Kanye West recently made a profession of faith. He is a rapper, singer, and songwriter and he is married to a Kardashian. His recent conversion made national news and has gained a bemused following from the entertainment industry.
What would you do if Kanye West made a profession of faith in your church?
It’s not as far from where you live as you might think. The culture we are now trying to reach is NOT full of “almost Christians” who conveniently make the slide into a holy and pious Christian life in a few short months after conversion. Discipleship these days is messy and complicated. The Holy Spirit is present and does His work, but the transition is often still a wild ride. And as we are already seeing, the “Kanye West as a Christian” story is going to be about as wild as it gets.
Some details of West’s conversion story are not quite what we have come to expect from celebrity believers. The church that he attends—Placerita Bible Church (more info here )–and the pastor that has been discipling him seem to be on the conservative end of the conservative evangelical movement. Outside our world of fundamentalism this church is about as theologically straight as it gets.
Is his profession of faith real?
I do not know that any more than I know if any other person’s confession is real. I am confident that he heard and responded to a careful and accurate representation of gospel. I know that West immediately entered the world of Christian music which was not part of who he was before his conversion. The cynic in me initially questioned whether this was a “career move” like other artists have made, but West has been wildly successful in the secular world and will not nearly match that monetary success in the Christian entertainment industry. It is more likely that this music is what he does, and now he just wants to do what he does for God (He probably does not even know that our kind of worship music exists and “no” this not in any way an endorsement of his music). He has asked his wife, Kim Kardashian, to dress more modestly and it’s because of his new “journey.” She shot back at his objections to her wardrobe with this comment.
“You built me up to be this sexy person and confidence and all this, and just because you’re on a journey and transformation doesn’t mean I’m in the same spot with you.” (here).
That seems to be a 1 Corinthians 7:12-15 type of argument that happens when married people begin travelling two separate ways spiritually.
Some have suggested that Kanye is going to embarrass true Christians. Of course he is! After all, he is Kanye West. He never has cared that much about what people think about him. He is a black rapper who supported President Trump. He is the guy who crashed the stage during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the VMA awards. He has no restraint and no filter. What would it look like for God to gloriously save someone from West’s world–someone with very little Christian understanding or discernment but with all the boldness in the world? It would look like what Kanye West is doing right now. Immature believers embarrass their more mature believer friends all the time. I remember introducing a man I had recently led to the Lord to a visiting preacher. The new believer carried on a five-minute profanity-laced conversation with the guest preacher while I melted in horror. New believers sometimes just have no clue. Looking back I smile and thank God for what He did in that man’s life. Things like that do not bother me much anymore. When God is saving and changing people, those things happen all the time. It means God is at work.
Given his theological background, I am sure Kanye West’s pastor is cringing at the fact that Kanye performed at prosperity preacher Joel Osteen’s church this Sunday. Celebrity preachers like Osteen will always try to jump in on opportunities like Kanye West.
There is a lesson for all of us here. We do not get to choose who God saves and we do not get to decide who is genuine and who is not. In fact, when we are truly following the Lord we do not even get to decide who WE get to evangelize and disciple. God will give us all kinds. We are called to faithfully, obediently minister to whomever God sends us. Imagine what it was like for Ananias of Damascus when God called him to go talk to Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9. His response was basically “Are you sure you want me to go talk to THAT guy?” Soul-winning and discipling in this culture are going to be difficult and sometimes awkward, but it is the glorious mission to which we are called.
I am praying for Kanye West. I would have never really thought about it a few years ago. He is as far removed from my personal world as anyone could be, but I pray that if he is not already, he will be truly saved. I pray that God will surround him with helpful, careful, sound, godly people. I pray that Kanye will be humble enough to be taught by the Holy Spirit, the Word, and by God’s faithful people. I pray that God will protect him from spiritual enemies.
I am also praying that God will give me—and you—the privilege of reaching others just like him with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
In an ideal situation, Kanye West could have the opportunity to share the gospel with people who are totally out of reach for the rest of us. I have no idea how this will turn out, but it will be interesting to watch.
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