{"id":47912,"date":"2025-12-01T09:23:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T14:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=47912"},"modified":"2025-12-11T14:08:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T19:08:36","slug":"demonic-skillets-john-cooper-fires-back-at-critics-of-bands-new-christmas-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2025\/12\/demonic-skillets-john-cooper-fires-back-at-critics-of-bands-new-christmas-song.html","title":{"rendered":"‘Demonic’? Skillet’s John Cooper Fires Back at Critics of Band’s New Christmas Song"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Christian rock band Skillet is making headlines with their powerful new release \u2014 a rock-inspired version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” While the song has received widespread praise, it’s also faced unexpected backlash, with some critics labeling the track “demonic.” Lead singer John Cooper isn’t staying silent about it.<\/p>\n

In an interview<\/a> with CBN News, Cooper said he’s been taken aback by some of the harsh responses. “The reception for the song has been absolutely overwhelming,” he said. “People seem to really love it.” But a small group of listeners, he noted, has misunderstood the song’s intent. “This is a very special song \u2014 a very, very ancient song,” Cooper explained. “It’s known as an Advent song that is singing for the first Advent of Jesus, the incarnation, the Savior, to come into the world, to take away the sin of the world.”<\/p>\n

Cooper added that for many believers, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” carries a dual meaning \u2014 both a longing for Christ’s birth and a desperate plea for His return. “The world is not going good,” he said. “We’re in a certain amount of suffering here, and we are eagerly expecting the coming, the return of the King, if you will, the return of the Savior.”<\/p>\n

The band wanted to reflect that deep yearning through their musical arrangement, which begins softly before building into the kind of bold, dramatic energy that Skillet is known for. “The second half, we said, we got to go hard,” Cooper said. “We got to go Skillet on this thing.”<\/p>\n