that have the book for a normal price.
I wasn't really sure what to expect with the book. It wasn't published traditionally, though presumably Skillet's John Cooper could have gotten a publishing deal if he wanted one. As he put it, "I decided to release this book myself so that I would have the freedom to write something that I believe in and know to be true. I didn’t want to be pressured to write the book that someone else wanted me to write, or to write things that I don’t believe in." I respect that a lot; he didn't want to compromise. It seems to be a common theme for him. As a result, it does have typos and errors throughout, but even for someone like me who really picks up on that kind of thing, it isn't enough to distort the message.
I think that what is within this book could ruffle some feathers, but he doesn't pull punches or water down what the Bible says. His lays out some hard truths about today's culture making "love" a god, ignoring parts of the Bible we don't like, and shying away from God as judge. Depending on where you are in your life, you may find this book unnecessary or too shallow. But if you're unhappy with the noise and chaos around you and aren't sure what voices to listen to, this is a great book to pick up. It also has a great message to unbelievers or those undecided about God. The only downside is that this book is not widely available. The Kindle version can be bought on Amazon, but if you want a physical copy, a search online might produce some indie bookstores that have the book for a normal price.
January 5, 2021
This book reads like a modern-day, simplified Mere Christianity. John L. Cooper seeks to explain why the everyone (even Christians) seems so unhappy these days. He briefly addresses some of the major philosophies popular in the current year and argues that the absence of an objective standard of truth is at the root of the problems we face. Cooper's strength lies in his simplicity, personable style, and orthodox understanding of Christianity. I would recommend this book to anyone who wonders what is going on with the word but doesn't enjoy a lot of reading. The book is brief but surprisingly thorough and refreshingly direct. In spite of that, Cooper has a fun, friendly style that is sometimes even humorous. He is passionate and excited about what he has to say. And what he has to say is nothing short of biblical truth. One may not expect the pierced, tattooed, rock star guy to be the epitome of orthodoxy, but that is what this book conveys. Cooper spends chapters discussing the sufficiency of scripture, the sinfulness of man, the sovereignty of God, sanctification, and more. The first edition does have a lot of formatting errors and typos, which sometimes interrupted the flow, but it sounds like these issues will be resolved in the next printing. The only other thing I would have changed would be a bit more depth in some of the sections. The book is quite short, and there have been other books that have discussed some of these issues in greater detail (The Consequences of Ideas by R.C. Sproul and Understanding the Times by David Noebel come to mind). However, the brevity and simplicity of this book make it a great weekend read for encouragement or even a resource for more inexperienced readers who might be intimidated by Sproul's big words or the two-inch thick Understanding the Times. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It provided a lot of reminders of the hope we have in Christ and definitely came at exactly the right time.
June 3, 2021
I grew up in a Christian home, and was one of those who had a short season of rebellion before surrendering to Christ in High School. I went to a college where I immediately plugged in to a great campus ministry. However, I was not prepared for what would be thrown at me. Too many classes and subjects seemed to make the endgame the loss of your faith. When my professor preached how there was no Truth with a capital T, that was easy for me to roll my eyes at. But when we got into abortion, social justice, “contradictions” in the Bible, I didn’t know how to argue. I brought the matter to my mentor who vaguely said she would stay out of politics. I talked to my parents about what I was learning only to set off their alarms and be called a socialist. I could go on, but I say that to say this. I WISH I HAD THIS BOOK THEN.
John Cooper is a lot smarter than he gives himself credit for. In this book, he sheds light on how we got here as a culture, how it has infiltrated the church, and how we should believe as followers of Jesus. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those preparing for the college scene or who needs a Biblical answer for the culture confusion they are experiencing.
John Cooper is a lot smarter than he gives himself credit for. In this book, he sheds light on how we got here as a culture, how it has infiltrated the church, and how we should believe as followers of Jesus. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those preparing for the college scene or who needs a Biblical answer for the culture confusion they are experiencing.
May 20, 2021
Cooper has done an excellent job with this book. You could sense his heart behind his gospel presentation, desiring to have a written summary of his Christian walk and beliefs to share with anyone who will listen. So rare is it to find a rock musician who is rock-solid theologically, and Cooper is as solid as they come. Being backed and peer-reviewed by Dr. James White, I would trust giving this book to those that I want to share the objective truth with and those who are genuinely searching for truth in this world. Well done, John!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews