In this interview, ‘The Harvest Show’ sits down with Alice to discuss his past, present, faith, etc. It’s not a very long video but covers quite a bit in a little over 7 minutes. As I took notes, I was actually surprised to find many talking points from only 7 minutes (given the last interview with Alice and Sheryl was close to 30). One talking point which instantly hit me like a ton of bricks came at about the 3 minute mark. Pastor Mark Lantz asks Alice, “what is the Gospel according to Alice Cooper”. Alice’s answer is profound and heartfelt – TRUTH, every bit of the Bible is TRUTH was his reply. What a wonderful proclamation. In a world where half-truths and lies are being spread about our Lord. The ‘Godfather of Shock Rock’ proclaims the entire word of God is TRUTH. Powerful. *On a brief SIDE NOTE: Folks this shocked me. When I was called to write this blog, I felt as if the Holy Spirit had given me the inspiration and the blueprint for how this would look, feel, and be structured. What a blessing it was to have the same name of this blog spoken in an interview with Alice. A confirmation from the Lord as to what this is all about and means. Amen.*
Much like the first video we looked at a few weeks back, this discussion will focus on a few key words or phrases and apply scripture to those. There are five that seemed relevant and worthy of further discussion. This week’s talking points in no particular order are: Seeds, Society, Discernment, Love, and Choice. Let’s dive right in.
Seeds. Alice is not shy when it comes to his upbringing. He was a pastor’s kid and spent most of the week at the church. He speaks fondly about those times and was a happy child. He doesn’t really blame any one particular thing for his detour away from the church. In fact, he goes on to say that his music is really about Good and Evil. With the point being, don’t choose evil. Even without knowing Christ on an intimate level, he still believed in the principles he had been taught. The seeds were still planted and germinating in his heart, mind, but had not yet affected his soul. In Matthew 13:1-23, Jesus taught a parable about planting good seeds with a varying yield of crops. These verses are fantastic and should really be broken down line by line to better understand what our Lord was saying. But in a nutshell, planting seed (sharing the Gospel) is always a good thing. But we must know that the soil (other persons’ hearts, mind, souls, circumstances, etc.) may not take that seed. However, the good news is that as the conditions of the soil become favorable – that seed is laying there in wait. In Alice’s case, the seed was planted. He knew right from wrong. Good from evil. Christ from satan. Examine the seeds you’ve been shown and given. Ask Him to continue to prepare your soil for His Word to dwell within you.
Society. Alice states that he’s been called to walk and camp out with the Philistines. The world of Rock is not really the life most Christians would walk or choose. He goes on to further explain that accepting Christ and walking in the Faith puts your soul at ease, but it’s a much harder road to walk. Living your faith places your life under society’s microscope. Your every move is going to be questioned and judged by the eyes of those that don’t understand and even some that do. This is not easy. Think about how many times a fellow Christian or parts of the church don’t quite portray themselves as Christ would. Next thing you know, every Christian or member of that church is persecuted for the one that has made the mistake. In John 15:18-19, Christ explains that when the world shows hate towards us – we must remember that it hated him first. By choosing to alienate the world by following Him, we no longer belong to the world. Therefore, it hates us. It hates that we have rejected that lifestyle in favor of something greater.
Discernment. Alice discusses certain flavors of Christianity that may raise a few eyebrows. Things that go a little too far left or a little too far right from the teaching of the Word – basically how satan loves to twist, manipulate, pervert, and bring falsehoods (even the most minute ones) to the Truth. Alice references too much healing (especially on TV) or televangelism, in general, as things that satan might use to detour others from the faith. Bottom line is this, we must use the discernment the Spirit has placed within us as we walk on this earth. In 1 John 2:27, John states that we’ve been given the Holy Spirit to teach us and remind us of all the things Christ had taught. That same Spirit will rise up in you when you know something is not true. The Holy Spirit is our barometer of truth vs. lies. Continually seek His guidance in your life and walk with Him.
Love. Towards the end of the interview, Alice is asked about his charity, The Solid Rock Foundation. Alice has been given a call from the Lord to provide a safe place for the youth in his community. A place where they can go and be loved, counseled, and/or fellowship with one another. How often do we miss this? How often are we so hung up on the words and teaching of Christianity? That we somehow miss the message and the mark… In Matthew 22:36-39, Christ is questioned by the Pharisees, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” These men considered themselves to be superiors in the Jewish faith and were trying to trap or make Christ into some sort of fool. Yet he answers them by claiming Love is the answer. We must first love God with all of our being (heart, soul, and mind). Then secondly, we must love our neighbors in the same manner we love ourselves. By following these two commandments, we will naturally keep the other commandments. There’s so much more to say about this – the topic will come with another post at some point.
Choice. Alice testifies to the fact that his music has always been about choice. The free will of man. While he’s not always chosen to walk the straight and narrow, his music has always condemned satan. Never lifting evil up as some form of healthy lifestyle. He noticed early on that Rock, up to that point, had no villain per se. Alice Cooper became that villain. He was the personification of what you should NOT do. His music continues to be the cautionary tale of consequence – that a life without Christ is NOT something you want to live. However, I’ve noticed the tale ends on a high note as his career has evolved. Albums ending with tales of hope and redemption, not just caution. The Bible is loaded with tales of men and women choosing either good or evil. But narrow the focus and hone in on Galatians 5:13, where we find Paul summing up what freedom in Christ looks like. That choosing to sin is not freedom – it’s enslavement. Choosing to love through Christ – by service and action. Those things lead to freedom. In this freedom, we find patience, kindness, joy, honor, etc.
Wrapping up this week with Alice, take note of the story you’re telling. Does it line up with what you know to be right or wrong? Good or evil? It’s one thing to know the truth. It’s another thing to live it. As a child, did you take joy in things that you no longer give value? Does part of you cling to that time and know it was right? Pure? Free from the evil in this world? We are all children. Seeking, searching, yearning for the approval of our parents. What happens when we don’t receive that? We must know that the only approval and validation that matters comes from our Lord. There’s no earthly opinion or judgment that holds any merit next to the favor of our Lord. Seek (or continue to seek) His face and Will wholeheartedly. Don’t be afraid of submission to Him. It’s where true freedom is found.
Have you accepted Christ as your Savior?
If you would like to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, please pray the following prayer:
"God, I believe in you and your son Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave to save me. Today, I invite Jesus into my heart to stay. I make you Lord over my life. Make me new. Wash me, Lord, and cleanse me. In Jesus Name, Amen"
If you have just prayed that prayer, we want to celebrate your new victory with you. Please contact us at prayers@oceanfloorministries.com so we can welcome you into the kingdom. We don't want you to have to walk alone and we have some resources we would like the opportunity to share with you.