The Truth of Kanye West’s Faith
Ask for advice, and they dissed him
Said I’m finna do a gospel album
What have you been hearin’ from the Christians?
They’ll be the first one to judge me
Make it feel like nobody loves me.
Kanye West is a polarizing figure in culture, and with his recent album, Jesus is Lord, Kanye has become polarizing in the Christian community.
Is Kanye’s faith fake?
Should we allow Kanye to perform in our church?
If you are reading this article, you probably have your own opinion on Kanye West. Maybe you love him. Maybe you hate him.
Let’s look at Kanye West objectively, and hopefully, by the end, we can see his real impact.
Kanye West’s latest album comes as a shock too many, but this album is a progression in Kanye’s life. He has made many Christian references in his music and had elements of worship music in his album Life of Pablo, which in the name itself pays homage to Paul the apostle.
Right now is when a lot of people will go crazy and start shouting about how his music is very arrogant and all about him. People will talk about all the bad things Kanye has done or said.
Kanye West’s Sunday Service
Remember that story in John 8:1–11, when people want Jesus to condemn a woman, but Jesus says, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” Everyone leaves because they know they have sinned, and only Jesus is left in the crowd, and he forgives the woman.
It is easy to be a pharisee when we see the Christian world intersect with the secular world.
But let’s take a step back for a second.
We have Spotify, the largest music streaming service, display Jesus is Lord on the front page, and people are up in arms.
That is crazy that the phrase, Jesus is Lord, is on Spotify and that millions of people who haven’t been to church in years will listen to a gospel album.
Kanye has never claimed that he is perfect, so that should not be the standard we hold of Kanye. If we don’t keep Kanye to being perfect, we can start to see his real impact on the world around us.
Saul was killing Christians in the first-century church because he thought he was doing what was right. When God intervened, Saul became Paul and changed his life mission. It took Paul 10 years to make it on his feet as a preacher and teacher. Paul was rough around his edges. He had to rebuild trust among the first Christians after terrorizing them.
Kanye has made a shift. Although Kanye has had faith in his personal life for a long time, Kanye has started to change for the better recently. This is an answered prayer, not a bad thing.
Kanye’s shift has exposed the Christian community in the worst ways. We should be praying for our leaders and people of influence to change, and yet, when they do change, there is significant push back. We shouldn’t worship Kanye, but we should join him in his victories in life. He wants to live a life for God, and we should join him, not disallow him.
Most people who make significant claims against Kanye West have not listened and studied his music adequately, and they have not watched a full Sunday Service. Sunday Service is not new or a way to promote an album. The album is a way in which Kanye could share a bit of the experience from Sunday Service.
Sunday Service is a church service.
Yes, just like the one I go to at 10 AM in Austin.
There is singing, there is a preacher, and then more singing. I am trying to figure out how that is different than any other church service?
If you watch the full service, the choir sings traditional hymns with newer sounds and words. Kanye West never says his name; he worships. Kanye doesn’t even lead- there is a worship leader named Jason White.
Kanye has created a church service where people can sing and worship, but if you watch, you can see that it is never about him. We would have a problem if Kanye were doing the service about himself. He has been doing a Sunday Service before it was public and started to dedicate his life to creating this service.
A lot of people might argue what church should be, but I would love to go to a church that worships EXACTLY like the first century. That doesn’t exist. Worship adapts and changes. People change and culture changes. Church has changed and will vary. What should never change is WHO we worship. Kanye may have started a different style church, but the message is the same- seek God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and allow Him to forgive you.
This church service may not be a church service you connect with, but you cannot stop others from connecting with God differently. In fact, this service is making people reconsider going to church and reconsider joining in worship.
Kanye West is a catalyst and messenger for people to explore a relationship with God/higher being.
We can never expect ourselves to be perfect, but we can only hope our life leads others to seek a relationship with God. Kanye is not looking to be perfect. Kanye is looking to be the change in his own life, own his repentance, and be an example to others to lead them into a relationship with God. Just as Paul is the messenger for the Gentiles, Kanye could be the messenger of the secular world in the 21st century. Neither Paul or Kanye were or are perfect, but they both have something in common that is evident- They want to spread the gospel of God.
So instead of waiting for Kanye to make one mistake or troll him in the comments of Facebook or Reddit, take that time to audit your own life. If someone looked at your life, could they see a passion for God, or are you just a lukewarm believer? Have you ever started a church or consistently been vocal and public about your faith? Maybe you don’t believe or go to church, but I invite you to keep being curious about what it means to have God in your life.
Let the one who is perfect be the first to criticize Kanye.
Any takers?
Kanye is loved equally by God, as God loves you and me. Let’s celebrate in Kanye’s transformation and pray that his heart impacts the world for repentance. While we pray for that impact, we should add that in our own life so that others can see and be affected by our relationship with God.