Following the spiritual metamorphosis of the famous American rapper and entrepreneur, Kanye West, into the Christian community and profoundly expressing his faith in Christ through his ultra seraphic-sounding choir and Sunday services, there has been a lot of reproval and criticism from Christians. Oh, the release of his new album too — Jesus is King — has raised eyebrows and got tongues wagging to the moon and back. I’ve had to converse with a couple of clergymen, traditional and millennial Christians to get their views on the topic, and it’s been an array of divergent views, of which one was most striking: “KANYE WEST IS AN ANTICHRIST...”
I’ve watched videos of Kanye declaring Jesus Christ his Lord, and professing his faith in the gospel. I’ve watched him talking about his struggle with his mental health and how the devil wanted to snatch his mind but God saved him. Kanye’s album is a summary of the gospel — our fundamental creed.
He talked about his former obsession with big brands, and how his happy place is now in Christ. All I saw was a man who has gotten to the zenith of earthly success, and still felt deficient. I personally believe that there’s a vacuum in our hearts than no amount of material possession, fame, or money can occupy. I see Kanye as one that secured a first class cabin in the Titanic, only to realize that we are all crashing...
There are snide remarks about how he’s doing all this gospel thing for clout — as a marketing strategy. But I ask, is Jesus’ name not being glorified? Is the good news not being spread? I read testimonies of youngsters whose faith in Christ was revamped as a result of Kanye’s testimony. We should see this as a plus to our faith, that one of the most influential humans has chosen to identify with Christ.
The problem with a lot of Christians is that we don’t realize that we do not have monopoly over Jesus, and that our salvation was a gift to us; we are not custodians of salvation, neither are we in the place to determine who decides to praise Jesus. In the Bible, there are prophecies of how God will pour His Spirit on all flesh in the last days. Scriptures talk about the quick work of salvation and how the name of Jesus will spread far and wide. Also, the first shall become the last and the last shall become the first. Strikes a cord?
Kanye’s proclamations are sound so far if judged on the scale of our Christian creed. He performed for prison inmates during his visit to the Harris County Jail in Houston; led many prisoners to Christ, and would be performing at Joel Osteen’s church — Lakewood Church.
I think the best we should do as Christians is to pray for him and embrace him. He is still finding his feet as a baby Christian, and we should sincerely and lovingly hope that he will come to the fullness of the knowledge of Christ.
Is he an antichrist? Is he using this as a strategy? All these questions are not necessary when Jesus’ name is glorified. They’re not questions for us to judge or be concerned with when our Father’s name is glorified therefrom. Only God knows and judges the true contents of our hearts, not other supposedly true Christians.
Comments
Post a Comment