Kanye West brings Sunday Service to Salt Lake City outside of Gateway Center, Oct. 5, 2019. | Screenshot: Youtube/PARIS WORLD
Posted on 10/22/2019 8:09:34 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Kanye West brings Sunday Service to Salt Lake City outside of Gateway Center, Oct. 5, 2019. | Screenshot: Youtube/PARIS WORLD
Hip Hop artist Kanye West declared himself a born-again Christian while visiting Washington, D.C. on October 12. “I’m not here for your entertainment,” West said during Howard University’s Homecoming. “We’re here to spread the Gospel.”
In a video published by the entertainment site TMZ, West is heard directing the audience’s attention to Philippians chapter 2 before adding, “Excuse me if I mispronounce anything, I’m a recent convert. Means I recently got saved within this year.” One clip shows West reading Ephesians 4:9 and in another, he is heard discussing Mark 1:15, which he called one of his favorites verses.
Likely few readers of this blog regularly listen to West’s music. To be frank, I’m not hip enough to write much about West. I’m the mom of two babies. My car stereo blasts “Wheels on the Bus” on repeat. I tend to be skeptical whenever I hear celebrities talking about Jesus.
Still, I’ve thought about how the clips of West at Howard University certainly sound different from other celebrities who thank God in one breath and mock Him the next. There is an excitement, awe, and wonder in his voice familiar in new saints who’ve just met their Savior personally. “On fire for God,” is a term we Charismatics might use and I find myself excited for him.
Maybe this is some sort of publicity stunt. If so, it’s a pretty convincing ruse detailed down to the spiritual leaders surrounding the hip hop artist and his most recent professional and personal transformations.
Who is influencing Kanye?
This year, West began what he calls “Sunday Services,” a type of worship gathering with a choir belting out Gospel music and Christianized popular songs at his home in Los Angeles. These events began as private, invite-only events that have expanded to gatherings in Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, and New York that are open to the public and sometimes held in church sanctuaries.
While music is the focal point, short sermons are often delivered by a young Reformed pastor named Adam Tyson. Christianity Today ran an interesting profile piece on Tyson, who is the senior pastor of Placerita Bible Church, in Santa Clarita, California. The Bible church has an average Sunday attendance of 350 and focuses heavily on discipleship and outreach to students at a nearby conservative Christian college, The Master’s University.
Tyson is a graduate of The Master’s Seminary, whose leadership, until recently, included pastor and author John MacArthur (now chancellor emeritus). Tyson also teaches biblical counseling at The Master’s University and leads an evening Bible study with West and his employees.
“I want to be faithful to a new brother in the faith, Kanye,” Tyson told Christianity Today. “I want to help him be connected to the Word of God. I told him, ‘As long as you’re exalting Christ, I’m 100% behind you.’”
I watched a recording of West’s Sunday Service at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Honestly, I heard the Gospel preached more here than I did at the Red Letter Christian “Goldsboro Revival” that I attended two weeks ago.
At one point during worship, West said, “Let’s not be concerned with the validation of men at all. Only the validation of God. To hold each other accountable…to be radically in service to Christ is the only culture I want to know about.” He also talked about transformation and miracles and — catch this — the devil and sin.”The road to Hell can be paved with ‘I’m just a good person,'” West declared in between singing Gospel praise.
West’s audience was more racially and age diverse, too. The entertainer’s platform is an undeniably, nearly limitless sphere of influence within popular culture.
“I know for a fact that I am a strong member in pop culture,” West said during his Howard University appearance. “I worshiped the idea of labels, brand names. I worshiped cars. I worshiped the city I grew up in. I probably said Chicago more in my career than I said Jesus.”
“This is an opportunity to reach pop culture and America for Christ.” Tyson expressed to CT, “I’m fired up.”
How has Kanye changed in recent years?
Skeptics will point out that West has displayed signs of mental instability. After all, this is the man who famously said, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” and inappropriately swiped the mic from Taylor Swift at an award show. The rapper sparked more controversy with his favorable support of President Trump and a bright red “Make America Great Again” hat. He has even opened up about his struggle with bipolar disorder.
So could his Sunday Services be aimed at wider publicity or more bizarre antics? Or is his Christian faith rooted in something deeper? In Matthew 7:15, Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?”
West’s music career certainly seems to have transformed into an effort to glorify Christ. Reportedly, West will no longer record secular music. His new Gospel album, titled “Jesus is King,” is expected to release October 25. CBS News reported that his latest album contains no explicit language and addresses themes of salvation through Christ. West is also set to release an IMAX film under the same name later this month.
In the video clip of West at Howard University, you can hear Kanye rapping the lyrics, “Don’t let them indoctrinate. Closed on Sunday. You my Chick-fil-a. This ain’t game-day. Get your house in shape. Train your sons. Raise them in the faith.” Okay, it’s a bit comical to hear Chick-fil-a mentioned in a rap song. But considering West’s previous lyrical content, I’ll gladly hear the fast-food chain reference.
More recently, outlets like the Christian Post reported that Kanye West dislikes seeing pictures of his wife Kim Kardashian dressing “too sexy” in public, now that he is a born-again Christian.
In a video clip from his wife’s television show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, West recognized that he previously urged his wife to “be just like the other girls showing her body off.’” During the exchange, the hip hop artist shared, “You are my wife and it affects me when pictures are too sexy.”
West’s wife Kim is of Armenian Orthodox heritage. But in an uncomfortable scene to watch, Kardashian tells her husband that she is not on the same journey of transformation with him. It is saddening to watch West simply reply, “Okay” before walking out of the room.
This exchange all unfolds in front of a camera, which you would think fuels the nagging skeptic in the back of my head. In this case, it doesn’t. Maybe my ignorance of celebrity culture makes me naïve, but I’m hopeful West’s faith is sincere.
While I don’t know the ultimate motives of West, here’s what I am unquestionably convinced of: Jesus Christ’s mercy extends to celebrities, to rappers, to people who struggle with bipolar disorder, to people who unintentionally get theology wrong, to registered Republicans and Democrats alike, and to people who make mistake after mistake after mistake.
A celebrity of West’s status is under tremendous global scrutiny. Skeptics will want to see him stumble and fall in his walk with Jesus. And he probably will. Just like the rest of us daily sanctified through the Holy Spirit. In my opinion, all the scrutiny surrounding West’s Christian conversion simply means he could use our prayers.
(You can watch West’s Howard University appearance below.)
That’s between him and God.
The Kardashian empire would have to undergo radical changes to be in line with Christianity. Right now the two are about as unequally yoked as two can be.
If Kanye West can spark or lead a religious revival in the country, that may be his greatest contribution to America. We need that even more than a political revolution.
That’s between him, Christ and God the Father.
who are we to judge??
However, as church members, we MUST make some judgment too. Who do we support for ministry? Who is going to be the Pastor, Elder or Deacon, etc.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Good comments.
Believers ARE told to judge “those who are in the Church”.
To those who might doubt/disagree with what SeekAndFind wrote: You can find this admonition in one of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. (I am going to leave it to you to find the exact passage/s for yourself).
Jesus gave instructions to judge properly (not with hypocrisy) as well.
who are we to judge??
* * * * * * *
Answer: Are you a believer who has been saved by the finished work of Jesus Christ? That will determine whether you (or anyone else) is entitled to judge.
Also, see post 26.
He’ll need our prayers either way, obviously, but especially so if it’s real.
The demon(s) who was living there will want to come back home sooner or later and the Book says he’ll be bringing friends.
I’ve seen/had that experience, too, and too often.
Whatever comes next for him, at least he’s on the right path now.
I’ve seen how God works in others and in my own self enough times now to recognize those footsteps. Fwiw, I agree with this quote from here:
“let those whose hearts have hardened be reminded that My Heart sanctifies; let them know that I call even nameless people, people without virtues, without any merits; I transform the stone-hearted and raise them from nothing at all; I come unexpectedly among the dead and can raise them all up; look at yourself, Vassula; your merits were none, yet out of great pity, I raised you; now you know what True Life In God means; I Am the Life;”Whether we believe it now or not, all of our paths will lead us to Him ... eventually.
Better to seek Him now. And why not?
He’s The totally cool, “come to Me as you are” right now, instead of waiting until we are “perfect” first, Solution to the problems we all face.
I agree completely, but he's not trying out for pastor. I'm sure he is basking in the glow of salvation and the Holy Spirit is strong in him right now. I can remember when I found out God loved me enough to die for me. I was trying to save the world for a couple of years, until I found out how little I knew about Scripture. I also found out many churches make teachers out of men that show up for a couple of Sunday's in a row. Deacons were often the Bankers son or the guy that owns the local Chevy Dealership. It took many years to figure out what was really going on.
West has money so I would imagine he will hold "church" for many that we wouldn't allow to darken the door of our church. Isn't that the problem we are having today? In my last church, we had dope heads, drunkards, and adulterers, that came to my Bible class. I even had a death row murderer that somehow got parole. It was sometimes scary and always full of disappointment. I treated them like friends and tried to show them that Jesus was the only way out of where they were at. You might invest a year or two in them only to find they went back to the world. But there were also some that kept going that did become deacons and teachers after a few years. We are supposed to be equipping our members to go out on their own.
I was a drunk fornicator along with several other adjectives and somehow I was trusted with the Word of God after 7-8 years. We all come from somewhere.
Christians are to admonish those who stray, but Scripture is clear regarding the matter of judging”
Matthew 7:2 “Do not judge, or you will be judged. 2For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?…
We should do more than hope we should lift him in our prayers. If sincere and it appears he is, he has a long and difficult road ahead
He has had severe mental problems such as bipolar I truly pray he finds his way!!!
“Joker, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and Terminator: Dark Fate” top 3 titles at the Box Office.
But “Jesus is King” is trumping them all. #1 via Apple Music in 73 countries!
Just think in terms of the titles alone. The significance.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.